Red Pill, Blue Pill: Transforming Oppressive Systems

Hugh Vasquez October, 2003

Hugh Vasquez, M.S.W.

Liberation is both the undoing of the formed, shaped and molded in a manner that effects and the elimination of the causes of perpetuates conditions that are not in our social oppression. The achievement of best interest. It is the story of how we human liberation on a global scale will become complacent because we are fooled require far-reaching changes at the into believing all is well or that everything institutional level and at the level of group will work out. It is the story of how a and individual interactions. These powerful minority can successfully design changes will involve transforming and perpetuate a system or structure that oppressive behavioral patterns and serves them well to the detriment of the “unlearning” oppressive attitudes and majority. assumptions.1 In The Matrix, artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of computers and other Ricky Sherover-Marcuse, 1988 machinery has taken over the world. The AI system discovers how to manipulate Dr. Sherover-Marcuse teaches that everything and everyone so that its’ power is eliminating oppression demands changes maintained. These computers create a within individuals, between various cultural system that effectively maintains the status groups, and transformation of social quo, the status quo being artificial institutions that serve to perpetuate intelligence in control. inequality. As change agents (which could To remain in control, in power, the include educators, community activists, system needs to solve two primary people of all ages, community members, problems: 1) finding a renewable power religious leaders, politicians, etc.), one of the supply, and 2) eliminating any form of greatest challenges is to first understand, and resistance to its’ power and control. then to teach others about the institutional Computers cannot operate, and therefore level of oppression, that is, identifying how cannot maintain control, without a power institutions perpetrate racism, sexism, source. They cannot self-generate power. classism and the like. They need to be plugged into a source that This article uses a metaphor based on gives them the necessary energy to keep the the movie The Matrix to increase systems up and running. The irony, and understanding of the institutional level and perhaps the weakness of the AI system, is how oppression and discrimination is that as it develops an increasing hunger for perpetuated by a system that is difficult to control and dominance, it is completely see (therefore extremely difficult to change). dependent on the masses. Without the The hope is that a critical mass of people majority giving it power, it would have will join efforts to change this system as none. In addition, to successfully dominate they wake up to the existence of it. and maintain power, resistance or potential The Matrix is a story of liberation resistance must be neutralized or eliminated. and justice. Perhaps without knowing it, For the Matrix, the most dangerous threat to The Matrix tells the story of our times – the maintaining power was human beings. story of how the citizens of the world are

1 Hugh Vasquez October, 2003

The Matrix was brilliant in solving events, making music, having families, both the problem of finding a renewable celebrating holidays, etc. We thought we energy source and eliminating the primary were living life with all the ups and downs, threat to remaining in power. The human but in reality we were asleep and dreaming body is a bundle of energy. The Matrix while the system, the Matrix, drained energy developed the technology to power itself by from our bodies until there was nothing left using human beings as batteries. High tech of us. machinery extracted energy from humans. The induced dream state allowed the The Matrix plugged cables into live human oppressive system to remain in place. bodies, harnessed the energy generated by However, as is true in all cases of humans beings, and used this energy to mistreatment and oppression, a resistance power its systems. From birth, humans were movement began with a small group of taken by the Matrix and incubated, people waking up to reality, organizing to physically nurtured and kept alive in pods, build a critical mass of courageous but all the while being drained of energy; all individuals intent on eliminating the humans were slowly dying due to being oppressive system (in the case of the movie, attached to the Matrix. Once drained of our destroying the Matrix), and developing skills energy, the Matrix would discard the body to successfully fight the powerful system. and plug into another human being. The These three elements, waking up, problem of having a renewable source of organizing, and developing skills to fight the power was solved. system were essential to eliminating the Once the power source problem was oppressive structure. solved, the Matrix turned its attention to the The freedom fighters searched for second issue, eliminating resistance. The individuals to join the movement. To join, primary barrier to a system maintaining each person had to first wake up to the control is the characteristic in humans to conditions around them. They had to resist mistreatment of self and others and to become conscious of the system, conscious fight for freedom. Human beings would not of the Matrix, conscious of the reality that consciously agree to become slaves to the they were being used by the Matrix to help system; they would not willingly agree to perpetuate a system of oppression. They become batteries. The very nature of human had to realize that what they thought was resistance to mistreatment would kick in if real was not, realize that they had been humans were aware of what was happening. fooled, used, and manipulated into assisting So how did the system accomplish the task an oppressive system to continue. of neutralizing resistance? How did the Matrix create conditions where human The Matrix has you… You have the look beings would simply lay down and take it, of a man who accepts what he sees would allow the oppressive system to because he is expecting to wake up…You continue, and let themselves be used as know something, you can’t explain it, but batteries? you feel it – there is something wrong with Brilliantly, the Matrix induced all the world, you don’t know what it is, but humans into a sleep state whereby they it’s there…It is the world that has been would be in a life-long dream. The dream pulled over your eyes to blind you from was life. All humans were dreaming about the truth…you are a slave, born into living, dreaming about working, going to bondage, a prison.2 school, shopping, fighting, going to sporting

