The Matrix Has You
March 24, 2024 5:30 PM Subscribe
In the film, one of the representatives of the AI, the villainous Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving, tells Morpheus that the false reality of the Matrix is set in 1999 because that year was “the peak of your civilization. I say your civilization, because as soon as we started thinking for you it really became our civilization.” Indeed, not long after “The Matrix” premiered, humanity hooked itself up to a matrix of its own. There is no denying that our lives have become better in many ways thanks to the internet and smartphones. But the epidemic of loneliness and depression that has swept society reveals that many of us are now walled off from one another in vats of our own making.25 Years Later, We’re All Trapped in ‘The Matrix’
The original teaser trailer
Wikipedia on the film's "Digital Rain"
Color in Film: Case Study - The Matrix (1999)
Key Scenes:
TrinityThe Animatrix (previously)
Escaping the office
Red pill or blue pill
What is the Matrix?
The dojo fight
The Oracle
Evolution
The lobby shootout
Bullet time
Saving Morpheus
The subway showdown (and the throat-chop-only supercut)
The One
How conspiracy theorists hijacked the ‘red pill’ philosophy
‘The Matrix’ has always been a trans story, and now audiences can’t ignore it
at least in your matrix pod you're guaranteed food, housing and healthcare
posted by Coeliac McCarthy at 5:43 PM on March 24 [67 favorites]
posted by Coeliac McCarthy at 5:43 PM on March 24 [67 favorites]
Oddly, Cracked Afterhours discussed the Matrix at least twice, but not in the video that is explicitly about how the internet and AI were going to terraform humanity.
posted by es_de_bah at 6:12 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
posted by es_de_bah at 6:12 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
A wonderful film, iconic of its moment and a lovely shibboleth for the OG cyberpunkies who like to complain how it’s all been downhill clone BS since PKD. I rewatched it à year or two ago, and it’s still good, but godDAMN are there so fucking many guns in the movie. Everywhere. And they are all so very, very cool.
Today many people, like Cypher, would rather spend their time in the imaginary realms offered by technology than engage in a genuine relationship with other human beings.
Ahhhh, that’s the stuff! Love a “get off yer dang computers” polemic from the shouts-at-clouds set.
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:36 PM on March 24 [14 favorites]
Today many people, like Cypher, would rather spend their time in the imaginary realms offered by technology than engage in a genuine relationship with other human beings.
Ahhhh, that’s the stuff! Love a “get off yer dang computers” polemic from the shouts-at-clouds set.
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:36 PM on March 24 [14 favorites]
The internet has wrecked society, but it is a real help to me. I am profoundly introverted. Being able to arrange things like food or medicine without a human interaction is delightful. And since covid, I seldom even need to interact with delivery people, thanks to contactless delivery.
Covid also wrecked society, and I am not arguing these are net goods by any stretch. Just noting that one person's loneliness is anothers privacy.
posted by The Manwich Horror at 6:42 PM on March 24 [27 favorites]
Covid also wrecked society, and I am not arguing these are net goods by any stretch. Just noting that one person's loneliness is anothers privacy.
posted by The Manwich Horror at 6:42 PM on March 24 [27 favorites]
Color in Film: Case Study - The Matrix (1999)
Whenever i see something like this, i think of this
I'm still mad at how bad basically any digital copy looks on any streaming service now, or that you can buy, compared to the 99 cent vhs i picked up at a thrift store years ago.
And none of them look like how the theatrical release did... i KNEW i didn't imagine that even before i saw comparison vids/posts like that.
posted by emptythought at 6:47 PM on March 24 [6 favorites]
Whenever i see something like this, i think of this
I'm still mad at how bad basically any digital copy looks on any streaming service now, or that you can buy, compared to the 99 cent vhs i picked up at a thrift store years ago.
And none of them look like how the theatrical release did... i KNEW i didn't imagine that even before i saw comparison vids/posts like that.
posted by emptythought at 6:47 PM on March 24 [6 favorites]
That said to this day I cannot try on a set of sunglasses without welcoming back Mr. Anderson, so we have that going for us.
posted by mhoye at 6:52 PM on March 24 [11 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 6:52 PM on March 24 [11 favorites]
But the epidemic of loneliness and depression that has swept society reveals that many of us are now walled off from one another in vats of our own making.
Balderdash.
The loneliness epidemic isn't going anywhere until we stop a) blaming lonely people for being lonely and b) thinking that insisting that lonely people stop being lonely is a solution.
