First of all, let me say that I love
The Matrix. The day after I saw
The Matrix, I saw
The Matrix again (dragging my bewildered spouse along). Had the following day not been a work day, we would have seen it yet again. We bought a DVD player just so we would be able to watch
The Matrix on it. In short, I think it rocks.
However.
I've been reading science fiction and comic books pretty much since I was able to read, and I've long been fascinated by the philosophies and activities of extremist hate groups. I pretty much know an ultra-paranoid, sociopathic, power fantasy when I see one and frankly the underlying message of The Matrix scares the crap out of me. Here are the basic assumptions that inform the movie:
- Everything you see and experience is an illusion. Nothing is real; it is all a fantasy. The only thing you can be sure is real is your own consciousness.
- Furthermore, this illusion of reality is a trap, a prison. Not only the bad aspects, but the good aspects also are part of a conspiracy to keep you in bondage to a malevolent power that exploits you every second of your life. Everything about this world must be resisted and if possible destroyed, by any means necessary.
- Of your fellow human beings, only those who have been "awakened" to the truths described in propositions one and two can be trusted to any degree. The rest are part of the prison and are to be considered as enemies to your well-being, your freedom, and your survival. It is entirely possible that at some point they will turn into an "agent" of the evil power and try to kill you. You must be ready at all times to kill them.
- Those people who are past a certain age are incapable of being "awakened" to the reality of the situation. Not only are they the enemy, they will always be the enemy until the day they die.
- Those who act to defend the consensus reality and its rules (particularly authority figures, police officers, and security guards) are to be killed instantly and without remorse.