- In Part One, Matt Trent leads a triple lifestyle (job, home, cyber-crime). What does his character tell us about a lack of moral integration or integrity? [50 words]
- In Part Two, the wealthy Greta has a "cookie" implanted/removed from her brain to serve as a sort of perfect servant. What does this surgical technique imply about the nature of consciousness and self-identity? What does the use of an "identity-extension" say about the value of human life? [50 words]
- The schizophrenic Jennifer, who kills herself and her would-be lover Harry in part one, wants to escape from the voices in her head. In what way is the entire story about escaping from the multiple selves that inhabit our mind? [50 words]
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Homework post for 4/15 -- A
In the episode, "White Christmas," from the British TV show Black Mirror* that we watched in class:
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1 Matt Trent’s character in part one tells us a lot about his lack of moral integration or integrity by showing his job as a whole. He made a living (as far as we know in part one) off of coaching men to “get” girls by overseeing their eyes. He does not look away when he says he would (when the man in urinating, and when he is mid coitus, despite being too embarrassed to admit it later), and also, he uses harsh sexist tactics to play “mind games” in order to get attractive girls (from other people’s offices) to sleep with these men. He allows a murder to happen, (when he wasn’t even supposed to be watching), and then tries his hardest to hide the evidence.
ReplyDelete2 The surgical technique implies that consciousness is really just a form of thought. Her surgical computer implant actually believes that she is human, and was traumatized to find out she was not. She was a copy, but such a perfect copy that she was capable of thought. She believed she was a human with a body, but until she had to suffer though emptiness, she did not believe it and would not be subservient. The use of this so called “identity-extension” shows that human life is really just our brain. We are nothing without our brain, our bodies are just a vessel to lug our computer brains around.
- Elizabeth Clemmons
1. Matt's lifestyle shows the viewer that he has no concern for moral rightness and is very lacking in integrity. The part shows us that he does have concern for others, but is also very selfish in many ways. He watches through the eyes of the man he is couching even when the man wishing him not to. He also witnesses a murder happening and does as little as possible to help with the prosecution and saving this man. He throws all evidence away to save himself from being caught by not only the world, but by his wife.
ReplyDelete2. The procedure that was done shows many different things about a humans body, and what they are and are not without a brain. The brain believed that it was an actual person until being faced with entrapment, and extensive seclusion. This then made the "brain" realize that she was not an actual person, but a part of a person possess a body.
3. Every part consisted of trickery and confusion. Everyone was trying to escape their past. Each person wanted different for themselves and wanted to forget any of the wrong they had found or done with their lives. Everyone was trying to escape the lack of perfection in their lives through the use of technology.
In Part One, Matt Trent leads a triple life style (job, home, cyber-crime). This character tells us that as long as he doesn’t integrate (merge) these completely different life styles together then the others will not be affected by his terrible moral integrity.
ReplyDeleteIn Part Two, the wealthy Greta has a “cookie” implanted/removed from her brain to serve as a sort of perfect servant. This surgical technique exemplifies the lack of human value in this post modern time. No sympathy is given to the code’s (digital person) slavery position. But if the code can express emotion and thought is such a complex manner then I do believe the code should have some sort of legal rights.
The schizophrenic Jennifer, kills herself and her would be lover Harry because she wants to escape from the voices in her head. This entire story is about escaping from the multiple selves that inhabit our minds because I shows that multiple personalities a person can have. People often have many different thoughts going through their head but only act on one.
Joseph Ledo-Massey
Leading double even triple lifestyles is often a extremely risky game to play. Especially if you are trying to be a home/family man. Integrity would be extremely lax because of the differences between personalities.
ReplyDeleteThe "cookie" almost gives a out of body experience. It seems as though the idea of your own personal slave from your own self conscious is a real concept. As unrealistic as I think this is it shares a window into what is human and consciousness it self.
If we could consciously stimulate the self conscience then we could differentiate the very thoughts from ideas and the processes that makes us who we are.
1. Matt Trent puts on a front of integrity to his family by taking care of them at home, but shows his true integrity by the type of job he works; getting guys who lack enough confidence girls of their dreams.
ReplyDelete2. The "cookie" copy from real Jennifer did not understand her role as playing the perfect servant because she thought she was real Jennifer. It wasn't until Matt pretty much tortured her through boredom she was then able to realize what Matt was trying to tell her. It shows that our consciousness and self-identity is purely in our heads, our brains.
