Chris was pretty much on point with his weatherman comment about Science Fiction writers being “weathermen trying to predict what becomes of an anxious affect in the future.” After Neuromancer and his six other previous prophetic science fiction novels, with Pattern Recognition, from his clairvoyant high horse, Gibson has thrown the future dystopian universe out the window and decided to rub our noses in the capitalist reality that is modern day America–“The future is there… looking back at us. Trying to make sense of the fiction we will have become.” Between the Starbuck’s red-cup controversy and Justin Bieber’s resurgence as an acceptable popstar, capitalist society is constantly confused about where they actually stand on an issue, and would prefer just to be told what to think. Herd mentality makes pattern recognition instinctual.
Gibson makes his notion of death-by-capitalism abundantly clear by characterizing Hitler’s campaign as a “brand” created by a “brilliant graphics department.” NEWTON addressed the issue of pattern recognition and brand dominance before we encountered it in Gibson’s novel. I wear all black, I don’t drink Starbucks, and the only logo I’ll sport is the Battlestar Galactica tattoo on my bicep. This is not because I find myself revolutionary, an allergy, or because I think myself superior, but simply because I think it’s easier. Western civilization as a whole is perpetually drowning in propaganda, “devoid of soul.” Those that find themselves against the grain can undoubtedly relate to the F:F:F. Cayce’s infatuation with investigating the film clips is essentially both because of the conspiracy of anonymity and the images’ direct contradiction of mainstream filmmaking. On the other side of the fence, her employers are interested because the images are garnering attention, and that which garners attention can undoubtedly be marketed for profit to a herd.
According to Facebook, recent events in Paris have opened up a lot of eyes to the religious war that is already raging in our current dystopia. It seems callous to say, and I mean no offense, but terrible things happen everywhere, all of the time, all over the world. Yet, you certainly don’t see people changing the watermark color scheme of their Social Media profiles when shit goes down in the Congo or 200 school girls go missing to Boko Haram. Personally, I try not to participate in the Facebook conversations that revolve around politics or religion, as I believe that I’ll never be educated enough to argue with someone that lives a different lifestyle than the one I’ve chosen for myself. There are probably a thousand ways to deem Pattern Recognition prophetic that I simply don’t have the capacity to wrap my brain around at the moment. Without sounding like I have a complete lack of faith in humanity, Gibson makes it rather easy to side with the “egocentric conspiracy theorists,” that believe World War III is on the horizon.
In case anyone is interested, if you watermark the French flag with the Pride Flag over your profile picture, it makes a nice plaid. Flannel is super in right now.
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