Note: forgot to post this one…
Sam Esmail’s Mr. Robot is one of a handful of shows to hold my attention this summer. There are great moments of self-awareness that start with the episode names themselves. As we watch this neurotic/psychotic hacker unravel we are often left with the idea of what is real and what is merely his perception of what the hacker life should/could become. In fact, there is a near 4th wall moment where one of the hackers remarks that some TV guy is gonna come along and define how the world perceives the next generation of hackers. Touché. Only, that isn’t the only thing defined by the actions of the show. In truth the portrayal of the villain, the aptly named Evil Corp, the show also defines the corporate rat race. Where Mr. Robot seeks to create a hacker identity it instead develops a compelling corporate identity that feels all to real and accessible.
As an only child I was pretty proud of the stuff I had. As mentioned here before, I owned several G.I. Joe figures, a doll house, a Hulk Hogan (why, Hulk? Why? Sucks that they snatched your job though) action figure, and a complete metal model of the Five Lion Voltron. I mention the last one to afford an air of cool to an otherwise cool-free childhood. The rest of the stuff made me feel like I made it. My points of comparison were few and far between, however. Once I started going to friends houses, I recognized that my made it was in fact quite minimal. That, my friends, is the corporate rat race. It doesn’t matter how much you have in comparison to those below you. Corpers are never graded on that. It matters how much more you have than those who should be considered your equal in some measure. In truth, you haven’t made it at all until you discover you have no equal in the hierarchy.
That is the vision that Mr. Robot puts forward, and one I intend to further in my own writings about capitalism.
Some Thoughts:
- The website will be back sometime tomorrow. That’s a good thing.