In the film, the freedom fighters are Waking up to the truth is very on a constant search to find others to join the difficult, for it jars one’s reality and shakes movement, the movement to expose the us down to our very core. Reactions to system and dismantle it so that all could be being awakened are varied and free. Those who were deemed to be unpredictable. It is very traumatic to be potential allies in the struggle were living a certain lifestyle and all of the contacted and provided just enough sudden discover that your reality is not only information about the system to test or false, but it is the very food, the sustenance evaluate their ability to become a freedom that keeps the oppressive system in place. fighter. Once an individual was partially This awakening is shocking, for the world is conscious, awake enough to understand the not as we have believed it to be. reality around her/him, s/he was given a More harm than good is the result if choice to either wake up fully or go back to we assist people to wake up without sleep. providing support, education, and skills to The leaders awakened others to the transform the system. In The Matrix, an existence of the system by having them take intensive training period followed taking the a pill. Newly awakened individuals were red pill. After waking up, a re-building offered the choice: Red pill or the blue pill. process took place. Atrophied muscles were The effect of each pill was clearly and strengthened. New skills were developed to simply explained so that the individual could face the power of the system. While in a make a choice. The red pill, if taken, breaks sleep state, the system became stronger and the trance induced by the system and serves more evolved, therefore new techniques to continue helping the person to wake up, needed to be learned to match it. Human to become fully conscious of the system, of creativity and imagination was dormant far the Matrix. Taking the red pill presents an too long and had to be restored in order to opportunity for her/him to fight the system face the challenges in new ways. and brings the possibility of freedom. But the “red pill” path is not an easy one – being The Blue Pill fully conscious of reality is very difficult. In today’s world, doses of the blue The blue pill, on the other hand, serves to pill are given daily. Information (more like put the person back to sleep, returns them to misinformation) is fed to us so that we are a dream state where everything appears to kept ignorant, naïve and unconscious to the be fine. The Matrix continues to drain the conditions that benefit a few at the expense life out of them while they are dreaming, but of the many. The oppression of others at least they are dreaming their way through becomes normal, commonplace, and we oppression until death. The choice, then, is come to believe that humans oppressing up to each person: The red or the blue pill? other humans is just how it is supposed to be. We hear others say, “there has always We never free a mind once it has reached been somebody, some group who has had a certain age, it’s dangerous, the mind the power, and others who are powerless and has trouble letting go…most of these oppressed.” Some people go so far as to say people aren’t ready to be unplugged – and it is in our very nature to create societies many are so hopelessly dependent on the based on “haves” and “have-nots.” The act system, they will fight to protect it.3 of normalizing the divisions between human beings is evidence that we have all been lulled into a dream state.

