The Matrix
Do not use this nanny
The Matrix is a deeply philosophical martial arts film that raised our awareness of the effect that bullets have on the air around them. While you don’t actually see any biological parents in the film, the systemic generation of The One by the overseers of the Matrix certainly qualifies the overseers and thus as proxy the Matrix itself as parental units. And, clearly, the resentment he has for the Matrix could only be inspired by a force as powerful as the desire for independence borne by a growing child.
Our Child:
Neo, neé Thomas Anderson, is a computer programmer who works for a software company. He lacks social skills, instead turning his efforts toward disruptive behavior like hacking into databases and stealing information. He lives in a state of paranoia, using false books for storage and not even opening the door fully for visitors. He is fully aware that what he is doing is against the law but continues anyway. His lackadaisical attitude toward his career has brought him to the precipice of a pink slip; he can’t even show up for work on time regularly.
Our Parents:
Defining Neo’s parentage is a little bit messy, especially only in the context of just the first movie. Because he is an adult, I postulate that the Matrix itself raised him. His innate sense to subvert the system was put in place by one of the creators of the Matrix (as we learn in Reloaded). Once he breaks free of the Matrix and enters the real world, he still needs to return to the Matrix for guidance from his “mother,” the Oracle (which is confirmed in Revolutions). That’s enough for me.
Our Story:
Neo has been spinning a web of crime, amassing a stack of offenses related to hacking. He has gained the attention of both the police and those humans who live to subvert a stable world and cause chaos in the name of “freedom.” Neo shuns the home that his parents have created for him to join his newfound friends who share his penchant for rejecting authority.
In return for this deception, his parents respond by kicking him out of the house in what is a fairly graphic birth sequence. Neo, almost drowning in the consequences of his actions, gets picked up by his friends and lives with them.
There are two ways to look at this. The first is that Neo, clearly of age to be living on his own, should have been evicted for his continuous disobedience. He should have been booted far earlier, and the fact that they did not punish him this severely previously is a testament to poor parenting. Look where it gets his parents – Neo sets out to destroy the very entity that raised him to be what he is and begins to ruin things for the rest of the family living in his now former home. The action is appropriate but too late, so remember to quash the defiance at the first sign of misbehavior in your child. When they live under your roof, they need to follow the rules.
The second viewpoint would be that Neo is only an infant who has been living in the womb until he is “born” into the real world. While this is a bit more metaphoric it is not a stretch to imagine. That would mean that the first act of rebellion starts with birth. Whoa. Guess what that means – the parents started severe punishment right away: leaving him for dead. A bold move, but rather extreme. As a parent, a young child deserves at least a second chance. The level of punishment is also key – anything that can result in death should be reserved until the child can fend for himself, say 5 years old. Even one that isn’t so bright like Neo.
Neo, after a period of living with his impudent cohorts, decides to come back home to see his mother, but only after picking up some
I predict you will not change your facial expression for the rest of your life.
bad habits, like playing with guns and fighting. The Oracle welcomes him back into her home with a smile and some cookies. An ingenious plan if I may say so. He had to be expecting some friction and she disarms him, even letting a broken vase go forgiven. These actions allow her to overcome his defiance with wisdom and thus force him into doing her will through intellect. By the end of the conversation, she not only has told him that is “not too bright,” but she has gotten him to do her bidding through reverse psychology by telling him he is not The One. She has even taught a guy with a Joey Lawrence-level of vocabulary Latin philosophy before he leaves. A master class in dealing with a disobedient child. He leaves there so confused that he will run through a brick wall if she tells him to. The final stroke is that everything she told him would happen does, which is important as a parent: you must prove to your child that in the end you were right all along. This plays a key role in the sequels.
After this Neo is The One and runs his course upon the Matrix…but he doesn’t have a clue that not only was Mom right, Dad was, too. We’ll visit that in the future when I review The Matrix: Reloaded.
Lessons Learned:
- “Mr. Anderson, you disappoint me.” Early corrective action will save you an insurgency within the rest of the household later and keep your program running smoothly.
- “Welcome to the Real World.” Don’t try to kill babies for being born; give them one more chance. If they survive, their mission in life will be to bring you down.
- “The Oracle. She told me this would happen.” Demonstrating that you are all-knowing will breed subservience within your child. Adding noodle-baking questions will confuse them and help them along the path to trusting your every word to the point of self-fulfillment.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week.