3. I think the story reflects what our minds think of morality and integrity. Should we do the right thing? Or should we do what makes us more money, for example, or is an easier way of getting something done.
1.) Matt Trent plays two extremely different roles in his twisted life. He acts like a regular, respected, well-rounded father to his kids and wife. He also coaches men on how to hook up with women late at night through a speaking device/video chat. It is intrusive and sick. He watches things he shouldn't, like when the man urinates and even watches a murder without calling the police or sending help.
ReplyDelete2.) This part of the movie really disturbed me. I had nightmares about it. I am a firm believer on the idea that only you can inhibit your soul and be attached to it and feel through it. The idea that an electronic version of your mind can be a slave... to the real you... I cannot comprehend it. It is very twisted.
3.) I think that Jennifer's story reflects how people understand morality. Everyone has the devil on one shoulder and the angel on another. Most can decide whats morally right without thinking twice. A schizophrenic person may not because they have 100 devils on each shoulder as well as angels, all pointing in crazy directions.
Angela Beabout
1. Matt Trent's lifestyle depicts his lack of moral integrity immensely. One of his 'faces' is that he acts like he is the ideal family man, but at the same time he also coaches males to pick up girls while watching the entire process. I think he is selfish too considering he witnessed a murder right in front of his eyes, but did nothing to help.
ReplyDelete2. The surgical technique of implanting the "cookie" implies that the nature of consciousness and self identity can be split up. As in, the conscious and the body can be separated from each other. However, this belief does not support a mind, body, soul connection. The use of identity-extension also supports that they don't believe in the unifying connection of the body and conscious.
3. I definitely think that the underlying theme of this film was to escape the parts of yourself that you don't like. From using technology to separate the body and concious to having someone coach you to pick up a girl, all of these people were using techniques to either escape or fix the problems within themselves.
1) Matt Trent lives a double life so to say. He acts like the perfect family man but also does a degrading and sickening job on the other side. He helps bachelors hook up with other woman at night. He streams them on a video device and helps with what they should respond. It is absolutely repulsive because he witnesses a murder and does nothing to help the poor man he was supposedly helping.
ReplyDelete2) In part two, a surgery is performed where the identity is taken out of the human and used as a servant. It tells us that the human body really means nothing if the actual soul can be extracted from the actual body and be fully functional.
3) The way of the future is all about making our lives easier and being perfect with the use of technology. Jennifer is trying to escape her past and her crazy thoughts by killing herself. She is driving herself crazy with all of the voices in her head, meanwhile the technology they have is being used so they cannot make those mistakes.
-Natalie Diciaula
1. I feel as if Matt thinks he is doing the right thing by coaching these guys and helping them gets girls. I think he is doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons which still makes it the wrong thing to do. However, when one of the guys was murdered, his first instinct was to cover it up to protect himself. He also has others watching when the guy he is helping believed it was only Matt who was watching.
ReplyDelete2. I think the surgery tells us that we are the only people who know ourselves and what we truly want. If we want something done right, the best way is to do it ourselves. I think the need to extend our identity says we value ourselves so much we need a perfect copy for whatever reason.
3. I think story is about escaping ourselves because every character had something that bothered them and their goal was to achieve peace by escaping it. For example, Harry's issue he wanted to escape was his inability to talk and pick up girls which is why he enlisted Matt's help.
Christopher Bijou
1. Matt Trent’s character demonstrates what the consequences of selfishness and lack of morality can turn into. His job is immoral, his home life is unfaithful, and he is partially responsible for a murder. In the end Matt faces extreme punishment for his actions. He is completely isolated, and blocked from the rest of society. Matt’s character exposes that holding and acting on those certain qualities can lead to your own self destruction.
ReplyDelete2. Greta’s procedure causes great anxiety for her “copy” when she is watching herself leave her own body, and realizes that she isn’t a real human being. This reveals that identity is no longer sacred or individual if it can be copied and computerized. Identity is something that you must hold onto on your own, without allowing other people to tamper with it. This also reveals that consciousness exists outside of your own awareness.
3. All of the characters present a situation where you need to escape your past self, and mistakes. Matt, Greta, Jennifer, and Joe want to hold on to their own individual freedom without the mistakes they’ve made. In the end everyone is stripped of individuality by force or death. This symbolizes the importance of being your own person.
1. In part one of the clip Matt Trent leads a triple life style. He has a job, when he is at home, and cyber-crime. The clip proves that if Matt keeps his priorities straight and he doesn’t merge them all together; he will be ok.
