The Matrix (1999) Series: Mouse

Last updated: June 24th 2023

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

Mouse #

What makes us human #

After the chicken discussion, Mouse goes on to boast about the "Woman in the Red Dress." He tells Neo he programmed her, and offers him a private encounter with her.

Switch and Apoc mock him. (Apoc seems particularly bitter towards Mouse for some reason. But we have no background story for it. Maybe it was just an acting thing.) Switch calls him a "digital pimp." Mouse calls Switch and Apoc hypocrites and tells Neo not to listen to them:

"To deny our own impulses, is to deny the very things that makes us human."
–Mouse.

(ZN: Perfect example of the importance of both Subtext and Context.)

Context and Subtext #

Let's look at Mouse's statement again:

"To deny our own impulses, is to deny the very thing that makes us human."
–Mouse.

If you ignore subtext and context, you could understandably reply:

"What are you talking about? Controlling our impulses is precisely what makes us Human! If I didn't 'deny' my impulses I'd be a monkey!"

But let's remember the context: The ongoing war of Humans vs. Machines.

In the context of that dichotomy, it's the Humans that can have "impulses" at all. Thus, a Human who denies his impulses is acting more Machine-like.

So at least in terms of context, Mouse has a point.

But what about the subtext? Well, that's where Mouse's point breaks.

Because the subtext here is: "What I'm doing (designing some 3D whore and then pimping her around) is a good thing. It's keeping me and my 'customers' Human!"

Which, no. It isn't. Sorry, Digital Pimp.

Having impulses makes you "Not a Machine." Ie. an Animal. Controlling your impulses through reasoning about costs and consequences is what makes you Human."

In short: A thing without impulses is a Machine. A thing with impulses is an Animal. A thing with impulses under control through rationality is a Human.

But we can go deeper. (#ThatsWhatSheSaid.)

Hollywood New-Age Leftism #

The Wachowskis clearly tend to the left. As much as a creator of billionaire Hollywood franchises can, that is.

For example, for The Ultimate Matrix Collection, they asked socialist philosopher Cornel West to provide the commentary.

It's also clear that the Wachowskis are friends of the New Age mindset.

For example, along with West, they also invited New Age philosopher Ken Wilber, author of books such as "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality".

Wilber also co-founded the Center for Integral Wisdom with Marc Gafni, a Rabbi-turned-New-Age spiritual healer who has been repeatedly accused of sexually molesting teens for decades now, with the latest suit filed against him in 2020 under the New York Child Victims Act, for molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1980.

Also, the Wachowskis have said they were raised by a "hardcore atheist" father and an "ex-Catholic turned Shamanist" mother.

Finally, in 2016 Lana Wachowski posted a video in support of "democratic socialist" Bernie Sanders.

Putting it all together, it's safe to say that the Wachowskis have, in addition to their explicit on-the-nose Postmodernism, a "Hollywood New-Age Leftist" mindset.

Are your impulses yours? #

Given we're New-Age-y Hollywood leftists, one question we can ask is:

Is Mouse's use of "our impulses" compatible with the leftist anti-capitalist view that our impulses and wants are "fabricated" by suggestion through ads and propaganda?

If you've ever argued about markets with a leftist, you know what I'm talking about.

It's the "Markets are fake because the consumers' so-called "needs" are programmed onto them by marketing and ads" argument.

"We are not the drivers of our own mind, not matter how intelligent we are." –Regretful-Ex-Advertiser-gone-YouTuber

So, is the impulse to eat a chocolate cake more "fabricated" than the impulse to bang the woman in the red dress?

Which impulses are "yours"?

Which wants and desires are "yours"?

Which ones are "programmed by The System"?

Impulses & The Trans Allegory #

Since around the time Matrix Resurrections (ie. Matrix 4) came out, we're told The Matrix is "actually, officially" supposed to be a "Trans Allegory."

In that case, Neo (Lana Wachowski) has wants and desires to "wake up" (ie. Come Out of the closet).

Are those wants and impulses also programmed?

References #

  1. (Video) The Matrix Behind The Scenes - Red Dress (1999) @ YouTube
  2. (Video) UPDATE: Ads, Demons, Pizza and a Patreon @ YouTube/RareEarth
  3. (Text/HTML) Cornel West @ Wikipedia
  4. (Text/HTML) Ken Wilber @ Wikipedia
  5. (Text/HTML) Sex, Ecology, Spirituality @ Wikipedia
  6. (Text/HTML) Founders @ CenterForIntegralWisdom
  7. (Text/HTML) Marc Gafni @ Wikipedia
  8. (Text/HTML) Popular New Age author Marc Gafni molested 13-year-old girl in 1980, lawsuit says @ NYPost
  9. (Text/HTML) The Wachowskis @ Wikipedia
  10. (Text/HTML) What Made Lana Wachowski Support Bernie @ Advocate

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