Quote from: Le Fink on 09 May, 2024, 04:57:12 PMQuote from: Le Fink on 09 May, 2024, 04:50:24 PMQuote from: IndigoPrime on 09 May, 2024, 09:55:51 AMThat MC1 would be screwed without Dredd, even though he's ultimately largely responsible for the city being in bits?
How so (genuine question)?
(I agree with the first bit. I don't understand how he's ultimately largely responsible for the city being in bits)
That's a fair point. Perhaps a scattered review of those events that have had a major impact on MC1?
Okay, so the Apocalypse War was initiated by the Sovs. Half the city decimated in a "total-nuke-out". Dredd 'responsible'? Doubtful.
Necropolis - dark Judges take over the city and cheerfully proceed to murder the population. Dredd took the long walk off the back of what he saw as questionable decisions by the Chief Judge and those around him. Again, not really Dredd.
Inferno (much as we would rather ignore this altogether) - psychotic criminal judges take over the city and just go nuts. All have it in for Dredd but can we really blame him?
Judgement Day - inter dimensional Zombie Lord decides to turn the planet into a global version of the living dead. Nope, can't blame Dredd for this one.
Total War - bunch of lunatic terrorists decide to nuke their way out of Judicial rule. Okay, you can argue the judges were the reasons they decided nuclear surgery was the only way to excise their control but as solutions go there is something a bit askew here. Dredd's responsibility is limited to his being part of the judicial system.
Day of Chaos - group of former Sov City operatives decide to get their own back on MC1 by initiating a biological attack. They all hold Dredd responsible for what happened to their city and his final retaliation. We can debate the ethics of Dredd's decision until the cows come home but ultimately they had initiated a war against MC1 and invaded. You can certainly argue that it was Dredd's actions that precipitated this event.
Possibly the only time it is fair to say he was directly 'responsible'. Admittedly a more nuanced approach would have argued that the Sovs started it, Dredd did what he thought was necessary and the Sovs chose to harbour a grudge for decades before taking it out on MC1. That being the case, once more we end up with Dredd shouldering far less of the blame.
Is it fair then to say that Dredd is responsible for the shape of MC1 or is it more accurate to say that despite his seemingly unlimited powers he is actually impotent, or at least far less powerful, against forces, powers and events that transcend his more parochial role as judicial arbiter?
If anything, these events point to the limitations of the law. In fact, one could argue that ultimately that is a them that runs through Dredd. The whole premise as originally conceived took the most extreme alternatives expounded at the time and created an entire system and iconic character around them.
Folded into this was a future scape not a million miles removed from where we are today. You only have to look at some of the debates around crime in major cities across the UK and US (amongst other nations) to see how prescient the concept actually was.
Dredd has only ever been able to hold the tide at bay, so to speak. Everyday crime that can be dealt with swiftly and simplistically is possibly the limits of his powers. He struggles with exactly the same problems current judicial systems do when it comes to organised crime, never mind state-backed criminal activity aimed at undermining opponents.
Given these limitations, his culpability is certainly highly questionable. At least that would be my take on this. Feel free to dismantle my arguments though.