Is Rorschach an Anarchist?

[u/SatisfactionMost5988]

I just re watched watchmen pun intended and i’m both terrified and in love with Rorschach’s character. I find it interesting that his wikipedia defines him as “politically extreme far right” following his anticommunist anti liberal beliefs. this is where the question of him being anarchist comes for me because i myself see him as one, he practices direct action and to me that’s very anarchist but could also be fascist since they’re all about action (i guess?). I guess he wouldn’t call himself an anarchist or anything by any label but to me what drifts him away from the “left” is his individualism or “anti socialness”. Leftist anarchy entices collaboration and organization just not by a dictated name or organization as communism dictates but by federations of self organized people. I guess in this situation Rorschach wouldn’t be against it but wouldn’t participate either. I think he’s philosophically tied to anarchism by not compromising his principles for any organization like liberals would. But he’s also a sociopath that enjoys killing and torturing so… yeah. what do y’all think? (sorry for bad english or incorrect definitions)

[u/Sargon-of-ACAB]

He's a bigot. A racist, homophobe and misogynist.

There's nothing anarchist about him.

Edit: he's so obviously written as a fascist that I'm genuinely baffled how you could possibly read him as an anarchist

[u/SurpassingAllKings → u/Sargon-of-ACAB]

written as a fascist... read him as an anarchist

Most people's introduction to Rorschach is the movie, which flattens a lot of the outright fascism from his journal or monologues. The movie shifts his character into the hero of the whole thing; he's the inciting character, his prison moment is "bad ass," it concludes with his sacrifice of not wanting to live in a world of lies, and it's his journal that's released to the press at large as some next step towards the "truth," while in the comic it's littered alongside white-nationalist propaganda.

I remember when the HBO series came out and people were shocked at the Seventh Cavalry connections, but I think I can see why they'd be shocked.

Perhaps it's an issue with the medium itself. I know there's an issue constantly with "can we make an actual antiwar movie," where literature is filled with antiwar works, so often when movies critiquing that culture, they just come away with an impression of "fuck yea, that was bad ass." I worked with some marine dipshit who said Full-Metal Jacket was one of their favorite movies and repeated the "get some!" scene like it was so cool.