A Review of American Films on the Manifestation of Racism

John Berger in the essay, ‘Ways of Seeing” (1972), argues that “a class cut off from its past is far less free to choose and to act as a people or class that has been able to situate itself in history.” Berger supports his argument by describing how hierarchies create lower classes through the mystification of history, especially the history of art. The author's apparent purpose is to bring awareness to reproduction, to the regime and to art history that has been manipulated by the upper class through mystification. Berger’s intended audience is the majority who have no clue that they have been removed from the past by those in power. Hence, Andy Wachowski's The Matrix run parallel with Berger’s “Ways of Seeing.' Agent Smith, the antagonist, represents the art historian whose job is to implement the design of the upper class or AI. In the first place, Agent Smith’s role was similar to the art historian, because their tasks were to keep the masses bling with the bill pill mentality. Secondly, by doing so, the masses were locked into the reproduction through the mystification that has/had them drunk with business as usual. Morpheus and Trinity continued the search for the One; who was Neo. Subsequently, he was the one who would follow the rabbit as Trinity suggested through an encrypted message. Eventually, Neo would fight to bring awareness to the masses that, AI or upper class, had created a system of reproduction, more importantly, keeping the masses cut off from the reality of their present conditions by the blue mentality and mystification.

Berger’s “ art historian.” is seen in many present-day institutions, above all, it is the representation of the capitalistic ruling class that dominates all levels of society, that being the case, Agent Smith appeared to be all-powerful, but in reality, he to was a subject of the powers to be. Hence, Berger’s art historian was and is under the control of the same forces. Therefore, he would explain away the true meaning that the artist intends to provoke. By denying the real purpose of the painting, the narrative is being changed to support the story the upper class or powers to be desires. Berger implied that the art historian perspective was a control mechanism of those in authority to change history to fit their agenda. Therefore, the true meaning of the painting has distortions. Meaning the art historian has also manipulated the tone and context. Agent Smith represents the art historian by managing the past to serve the present. In doing so, the massed continue living inside the web of deception. This deception is the fuel that keeps the upper class in power.

Agent Smith is the primary antagonist of The Matrix and like the art historian a tool to manipulate present realities of the masses. With that said, Trinity was Agent Smith’s first antagonist whose primary goal was to remove Neo from the environment of the comformist; she was also the best hacker in the resistance. With said skills, she knowingly guided Neo to Morpheus for training, because Morpheus believe he was the one that would be willing to learn the truth. The blue pill people are the conformist; they comply no matter what. Isaiah Lavender, argues that “Supremacy means the belief of one group's supreme authority or power, and it develops from prejudice. Prejudice leads to discrimination, where one group discerns and acts oppressively on those differences categorically rather than individually.” Is this not the case of the art historian as well as Agent Smith. Being the tools of the powers to be and or AI. Trinity and Morpheus were in the struggle against supremacy and prejudice, that run parallel with the forces behind the distortion of the art historian deceptions and The Matrix and mystification.

John Berger argues, knowing art is decisive for our knowledge of the past, which alter the way we are involved in the present. The reality that paintings can be mystified or their intent can get convoluted due to “study assumptions” and influential figures telling us what to think concerning stated pictures becomes a more significant event than just perplex art but mystifying our lives and our beliefs on the past. Those tools of supremacy and prejudice are equal to the blue pill and red pill. Both Berger and Morpheus sounded the alarm to the oppressed class with the hope of empowering them, Berger went even further and explained the dangerous effects of mystification by stating that “the powers to be used the art of the past to change history for a privileged ruling class.” Berger used the term art historian, but in reality, the system is White Supremacy Racism. It not all-inclusive, but those three-words justifies the mystery. This system was created about 500 hundred years ago along with the distortion in art painting to rob the majority from the history that is rightfully theirs.

However, not understanding that White Supremacy Racism is a financial system base on lies for a small minority; the masses suffer from the blue pill mentality. Like in The Matrix many stay willingly ignorant of the myths that entrapped them. Agent Smith made such a statement; the masses go about their daily live ignorant to the fact that they are the energy that fuel system of supremacy. It is this participation of the masses which allow the mystification to continue, because of the blinder’s each choice to accept. Morpheus on the other is the leader of the resistance and his continued belief that he would find the one who would be willing to see The Matrix for what it indeed was. Suppression. This run parallel with mystification creating the misunderstanding of what artists were trying to convey. The Matrix support Berger statement, because one could be the conformist: who surrenders their ability to analyze and appreciate art, yet the conformist unknowing assist the “privileged minority” who can instead mystify the truth and “invent a history which can retrospectively justify the role of the ruling class”.

