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More than any other recent nostalgia sequel, The Matrix Resurrections grapples with its legacy, on the big and very small screens

Blogpost from 29 Dec. 2021 about "What is The Matrix?"

#the wachowskis #the matrix #right wingers #the matrix resurrections #red pilling #black pilling #groypers #online extremism #keanu reeves

It is favoured by men's rights groups and conspiracy theorists, but what does 'take the red pill' actually mean?

Ever since its release in 1999, references from blockbuster film, The Matrix, have become part of popular culture. The movie's premise and many of its lines have stuck with us for more than 20 years and, particularly in the last decade, been co-opted by groups who would never be aligned with its original ethos.

In recent months, The Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski has spoken out, saying the science fiction film is more of a transgender allegory than anything else - revelations that will certainly grate on those who gravitate to the movement inspired by one of the movie's most memorable lines: "Take the red pill."

Initially, following the metaphor of how it plays out in the film, taking the red pill (instead of the blue pill) meant choosing to see the truth.

If you take a red pill, your eyes are opened to the truth of the world, and you no longer exist in the prettier, but fake, world you thought you lived in. If you take the red pill, you see the underpinnings of the world's networks, the push for power from various groups, the nefarious dealings of those in control to keep the masses satiated and at bay.

But as time went on, this became more than just a line from a movie. It gained traction on internet forums, then Reddit, and for years, has stood as a battle-cry for conservative conspiracy theorists and men's rights activists (MRA) - many of whom believe the "truth" is that white men are under attack.

But what does the phrase really mean? There are too many definitions of red-pilled in Urban Dictionary to cite them all.

#men's rights groups #red pilling #toxic masculinity #conspiracy theories #dog whistles #sexism #racism