The loneliness epidemic is caused by the fact that everyone is stretched to the max. It takes effort and time to be a good friend, to be there during crises, to be reliable and dependable and, you know, friendly. To do that you have to have your shit pretty well together to some extent. You have to not be scrambling to make ends meet, either money- or time-wise.
We've created a society that considers relationships to be worthless. We're expected to ditch the important people in our lives, our homes and our support systems, for the prospect of a good school or a better job. We've accepted this as part of the price we pay for our society, but a few generations of it has left us bereft.
If we've turned to digital distractions to substitute for in-person interactions, that's because that's all we have the energy and time for. (Not to mention the fact that in-person interactions now carry an increased risk of long-term disability or death (which weighs on people even if they're actively ignoring it)). A country that is in the process of strip-mining its population for whatever remnants of wealth they have isn't a great place to make friends.
Want to solve the loneliness epidemic? Pay people better. Make sure they have health care. Stop piling stress on them until they're functioning beyond their breaking point every single day.
When the Matrix looks this much better than real life, is it any wonder we're gobbling blue pills by the handful?
posted by MrVisible at 7:09 PM on March 24 [148 favorites]
Balderdash.
The loneliness epidemic isn't going anywhere until we stop a) blaming lonely people for being lonely and b) thinking that insisting that lonely people stop being lonely is a solution.
The loneliness epidemic is caused by the fact that everyone is stretched to the max. It takes effort and time to be a good friend, to be there during crises, to be reliable and dependable and, you know, friendly. To do that you have to have your shit pretty well together to some extent. You have to not be scrambling to make ends meet, either money- or time-wise.
We've created a society that considers relationships to be worthless. We're expected to ditch the important people in our lives, our homes and our support systems, for the prospect of a good school or a better job. We've accepted this as part of the price we pay for our society, but a few generations of it has left us bereft.
If we've turned to digital distractions to substitute for in-person interactions, that's because that's all we have the energy and time for. (Not to mention the fact that in-person interactions now carry an increased risk of long-term disability or death (which weighs on people even if they're actively ignoring it)). A country that is in the process of strip-mining its population for whatever remnants of wealth they have isn't a great place to make friends.
Want to solve the loneliness epidemic? Pay people better. Make sure they have health care. Stop piling stress on them until they're functioning beyond their breaking point every single day.
When the Matrix looks this much better than real life, is it any wonder we're gobbling blue pills by the handful?
posted by MrVisible at 7:09 PM on March 24 [148 favorites]
Do NOT read the comments. Just wow.
posted by Slinga at 8:07 PM on March 24 [9 favorites]
posted by Slinga at 8:07 PM on March 24 [9 favorites]
Very cool collection of links and interesting reads - I was completely unaware of the trans angle.
... many of us are now walled off from one another in vats of our own making.
I'm not so convinced of that. Physically, maybe, but I think many people are now far more connected than they would be without the opportunities the Internet has given the socially anxious and others to connect in a way they can manage. Growing up long before the Internet, I always felt isolated from people, but far less so now.
Do NOT read the comments. Just wow.
Seconded. Why did I do that?
posted by dg at 8:16 PM on March 24 [1 favorite]
... many of us are now walled off from one another in vats of our own making.
I'm not so convinced of that. Physically, maybe, but I think many people are now far more connected than they would be without the opportunities the Internet has given the socially anxious and others to connect in a way they can manage. Growing up long before the Internet, I always felt isolated from people, but far less so now.
Do NOT read the comments. Just wow.
Seconded. Why did I do that?
posted by dg at 8:16 PM on March 24 [1 favorite]
Does any of this matter if you've never seen The Matrix?
posted by 2N2222 at 8:19 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
posted by 2N2222 at 8:19 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
Mm. I think you could make a different argument turning this on its head. Before the Internet, many places and societies could and did pretend that gay people were weird deviants that only existed in far away Gomorrahs like New York City, that trans people didn't exist at all, that neurodiversity was mental pathology, that racism was solved and in the past, and many other manifestly false beliefs that serve to reinforce the hegemony of the dominant classes and identities.
The Internet has not freed us of these beliefs, but it has given tools to people of marginalized identities to tell their stories and find each other, and challenge the false beliefs that our cultures perpetuate about them. In 1990, a trans kid growing up outside a major urban center might never meet another person like themselves, today they can meet thousands online who are going through what they are, and help them navigate their identity even if their local community rejects them. In 1991, it took an unusual set of circumstances for the assault on Rodney King by LAPD officers to be recorded and then make national news; today, smartphone cameras and social media make public documentation of these cases routine, with apparently little effect on their frequency.
