Warning: Slight spoilers

First off, in my opinion, The Matrix: Resurrections is probably one of the best sequels I've ever seen. The way it simultaneously feels like a loving return and embrace of the original trilogy, while also being an intense deconstructionist is fantastic.

However, in addition, a key theme of the film is how revolutionary struggle is commodified by the oppressors as a way to placate the masses. In the film, Neo, now back inside the Matrix, has had his past as a revolutionary hero - all his exploits and feats in defeating The Matrix and the Machines - rewritten in his memory to be the plot of a video game trilogy he was the creator of. The program itself has turned his fight and struggle into a product, a fiction, that now imprisons Neo. He is even being forced by his boss at his company to dredge up the Matrix IP and make a forth game, despite thinking doing so feels diluted and pointless. The villain in the film goes on to describe how this sheen of revolution, of progress, that the games have, is intentionally used to give the people trapped inside the matrix at false sense of hope and entertainment, all while keeping their unaware minds in control. I think Lana Wachowski chose to very overtly set the film in San Fransisco, amid the capitalist, controlling class world of the Silicon Valley tech/video game industry.

I highly recommend you all go see this new film, especially if you're a fan of the original. It continues the story in an incredibly creative way that feels like an antithesis to the glut of cinematic universes and IP products fed through the film industry in the last 20 years. Not to mention it's still fun as hell and full of great style and action.

Also, if you're interested, on the podcast I do with my friend, we covered the trans-revolutionary politics of the original trilogy in last weeks episode and the episode we put out today, so check that out if you want: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6m4X8kWbVbyucC5QM1hQgk https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mdoEvOHnxgya3CovXcgT5

  • effervescent [they/them]
    ·
    3 年前

    As in we participate in the commodification of revolutionary sentiment? Because yes

    • WammaWink2 [none/use name]
      ·
      3 年前

      Yes.

      I like it here but y'all kinda too cringe to think you're revolutionaries, and y'all hate actually active organizers a fair amount. Like, there's a sentiment that organizing is good, but if you're part of the DSA you're a radlib and if you make your own org you're an idealist. Most other orgs fall into one of those two categories. The only logical conclusion this site can reach is complete nihilism and while very few people actually believe it that's kinda the result of the barely disguised disgust with anarchists and other "utopian" socialists.

      • Horsepaste [they/them]
        ·
        3 年前

        New years resolution for you: stop projecting your bullshit onto everyone else.

        I'm being blunt af here because this happens a lot with your account and there's no way that's good for you.

        • WammaWink2 [none/use name]
          ·
          3 年前

          have you been on here? do you see all the anti-anarchist shit that gets posted here every day? oh my god

          • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
            ·
            3 年前

            I mean, shitting on whole tendencies as one is a separate problem from shitting on organizers, I cant recall seeing specific anti-anarchist org shit being posted aside from shit about CHAZ, which is highly debatable to the degree in which it was an anarchist thing, plus isnt an active organizing thing anymore even.

            Other than that you generally hear baseline positivity towards organizing in the western world, and typically balanced/positive discussion on anarchist/libsoc adjacent projects like Rojava and the Zapatistas.

            If the problem is that theres relatively a lot of stuff shitting on individual anarchists, or on anarchism as a whole, then that seems a lot more fair to what I've seen on the site, but thats not the same issue the discussion started with.

            • WammaWink2 [none/use name]
              ·
              3 年前

              okay, well, I suppose I used bad phrasing, because I'm just saying that I feel like most larger orgs are considered as "co-opted" while smaller ones are "larping". I'm not saying this site specifically dunks on random orgs all the time or something, just that there's little discussion about what a good org ACTUALLY IS and a lot of discussion about what it's not. It's more that it gives an impression of general despisal of imperial core organizing then people are actually saying stuff like this.

              • carbohydra [des/pair]
                ·
                3 年前

                great organizing is when class conscious workers use strikes or other means to dismantle capitalism and replace it.

                good organizing is attempting to create the conditions that allow such organizing to flourish, because the conditions are not there yet.

              • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
                ·
                3 年前

                That I can definitely agree with, when I try to recall now what people are talking about as "good organizing" its usually pretty vague or has a distinct feeling of cheering from the sidelines.

                Im sure there have been good posts that go into more depth but it doesnt feel like its an ongoing process of posting frequently about it, megathread links are not always super helpful to start off with.

          • Horsepaste [they/them]
            ·
            3 年前

            Report it when it shows up, the mods purge sectarian shit and ban for it. There's also a couple wreckers that just spam accounts to post stupid shit.

            • WammaWink2 [none/use name]
              ·
              3 年前

              obviously. But I'm not trying to dunk on the site "after" moderation. I'm talking about how common it is to see stuff like that BEFORE it gets deleted. Just idly browsing this site is a fun way to receive brainworms unless you stick to threads older than a few hours.

              • Horsepaste [they/them]
                ·
                3 年前

                Just idly browsing this site is a fun way to receive brainworms unless you stick to threads older than a few hours.

                People should be calling it out when they see it. I think most of us on here are able to read stuff critically, but I guess I get what you mean? The internet is always going to have weird shit on it though.

      • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
        ·
        3 年前

        The DSA sentiment is definitely common, but I generally dont see blanket mockery of other organizations unless theres a separate reason for that org to be mocked.

        • viva_la_juche [they/them, any]
          ·
          3 年前

          The dsa is a complicated topic bc they do ride the line between being easily cooptable by capital and not and there’s plenty of historic reasons to be distrustful of socdems which the dsa is full of but I think most people have a pretty mature view of that (as in they do do good work) it’s just hard to express all that on a site.

          Other orgs, you don’t see it bc we don’t lol. This site is pretty supportive of any and all revolutionary parties other than some light “peoples front” jokes which is a light self joke at the history of parties splitting. It’s a common thing. Unless like you said they did something dunk worthy