In the 1999 film The Matrix, a wildly entertaining and somewhat perplexing storyline, we are given a huge dose of tension regarding the fate of a Mr. Anderson. Mr. Anderson is being hunted by Agents, who represent the authorities who vigilantly protect their world. At the same time, he is being sought by Morpheus, an enemy of the authorities. These two narratives ask the viewer to imagine a world that at once seems “normal” and one that seeks to awaken Mr. Anderson from his acceptance of his seemingly perfunctory existence.
The film brilliantly explores the long-standing science fiction trope of man versus machines. You know, the machines become self-aware, and reach an inevitable conclusion that humans are of little use–other than to serve the purposes of the Machine World. Mr. Anderson is being used–as are others in his seemingly normal existence. He senses his world isn’t quite right. Morpheus wants to find him, as he has been tracking Mr. Anderson’s digital search for answers. The authorities are also tracking his searches, and suspect he knows that his world is not actually what it seems. Eventually, Morpheus extracts Mr. Anderson, now known as Neo, from the world he was suspicious of, into the harsh reality of his having been used his entire life by the Machine–to help support its control of his mind, and his energy, to their advantage. At first Neo is skeptical–and afraid of what he sees. A natural reaction, of course. What he sees and what he is told is a disbelieving shock to his system.
Don’t we all at some point wonder what is life all about? Why so much stress? So much uncertainty. Who or what controls the machinery here and shouldn’t it be run better, more sensibly, more collaboratively to avoid the frictions and factions that defy logic?
That mindset is what drives Morpheus, who has escaped the control of the Machine. The shock that Anderson/Neo experiences and a desire not to believe his eyes as to what the Machines have done to humanity leads to the most iconic scene in the movie. That’s when Morpheus offers Neo the choice of remaining free of the grim world left behind by the machines that destroyed it, to dominate and enslave humankind, or accepting his ability help Morpheus and others like him fight back. As he puts it, the Machine has built a prison for his mind. Morpheus’ offer to Neo is take a blue pill, and he will wake up back in that prison of the mind, and not even remember what he has been shown. Conversely take a red pill, and then “see how far down the rabbit hole” of realty takes him.
There is an analogy to The Matrix that applies to our current political landscape. How so? The machines have not destroyed our world, but there is a similar subjugation to “business as usual” and for many many millions of us, a yearning for a better political system. Our “system” of political discourse has used the Big Lie and propaganda for decades now, to produce a compliant, complacent populace that keeps the “authorities” running things. And running things very poorly at that. Regardless, the majority of potential voters unwittingly keep the current dysfunctional system in place. The rich keep getting richer. The working class get crumbs. Everything, every tiny bit of our current system is for sale. However, only the very rich can afford to pay the price of safety and security. Thte system gives us the illusion of having a choice. It gives us the illusion of opposing political forces. It will not tolerate or engage in any other narrative than the current system of that fake choice of making a difference by voting for the CEO of the system, although neither of the system’s choices for that spot matter much at all. They serve one another, not the electorate, no matter who “wins”.
Yet, there are more than two choices. Unfortunately, the vast majority of potential voters cannot see the other choices. They cannot hear the other choices. The mantra, spoon-fed and swallowed like morning breakfast, is that 3rd party choices are a wasted vote. The current corrupt, two-sides-of-the-same-coin duopoly, has the media supporting this Big Lie. There are millions who, like Mr. Anderson, sense something is terribly wrong with the reality that confronts them, a reality built on deception and manipulation. Until this current political version of the matrix is exposed for the curious or the skeptics to see, then nothing will change.
Want to scratch that itch, want to reject being used by a corrupt, corporate machine using you while giving virtually nothing in return? Then, take that red pill, and wake up and free your mind. Then you can be in control of it. As logic would dictate.
About jharrin4
mass communication/speech instructor at College of DuPage and Triton College in suburban Chicago. Army veteran of the Viet Nam era.
Jharrin4's Blog 
And topping the list of business as usual is allegiance to unlimited economic growth that is progressively destroying what remains habitable on planet Earth
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