I don't think the Internet has ruined society, I think it has helped the disempowered to strip away its oppressive fictions, and forced the rest of us to confront the fact that it was already ruined. Culture in 1999 was the real Matrix, and the Internet was the red pill that forced our eyes open, not the other way around.
Of course there is a backlash from people who resent being awakened and want to return to the comforting illusions they had before. It may feel like things are worse now because despite us all being very aware of the social problems for a generation now, things aren't improving, and many people are using the Internet to resist change. But I don't think we're actually worse off than before, we just can't get away with pretending that everything is fine anymore. People aren't lonely and depressed because of the Internet, they're lonely and depressed because our social structures are designed to concentrate power rather than distribute it, and to maximize shareholder value rather than human wellbeing. The Internet is one of the things that helps people understand that.
posted by biogeo at 8:23 PM on March 24 [55 favorites]
The Internet has not freed us of these beliefs, but it has given tools to people of marginalized identities to tell their stories and find each other, and challenge the false beliefs that our cultures perpetuate about them. In 1990, a trans kid growing up outside a major urban center might never meet another person like themselves, today they can meet thousands online who are going through what they are, and help them navigate their identity even if their local community rejects them. In 1991, it took an unusual set of circumstances for the assault on Rodney King by LAPD officers to be recorded and then make national news; today, smartphone cameras and social media make public documentation of these cases routine, with apparently little effect on their frequency.
I don't think the Internet has ruined society, I think it has helped the disempowered to strip away its oppressive fictions, and forced the rest of us to confront the fact that it was already ruined. Culture in 1999 was the real Matrix, and the Internet was the red pill that forced our eyes open, not the other way around.
Of course there is a backlash from people who resent being awakened and want to return to the comforting illusions they had before. It may feel like things are worse now because despite us all being very aware of the social problems for a generation now, things aren't improving, and many people are using the Internet to resist change. But I don't think we're actually worse off than before, we just can't get away with pretending that everything is fine anymore. People aren't lonely and depressed because of the Internet, they're lonely and depressed because our social structures are designed to concentrate power rather than distribute it, and to maximize shareholder value rather than human wellbeing. The Internet is one of the things that helps people understand that.
posted by biogeo at 8:23 PM on March 24 [55 favorites]
i know kung fu
posted by lalochezia at 8:25 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 8:25 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: Do NOT read the comments. Just wow.
posted by ZaphodB at 8:28 PM on March 24 [19 favorites]
posted by ZaphodB at 8:28 PM on March 24 [19 favorites]
Does any of this matter if you've never seen The Matrix?
Probably not, honestly. I'm sure by this point you've got a pretty good idea of the basic plot and ideas just from people talking about it for the past quarter of a century. It's a fun movie and if you like action flicks it's better than most. But quite frankly it's not as deep as people say it is, and if you haven't been enticed to see it by now, you're probably not missing anything. You can absolutely discuss the ideas in the Matrix without having seen the source material without losing anything significant. The movie is worth watching only for its entertainment value.
posted by biogeo at 8:30 PM on March 24 [3 favorites]
I was also thinking that the metaphor works much better, with smartphones and the internet providing liberation, the other way round, partly because the author and their background made me think of Orthodox Judaism's cautious to hostile attitude towards smartphones as portals to deviance, heresy and worse.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:48 PM on March 24
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:48 PM on March 24
I was completely unaware of the trans angle.
if you're interested or inclined, there are many other articles and youtube video essays (and a lot of anti-trans people on arguing that it's not, so...)
posted by i used to be someone else at 8:52 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
if you're interested or inclined, there are many other articles and youtube video essays (and a lot of anti-trans people on arguing that it's not, so...)
posted by i used to be someone else at 8:52 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
As has been commented elsewhere, the description of 1999 as the peak of human civilization seemed like it wouldn’t age well at the time.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:11 PM on March 24 [5 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:11 PM on March 24 [5 favorites]
I saw it months after its initial run, after seeing The Phantom Menace and its General-MIDI-chlorians or whatever, and remember thinking that this movie was probably the Star Wars for this generation.
