This quote represents Adrian Veidt's very unorthodox and desperate method to resolving the Cold War conflict, one which reprises a recurring theme from our classroom not long ago: do the ends justify the means? This is a question with no definitive answer, which is dependent on an individual's moral boundaries, as well as those of his peers, whether they will be accepting or disapproving of that person's opinion. The challenge that Veidt is confronted with in Watchmen is complementary to this problem, having to decide whether to allow the world and all its inhabitants be destroyed by a nuclear war, or intervene and prevent that disastrous outcome by intentionally killing approximately two million New York residents. This predicament is similar to the Fat Man Problem, a thought experiment introduced by Judith Jarvis Thomson, illustrating the moral dilemma of deciding to either push (and ultimately kill) a fat man onto trolley tracks in order to save the lives of five people that the trolley is en route to kill, or let those five innocent people die. Veidt, using his genius and wealth, is just as capable of staging an alien attack on New York to unite warring regions of the world as the subject in the Fat Man Problem is able to push the fat person and save five lives, but this does not necessarily mean they will. In fact, 90% of participants let the trolley crash into the five people, because they would rather not get involved in the situation in comparison to being a murderer. What the other 10%, including Veidt, believe is that knowing they possess the capability of being able to save the greater amount of lives yet doing nothing is, essentially, equivalent to murder, resulting in them choosing the alternative. Assuming roughly 99% of people would agree that they would prefer it if the greater number of lives were spared, the only element that is affecting this decision is whether the subject would be able to accept the reality that they are a killer. In my opinion, if Veidt is able to do this, consciously managing that inner struggle while being viewed by his peers as a villain, he is a true hero, whereas others may not save several lives in order to spare themselves from that self loathing.
This quote also helps me relate to Veidt's point of view, rather than just accepting him as a classic villain. It also compels me to contemplate what I would do in Veidt's situation, which, currently, would be to imitate his elaborate plan, maybe changing it slightly, as I believe aliens may be too unrealistic. Ultimately, I now realize that Ozymandias has two choices, to either watch the world burn and humanity destroy itself or kill a portion of it to salvage the rest, resulting in a human race that is united stronger than ever before.
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