Guy Fawkes?

[Rayschism]

Why do people consider Guy Fawkes a hero?

I really don't understand.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

People don't really know he was out for installing himself as a dictatorial leader, similar t how William Wallace wanted the same absolutist regime in place as the English did, with many of the same cruel practices, just under a Scot s leader, not an English one. Guy Fawkes was an early terrorist who used fear to try and change the tyrannical corruption, but people either ignore that he was just as bad or don't know that's what he was after, so they built a pedestal for him the same way they did for Wallace.

People will take in most of the time only what they think or want to be real, not what is true.

 

[bilby]

People don't really know he was out for installing himself as a dictatorial leader, similar t how William Wallace wanted the same absolutist regime in place as the English did, with many of the same cruel practices, just under a Scot s leader, not an English one. Guy Fawkes was an early terrorist who used fear to try and change the tyrannical corruption, but people either ignore that he was just as bad or don't know that's what he was after, so they built a pedestal for him the same way they did for Wallace.

People will take in most of the time only what they think or want to be real, not what is true.

I don't think Fawkes wanted to establish himself as leader of anything; his goal was to restore the Roman Catholic theocracy that Henry VIII had replaced with a Protestant theocracy.

I do agree with you though that he's a hero because he fought against a tyranny - and because many people didn't stop to think about what he planned to do if he succeeded in eliminating the tyrants.

Bear in mind that his plot against James I occurred forty years before the English Civil War, at a time when the King's power was supreme; even Parliament had to do as he commanded, and there was little protection in law against anything he desired - the nobility had some protections under Magna Carta, but England was effectively a totalitarian dictatorship.

People always cheer for the guy who tries to get rid of a harsh boss.

What James's son, Charles I, got wrong was that he really swallowed the 'divine right of kings' propaganda, and pushed his Parliament too far; Charles's older brother, Henry, who had been trained for the role of King by James I, died shortly before his father did, leaving the kingdom in command of a tyrant who didn't grasp that his power was only as good as his ability to make people obey; and that, as Terry Pratchett pointed out, the crowd that cheers your coronation is the same crowd that will cheer at your execution. People love a spectacle.

 

[LordKiran]

Also everyone and their cool college friend saw V for Vendetta over the weekend and decided that edgelord V was a super cool dude and now they wear masks in his honor. Most people don't really know who Guy Fawkes is. They only know him indirectly through his use as a symbol in popular media.

Sort of like how the upside down cross was a popular symbol among the goth death-metal types even though the upside down cross can be considered a symbol of ultimate humility within some christian circles.

 

[bilby]

Also everyone and their cool college friend saw V for Vendetta over the weekend and decided that edgelord V was a super cool dude and now they wear masks in his honor. Most people don't really know who Guy Fawkes is. They only know him indirectly through his use as a symbol in popular media.

^Yeah, this.

I keep forgetting that most people don't know any actual history at all, and instead build their worldview based on current fashions in popular culture.

Despite my best efforts, I never seem to be quite as misanthropic and cynical as is necessary to accurately tune in to humanity.

People are just so easy to overestimate.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Also everyone and their cool college friend saw V for Vendetta over the weekend and decided that edgelord V was a super cool dude and now they wear masks in his honor. Most people don't really know who Guy Fawkes is. They only know him indirectly through his use as a symbol in popular media.

Sort of like how the upside down cross was a popular symbol among the goth death-metal types even though the upside down cross can be considered a symbol of ultimate humility within some christian circles.

Yes, this is about it. As far as I know, few people saw him as a hero, most certainly not in England where they celebrate his discovery, trial and execution.

The V for Vendetta made him a popular internet meme. When Anonymous adopted the Guy Fawkes Mask, people soon became aware of him.

 

[iolo]

The Pope had decided he had the right to choose who should rule in south Britain, and there were enough Romanist terrorists to do his bidding. I don't think even RCs call Fawkes a hero however.