posted by credulous at 9:58 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
posted by credulous at 9:58 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]
Would you happily live your life in a simulation? This prescient 1970s thought experiment suggested not
Half a century ago, the philosopher Robert Nozick imagined a world where we could fulfil our desires through an 'experience machine' similar to the Matrix. He assumed we'd prefer reality, but as digital life becomes ever-more simulated, was he right?posted by Rhaomi at 10:09 PM on March 24 [1 favorite]
For completeness and future search hits
- this is a Wall Street Journal article
- original article is here
- it was written by Meir Soloveichik
Unless there's some sort of anti-WSJ Mefi policy that I'm missing, I think we should always link to the original article, and then certainly provide archive.whatever links if available.
posted by intermod at 10:17 PM on March 24 [10 favorites]
- this is a Wall Street Journal article
- original article is here
- it was written by Meir Soloveichik
Unless there's some sort of anti-WSJ Mefi policy that I'm missing, I think we should always link to the original article, and then certainly provide archive.whatever links if available.
posted by intermod at 10:17 PM on March 24 [10 favorites]
Also for completeness, Meir Soloveichik is a ultra-right winger and fascist apologist who has written fawningly about figures like Antonin Scalia and Javier Milei.
This might also explain the awfulness of the comments, given the sort of audience he's likely to have.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 11:08 PM on March 24 [15 favorites]
This might also explain the awfulness of the comments, given the sort of audience he's likely to have.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 11:08 PM on March 24 [15 favorites]
Around 20 years ago, a friend of mine said the following in IRC:
My housemate showed me the imdb forum for the Matrix onceposted by rum-soaked space hobo at 1:41 AM on March 25
and came across a guy who seemed to be profoundly affected by a "OMG MAYBE THE MATRIX IS REAL POST"
And wrote something along the lines of "shit, what's the point of my degree?"
The punchline being of course that degrees are always pointless, in all possible universes.
I listened to this 2 hour interview with Lilly Wachowski on Script Apart lately, it was pretty interesting and addresses some of the trans aspects of The Matrix movie.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:08 AM on March 25 [4 favorites]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:08 AM on March 25 [4 favorites]
a great sci fi martial arts film with a 100% superficial plot sorry
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 3:47 AM on March 25
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 3:47 AM on March 25
[..] godDAMN are there so fucking many guns in the movie.
I saw the movie when it came out and liked it, but the phrase "shell casings falling like rose petals" came to mind as I watched it.
posted by rochrobbb at 4:58 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
I saw the movie when it came out and liked it, but the phrase "shell casings falling like rose petals" came to mind as I watched it.
posted by rochrobbb at 4:58 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
I saw an listicle that came out for March (because it's Women's Month) which was describing the most successful and influential sci-fi films "written/directed by women", and they identified The Matrix at the top of the list.
Me and my friend reading were like... Hm. I understand how they got to that statement, but... hm.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:15 AM on March 25 [1 favorite]
Me and my friend reading were like... Hm. I understand how they got to that statement, but... hm.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:15 AM on March 25 [1 favorite]
a great sci fi martial arts film with a 100% superficial plot sorry
This entire comment section is full of people who don't find its plot superficial, responding to articles and videos about how it's not superficial, in a cultural context that considers it to be pretty damn deep, especially for a sci-fi martial arts film. You don't have to agree, but I don't think this is a great environment for this kind of commentary.
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:38 AM on March 25 [10 favorites]
This entire comment section is full of people who don't find its plot superficial, responding to articles and videos about how it's not superficial, in a cultural context that considers it to be pretty damn deep, especially for a sci-fi martial arts film. You don't have to agree, but I don't think this is a great environment for this kind of commentary.
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:38 AM on March 25 [10 favorites]
When The Matrix was released, my boss at the time -- a well-off narcissist -- was convinced that it was a brilliant movie and he was the only one with the intelligence to really understand it. (He actually said that.) The rest of us were like... "it's cyberpunk pseudo-Buddhism with lots of gunfights and black leather."
He went on to be a disciple of Penn Gillette and libertarian "skepticism", and I can guess where he stood on GamerGate and NFTs and crypto and the whole "red pill" thing but I was out of there by that point.
Anyway, I don't think the movie itself is entirely shallow, but its first priority is to be an action/special effects movie (which it delivered in spades). And the sequels are best forgotten except maybe as a cautionary tale about the film industry.
posted by Foosnark at 5:58 AM on March 25 [3 favorites]
He went on to be a disciple of Penn Gillette and libertarian "skepticism", and I can guess where he stood on GamerGate and NFTs and crypto and the whole "red pill" thing but I was out of there by that point.