There are many sources of the blue many are losing their jobs. The pill. Blue pill pushers and dealers are all “Markets Up” story is an attempt to around us. One of the main pushers is the restore calm in the midst of the other media. Newspapers, radio broadcasts, headline in this section, “Jobless rate magazines, television news shows, jumps to eight-year high,” which reports commercials and movies routinely and 45,000 manufacturing and 39,000 retail pervasively feed people massive doses of the jobs were lost just in the previous month. blue pill each day. The educational system, 4 another blue pill pusher, primarily targets Headline, “Wall street continues to children and serves to prepare young people surge.” Things are looking up, right? to swallow the pill whenever it is offered, For some yes, but for many others the and to do so without question. less obvious, less prominent, smaller Recognizing the blue pill and the fonts and short stories are the reality: suppliers of it is not an easy task. We can, “Jobless benefits expire (for 830,000 however, begin a practice of waking up each people)”; “Morgan Stanley to lay off day and doing our best to notice the 2,200 workers”; “Workers’ comp office existence of the blue pill and resist might close (combating a $2.3 million swallowing it. We can recognize that we deficit)”; “Economy hits BART in have been taught to not see and to accept pocket ($20 million deficit).” 5 without questioning. We have been taught to not think critically and to forego any deep November 27, 2002, yet another dose of analysis of the world situations presented the blue pill. Headline, “Consumer before us. We have had imagination and confidence rebounds in time for holiday creativity drained from us. The shopping.” 6This story is trying to help unapologetic curiosity we had as children us feel things are getting better. But in a asking “why” this and “why” that has been story on the same page (although in slowly replaced with unconscious plain text versus bold), “Stocks down as acceptance of the false reality that is fed to investors cash in” says that “a worse- us. But we can also recognize there are than expected consumer confidence freedom fighters around who continue to report jarred Wall Street…” And for provide us doses of the red pill as well as those who were laid off or who have lost support, guidance, and training on how to benefits (as reported on November 22nd) transform not only ourselves, but oppressive is their confidence rebounding? structures too. Probably not – but it appears as though The practice of becoming and remaining things are getting better – the blue pill. conscious provides the opportunity to recognize the blue pill and the attempts of On November 8, the following were the system to lull us back to sleep. Take a reported: “East Bay layoffs starting to look at the following examples of blue pills: climb,” “ AMD to cut workers,” “PUC to probe whether SBC’s 3,000 layoffs The headline in the business section of a make sense.” The very next day, in local newspaper was “Markets up large bold letters was a story entitled, despite jobs report.” As the red pill “19,800 jobs added to California… takes effect we see that this report is Jobless rates decline…the East Bay helping to lull us into believing the jobless rate decreased.” But in small economy is getting better even though print on the same page there are short,

4 Hugh Vasquez October, 2003 one-paragraph articles that say, “More good to see that “more” minorities are layoffs for United’s flight attendants”, going to college, right? After all, the “Nvidia reports a net loss of $48.6 articles did say “enrollment rose million”, and “Safeway scales back its sharply.” But with a deeper look at the profit forecasts.” All the arrows on the reality of college enrollment, with a Dow, S&P, NASDAQ, and EAST BAY critical analysis of these reports, we see 50 were pointed down on this day that the number of minorities in college showing losses. 7 Could it be that the is still well below what it was when report on November 9 about jobs being affirmative action was in place. Before added is an attempt to calm us into affirmative action ended in 1997, believing the economy is getting better, minorities made up just over 20% of law and perhaps even more important, to and medical student enrollments. In have us forget about all the layoffs 2001, they dropped to 11.9%, and now reported just a day earlier? they are at 16%. The article on “More minorities enroll at UC Berkeley this Recent headline, “Minority students’ year” reports that the freshman class rose scores show progress” Great! It is good from 14.7% in the fall of 2001 to 15.6% to know that minorities are progressing. in 2002. “More” in this case means a We can now relax a bit because we whopping .09 percent! If these headlines “know” that minorities are making were to tell the truth of the situation it progress. But wait a minute, reading the would read, “Minority enrollments still fine print shows that black and latino far below 1997 levels since the students are continuing to score below elimination of affirmative action,” or, if national standards. The truth of the the news reports were to look at who has matter is that only 21 percent of Black benefited from the decline of affirmative students in 11th grade scored above the action, it would be entitled, “Enrollment 50th percentile, and this represents only a for White students has increased since one-percentage point increase from the elimination of affirmative action in 1998. 8 The blue pill headline serves to 1997.” lull us to sleep believing that enough progress is being made so that we can Looking at our recent movement to war, relax and not worry. daily doses of the blue pill served to confuse the masses, kept us in the dark about world Another blue pill: Those who are in events, and distorted or painted a false control of the educational system want picture of the threats to us, all of which led us to believe that affirmative action was to support our march to war. People who a farce, that it was unnecessary, and that were conscious and awake were able to we are all better off without it. One recognize the various blue pills such as: headline states, “More minorities in UC med, law…more than 16% of students in Headline, “U.S. says Iran arranged to programs are black, Latino, or American fund intifada.” The article says that Indian,” 9 and then another article on a American and Israeli intelligence offices similar subject entitled “More minorities HAVE CONCLUDED (emphasis added) enroll at UC Berkeley this year,” is …and that this information comes from informing the public that the educational senior Israeli security officials who situation for minorities is better. 10 It is

