In last week's episode, we talked about telekinesis
as an allegory for the use of technology.
Let's see what you had to say.
OK, let's talk about Professor X. Great conversation
in the comments, pinned it to the top, Professor X.
Not a telekinetic, just a telepath--
there's a difference.
I realize there's a difference.
I think that it is not so cut and dry.
But I will say that it is, it was
hasty to say that in everything Professor X has been in,
he has been a telekinetic.
Because that is true that that is not clearly the case.
What I will say is this.
I think that there are no shortage of situations,
many of them outside of the Marvel cinematic universe,
which is another sort of misstep, where
the strength, let's call it, of Professor X's telepathy
means that its effects verge on something that
is telekinetic-like, and that is the sort of thing that
plays into the kind of stuff we're
trying to talk about in the episode, including
the kind of thing that happens in "Logan."
But more than anything, I think that this
is an interesting conversation about the line
between certain powers and how certain writers have control
over the sort of latent abilities
that a lot of characters have, and whether or not it
could be said that they still have them,
or it is still the case, even if they are not deployed
in a really explicit way.
But yeah, Professor X just ended up
causing a much larger conversation
than we thought it would.
And yeah, it was interesting.
Jib Jith [INAUDIBLE] mentioned an angle
that we didn't get to in the video, which
is the economic one.
That maybe the reason that there are telekinetics
is because the effects are now cheap and easy to do
and the rendering quality is good enough
that you can make something that's
remotely believable, as evidenced maybe by the fact
that we had things in the episode itself flying around,
controlled by someone's mind.
And I think that this is a good take.
And I think that it is absolutely a factor.
But I question whether or not that is the reason,
like the inspiration.
Like do we feel--
assuming that we agree that there
is a feeling of these characters, like we're
drawn to these characters, do we feel
drawn to them at this moment particularly because they're
easy to make, or their abilities are easy to visualize?
I don't necessarily think that's the case.
But it certainly maybe feeds back into the system of like,
well, we feel drawn to them.
And if we feel drawn to them and we
want to include them in visual media, well, then, oh, good,
it's easy to make it look good.
And if it's easy to make it look good,
then people are going to think it's cool, which
means they're going to feel even more drawn to it.
So yeah, it's part and parcel.
[INAUDIBLE] brings up another aspect
of telekinetics losing control.
And that is not when they sort of
have to control themselves or fight with themselves
to maintain or manage their powers,
but when they are weaponized, and uses StarCraft
as an example of that aspect of this archetype.
And I wonder you know like how this scans onto the allegory
that we proposed using technology.
Like is this something like the danger of someone who
is a particularly gifted technology
user being conscripted into let's say,
less than altruistic systems?
I think that you can take your pick, you know.
Is that like Silicon Valley?
Is that cyber warfare, you know, which
is maybe a little bit more one to one with StarCraft?
But yeah, I think this is a really interesting way
to think about this.
[INAUDIBLE] writes a really interesting comment
that counters the idea that the telekinetic is maybe
an allegory about technology, by saying
that it might be an allegory about just the use of things
in general.
And the way that they set this up is really interesting.
It's sort of about how, if someone
is able to have an expert level understanding of just
things, things in general, objects that, for whatever
reason, then gives them the ability to control them
with their mind, then we sort of get
to the classic fear of the unnatural
or the new or the unexpected that this
would be just a relationship that someone has with things
in general or the universe.
So maybe we're sort of back to that globular thing idea
that then, you know, would give you pause
and would give you reason to be fearful of them losing control.
Because we're not necessarily talking about just their own--
this is, if I'm picking up what you're putting down--
we're not necessarily talking just about their own control,
but about how they are able to essentially use matter at hand.
And I think that that's, yeah, it's a really interesting way
to look at.
Thanks for this comment.
Randall G makes the really good point
that in a lot of depictions of telekinetics,
there telekinesis is medicalized,
or is often related to a larger mental or physical health
situation.
You know, you have Eleven "Stranger Things"
wearing a hospital gown, being the subject of an experiment,
Legion being in the mental hospital
and having sort of to work with mental health professionals,
and Professor X being in a wheelchair,
and other related things.
I think that this is a really good point.
And my read on this has always been
that, if you have someone who is both telekinetic
and is of perfect health, then they would be OP.
They would be basically too powerful.
And I think that if you compare it to--
this holds some water if you look
at telekinetic villains, who often are telekinetic
and of good health.
And then they are very, very powerful
and scary and terrifying, and nothing can stop them.
And so you know, there's this balancing act
that happens when they're protagonists,
that they have to have some sort of fatal flaw
to make up for the fact that their central ability is one
that, if it was not balanced out,
would make them unstoppable.
But I do agree that it does have a place in the allegory
as well.
Which is that, basically, if telekinesis
is an allegory for the use of technology
or the use of things, however you want to--
whatever sort of size, whatever sort of scope
you want to give it--
and part and parcel with that is what
happens when we lose control, when
we are able to take actions, and we can't control our actions
and have unintended consequences.
Then there needs to be--
there needs to sort of be like an inbuilt reason
for that loss of control.
And so I think in a lot of ways, insofar
as the telekinetic allegory is one
where someone has lost control, the medicalization or the sort
of the health-related aspect is the driving force behind what
that loss of control, what the source of it is.
But yeah, I think that that is another huge aspect of this,
which is how someone's health, the depiction
of a telekinetic's health factors
into how these characters are portrayed.
Ninja Boy-- thank you for running the numbers.
Ninja Boy checked to find out whether or not
demon names start with letters at the end of the alphabet.
And found that, in fact, demon names
tend to start with letters at the beginning of the alphabet.
But I want to say that I'm not necessarily
concerned with demon names that begin--
like what letters they begin with.
But just kind of the general make up of them, and whether
or not they more often than not have letters
from the end of the alphabet in them in comparison to say,
other kinds of fictional names.
Because when I think about it, I don't know a ton of demons
off the top of my head.
But when I think about your Azraels
your Beelzebubs, the devil, Mephistopheles, hold on,
I have one or two, yeah, Baphomet, Astaroth, Abraxas--
there's usually some letter combinations in there,
uncommon, end of the alphabet.
Just saying it seems like a thing.
Seems like those are the scary letters,
even if the names don't start with a scary letter.
We can't all be [INAUDIBLE] and Pazuzus.
Just saying.
And Azrael-- that z is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Not Worth My Time writes a really interesting comment
about the anonymity that is potentially
inherent in telekinesis.
And I think this is great.
This makes a lot of sense.
And I think directly relates to our idea
about it being an allegory for technology really perfectly--
that there is a way for you to use this kind of power
and remain behind the veil so to speak and to have
an effect without announcing directly or clearly that you
are the one that is the cause.
So yeah, spot on.
Love it.