Anyway, I don't think the movie itself is entirely shallow, but its first priority is to be an action/special effects movie (which it delivered in spades). And the sequels are best forgotten except maybe as a cautionary tale about the film industry.
posted by Foosnark at 5:58 AM on March 25 [3 favorites]
Me and my friend reading were like... Hm. I understand how they got to that statement, but... hm.
You said it was a list of the most successful and influential SF movies, not the best ones. It's impossible to deny The Matrix's success and influence, and it was definitely written and directed by women, so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Am I overlooking some other obvious movie that should be at the top of the list?
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:00 AM on March 25 [6 favorites]
You said it was a list of the most successful and influential SF movies, not the best ones. It's impossible to deny The Matrix's success and influence, and it was definitely written and directed by women, so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Am I overlooking some other obvious movie that should be at the top of the list?
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:00 AM on March 25 [6 favorites]
The Wachowskis both transitioned but they did it - at least publicly - well after the movie came out. So that makes saying the first one was “woman-directed” kind of complicated. I’m delighted that the general trend is for your entire life to be retconned into the preferred gender but I’m also still kinda glad I didn’t produce any significant creative works when I was a boy.
posted by egypturnash at 6:33 AM on March 25 [6 favorites]
posted by egypturnash at 6:33 AM on March 25 [6 favorites]
Do NOT read the comments. Just wow.
Oh but if you don't read the comments you'll miss the exquisite gem of "the Matrix was so good even women enjoyed it!"
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:18 AM on March 25 [3 favorites]
Oh but if you don't read the comments you'll miss the exquisite gem of "the Matrix was so good even women enjoyed it!"
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:18 AM on March 25 [3 favorites]
Just noting that one person's loneliness is anothers privacy.
Agreed. I'm fairly introverted myself, and Covid lockdown was a time of relative peace for me. While I did miss the friends I wanted to see, I did not miss going to the office and having to perform social niceties of small talk and listening to people wish me a "Happy Monday!"
Being able to do more of the mundane things online is a great help for those of us who don't have a lot of spoons for jumping through social behavior hoops.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:24 AM on March 25 [9 favorites]
Agreed. I'm fairly introverted myself, and Covid lockdown was a time of relative peace for me. While I did miss the friends I wanted to see, I did not miss going to the office and having to perform social niceties of small talk and listening to people wish me a "Happy Monday!"
Being able to do more of the mundane things online is a great help for those of us who don't have a lot of spoons for jumping through social behavior hoops.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:24 AM on March 25 [9 favorites]
It's a fun movie and if you like action flicks it's better than most.
I've always thought it was an ok serious action movie but it's biggest downside is so many battles take place in featureless grey stairwells. From that aspect, it's like the opposite of Star Wars, with it's extremely muted color palate.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:26 AM on March 25
I've always thought it was an ok serious action movie but it's biggest downside is so many battles take place in featureless grey stairwells. From that aspect, it's like the opposite of Star Wars, with it's extremely muted color palate.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:26 AM on March 25
ok serious action movie
'serious' in that it's not filled with a hero 'quipping' and comically one-lining his way through the battles.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:27 AM on March 25
'serious' in that it's not filled with a hero 'quipping' and comically one-lining his way through the battles.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:27 AM on March 25
I did not miss going to the office and having to perform social niceties of small talk and listening to people wish me a "Happy Monday!"
I'm an extrovert and I did not miss that stuff either. Most social niceties appear so fake to me, I can't stand 'em.
posted by grubi at 7:55 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
I'm an extrovert and I did not miss that stuff either. Most social niceties appear so fake to me, I can't stand 'em.
posted by grubi at 7:55 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
The Wachowskis both transitioned but they did it - at least publicly - well after the movie came out. So that makes saying the first one was “woman-directed” kind of complicated. I’m delighted that the general trend is for your entire life to be retconned into the preferred gender but I’m also still kinda glad I didn’t produce any significant creative works when I was a boy.
Y'know what? I consider that to be a valid opinion for a trans person to hold. But I'd still like to know where The Pluto Gangsta is coming from.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:26 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
Y'know what? I consider that to be a valid opinion for a trans person to hold. But I'd still like to know where The Pluto Gangsta is coming from.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:26 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
egypturnash has put it better than I could: In terms of cultural impact and revenue, there's no doubt that The Matrix original trilogy was huge, but neither of the Wachowskis were identifying as women for about a decade(?) after the trilogy was complete. We can look through the films for subtextual clues foreshadowing their transitions, but the fact of the matter is they were presenting as male when they pitched the film to studios, directed it, completed the lengthy FX work, and marketed it worldwide.