declined to “describe the precise nature so that everyone has an opportunity to wake of their information.” 11 up. Public reports such as the following are examples of the Red Pill: Headline states, “General says evidence show Iraqi mobile bioweapons labs.” A report entitled, “Data show growing Early in the article it says, “U.S. has gap between rich and poor,” shows that evidence…” But when read while under the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans the influence of the red pill, we notice had more money to spend after taxes that later in the article it says, than the bottom 40 percent. The report “administration officials said Iraq goes on to say the gap between the rich COULD (emphasis added) have mobile and the poor more than doubled from weapons.” And what is the evidence? 1979 to 2000 and identifies tax cuts and Well, the U. N. inspectors reported other policies created by those in power several years ago that Iraq was TRYING as a major reason for the gap. This dose to build these weapons. Further of the Red Pill helps to counter the belief evidence is U.N. officials saying “it does that the wealthiest 1 percent earned all not take a lot of space for some of this their wealth and deserve it because they work to go on” (therefore they HAVE work harder than others. 13 mobile bioweapons labs); “It can be done in a very, very small location” “U.S jobs lost since 2001 gone for (therefore they HAVE mobile good,” reports a Federal Reserve Bank bioweapons labs); You can put it on of New York study. This dose of the wheels makes it a lot easier to hide from Red Pill says that the majority of the 2.7 people that might be looking for it” million jobs lost since 2001 are not (therefore they have mobile bioweapons coming back. This report should be labs); “Pentagon officials say a mobile remembered every time a new headline biological weapons facility could be set about economic recovery appears. 14 up in 3-5 big rigs” (therefore they have mobile bioweapons labs). Finally, “the “8 million taxpayers won’t see any administration has classified information relief.” A new study found that mostly that shows Saddam is rebuilding his low-income taxpayers would not receive weapons program.” 12 This article any benefit from the new tax law. In represents a massive dose of the blue pill addition, this Red Pill shows us that 44% designed to make us believe that Iraq has of the new law’s tax benefits in 2005 these labs and justify a war that serves to will benefit millionaires. 15 benefit those who are in power. For our educational institutions, a few The Red Pill historians such as Ronald Takaki (A Living under the affect of the Red Pill is Different Mirror) 16 and Howard Zinn difficult, but the system of dominance will (A People’s History of the United States) not change if we do not wake up and take 17 provide educators with Red Pills to action. The good news is that there are give to students on what really happened many conscious change agents who are to various people in this land during the working hard to awaken others and organize “founding” of this country. Traditional movements for change. From time-to-time history taught to our children omit many these agents will successfully insert the truth of the truths such as our constitution

