The pill allows Neo to escape into the real world, where he lives in a pod and is being used as a battery - and finds that living the "truth of reality" is harsher and more difficult than living in the ignorance which the blue pill offers: continuing his life within the confined comfort, without want or fear, of the Matrix's simulated reality. you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." The red pill represents an uncertain future and, unknown to Neo at the time he takes it, the pill frees him from the enslaving control of the machine-generated dream world. the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. In The Matrix, the main character Neo is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill by rebel leader Morpheus. 1.1.1 Reality, subjectivity and religion.Red pill and blue pill have prompted a number of variant pills, such as black pill, which is associated with incels, who blame women for their lack of sexual activity. Among these groups, calling people blue-pilled is an insult, and it implies that they choose to be disillusioned about their oppression by women or liberal politics. In this case, this set of ideas is the red pill that members are expected to have taken. Red pill is also used by the alt-right movement, a loosely organized white supremacist group that is unified by the belief that political correctness and social justice are tools for attacking white identity and Western civilization. Those who disagree with the ideology often use it in a derisive way, and those who agree tend to use it as a marker of belonging. The terminology is used both inside and outside of the political communities it refers to. One can refer to a red pill guy, or to redpilling a friend or relative. As a verb or adjective, it’s often spelled redpill. Red pill can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective. Election coverage brought greater awareness to this use of red pill. However, it’s most commonly associated with them thanks to a wave of news coverage, particularly following the election of Donald Trump, who was favored by many of the alt-right. References to The Matrix can be made by anyone along the political spectrum and predates the rise of the alt-right and men’s rights movements. Red pill isn’t exclusively used by men’s rights activists or any other group.
Due to close association of red pill‘s with anti-feminism and white supremacy, the tweets notably caused confusion and controversy. In May 2020, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted about taking the red pill Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump, positively replied. Gaining prominence during the 2016 presidential election of Donald Trump, the alt-right-which sometimes overlaps with men’s rights groups- also adopted red pill. In this context, taking the red pill is seeing the truth that white nationalism is under threat from such things as socialism, feminism, immigration, social justice, and other aspects associated with liberal politics. Taking the red pill, here, is seeing this anti-feminist “truth.” In 2012, the Reddit community The Red Pill was founded around the principle that it is men, rather than women, who are oppressed by a society. Red pill and blue pill have become slang, respectively, for accepting truth even though it’s difficult, or rejecting it to cling to a comfortable falsehood.Ī more specific, and controversial, use of the term comes from anti-feminist and far-right groups online, many of whom are extremist and misogynistic. In that film, one character offers another a red pill, said to be a symbol of his “desire to return to reality.” There’s no blue pill presented, however. The concept has a precedent in the 1990 science fiction film Total Recall. If he takes the blue pill, he’ll continue to live in blissful ignorance. The blue pill represents comfort and security. Neo’s world will be changed uncomfortably if he takes the red pill, but he’ll be made aware of the truth of the world. The red pill represents an awakening, but one that could be difficult and painful.
There’s a scene early on in the movie in which the main character, Neo, is offered two pills: a red one and a blue one. Red pill comes from the popular and influential 1999 sci-fi action film, The Matrix.