If we agree (and I think we can) that presenting as male confers unbalanced benefits and privileges on filmmakers at the present time, then for certain it did from when the trilogy was being made and exhibited a quarter-century ago. That's why my friend and I had a head-scratching moment seeing the original trilogy labeled as "genre films made by women". Not a reaction of "No!", just a reaction of "Hm..."
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:47 AM on March 25 [7 favorites]
If we agree (and I think we can) that presenting as male confers unbalanced benefits and privileges on filmmakers at the present time, then for certain it did from when the trilogy was being made and exhibited a quarter-century ago. That's why my friend and I had a head-scratching moment seeing the original trilogy labeled as "genre films made by women". Not a reaction of "No!", just a reaction of "Hm..."
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:47 AM on March 25 [7 favorites]
The loneliness epidemic is caused by the fact that everyone is stretched to the max. It takes effort and time to be a good friend, to be there during crises, to be reliable and dependable and, you know, friendly. To do that you have to have your shit pretty well together to some extent. You have to not be scrambling to make ends meet, either money- or time-wise.
The lung cancer epidemic was caused by cigarettes. The loneliness epidemic is caused by technology which draws people away from each other. The world has always been an intensely stressful and brutal place, and that has not stopped people from connecting with one another, being good friends, etc. We live in a time of relative peace and opulence, even if it doesn't necessarily feel that way. That is not to say that the stressors aren't real or damaging or bad - they are! But that the net result of these stressors is alienation and dissociation from society and friends is a byproduct of the tools we use to communicate and the ways in which technology has shaped our lives and drawn us apart.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:52 AM on March 25 [5 favorites]
The lung cancer epidemic was caused by cigarettes. The loneliness epidemic is caused by technology which draws people away from each other. The world has always been an intensely stressful and brutal place, and that has not stopped people from connecting with one another, being good friends, etc. We live in a time of relative peace and opulence, even if it doesn't necessarily feel that way. That is not to say that the stressors aren't real or damaging or bad - they are! But that the net result of these stressors is alienation and dissociation from society and friends is a byproduct of the tools we use to communicate and the ways in which technology has shaped our lives and drawn us apart.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:52 AM on March 25 [5 favorites]
Fine, I’ll read Permutation City.
posted by Apocryphon at 8:52 AM on March 25 [6 favorites]
posted by Apocryphon at 8:52 AM on March 25 [6 favorites]
MrVisible that is one of the greatest comments I have ever read .. anywhere.
We're all feeling this, and it is so hard to put to words so clearly.
Thank you.
posted by kmartino at 8:55 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
We're all feeling this, and it is so hard to put to words so clearly.
Thank you.
posted by kmartino at 8:55 AM on March 25 [2 favorites]
Fleebnork: "While I did miss the friends I wanted to see, I did not miss going to the office and having to perform social niceties of small talk and listening to people wish me a "Happy Monday!""
Neo Hides From Lumbergh
Neo Takes the Blue Pill [deepfake]
posted by Rhaomi at 9:09 AM on March 25 [4 favorites]
Neo Hides From Lumbergh
Neo Takes the Blue Pill [deepfake]
posted by Rhaomi at 9:09 AM on March 25 [4 favorites]
neither of the Wachowskis were identifying as women for about a decade(?) after the trilogy was complete
publicly, at least.
posted by i used to be someone else at 9:11 AM on March 25 [7 favorites]
publicly, at least.
posted by i used to be someone else at 9:11 AM on March 25 [7 favorites]
Meir Soloveichik is a ultra-right winger and fascist apologist who has written fawningly about figures like Antonin Scalia and Javier Milei.
Yeah, I'm surprised there's been no mention of how various alt-right bozos like Andrew Tate use "the Matrix" to refer to "people trying to hold me accountable for my crimes and misogyny," which I suspected an argument like "we're living in the Matrix it's the Internet" might be referencing even before finding out who wrote it.
I don't think the Internet has ruined society, I think it has helped the disempowered to strip away its oppressive fictions, and forced the rest of us to confront the fact that it was already ruined. Culture in 1999 was the real Matrix, and the Internet was the red pill that forced our eyes open, not the other way around.
