At the end of watching “White Bear” many questions came to
mind. One being, who is the real enemy in the scenario? We are led to believe
that the main character is the victim of some sort of surreal disturbed reality
in which the masses have turned into technological zombies who follow scandal
and drama around in order to capture it on their cell phones. A reality that
obviously is mocking our own, except not as severe. She becomes an unknowing
victim of the digital age, of predatory voyeurism, televised torture, which
immediately references this cultural addiction and dependency to the
satisfaction of technology. Shows like Survivor, Fear Factor, Naked and Afraid,
Cops, or even America’s Funniest Home Videos come to mind. Viewers are fixated
on the humiliation, pain, or suffering of others. The hunt is entertainment for
the masses, in particular, the wealthy and privileged—those who can afford to
watch. It seems like an absurd question, of asking in what world would people
stand by and watch while others are suffering? And find entertainment in the
suffering? This is something that goes back in history. Spectators cannot look
away from violence, especially if it doesn’t touch them. It’s human nature to
be curious. Those watching on their televisions and smart phones are the same
as those who sat in coliseums cheering for the wild animals to devour the
gladiator. At the end of the big charade, when we see that the chase is truly a
farce; a game that punishes criminals for their crimes in a karmic sort of way;
because our “hero” had apparently filmed the murder of an abducted child by her
fiancé, she was condemned a life sentence of this perpetual delirium. To refer
back to my initial question of who is the real enemy, we discover that the only
true innocent character in this story is the murdered little girl. Maybe the
question to be asked is does the punishment fit the crime? We discussed in
class that because she is not aware of her crime until the end of the miserable
torture, and is forced to forget it all and begin again the next day, that she
cannot fully understand that she is being punished. This I agree with. This was
a very complicated plotline. The fact that the actual murderer, her fiancé,
died in custody further complicates the issue. Perhaps he was the true enemy of
the story, it being possible that he abused her to the point of her agreeing to
be an accomplice to the murder. But he isn’t around to receive punishment,
making hers twice as intense.
You drew some great connections between contemporary society and White Bear society. Many people would have thought White Bear society to be strange and sadistic (including me), but after reading this I absolutely agree that White Bear is just another iteration of how are society currently is, and how it has always been. The lack of ability to really pinpoint who is the "bad guy" is something that the creators of the show must certainly relish in. After seeing this in class, I went on to watch the first three episodes. Each and every episode ends with the viewer feeling an overwhelming sense of moral ambiguity. THIS is what makes the show so good, as it does an excellent job of creating a variety of dystopian realities that closely mimics our own.
ReplyDeleteThe connections you made between the plot of "White Bear" and our modern day entertainment platforms helped illustrate the harsh and crude nature of our society. The film's purpose seems to be to present the societal flaws of our society to us by dressing them up in costumes, thus enabling us to objectively view our own flaws as outsiders. Once our egocentrism has been bypassed, we are free to analyze situations, recognize problems, and put plans into action to solve these problems. Your work highlights these connections and thus bring attention to some of the more important aspects of the film.
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