Conclusion

Pop culture is a very powerful tool that can easily shape the morals and ideals of the public. The media uses this power everyday. One topic of interest for television and movies alike is vigilantism. The concept of a 'hero' taking the law into his own hands and delivering justice to wrongdoers is very appealing to most Americans. At least in theory. Pop culture glorifies this lifestyle, showing the characters who participate in their own justice never harming an innocent person. However, most people in real life never agree with this sentiment because they know that no one can actually hold that kind of power without abusing it. The majority of society would prefer to allow legal agencies to handle things rather than an independent person. However, pop culture highly advocates the lifestyle and glorifies it in many outright and subtle ways. This is one rare instance where pop culture and the public differ in opinion.

The Remorse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cHKWANBvlw
Arrow Season Two Introduction Sequence

After Oliver's friend, Tommy, is killed as a result of his vigilante lifestyle, he begins to reflect on whether or not he is doing the right thing by taking down those who have "failed this city".

The Call To Action

Introduction to Arrow's first season.

Oliver Queen becomes a vigilante in order to honor his father's last wish of making his city a better place to live by eliminating the corruption that exists there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc1gxn6abt8

Political Cartoons

> A real life case of 'vigilantism' came to light in 2012 when George Zimmerman, while on his route for his neighborhood watch, shot and killed a teenage boy named Trayvon Martin. The public outrage that resulted in Zimmerman using lethal force on a 'suspicious' subject led to a lot of media exposure at the trial. Zimmerman was acquitted of the charges for second degree murder.

*RJ Matson created political cartoons in response to the Zimmerman case.

cahttp://media.cagle.com/73/2012/03/23/108705_600.jpg

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*These cartoons, along with the public outrage at Zimmerman show how, in real life, most people do not condone vigilantism and would rather law enforcement handle all legal issues. 

"Sometimes Bad Guys Make the Best Good Guys"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtIQIYg88AA


"Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys" is the perfect summary for this show. Nate Ford and his team of criminals perform scams on rich and powerful people or companies who use their power to hurt people. This show is essentially a corporate version of vigilantism. The show illustrates how this team is doing good in the world, thus essentially wiping away the dozens of crimes they commit each episode.

The Darkside of Vigilantism: When things get personal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqq9MpbQ9uU
 *WARNING: Strong Language

After failing to kill Yakavetta in their initial attempt, and losing their best friend Rocco, Connor and Murphy reunite with their father and plan to take out Yakavetta while he is on trial, again. With help from the FBI agent who has decided he agrees with the boys, and three local police officers, the trio break into the courtroom to deliver this bone chilling speech to those present.

Note the look on the face of the FBI Agent when he peers through the courtroom doors and sees the brothers and their father. He looks afraid and is obviously contemplating his decision to help them. 

*Scene from The Boondock Saints (1999). Used under fair use act for educational purposes.

Personal Justice

Sons of Anarchy is a show that revolves around outlaw motorcycle gang. Obviously this provided many examples of taking the law into their own hands, but perhaps the most relatable one is in season two. In this season, the main character Jax, finds out that his mother was raped and beaten. He and his step-father do not find out immediately but once they do, they know they have to take action to 'set right' the situation. This is an example of 'personal justice' and when asked what he wants to do Jax replies "Kill them all" while holding his infant son. That just shows exactly how deeply engrained the idea of vigilantism is in their minds. And Jax does get his justice, he kills one of the men responsible for the attack on his mother and he never even blinks an eye.

Reasons for Vigilantism

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/8e/8e20ac04b9c3b79399b5d099a216a6f27c8641b940fc04a508b1c20e18f5b120.jpg

 1. A personal sense of justice and revenge.

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/09/0981934e174d0f0e17d6e4bcc17781190e8e0b3f7869e9177872e3d3cbd2287f.jpg

*Scene for The Boondock Saints (1999)










2. Feeling of inadequate justice delivered by justice system. 

*Scene from The Boondock Saints (1999) 

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http://favimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/movie-the-boondock-saints-quotes-famous-sayings-evil.jpg

3. Belief that ridding the world of evil will make them a 'hero'.

*Scene from The Boondock Saints (1999)

http://czmhgs.com/images/14472-boondock-saints.jpg

4. Belief they are on a mission from God or other religious beliefs.

*The Boondock Saints (1999)