Berger, as well as Wachowski, provides evidence that White Supremacy Racism, along with AI are the tools that keep the ruling class in power. Berger has shown the readers’ that art is manipulated by the ruling class to invent the history they desire to further the agenda of conformity. And Wachowski demonstrates through his characters in The Matrix that only a white guy could be the savior, to justify the system of white supremacy racism as one of the many tools in the arsenal of the ruling class. Morpheus, the painter, has painted a belief that he would find the one who would be willing to listen to what is real and care the message to others. Now, Cypher another non-white character decides to turn on the messages and return to the life of comfort and conformity. Berger “Ways of Seeing’ alert the masses to such conditions and behaviors of the ruling class.

Berger and Wachowski illustrate the idea that higher class manipulate societies (middle/lower class) perception of art (history), to keep people oppressed from their ideas with the use of mystification. Though these classes are kept in a mystified state to govern and maintain their power, they held over the other classes. Like Berger’s art historian Agent Smith in The Matrix promotes mystification and reproduction as an act of conforming history to serve the machines and their false world. The false world maintains the structure of classes in society in both Berger’s and The Matrix. With the change of perspectives, one can bring change to reality and history, one free reproduction and an oppressed society made by mystification. With that said, Hope Reeves questions, “whether life is real or an illusion and who is responsible for the actions of individuals people themselves or some higher power?”

In The Matrix, the AI needed the code that Morpheus had for the human underworld (Zion) where the humans lived unconnected from the machines. Berger sounded the alarm about the upper class and its systems of manipulating the masses by using humans as fuel for reproduction. And this reproduction is a tool in itself because it allows the individual to assume a fake part in the decision making. But as Agent Smith character would demonstrate, one is part on the Supremacist tracking devices of machines.

Berger and Wachowski see reproduction as hyperreality, Berger considers the original art or painting as an accurate reflection of the past that rightfully belongs to the masses. However, this original has distortions. Wachoski’s Agent Smith appetite for viral replication as a queer form of reproduction. Suggesting that the heteronormative reproduction is the black family while indicating that queer sexuality resides in the body of a white gay man. Berger argument that this type of duplication of art devalues the imagery and provides a different context that highlights the distortions and changes of the artwork. The camera allows masses to see paintings that were once removed by the masses, and by such reproduction, it fragments the uniqueness of the image, by removing it from its original time and space.

Once the historical and social connection, as well as the meaning and value, is reduced, then the context within the art only serves the small minority. For instance, Agent Smith alluded to the recessive gene in a particular group of human that was their downfall, because they overused the resource available and natural section demands any group that does this they must, in the end, be wiped out. However, to exit the virtual world, one first needs to know where he has been. One has to chart the territory already covered, from the first stammerings of infography and “computer-generated images.” “Reproduction] destroys the uniqueness of its image. As a result, the meaning changes. Or, more exactly, its meaning multiplies and fragments into many meanings,” Berger puts very beautifully, although the notion most likely saddens the author.

“Way of Seeing” demonstrates how falsehood and truth strangely mix. First, the aristocracy creates a system of White Supremacy Racism, then pretends that it is all inclusive, to attract other whites, then they instill the idea that they are better than people of color and the womenfolk. Now the art historian goes to work duplication the plan of the aristocratic system who fuel are those who lack the knowledge of the real meaning. Wachowski’ s Agent Smith was the primary example of this type of mystification whose goal was to serve the false narrative and justify it with force when necessary. White Supremacy Racism is a capitalistic system of power and control, and with the use of the current mediums of reproduction, the comfort zones reach into every aspect of society. This type of falsehood maintains the status quo of class and hierarchy in Berger’s and or in the case of The Matrix it cements control of the masses. The capitalistic mechanism of reproduction is a significant argument for Wachowski and Berger who understood that reproduction served the falsehood of the ruling class through the arts as well as to justify the destruction and or depletion of the natural resources through propagation.

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