Another fantastic piece there Lethal. It's my son's 14th birthday today and I think we'll watch Bladerunner to go with the birthday cake, snacks and Dad's special spaghetti recipe. He's a smart kid and knows how I think, so he'll probably guess the end before it's half way through.
It's not just us as individuals who are replicants is it? It's our culture too, both the one we grew up in and rebelled against, and also the one we were artificially induced to create. It was the same for our parents who marched off with guns and shot at other kids parents who they too had been artificially induced to regard as evil, and vice versa. Our grandparent's too faced similar social conditioning. Everything, our selves, our culture, our history and our perception of reality are all replicants based on implanted memories. Each generation implanted with new and updated historical memories to suit the new replication of history and culture that the social engineers design for us. Each generation believing the conceit that these changes are just the natural caprices of nature and arise organically from themselves. They don't. It is all meticulously planned and ruthlessly implemented to achieve the desired outcome. What we believe is our culture is really the invisible bars of our cage.
Beyond a certain point in history the fog of deception brought about by these constant adaptations and resets becomes so opaque that it becomes impossible to see and know what really happened. Indeed, so complete is the illusory reality replicated in the media that we can't really even be sure what is happening today. This condition is not new. It has been the mechanism of control since the dawn of history, whenever and whatever that actually was.
So, to answer your question:
"What will you do? When you understand that you, too, were mass-produced?"
I can only speak for myself. It was a long, lonely and arduous journey. Indeed, akin to the hero's journey. A journey which involved the often painful unravelling of almost everything I thought I knew and believed. A journey whose end lies not in some kind of Valhalla, but rather in a wasteland. I felt utterly unmoored in both space and time. None of the normal reference points with which I had described my image of the world held up to scrutiny. It was shocking. But then, it slowly dawned on me that it was also liberating. Letting go of attachment to what turns out to be a tissue of lies and a sticky web of deceit frees us to start afresh and see the world anew. Yes, the world of human material desires is controlled by a global organised crime syndicate, a gang of thieves, murderers and fraudsters, who have long perfected the art of conology. I call them variously the Criminocracy or the Conjuror Kings. So what? That is the sordid nature of material desire. It can be no other way. At least now I recognise and know not to believe their lies. That is no small blessing.
What to do about it?
There is nothing I can do. Each must take the journey for themselves. I cannot wrest the world from their malevolent clutches. I can only free my own mind. I can write about it, but I don't know if that helps. However, allowing myself to be dragged down by the unquestioning masses whose willful ignorance and mental cowardice is so profound that it amounts to collaboration with their oppressors, certainly won't help either. In fact, I'm getting tired of the topic now. I'm trying to find something else to write about nowadays. I know that the vision will always be there, implicit if not directly stated, in everything I say. And that will have to do for now.
Great comment, thanks so much, Jack. I hope you don’t mind if I restack a bit of that. Enjoy your birthday with your son! Maybe he’d like to have a look at the screenplays, I put links in the footnotes. They’re very readable. Fancher was a novelist, maybe still is I don’t know, and his script is full of really cool bits of narrative.
I would like to recommend a book called, "The Dyfed Enigma: Unidentified Objects in West Wales", by Randall Jones Pugh and F.W. Holiday (author of "The Goblin Universe"), which has profound implications for this entire subject. I really love your work <3
Not trying to be a pedantic autist here but after running the VK on Rachel Deckard doesn't say "how can she not now what she is" but "how can it not know what it is" which is important considering the doubts which arise about Deckard's own humanity. What do you think of the theory that Deckard's memories are actually those of Officer Gaff? The deleted scenes suggest this is totally impossible but I find it a cool theory.
Yes, that’s the line as filmed — but I’m quoting here from David People’s revision of Hampton Fancher’s original draft, Feb 23 1981. I should have linked the two drafts I’m using, so I’ll add that.
