Bro Talk: The Matrix

I have been running into more Matrix references in PACinlaw publications, that I can't ignore it anymore. I also plan on returning to this topic to expand/refine it later.

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If there is one thing that LB Bork and PAC have in common with the rest of the sovereign leaders like David-Wynn:Miller, it is the bizarre fascination with The Matrix.

If you're not familiar with the movie, click here.

To me, it's strange that grown men would worship an action movie, let alone include it in their research material. Sure, it's a quotable movie, and it had good special effects, but it is not terribly deep. It's themes are self-explanatory (man v. machine, master slave relationship, humans as a power source, etc.), and the plot is fairly predictable. For example, the audience knows that good triumphs, even though they're not sure how considering the overwhelming odds. But they are sure that it will involve a lot of killing and pretty explosions.

One way or another, we all have seen something like The Matrix. When I first saw it, I immediately thought of Star Wars. A friend of mine who saw it with me felt the same way, but thought is was more like a cross between Star wars and Die Hard. Both of which feature an unlikely hero that faces an overwhelming evil, struggles against evil and sometimes self, and defeats evil.

The reality is that The Matrix is simply a new retelling of the same monomyth. The hero of every monomyth goes through the same cycle, so if you have seen one, you have seen them all. For example, Neo = Christ is a popular comparison that can be found in religious and non-religious academia.

What LB Bork treasures about the movie probably isn't any deeper than the movie's intellectual breadth. I posit that LB Bork finds this movie fascinating because it mirrors his projection of the sovereign citizens movement. He views himself to be just like Neo. Disturbed by the Waco Siege, Bork connects with others already in the movement who have been trying to free themselves from the oppressive government. Just like Morpheus training Neo how to bend the rules of the Matrix; sovereigns citizens trained Bork to know almost everything he needs to know about sovereignty from government (though I bet Bork would rather call himself an autodidact). Then finally, after six or seven years of research, LB Bork cracks the code and starts the People's Awareness Coalition (PACinlaw), just like Neo finally realizing his power and becoming the "One" as prophesied. Finally, both attempt to "wake up" others for the coming revolution - except LB charges them $450ea. first.

Another facet of LB Bork's projection is the violence. The Matrix fulfills his masculine power fantasies, that one man or small group can bring down an apparatus like the Matrix (or the government) through guerrilla tactics. It also features authority figures being killed (ex: Smith, guards in the lobby shootout), which is always a plus.

But like all things, The Matrix is aging, and it can't be relevant forever. There are plenty of new monomyths coming out of Hollywood that meet or exceed the PACinlaw's framework. Just recently, I had the chance to see Inception for the second time, and this time I couldn't get over just how easily I could incorporate that movie into PAC material. E.g. We're all in a dream world made by the government, and LB Bork is the man who tries to plant the seed of inception in all of us on different levels of consciousness. From it, we break free of the government's gulag-esque dream.

This leaves us with one question: Just how long until LB Bork abandons the Matrix for a newer and more relevant movie like Inception?  Place your bets below!