"Who Watches the Watchmen"...This was the tag-line of one of the greatest graphic novels ever written. Are you sure you really know what it means? I think most people would interpret it as the "Watchmen of society are protecting us but who is watching them to protect us from them?" I feel this interpretation may not be fully accurate. "Who Watches the Watchmen" is aimed more about asking who protects them. Who protects those who protect us?
Throughout the graphic novel, it's not so much a matter of those considered to be the Watchmen are too powerful to go unchecked, it's more about the personal lives of heroes. It's not a question of checks and balances but one of asking who is it that protects those who protect us? All of the "masked adventurers" in the graphic novel (minus Dr. Manhattan) are normal, everyday human beings. Though they may have more weapons or skills than most people, they are just as vulnerable as anyone else. We see how weak and vulnerable they are and how they have the same problems and fears that we have.
In the comic, Hollis Mason is beaten to death by a group of kids. This is a perfect example of the tag-line. Hollis Mason was the first Nite-Owl, a superhero, but when he needed someone to save him, there was no one there. There is an instance where both interpretations of the tag-line are portrayed. *Spoiler Alert (in the off chance someone reading this has not read the graphic novel)* In the scene where Dr. Manhattan vaporizes Rorschach. Dr. Manhattan is an all powerful "watchmen" that has gone unchecked and Rorschach becomes the "watchmen" that needs someone to watch over him. As the scene plays out, the danger of both interpretations is realized. Dr. Manhattan kills someone, Rorschach dies.
There is even an analogy in the comic to verify this interpretation. When Rorschach visits the grave site of the Comedian and he tells that joke he heard once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But, doctor...I am Pagliacci." The point of this joke is that the person who is expected to make everyone laugh has no one to make him laugh because they all rely on him to do it. That's the same with the heroes of Watchmen. The all need someone to protect them but there's no one to do it. It's a mentality that we've put these people up on a pedestal and they are the only ones who can do what they do when really, they need someone to protect them and someone to make them laugh.
This was written because I was bored and it had been something that I was wondering about. If no one else figured this out, well, chew on the idea for a while and tell me what you think. The point is, those who help us may also need help themselves. Who Watches the Watchmen?
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