As for Gaff’s memories, it would make sense. The idea of Deckard being a Nexus 6 only emerged very late in the creative process, I think. David Giler, who worked on the script for Alien, told me Ridley Scott used to drive him crazy by constantly evolving the narrative even during shooting. With Alien they had to shoot extra scenes post-production to make things make sense.
Yes! Take away ‘the mother’…supplant the origin of life with the artifacts of man….all insight then becomes illusion!
I want to reach into my chest and tear out a rib and plant it in the earth and pray a goddess springs forth…
“When the various experiences come to light in meditation, do not be proud and anxious to tell other people, else to goddesses and mothers you will bring annoyance.”
Brilliant writing that stretches the mind. As a boomer who grew up reading lots of sci-fi (my favorite of all time is PK Dick’s Service Call) and now reading Elizabeth Nickson on Substack this is all fascinating, mind stretching, and enjoyable only because I am grounded in the Bible.
Films like Labyrinth, Matrix and The Dark Crystal TOLD us things were amiss, the world really was fuct up, weird things should be expected, and our lives were a form of illusion supported by our parents, teachers, doctors etc..
Esoterica was the authoritative take on reality that intuitively explained things. Yes, "they" put us through hell because one must begin the journey in hell. Well - lost in the forest that leads to hell anyway. The only way to move towards the light is by being in total black darkness. Alone, confused, hopeless, when death loses its sting. Hermeticism's first step is this Black work.
Another fantastic piece there Lethal. It's my son's 14th birthday today and I think we'll watch Bladerunner to go with the birthday cake, snacks and Dad's special spaghetti recipe. He's a smart kid and knows how I think, so he'll probably guess the end before it's half way through.
It's not just us as individuals who are replicants is it? It's our culture too, both the one we grew up in and rebelled against, and also the one we were artificially induced to create. It was the same for our parents who marched off with guns and shot at other kids parents who they too had been artificially induced to regard as evil, and vice versa. Our grandparent's too faced similar social conditioning. Everything, our selves, our culture, our history and our perception of reality are all replicants based on implanted memories. Each generation implanted with new and updated historical memories to suit the new replication of history and culture that the social engineers design for us. Each generation believing the conceit that these changes are just the natural caprices of nature and arise organically from themselves. They don't. It is all meticulously planned and ruthlessly implemented to achieve the desired outcome. What we believe is our culture is really the invisible bars of our cage.
Beyond a certain point in history the fog of deception brought about by these constant adaptations and resets becomes so opaque that it becomes impossible to see and know what really happened. Indeed, so complete is the illusory reality replicated in the media that we can't really even be sure what is happening today. This condition is not new. It has been the mechanism of control since the dawn of history, whenever and whatever that actually was.
So, to answer your question:
"What will you do? When you understand that you, too, were mass-produced?"
I can only speak for myself. It was a long, lonely and arduous journey. Indeed, akin to the hero's journey. A journey which involved the often painful unravelling of almost everything I thought I knew and believed. A journey whose end lies not in some kind of Valhalla, but rather in a wasteland. I felt utterly unmoored in both space and time. None of the normal reference points with which I had described my image of the world held up to scrutiny. It was shocking. But then, it slowly dawned on me that it was also liberating. Letting go of attachment to what turns out to be a tissue of lies and a sticky web of deceit frees us to start afresh and see the world anew. Yes, the world of human material desires is controlled by a global organised crime syndicate, a gang of thieves, murderers and fraudsters, who have long perfected the art of conology. I call them variously the Criminocracy or the Conjuror Kings. So what? That is the sordid nature of material desire. It can be no other way. At least now I recognise and know not to believe their lies. That is no small blessing.
What to do about it?
There is nothing I can do. Each must take the journey for themselves. I cannot wrest the world from their malevolent clutches. I can only free my own mind. I can write about it, but I don't know if that helps. However, allowing myself to be dragged down by the unquestioning masses whose willful ignorance and mental cowardice is so profound that it amounts to collaboration with their oppressors, certainly won't help either. In fact, I'm getting tired of the topic now. I'm trying to find something else to write about nowadays. I know that the vision will always be there, implicit if not directly stated, in everything I say. And that will have to do for now.
