The ‘Matrix’ fan theory that reimagines what machines do

You all know that meme: the one of an old woman who receives the help of a younger woman. In all versions, the text below the old lady says something vaguely anachronistic and amusing, such as “Netflix came in the mail in my day.” The young woman in the image always has the same text: “Of course grandma, now we’re going to take you to bed.”

Bear with us, but this meme is indeed the basis of a ‘Matrix’ theory (well, two) recently posted on Reddit. Nothing to do with the fan theories that have been confirmed by their creators. And while we know they are most likely false, the way that fit into ‘Matrix’one of the best movies of the 90s, is incredible.

Warner Bros.

main theory of the film starring Keanu Reeves, one of the most popular and charismatic actors in Hollywood, is that the Matrix itself it is not an energy farm, but a kind of “wildlife reserve” for humans. The basis of this theory is that if the only objective of the machine is to use the human brain for energy, it would be much better to use… the parrots.

The Redditor goes on to explain: “A human brain contains about 30 times more neurons than the brain of a blue-and-yellow macaw, but is 70 times larger. The average human body is similarly 60 times larger than that of the blue-and-yellow macaw.” .

“In theory, if you were a machine, you could take a single human-sized pod and replace it with 60-70 parrot-sized pods, and get a much higher return for the same investment of space and resources. (Plus, there’s the side benefit that if they start to experience boredom and question their reality, instead of creating an elaborate scheme to repeatedly channel them into doomed false rebellion, you can just distract them with a Styrofoam cup or something.)”

Warner Bros.

Jokes aside, one argument against the theory is that, in addition to using the human brain for energy, the machines were studying sentience and the ability of humans to hope (as evidenced in the film’s own dialogue). ).

Bearing this in mind, other Redditor postulated that the Matrix is ​​not exactly a reservoir of human life, but rather a kind of nursing home. This is how they explain it: “Humans are the reason for the existence of machines. Without humans, the civilization of machines would not exist. Humans are essentially the “fathers” of machines.”

“What do humans do when their human parents are old, out of touch with modern situations, and ultimately a harm to themselves and others? Humans put their parents in a nursing home” .

“A nice and safe retirement environment where they can hang out with people like them and mingle with people their age from a similar culture. They’re given a lot of things to do to keep them active, so they can just ‘live his life””.

Warner Bros.

“The Matrix is ​​a nursing home for an old and outdated species that has proven to be a danger to itself and others.”

“And the machines can learn things from humans, so sometimes they go into the nursing home and hang out with them, and they interact … maybe ask them questions about how things were before.”

Though these theories They don’t exactly fit the confines of what is recognized as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, certainly. they shed new light on the perceived evil of machines. And, in any case, they should make us humans reflect on how we treat not only our own fauna, but our planet as a whole.