Yes. This is the part of the Internet that some right-wingers want to pretend is some false Matrix reality.
posted by straight at 9:32 AM on March 25 [5 favorites]
Yeah, I'm surprised there's been no mention of how various alt-right bozos like Andrew Tate use "the Matrix" to refer to "people trying to hold me accountable for my crimes and misogyny," which I suspected an argument like "we're living in the Matrix it's the Internet" might be referencing even before finding out who wrote it.
I don't think the Internet has ruined society, I think it has helped the disempowered to strip away its oppressive fictions, and forced the rest of us to confront the fact that it was already ruined. Culture in 1999 was the real Matrix, and the Internet was the red pill that forced our eyes open, not the other way around.
Yes. This is the part of the Internet that some right-wingers want to pretend is some false Matrix reality.
posted by straight at 9:32 AM on March 25 [5 favorites]
I miss my cubicle where I could zone out in front of the blank monitor. Modern offices with open seating suck.
posted by donio at 10:06 AM on March 25 [3 favorites]
posted by donio at 10:06 AM on March 25 [3 favorites]
We've created a society that considers relationships to be worthless.
Counter-point: networking, and its ubiquity in modern hiring. Indirectly, we place literal monetary value on relationships that blur across professional/personal, and financially punish people unwilling or unable to participate in that circus.
We've created a society where we consider only the worst, most mercenary types of relationships to have value.
posted by Dysk at 10:23 AM on March 25 [9 favorites]
Counter-point: networking, and its ubiquity in modern hiring. Indirectly, we place literal monetary value on relationships that blur across professional/personal, and financially punish people unwilling or unable to participate in that circus.
We've created a society where we consider only the worst, most mercenary types of relationships to have value.
posted by Dysk at 10:23 AM on March 25 [9 favorites]
And none of them look like how the theatrical release did... i KNEW i didn't imagine that even before i saw comparison vids/posts like that.
A friend and I were looking at the CRT monitors in Nam June Paik's "Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii" on Saturday, and he remarked on the mediocre, muddy image quality. Some of this might be due to the challenge of maintaining them at this point, but it mapped pretty closely to my memories of their image quality as a young person. Even my mediocre laptop is a substantial step up in terms of crispness and color definition.
posted by ryanshepard at 10:47 AM on March 25
A friend and I were looking at the CRT monitors in Nam June Paik's "Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii" on Saturday, and he remarked on the mediocre, muddy image quality. Some of this might be due to the challenge of maintaining them at this point, but it mapped pretty closely to my memories of their image quality as a young person. Even my mediocre laptop is a substantial step up in terms of crispness and color definition.
posted by ryanshepard at 10:47 AM on March 25
Methinks the chap who wrote the article linked at the top is either taking his own experiences and assuming they're universal, or is just making shit up. We "consider relationships to be worthless"? Seriouly dude? Relationships are like, 90% of the non-porn part of the internet.
As for the Matrix it continues to horrify me how right wing misogynists took over the red pill metaphor to describe the process of beccoming a right wing transphobic misogynist. Especially considering the people who made the movie. I suppose they've probably stopped sighing every time they see some asshole say they're "redpilled", but it must be really annoying to see your work coopeted by people who hate you.
posted by sotonohito at 12:29 PM on March 25 [8 favorites]
As for the Matrix it continues to horrify me how right wing misogynists took over the red pill metaphor to describe the process of beccoming a right wing transphobic misogynist. Especially considering the people who made the movie. I suppose they've probably stopped sighing every time they see some asshole say they're "redpilled", but it must be really annoying to see your work coopeted by people who hate you.
posted by sotonohito at 12:29 PM on March 25 [8 favorites]
As for the Matrix it continues to horrify me how right wing misogynists took over the red pill metaphor to describe the process of beccoming a right wing transphobic misogynist.
It's always worth pointing out that when the Wachowskis made The Matrix, the most commonly prescribed estrogen pills were red. (They've since been supplanted by blue pills.)
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:21 PM on March 25 [6 favorites]
It's always worth pointing out that when the Wachowskis made The Matrix, the most commonly prescribed estrogen pills were red. (They've since been supplanted by blue pills.)
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:21 PM on March 25 [6 favorites]
Counter-point: networking, and its ubiquity in modern hiring. Indirectly, we place literal monetary value on relationships that blur across professional/personal, and financially punish people unwilling or unable to participate in that circus.
Networking is a grotesque parody of meaningful human interaction.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:43 PM on March 25 [9 favorites]
Networking is a grotesque parody of meaningful human interaction.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:43 PM on March 25 [9 favorites]
but godDAMN are there so fucking many guns in the movie. Everywhere.
