The Matrix (1999) Series: Matrix Brain

Last updated: June 22nd 2023

(Excerpted from my forthcoming The Matrix (1999) analysis.)

Matrix Brain #

Matrix Brain is one of the dumbest mindsets to ever infect modern society.

You've heard about "Woke" and "Wokeness."

Well, in order to be Woke, obviously you must think other people must be Asleep. And it is the actual, unironic, acceptance of that dichotomous premise, that gives you what I call Matrix Brain.

The dichotomy #

It's the most tribal simpleton worldview ever. But The Matrix (1999) somehow managed to disguise it as Deep and Profound. It says that:

  1. Humans are neatly divided in two types.
    • Those who are Asleep. ("Blue pill.")
    • Those who are Awake. ("Red pill.")
    • (Ironic binaryness considering the "non-binary"ness of the writers.)
  2. Team Asleep: The brain-dead "cog in the machine" types. They don't realize how evil and fake The System is.
  3. Team Awake: The ones who have been woken up by some savior, who gave them the "red pill."

Unironically "Us vs. Them" #

To quote Morpheus:

"If you're not one of us. You're one of them."

How non-binary. How nuanced.

Why is it bad? #

It's glorified angry child "You don't understand anything, mom!" philosophy.

You're viewing those who disagree with you, as not just wrong, but literally asleep. That's beneath wrong. It's beneath ignorant. Beneath fool, even. It's really just euphemism for brain-dead zombie.

Ultimately, you're just giving yourself an excuse to dehumanize anyone who disagrees with you. (If you consider yourself on the Awake/Woke side, that is.)

This is why the fucsia-haired Social Justice Warrior soy is so insufferably condescending to you. He thinks you're "asleep." You won't see "The Real" until he, and his friends, "educate" you, ie. "red pill" you.

Sorry, fellow "right-winger" #

I'm well aware that since 2012 or so, people (I think the Moldbug guy? and some black ex-boxer guy whose name I can't recall either. Remind me to edit those in later.) on the Right started to call themselves red-pilled. And listen, I get it, by the Trump-era, all the stupid leftist/progressive shit became a sort of Official Religion, and you decided to adopt Matrix Brain and call yourself the red-pilled one.

But I still think it's an idiotic mentality, an idiotic dichotomy, and considering your opponent to be "Oh my Gosh Literally Asleep" will inevitable make you sound like a condescending little pink-haired bitch, regardless of whether you're on the left, right, or center.

Alternative to Matrix Brainv0.2 #

So how about this: Let's agree no one is fucking Asleep.

It's just that we disagree and, most importantly, some of us have irreconciliably different core values. Some people will simply never be able to live peacefully with each other in the same community.

You haven't "plugged out" of any simulation. Literally or figuratively.

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