being modeled after the Native education” than can be sufficiently American Iroquois Confederacy instead supported. of being the brilliant ideas and vision of Social change agents are like the “founding fathers.” midwives. They are facilitating a change process and assisting in the birth of a new Under dose, Overdose, and Change consciousness. This cannot happen without Agent Responsibility care, attention and support. They cannot Essential to the restructuring of our simply give people the Red Pill and then society into one where all are awarded the move on. Change agents, facilitators of new essential elements of a good life is a critical consciousness need to be able to listen to mass of “awake” folks who are willing to someone’s disturbance at being awakened, join a movement to awaken others as well as counsel them through their outrage and to work for social change. We do not yet grief, help them rebuild muscles that have have this critical mass, so there is much atrophied while asleep, teach them new work to do. skills to resist the forces attempting to lull The process of becoming conscious them back to sleep, and help develop a is very traumatic. Many do not want to community so that no one is working at believe the truth for to do so means their social change alone. world, albeit a dream world, is turned upside As the critical mass of change agents down. Those of us who have become grows, each of us can take these steps to conscious are now in the position of assist in dismantling oppressive structures administering the Red Pill. We are, in fact, and transforming them into systems that social change agents charged with support well-being: “distributing” reality. Distribution of reality, or providing doses of the Red Pill, is 1. Become expert at recognizing the Blue a risky assignment. There is no prescribed Pill when it is given to us. dosage to rely on, no data that guarantees the proper dose in any given situation. An 2. Provide others with small doses of the “underdose” temporarily disturbs one’s Red Pill to begin the process of waking sense of reality, but is insufficient to bring them up. about the level of consciousness required to keep folks awake. An overdose causes 3. Increase our skills in meeting resistance defensiveness, hostility, and denial, which from those who are becoming conscious. often lead to dismissal of both the message and the messenger and a return to the dream 4. Increase our ability to provide support, state. guidance, counseling, and skill building Since an incorrect dose of the Red to those who decide to become fully Pill will not bring folks out of the dream awake. state and therefore lost to the movement, social change agents should be less 5. Surround ourselves with people who concerned with the dosage and more with will assist us to stay conscious, who will the care, support, and training to those periodically give us booster Red Pills so receiving the medicine. Too often, acting that we do not get lulled back into a out of urgency, social change agents either dream state. awaken people who are not ready to be awakened or provide more “reality

Now, look around and notice the system. Describe how it works to keep a few people on top and in control. Pay attention to how the system is draining you, using your resources and energy to power itself. Identify what you do or don’t do to help perpetuate it. Tell others what you discover about what is really going on. Become active in bringing others to consciousness in whatever setting you may work or live. Join with other change agents in the movement to transform institutions.

8 1 Sherover-Marcuse, Ricky. “Liberation theory: A working framework.” In Vasquez and Femi. No Boundaries: A manual for unlearning oppression and building multicultural alliances, Todos Institute, Oakland, CA, 1993. 2 The Matrix. Warner Brothers, 1999. 3 Ibid. 4 “Markets up despite jobs report.” Contra Costa Times, December 7, 2002. 5 Petruno, Tom. “Wall street continues to surge.” Los Angeles Times, November 22, 2002. 6 Aversa, Jeannine. “Consumer confidence rebounds in time for holiday shopping.” Associated Press, In Contra Costa Times, November 27, 2002. 7 Various stories reported in the business section of the Contra Costa Times, “AMD plans to cut workers,” “East Bay layoffs starting to climb,” “Regulators divvy up energy bill.” November 8, 2002. 8 “Minority students’ scores show progress.” Associated Press in Contra Costa Times, November 14, 2002. 9 “More minorities in UC med, law.” Associated Press in Contra Costa Times, October 10, 2002. 10 Sturrock, Carrie. “More minorities enroll at UC Berkeley this year.” Contra Costa Times, November 6, 2002. 11 Frantz, D. and Risen, J. “United States says Iran arranged to fund intifada.” New York Times, March 24, 2002. 12 Kelley, Matt. “General says evidence shows Iraqi mobile bioweapons labs.” Associated Press in Contra Costa Times, September 14, 2002. 13 Browning, Lynnley. “Data show growing gap between rich and poor.” New York Times, September 25, 2002. 14 Weisman, Jonathan. “U.S. jobs lost since 2001 gone for good.” Washington Post, September 14, 2003. 15 Firestone, David. “8 million taxpayers won’t see any relief.” New York Times, June 1, 2003. 16 Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A history of multicultural America. Little, Brown and Company, Canada, 1993. 17 Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2003.

Hugh Vasquez is the Founder of the Todos Institute in Oakland and Co-Director of the Center for Diversity Leadership. Hugh provides lectures, keynotes, workshops and consultation to organizations throughout the country. Email for more information to [email protected]. Web site is www.diversitywork.com.