The friend I saw the movie with in the theatre and myself laughed ourselves to tears at the climactic lobby scene - it’s just so over the top and ludicrous. We were, of course, the only people in the completely packed theatre who were laughing.
posted by eviemath at 1:51 PM on March 25 [3 favorites]
The friend I saw the movie with in the theatre and myself laughed ourselves to tears at the climactic lobby scene - it’s just so over the top and ludicrous. We were, of course, the only people in the completely packed theatre who were laughing.
posted by eviemath at 1:51 PM on March 25 [3 favorites]
To do that you have to have your shit pretty well together to some extent. You have to not be scrambling to make ends meet, either money- or time-wise.
I am reminded of that clip from It's Always Sunny that has been memed: "These people have no idea how to live without money. They're what's called 'new poor.' We're 'old poor.'"
Which I say because I think this take is closer but still not quite there. I've known plenty of people in hard places in life, including subsistence farmers worried about whether they'll be able to grow and store enough food for their families, who still prioritize community and connections. So I think you CAN actually be scrambling to make ends meet and still fill your life with family and friends, but everyone around you has to value that. And in the US at least, the labor of being in relationship still largely goes unrecognized, and even where it is recognized, it's still only through the perspective of our individualistic values - the same way we (as a society, not anyone here) somehow seem to think poor people could just not be poor if they worked harder, we (same caveat) think lonely people could just not be lonely if they friended harder.
posted by solotoro at 2:46 PM on March 25 [6 favorites]
I am reminded of that clip from It's Always Sunny that has been memed: "These people have no idea how to live without money. They're what's called 'new poor.' We're 'old poor.'"
Which I say because I think this take is closer but still not quite there. I've known plenty of people in hard places in life, including subsistence farmers worried about whether they'll be able to grow and store enough food for their families, who still prioritize community and connections. So I think you CAN actually be scrambling to make ends meet and still fill your life with family and friends, but everyone around you has to value that. And in the US at least, the labor of being in relationship still largely goes unrecognized, and even where it is recognized, it's still only through the perspective of our individualistic values - the same way we (as a society, not anyone here) somehow seem to think poor people could just not be poor if they worked harder, we (same caveat) think lonely people could just not be lonely if they friended harder.
posted by solotoro at 2:46 PM on March 25 [6 favorites]
Fun part about Cypher: after he begs Agent Smith to let him back into the simulation, Smith purrs back, calling him "Mr. Reagan."
I remember showing the movie to my students that summer, and all but one were too young to get the joke. The one was older and very conservative, yet fell into the aisle laughing.
posted by doctornemo at 6:30 PM on March 25 [1 favorite]
I remember showing the movie to my students that summer, and all but one were too young to get the joke. The one was older and very conservative, yet fell into the aisle laughing.
posted by doctornemo at 6:30 PM on March 25 [1 favorite]
I think we should resist the pull of Simulation Theory, because you just know the AIs are going to use it against us when they're ready to start taking over.
posted by panama joe at 9:02 AM on March 27
posted by panama joe at 9:02 AM on March 27
New ‘Matrix’ Movie in the Works with Drew Goddard Writing, Directing
Goddard, the fan-favorite writer-director whose credits include The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods and World War Z, has been tapped to write and direct a new Matrix feature for the studio, Warners announced Wednesday.posted by Rhaomi at 9:55 AM on April 3
This will be the first The Matrix film not to directly involve creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski, though Lana Wachowski will act as an executive producer on the new installment.
unfortunate
posted by i used to be someone else at 12:17 PM on April 3
posted by i used to be someone else at 12:17 PM on April 3
The friend I saw the movie with in the theatre and myself laughed ourselves to tears at the climactic lobby scene - it’s just so over the top and ludicrous. We were, of course, the only people in the completely packed theatre who were laughing.
I watched the movie with a career military man who had, among other things, done three tours in Vietnam and at the end he turned to me and said "I have seen more high caliber gunfire in the last hour and half than I saw in my entire career."
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:47 PM on April 3 [2 favorites]
I watched the movie with a career military man who had, among other things, done three tours in Vietnam and at the end he turned to me and said "I have seen more high caliber gunfire in the last hour and half than I saw in my entire career."
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:47 PM on April 3 [2 favorites]
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posted by MonsieurPEB at 5:39 PM on March 24 [2 favorites]