Vigilantism is Sexy

http://nowyouknowthis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/arrowmeme1.jpg

http://31.media.tumblr.com/8e4dd809bda698ff2d2f699b349e7599/tumblr_n0vsfmn01B1rq49qyo3_250.gif

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/25500000/Jax-jackson-jax-teller-25532016-500-281.png

http://iphone-5-wallpaper.com/wallpaper/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/14/boondock-saints-shepherd.jpg

*Images from Arrow, Sons of Anarchy, and The Boondock Saints. All images used under the fair use act for educational purposes.

Guts and Glory

Pop culture has always had a way of glamorizing controversial issues and taking a rather liberal position on them. Today, it is impossible to turn on the television and not see a sex scene on a popular TV show or advertisement. The same has become true of vigilantism and violence in general. Dozens of shows center around characters who use violence to solve the problems they encounter; whether they have good intentions or not. People have become desensitized to the blood and gore ever present on their screen. Personally, I was watching a show last night where a man lost his eye and I didn't even flinch, only wondered what retaliation would be taken to avenge this act on the next episode.

So how does pop culture advocate vigilantism?

http://calwatchdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/vigilantism.jpg

1. They continually use it as a way to lure in an audience; the promise of violence has become one of the largest attractions on TV.
2. Rarely are the negative consequences of the lifestyles shown and even when they are they are treated as a burden that must be bore in order to accomplish good.
3. Often the vigilantes are seen as 'heroes' by those in their community and in some cases even local law enforcement begin to agree with them. 
4. Producers and directors constantly poke at the insecurities of the American people such as the flaws in the court system.
5. On a more subtle note, the actors and actresses that play these characters are often attractive and portrayed as sweet and innocent, contradicting the general idea that vigilantes are evil and sadistic. 

"Real" People's View on Vigilantism

 

In the movie Boondock Saints, the final credits roll after a series of interviews with people who live in this fictitious universe and what their thoughts are on the brothers who have been killing mobsters in Boston. As you can see in the video, the opinion is split pretty evenly. This segment grounds the rest of the movie which glorifies the brothers' pursuits. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SQ_fo5eTFU#action=share

Clip from Boondock Saints Movie, 1999

Pop Culture Artifacts

For this blog, I will be using numerous television shows and movies in order to illustrate the perspective of vigilantism in pop culture. For convenience purposes, I will provide a list of all of these now and then a detailed works cited at the end of the blog with all of my sources so you may peruse them as you see fit. Links to full videos will be provided when only using partial clips and captions will provide URLs for videos and pictures.

Television shows that will be used include:

• Arrow
• Sons of Anarchy
• Leverage

Movies that will be used include:

• Boondock Saints

*Other examples may be used throughout the blog but these are the primary focuses. 

Introduction

Vigilantism is often associated with a very negative connotation and images of terrible murderers taking the law into their own hands are called to mind. However, in pop culture, the opposite is often represented. We see countless superhero movies each year glorifying people who disregard human law in order to save lives and punish the wrongdoers trying to take over the world. On top of that, there are shows and movies that center around a protagonist who seeks revenge and dispenses justice as he or she sees fit. Most of the times this is a response to some terrible event that has happened to them, making it appear as if vigilante justice is a reasonable option for those who have been wronged. Other times, a characters path into the world of personal justice is sparked by seeing killers and rapists let free due to the flaws with the American court system, yet another 'reasonable' justification. While these characters often face many problems associated with their lives as vigilantes, the media often portrays it as a burden being bared by a saint who is just trying to do good in the world. Pop culture glorifies vigilantism in numerous ways, making it appear to be ethically justifiable in a world that is riddled with evil.

 This blog is devoted to detailing pop culture's view on vigilantism and will use video clips and pictures from artifacts to illustrate that point. Intermittently there will also be text posts that discuss these artifacts and bring in real world examples from scholarly articles. Mostly the media will speak for itself but brief summaries will be given along with each clip and picture in order to place it in context for those unfamiliar with the show or movie.



*Disclaimer: This is for a school project, I am using all content for educational purposes under the fair use act. I do not own any of the content and all credit will be given to those who do.