Great comment, thanks so much, Jack. I hope you don’t mind if I restack a bit of that. Enjoy your birthday with your son! Maybe he’d like to have a look at the screenplays, I put links in the footnotes. They’re very readable. Fancher was a novelist, maybe still is I don’t know, and his script is full of really cool bits of narrative.
I would like to recommend a book called, "The Dyfed Enigma: Unidentified Objects in West Wales", by Randall Jones Pugh and F.W. Holiday (author of "The Goblin Universe"), which has profound implications for this entire subject. I really love your work <3
I appreciate your analysis. There is good reason why this story is so over analyzed.
It’s like the 9/11 story. It was either an inside job, or it might as well have been as the results in either case seem identical.
So we’re either biomech fabrications or we might as well be, as the consequences in either case are indistinguishable.
Therefore, a clear, transcendent distinction between good and evil is necessary. ~C.G.
The 2nd Commandment is interesting in this context -- “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” Exodus 20:4
Right on the mark.
As my third grade teacher wrote in red ballpoint when she caught me cheating on a quiz somewhen in 1983 or ‘84: “you’re only cheating yourself!”
Not trying to be a pedantic autist here but after running the VK on Rachel Deckard doesn't say "how can she not now what she is" but "how can it not know what it is" which is important considering the doubts which arise about Deckard's own humanity. What do you think of the theory that Deckard's memories are actually those of Officer Gaff? The deleted scenes suggest this is totally impossible but I find it a cool theory.
Yes, that’s the line as filmed — but I’m quoting here from David People’s revision of Hampton Fancher’s original draft, Feb 23 1981. I should have linked the two drafts I’m using, so I’ll add that.
As for Gaff’s memories, it would make sense. The idea of Deckard being a Nexus 6 only emerged very late in the creative process, I think. David Giler, who worked on the script for Alien, told me Ridley Scott used to drive him crazy by constantly evolving the narrative even during shooting. With Alien they had to shoot extra scenes post-production to make things make sense.
Possibly even Lt. Castillo’s memories daresay!
Wrong city tho?
Well if Castillo can time travel, hopping a greyhound should be no problem either.
Really great stuff. Thanks for this.
Welcome as always, and many thanks for your continued support and interest, friend.
Yes! Take away ‘the mother’…supplant the origin of life with the artifacts of man….all insight then becomes illusion!
I want to reach into my chest and tear out a rib and plant it in the earth and pray a goddess springs forth…
“When the various experiences come to light in meditation, do not be proud and anxious to tell other people, else to goddesses and mothers you will bring annoyance.”
Good advice. Pride is error, with or without the rainbows!
Brilliant writing that stretches the mind. As a boomer who grew up reading lots of sci-fi (my favorite of all time is PK Dick’s Service Call) and now reading Elizabeth Nickson on Substack this is all fascinating, mind stretching, and enjoyable only because I am grounded in the Bible.
You might like this... https://thelethaltext.substack.com/p/pale-horses
Films like Labyrinth, Matrix and The Dark Crystal TOLD us things were amiss, the world really was fuct up, weird things should be expected, and our lives were a form of illusion supported by our parents, teachers, doctors etc..
Esoterica was the authoritative take on reality that intuitively explained things. Yes, "they" put us through hell because one must begin the journey in hell. Well - lost in the forest that leads to hell anyway. The only way to move towards the light is by being in total black darkness. Alone, confused, hopeless, when death loses its sting. Hermeticism's first step is this Black work.
Yes -- and it's well worth looking into Simulacra and Simulation (Jean Baudrillard 1981), the hollowed-out book that Neo hides things in.
Yes -- he also collaborated with Irvin on music and mind control.
Jan Irvin, as in the post. Gnostic Media. Did a series of videos with Utter in maybe 2015.