In this era of information, in this mass sprawl and endless digital stream of algorithmic
data - truth has become a very rare and important commodity.
When we are confronted with an overabundance of fact - that fact either needs to be founded
or unfounded - consistent, never changing.
But what if there existed an object - that didn’t exist in either of those realms.
What if, every time you observed its record - a new stream of information was presented,
a new dialogue - a new allusion to something a little bit more sinister than the last?
And what if that record was something historically renowned - a momentous political speech in
a fearful bygone era that was recorded and witnessed by hundreds of millions of people.
Well - it certainly sounds confusing, but one thing remains the same - it’s terrifying.
And well - more importantly, what the hell has it got to do with US President Ronald
Reagan?
All will be revealed shortly.
Hopefully.
Hello Internet and welcome back to the most inquisitive channel on YouTube - Life’s
Biggest Questions - as per usual, I’ll be your disembodied floating voice Jack Finch
- as today, we curiously ask the question - What If SCP-1981
Was Real?
Roll the clip.
Now, let’s not beat about the bush - because there is a lot to this particular anomalous
object that may get watered down in translation - but when we really look at the bare bones
of SCP-1981 - its concept is incredibly unnerving.
In 1983, US President Ronald Reagan took to the podium at the National Association of
Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida - to address the nation on his hard-line stance against
the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.
He referred to the their continued geo-political escalation as the march of An Evil Empire
- and depicted nuclear warfare as a righteous extension of the age old struggle between
good and evil.
This speech was incredibly important, and served to reshape the public’s reserved
stance toward nuclear warfare.
But - well, the SCP Foundation has a particularly differing set of circumstances surrounding
this event - to say the least.
As the record states, SCP-1981 is a standard Betamax tape - with the words, “RONALD REGAN
CUT UP WHILE TALKING” handwritten on an adhesive sticker in felt tip pen.
Laboratory analysis indicates that SCP-1981 is made of ordinary material, and serial numbers
seem to correspond with home cassette tapes produced in September of 1980.
It was initially encountered by a filing clerk in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
in 1991 - who upon watching it immediately alerted local police - with the intent to
find the tapes creator to press obscenity charges.
A low-level police investigation was conducted, at which point the Foundation was quickly
alerted and secured SCP-1981 into their possession.
But - it’s just a video tape, right?
Of Ronald Reagan’s Evil Empire Speech.
Right?
What’s so scary about that?
Well - SCP-1981 appears to be a home video recording of former United States President
Ronald Reagan delivering his Evil Empire speech to the National Association of Evangelicals
at Sheraton Twin Towers, Orlando, Florida on the 8th of March 1983.
However, in this instance - at 1 minute 10 seconds in, the speech begins to deviate heavily
- eventually resembling no known speech ever made by Ronald Reagan.
Beginning at approximately 5 minutes, multiple incisions, lacerations and penetration wounds
can be seen being slowly inflicted - though no corresponding source of these wounds are
visible.
Despite suffering bodily harm that would likely incapacitate an ordinary person, Reagan will
continue to deliver his speech until either his vocal cords are severed or the tape degrades
to static at 22 minutes and 34 seconds.
Uh - yeah.
Erm - are you guys seeing this?
However - upon rewinding SCP-1981 and hitting playback, Reagan will deliver an entirely
new speech - often radically different from the ones previously observed.
Topics have included torture, human trafficking and ritual sacrifice.
On top of that though - the trauma inflicted upon Reagan also appears to be divergent - with
impalement - and - uh - well - some stuff that we can’t really describe being observed.
And erm - it kind of also gets worse.
In roughly one in seven viewings of this tape - a figure clothed in black robes with a conical
hood will emerge as a random member of Reagan’s press detail - referred to as SCP-1981-1.
The last known sighting of this figure was during a routine observation of the tape sometime
in 2005 - where the strange hooded figure stood at Reagan’s podium for roughly 20
minutes before a single frame flashed with the words I SEE YOU colored in red.
That’s a quick way to ruin anyone's day, right?
But what does it all mean?
Why is US President Ronald Reagan referring to future catastrophic events, such as 9/11
and an encroaching global cataclysmic event - way back in 1983?
What if this whole thing was real, and Reagan wasn’t referring to the Soviet Union - but
a much more terrifying Evil Empire.
In one instance of SCP-1981’s observation - Reagan states, QUOTE - For the first time
we have risen, and I see we are being consumed.
I see circles that are not circles.
Billions of dead souls inside containment.
Unravellers have eaten (this) country’s moral fabric, turning hearts into filth.
I’m from a kingdom level above human.
What does that yield?
A hokey smile that damns an entire nation.
END QUOTE.
Phew.
That’s some pretty heavy stuff.
But when we boil this concept down, philosophy often confronts the exact same idea.
If we accept that our reality is one of many conduits of an infinite universe, a mass sprawl
of multiverses - where in some cases, humanity is a fairly decent, honorable civilization
- that often tries to do the right thing - but very often also does the wrong thing.
We can also accept that there equally could exist a reality of complete and utter, pure
evil.
Where every choice and divergent path was based on hatred and pain and violence.
A truly evil empire.
In his 2014 book - Our Mathematical Universe, renowned cosmologist and physicist, Max Tegmark,
confronts a very similar phenomena.
His model isn’t anchored in that of quantum mechanics and string theory - but instead
in modal realism - a doctrine proposed by philosopher David Lewis - that every possible
way that things COULD have gone - every consistent, total history of a universe - is just as real
as our own universe.
In this reality, you may safely make the train on your morning commute - but in another reality,
you missed it - and then you lost your job, and your spiraled into a very different lifestyle.
Imagine that - but times infinity.
If we accept this model - then, I’m sorry to break it to you - but SCP-1981 IS real.
If that was the case - then the occurrence of an anomalous video tape is the least of
our problems - because it would only serve to herald the emergence of a much more Evil
Empire for humanity to contend with.
Let’s take some comfort in the fact that it’s just fiction then, right?
Right?
Guys?
Well - on that note, I’m pretty terrified - so that’s all we’ve got time for in
today’s video.
Why don’t you let us know your thoughts about SCP-1981 in the comment section down
below.
Before we depart though, let’s read out some of your more entertaining comments from
our recent SCP-based-video.
First up - the … the erm …. The SCP Foundation says -- Stop letting civilians know this kind
of information.
--- Uh.
Oh, crap.
I’m in trouble again, aren’t I?
Erm… next up, Gryphon says -- Is Jack Finch part of the O5 Council?
-- Hah … hah.
Yeah.
Right.
Guys, seriously - you need to stop.
And finally - Mark Taylor says -- If the SCP Foundation were real, how do you think someone
would go about seeking employment with them?
-- Well, Mark.
What a - what a ridiculous question.
The Foundation isn’t real.
It’s completely fictional.
I promise.
Really.
Well - on that note - I better head back down to the memetics lab.
Cheers for sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video, make sure to hit that thumbs up button - as well as
that subscribe bell - and I’ll be seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your disembodied floating voice Jack Finch - you’ve been
watching Life’s Biggest Questions - and until next time.
You take it easy.