ReplyDelete2. The “cookie” that was placed into Greta’s real body made her conscious freak out and not know where she was. Her job was to be a servant to Greta’s real body and help her the best she can. Greta’s conscious refuses and Matt has to basically torture her until she cooperates. I think they are trying to prove life is very valuable and can’t be replaced.
3. Jennifer kills herself and her loved one Harry because she is trying to escape all the voices that are going through her head. Part one all the way through the end is about escaping the multiple selves that lie in our minds. It shows this because it proves humans have multiple personalities and even though they may not like them, they are stuck with them.
-Stephen Stroop
1. Matt has a very unique perspective on life, he believes as if he is doing the world a favor with his “hobbies”. It is not impressive to coach guys through dates and lie straight to there face. Then, cover up a murder he witnessed himself. Matt is a coward and can’t face reality of a situation.
ReplyDelete2. According to the surgical technique, Greta’s conscious was is indeed just a thought inside her head. Although Greta’s copy had no idea she actually a copy from her body and that she was no longer human. Therefore the identity extension is nothing with out the human brain.
3. On one side, Harry believes he can’t act or think on his own, so he hires a dating coach. Harry soon develops the confidence and tries to do the right thing and cancel his coach. On the other hand, Jennifer is lost in her thoughts and unable to find herself. Therefore, she sets her self-free and sadly Harry too.
- Sidney Freeman
1. Matt's character has no morals. He pretends to be the perfect man around his family but late at night, when they have gone to sleep, he goes into a dark room and teaches socially awkward men how to pick up women at parties. He has no sense of decency, watching Harry as he goes to the bathroom and continuing to watch when Harry and Jennifer are getting intimate, even after Harry has told Matt not to watch. He also attempts to destroy the evidence after he watches Harry get killed, instead of going to the police, because he knew he would get in trouble and wanted to save his own skin.
ReplyDelete2. the copy of Greta could not understand that she was just consciousness. She insists that she is the real Greta and freaks out when she sees herself in bed. She has her own thoughts and emotions, so it seems immoral and unnatural for her to be imprisoned in the cookie, even if she is just consciousness. But no one else seems to care.
Megan McNeely
1. His lifestyle shows us that he's a devious person. He lied to and purposely misled people in order to entice them to say what he wanted them to say. Although, he did get someone to confess to murder so there's some sort of decency.
ReplyDelete2. The Cookie implicates that we, human beings, are tools useful only to the needs and demands of all aspects of society. By encapsulating herself to the device, she was able to fulfill her responsibilities but the cruel confinement of her personality within the device seemed so inhumane.
3. I think the focus of the story was about the pressure we feel by the everyday demands of society and even life itself. Just to maintain a somewhat decent life, there are so many responsibilities and burdens that people must undergo and some people just want to escape it.
Daniel Dearing
Matt’s integrity and morals are incorrect. He stays up very late at night while his family is asleep and gets weird guy’s dates through this device implanted into the persons head, he doesn’t actually help them really, and he makes them look like an idiot. The Greta chip implanted in her head lives as her brain as she is still conscious, she makes her every movements and plans out her day with a swipe of a finger. She i8s like the brain of her real self. The voices in her head she is talking about is all the horrible things she does (the pills) that control her.
ReplyDelete-Hampton Schaffer
1) Matt Trent had low character by trying to coach men to get women by viewing everything they see through a camera. His constant lying, crime life, and lack of morals shows his complete lack of integrity.
ReplyDelete2) The lady in part two kind of has an identity crisis since she was copied. She was herself still, and had her identity, but she didn't know where she was or what she was doing.
-Shane Parent`
1. It shows his morality by demonstrating that he takes enjoyment in interfering in the lives of others. He takes enjoyment in putting the cookie person in stasis for long amounts of time, as he does not see them as people.
ReplyDelete2. The cookie is very morally gray. It is helpful, but does not take into consideration the feelings of the software person. This brings up the debate in whether or not they should be treated like people since they do not have bodies. Identity is a fluid concept here, as the cookie of Greta still feels like the original person.
3. The episode is about escaping from the mind in many ways. First we have the women who kills herself to get away from literal voices, but we also have the way people can block others out. By pressing a button, you can escape from someone entirely. The cookies also show this because they feel conflicted over their identity after being removed from the mind of the original.
Allison McDowell