The Matrix: Rewatched

I have a confession to make. Nerds, brace yourselves.

Okay, so other than the “I know kung fu” scene, which my husband will randomly turn on with little to no prompting, I haven’t watched The Matrix since shortly after it came out. That was a long time ago. This movie is 26 years old, and a lot has happened since 1999. 

Real

I’ve seen a lot of references to The Matrix lately, so when my husband tried to pull up Neo fighting Morpheus for the umpteenth time, I asked if we could watch the whole thing, and he giddily acquiesced.

I remembered very little of this film -- as my dad would say, “too many beers, too many years” -- but reader, I am shook.

First of all, if they released The Matrix in 2025, it would be a little too on the nose. 

“Not too bright, though.”

Second of all, y’all mean to tell me that the people who have co-opted “red pill” are the same people making AI pretty much unavoidable? I literally got a pop-up from Apple AI while trying to write this piece. I’m so sick of accidentally clicking the AI pop-ups, which happens more frequently than I’d like to admit due to farsightedness, fat fingers, and being forty.

The term “red pill” has been co-opted by the absolute worst people. Did y’all even watch the movie? Because damn.

I don’t think you can claim to have taken the red pill while gleefully supporting our country’s quick descent into fascism and authoritarianism. I don’t think you can claim to have unplugged from the Matrix if you support using a brain dead woman named as an incubator. Her name was Adriana Smith, by the way. 

As a literature teacher, this is the kind of shit that both grinds my gears and ensures my job security. People just make allusions all willy nilly and completely ignore the very obvious Marxist undertones of the source text! The pill is red like Mao, not MAGA! The soundtrack has Rage Against the Machine on it! 

I wonder how many people listen to Rage quietly in their offices or cubicles while Chat GPT writes their emails for them. I wonder how many people have used Meta AI to write a Facebook post about how they don’t like Rage anymore since they “got political.” I’ve seen that argument too many times, and it’s always repetitive, poorly written, and inaccurate–telltale signs of AI writing, in my experience.

I shouldn’t be surprised. The way people in power change the meaning of words is absolutely Orwellian, and I use that allusion correctly because I’ve read 1984 at least three times. I’m probably due for a re-read.

Imagine using the term “red pill” to refer to traditional gender roles as if Trinity didn’t wake Princess Neo with true love’s kiss. Trinity didn’t take the red pill and put on a damn milkmaid dress. Neo didn’t take the red pill and start a men’s rights podcast. 

Did you know that the directors of The Matrix are trans women and that some people believe “taking the red pill” is an allegory for coming out as trans? Happy Pride to the Wachowskis!

I’ve also seen liberals on TikTok talking about “blue pilling” their older relatives. Are y’all talking about changing the channel from Fox News to MSNBC, or are y’all trying to put Memaw in an egg full of goo to feed our technocratic overlords? I’m all for deprogramming Grammy, but we’ve got to stop letting the willfully ignorant define the terms or else we’re gonna look dumb, too.

Anyway. Y’all should probably go watch The Matrix (1999) in 2025. And read 1984 (1949) in 2025. 

I might watch the sequels next. Or learn kung fu.