Red pill and blue pill
The terms "red pill" and "blue pill" originate from the 1999 film *The Matrix*, where the protagonist, Neo, faces a pivotal choice between the two pills. The red pill represents enlightenment and the acceptance of harsh truths about reality, while the blue pill symbolizes comfort and blissful ignorance. Over time, these concepts have evolved within social discourse, particularly in online communities, where "red pill" has been co-opted by some politically conservative and misogynistic groups. These groups often frame their beliefs around the idea that they possess a deeper understanding of societal dynamics that others do not, leading to claims of various marginalized groups manipulating societal narratives for personal gain.
Additionally, the film's creators, the Wachowskis, have revealed that the red pill metaphor serves as an allegory for the transgender experience, reflecting their own journeys toward self-acceptance. This duality highlights the complexity of the red pill concept, where its original meaning of personal awakening is juxtaposed with its appropriation by certain extremist ideologies. As such, engaging with the red pill and blue pill discourse invites a nuanced exploration of truth, perception, and identity in contemporary society.
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Subject Terms
Red pill and blue pill
Red pill and blue pill are terms used in social science to refer to choices people can make. The idea of the red pill and the blue pill originated with the 1999 movie The Matrix, in which a character must literally choose to take a pill that is red or a pill that is blue. The terms blue pill and red pill have come to stand for either closing one’s eyes to the truth about society and living in “blissful ignorance” or accepting that society lies to people and only the most observant who choose to see its reality can know the truth. These terms are especially important in Internet culture, where the term red pill has become related to politically conservative groups and even hate groups. For the online groups that hold misogynistic and antisemitic views, taking the red pill also involves believing conspiracy theories about women, people with alternative sexual and gender identities, Jewish people, or racial minorities, and accusing these groups of lying about discrimination to further their own “agendas.” Despite this appropriation of the meaning of the pills from The Matrix, the film’s creator has pointed out that the choice of the red pill and the blue pill was actually largely influenced by her decision to come out as an individual who identifies as transgender or trans.
Background
The Matrix is a science-fiction action film that was released in 1999. It includes many references to philosophy and religion, with characters facing philosophical questions that humans have been pondering for hundreds of years. The movie’s main character is Neo, a hacker who is interested in learning about a dark secret that he has discovered online. He meets another hacker who says that she will introduce him to a resistance leader named Morpheus. Morpheus and some others have uncovered the truth that all humans have been enslaved by machines and are living connected to the Matrix; what most humans believe to be “reality” is in fact a simulation created by the machines to distract humans from their enslavement. In reality, humans spend their lives hooked up to machines and produce energy for the machines that have taken control. Morpheus tells Neo the truth about the world and gives him a choice: He can take the red pill or the blue pill. If Neo takes the red pill, he will be released from bondage but will fully understand the real world and must fight for the freedom of all humans. If Neo takes the blue pill, he will return to the life that he has always known and think of all his knowledge of the Matrix as a dream. Neo’s choice is extremely important because it is not reversible. Neo chooses to take the red pill and becomes a member of the resistance, fighting the machines that enslave humans.
Overview
The Matrix was a very popular movie and many of its ideas and quotes became embedded in popular culture and later, with the rise of social media and the Internet, memes. The red pill and blue pill choice was a pivotal moment in the movie and made a lasting impression on society. The red pill and blue pill became a shorthand reference for making a choice that, while difficult, would set a person free. It also generally referred to understanding hidden knowledge or information that others did not want society to understand. Surveys completed after the release of The Matrix indicated that more Americans would choose the ignorance but relative ease of the blue pill rather than the danger and fear but reality of the red pill.
The red pill and blue pill choice helped people express beliefs about truths hidden or masked by society. Some scholars used the terms to discuss structural racism and other problems they believed were endemic but not always on the surface in society. The terms were also used by people who wanted to express that they understood the world better than others did or were more willing to accept harsh realities than most people were.
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the metaphors of the red pill and blue pill became popular on the Internet. People used the terms to describe their own beliefs. The memes became particularly popular in “men’s rights” groups. The men in these groups believe that women, not men, should have more power in society and use their power to demean and harm men. These men started using the term “red pill” to indicate their understanding that women were actually more powerful than men were. These groups had misogynistic beliefs about women and their role in society. Many men in these groups, including some who identified with the “incel” movement, believed that any rejection they received from women happened because women care only about power, money, looks, and influence. A group of like-minded men created a community on Reddit called The Red Pill, whose members held the belief that feminism was created to control men and modern society is anti-male.
The idea of the red pill—a societal truth that went against prevailing beliefs and was difficult for most people to accept—spread to other places on the Internet. The alt-right, who have far-right and often White nationalist political beliefs, also adopted the idea of the red pill. This group contended that White people had less power in the United States than Black people and other minorities. Eventually, the idea of “take the red pill” became shortened to the verb redpilled. People who were supposedly redpilled believed that they understood the harsh truth about society that other people did not—that men and White people were supposedly mistreated by society. People even used the term to reference the changing political beliefs of certain celebrities, such as Elon Musk and Kanye West.
In 2020, Lilly Wachowski—who co-directed the film with her sister, Lana—discussed The Matrix and, specifically, the choice of the red and blue pill. The Wachowskis are trans women, and Lily confirmed in 2020 that The Matrix is an allegory for being trans. To the Wachowskis, the red pill and blue pill in the movie represented the choice of being true to themselves and coming out as trans, even though they knew they would face discrimination or deny their true identities and living life as they had always done. Lily explained in 2020 that they did not reveal the true meaning of the film at the time because they did not completely accept themselves as trans, and trans people faced severe discrimination at the time. Lilly Wachowski stated, however, that many trans people recognized the film's true meaning, which has since become important to them. Eventually, the sisters came out as trans in the 2010s and admitted that The Matrix and the two other Matrix movies they later made were allegories for trans people’s lives. The Wachowskis brought visibility to trans issues and allowed discussions of the trans experience to enter public discourse. This attention had positive and negative effects. The films are undoubtedly a source of empowerment for the trans community. However, the term red pill, introduced in The Matrix, remains popular in the realm of alt-right and conservative ideologies.
Bibliography
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