Watchmen and the Importance of Constraining Power
The moral case for constraining power so it doesn't get out of control.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
It's a phrase so many people know so well most people don't even have to say it. People just understand how power can be used in terrible ways. So much has been done in the name of securing power which has harmed so many, there's history books dedicated to the atrocities committed in its name. Of course, they rarely ever say that's why they're doing it. There's often something like security or freedom as part of the explanation. Which isn't to say that people don't have those reasons as well. They obviously have all kinds of reasons for doing the things they do. The problem is that once its all over, whoever wins ends up with a lot of power. A way to make their idea of the world the way they want it. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.
Such power is seductive. People can be tempted to use it in ways that under normal circumstances they wouldn't. There has to be some kind of constraints around the power people are given. Otherwise you end up having those you use power against rise up and try to take it from them. That only ends badly for all those involved. Lives have been destroyed for the ability to secure power. Constraints on power are difficult to make work though. In most cases, it only works if people are willing to abide by them. Particularly those in power themselves since they're the ones who can use it against others. If they don't, then the trappings of power will end up overwhelming even the most moral and ethical person. They have to believe in the importance of the constraints or they don't really mean much of anything in the end.
Watchmen at its core is about what happens when power goes unchecked. People like Dr Manhattan, Ozymandias and virtually every other character have incredible power. Their willingness to use that power is what makes them so dangerous. Thankfully, the vast majority of them are willing to use whatever power they have towards helping others. Becoming what passes for heroes in this universe. But as time goes on, they end up finding that the constraints they have put in place actually make the situation worse. Not going far enough to truly eliminate the worst aspects of human society is what allows the truly powerful without constraints to get away with all the terrible things they do.
Sadly, the conclusions they draw are that they aren't as good as they could be. In order to get around this, the people with constraints choose to live without them. Ultimately being willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top. No matter how many people have to die to achieve this. Even the people who advocate for constraints like Rorschach are causalities in this single minded pursuit of absolute power. So of course, that doesn't end well.
Explore the tragedy of not having constraints on power by checking out Watchmen as soon as you can.
Check it out on Amazon and Crave in Canada.
Hi, I'm assuming that you're commenting on the Snyder movie version of Watchmen vs. the original comic book, though any differences are probably immaterial in the context of this essay. What's interesting is that the person we assume to be the most powerful, Dr. Manhattan, has the power (really a limitation) of foreknowledge for most of both versions of the story, which seems to constrain him. The person who actually has the most economic power and influence, Veidt, is able to succeed by suppressing Manhattan's "omniscience". Further to this, Dr. Manhattan's greatest sin, if any, is his commitment to following the preordained series of events. More than that, it's his growing disconnection to humanity which makes him a threat. Veidt is a tricky one: you could say that he's a megalomaniac, corrupted by power, but I tended to believe that he was willing to do terrible things to serve a greater good because he could foresee a solution that he could implement. Vanity or cold calculation? Dunno. Fascinating, really.
Rorschach was broken by his understanding of the cruelty that humans could cause but he nevertheless carried on with his hopeless task, somehow managing to enlist the two remaining good people to help him. But even then, they had their own power addictions.
Great topic!
To me, the best symbol of the corrupting influence of power was the Comedian: he clearly relished the opportunities to use his power and made the most of the lifestyle he obtained through this.
I think there is a parallel between Manhattan’s withdrawal from humanity and what we’re seeing with mega-billionaires now. You get so aloof, so beyond, so concerned with tomorrow and fate and things you can manipulate on scales that are incomprehensible to others that you forget that normal people need to eat. Manhattan could have snapped his fingers and put a steak on every plate without killing a cow, but he wouldn’t. Same goes for these ding dongs who can solve so many issues with a wayward tweet or a few signatures. They are not living the experience of a real person, and they forget what it is like.