Why do Movie Watchers Enjoy Rebellion Flicks?

V for Vendetta, The Matrix, The Hunger Games, Star Wars, and a sleuth of other films deal with the topic of an oppressed society dealing with a tyrannical government and ultimately succeeding in toppling it over. Of course, it's obvious that audiences will tend to side with the underdog as they struggle to gain significant victories over their cruel oppressors. But, despite the fact that movie watchers react positively to these films, it's clear that the average moviegoer doesn't support actual acts of rebellion. Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States recently underwent a state of unrest during which the majority of civilians criticized, and ostracized the rebelling masses. Eventually the movement quelled and the protesters died out, but not without being an accurate representation of how passive our society has become. Yet, if audiences react positively to films of rebellion, how come the same isn't true about actual acts of revolt?

Movies with the topic of rebellion are often a good analysis of the human condition. As President Snow said in the Hunger Games "Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective; a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained". The government in Puerto Rico applied this by ensuring that police officers were paid and welfare continued during the times of strife, which ensure minimum support for the freedom fighters in the island. By providing a small amount of hope that the situations wouldn't deteriorate past a certain point, the "rulers" of the country effectively toppled the rebellion before it became a significant threat to the status quo. The cabinet put into effect laws that would further deter acts of rebellion by making it illegal to conceal faces during acts of protest, effectively destroying privacy rights. In other countries, these acts would be acts of war against their own populace, but the people in Puerto Rico simply saw the government as keeping order. However, Puerto Ricans received no support from their fellow American during their hardships and in fact were instead criticized for acting "childish" after getting themselves into debt.

But, in a country founded by rebels and freedom fighters, where has our fighting spirit gone? The answer to that question is... the movie realm and even videogames. Rebellion films allow fans to indulge in their anarchist nature without actually endangering themselves. Viewers understand that death in the real world is permanent, but in a movie they don't worry about loss of life or property, and instead focus on the plot at hand. The fine line between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" being clearly defined allows people to simply cheer for those they know are working towards the benefits of the masses. In real life, however this line is not so clear and people fear losing the things they've worked for in the midst of uncertainty. Similar to how sharing a post on Facebook allows people to feel they've done their parts, by supporting a film about rebellion people feel receive a false sense of satisfaction in their lives. But, it ultimately does nothing when policemen are massacring the very lives they're supposed to protect, and the government takes advantage of the people surrounding them.

The natural train of thought is along the lines of "as long as it doesn't affect me, I'll be all right", but how long until that comes back to bite a person in the ass? A government should not be feared by its people, the government should fear its people, and this is true for any and all ruling caste. The leadership of this country has been for the last few decades handing more power to corporations, and continue taking away rights from those they're supposed to protect every day. If the trend continues, it's only a matter of time until people have to rise to arms once more. But, when the inevitable happens and people are once again called upon to rise against the machine will they be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice that some of the heroes in these films did in order to achieve their goals?

Ultimately the choices made by these fictional characters hold little weight as they merely serve as inspirational figures. Yet, if the masses are unwilling to use these inspiration figures to actually drive themselves forward and put a stop to the continuous decline of society then nothing will change. Our government is corrupt and that much is known, but we can't continue to allow fictional characters to do the fighting for us. The time for action is now and we must take every means available to ensure that every peaceful option is exhausted, but if that doesn't work... on what side will you stand when the bell tolls for thee?