White Matrix, Black Mind

By James A. Hall, Author of American Messiah

When seeing is believing, those who control what we see can control what we believe.

My first viewing of the Matrix (a motion picture with an eastern philosophical theme) was

life-altering. No other movie impacted me in the same way that it did. If you haven’t seen it,

I recommend you check it out. I was blown away by the message. Three or more viewings

later and I began to detect an allegorical, almost subliminal, message embedded within of

a personal nature.

What is the moral lesson in the film?

I had been Neo all my life and Morpheus represents the voice speaking to me from my

subconscious mind. More specifically, The Matrix is a metaphorical depiction of the

fragmented consciousness plaguing most of the 42 million African Americans.

“It is a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's

self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on

in amused contempt and pity."

W.E.B Dubois asserted that since American blacks have lived in a society that has

historically repressed and devalued them that it has become difficult for them to unify their

black identity with their American identity. Double consciousness forces blacks to not only

view themselves from their own unique perspective, but to also view themselves as they

might be perceived by the outside (white) world.

This is what Dubois spoke of in the above passage when he talked about “the sense of

looking at one’s self through the eyes of others”

I’m certain that many of you (brothers and sisters) have felt the same powerful urge to delve

deeper into the scene playing out between Neo and Morpheus. For me the dialogue was an

existential answer to an epistemological (what we believe) question. One that is invaluable

as I struggle to free myself of the all-encompassing prison of the mind to which I was born

into.

Perhaps, some of you have already labeled me as a racist; if not a racist than one obsessed

with race. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am obsessed with obtaining freedom

for myself. And that is not possible unless all of my people are free.

And such freedom requires a willingness to try and transcend the superficial boundaries

formulated by Euro-centric model (or matrix) or try to think outside their box. This limited

clearing that I’m referring to (narrow and self-defeating paradigm) is carved out of the

cultural and psychological forest of someone else’s notion of truth. But, before you judge

me or dismiss my assertions, I ask only that you read with an open mind.

The Rabbit Hole

For those who have not yet seen the movie, this is how it begins. Neo is a run of the mill

computer programmer by day and a self-serving hacker by night. He is surreptitiously

contacted by those representing Morpheus, the leader of an underground anti

establishment organization. Morpheus’ appeal to Neo is made all the more powerful and

compelling by Neo’s own instinct-driven obsession with a persistent hunch.

Soon after being contacted by Morpheus, Neo is arrested and detained by the agents,

extraordinarily powerful guardians of the matrix. These agents serve the machine (‘a neural

interactive simulator or giant computer program in which humans live their lives virtually

while in actuality existing in a comatose-like state’) in human form.

The machines are aware of his duo identify and Morpheus’ interest in him and hands Neo

an ultimatum. Help us to ensnarl Morpheus or suffer the consequences. When Neo refuses

to cooperate, the machines tag him with an implant hoping to capture Morpheus. In other

words, they’ve constructed a rattrap with Neo as the bait.

While I am not asserting that any part of the film was directed at victims of the largest

ideological subversive program in human history. However, it does present some revealing

parallels between the neural net holding captive the fictional human race in the film and

the current psychological harness helping to direct the behavior of victims of the white

supremacy matrix.

In order to better fame my analysis, I am forced to present segments of the film’s dialogue

out of sequence. And, while many comparisons can be made; I have only selected a few of

the most glaring cases in point.

Morpheus: You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain,

but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You

don't know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this

feeling that has brought you to me.

Analysis: Ever since I could remember, I’ve felt out of place in America. Even among my

own people, something has always felt wrong, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

As I grew older and began exploring the world on my own, this indecipherable sensation

grew more pronounced. Perhaps, because I was born in the north (Harlem), the impact of

racism was more subtle than in other parts of the country. That is not to say that our north

brand of racism was no less socially and psychologically crippling.

But I’m not really referring to individual acts of prejudice, bigotry, and racial intolerance

against black people. Not at all. What I am asserting, however, is the existence of a unified

mosaic of seeming unrelated malicious acts played out across the current social, political

and economic spectrum.

That is to say the lethal and ubiquitous attacks are woven into the very fabric of white

society, which over time seeps into the subconscious of black people. And, no matter

where they encounter this behavior modifying virus (school, work, or while watching tell-a

lie-through-vision), unless they are on guard against it (employing a firewall of awareness),

they can’t help but download it into their mental mainframe and in turn become a carrier.

It is strangely ironic that the previous system’s blatant intimidation and naked violence

were almost more humane. Simply because its acts of cruelty were overt, and thus easy to

detect. The present control mechanism, to which I was born into, is a stealthier and a

highly disguised method of subjugation and domination. At the heart of it is a massive

propaganda campaign designed by skilled propagandist and executed by the governing

elite.

Gone (for the most part) are the days of unmistakably visceral and barbaric acts of racism

like public lynching’s and gross acts of racial segregation. Responding to black resistance,

changing federal laws, and a worldwide audience via technology, white supremacy was

forced to mutate and ‘evolve’. All of which exposes the hypocrisy of a racist system who’s

most damaging rhetoric begins with: “all men are created equal”.

Like the Transformers toy, the system method of operation has transmuted into a more

viable strategy, maintainable because of its highly duplicitous nature. And, you can’t defeat

what you can’t see. Instead of using torture and other coercive techniques, the supremacy

system applies mass media and other forms of communication to launch a daily mental

assault which marginalizes the black brand and exemplifies the white brand.

It was W. E. B. Du Bois who said: "but in propaganda against the Negro since emancipation

in this land, we face one of the most stupendous efforts the world ever saw to discredit

human beings, an effort involving universities, history, science, social life, and religion."

This racist system is not easily recognized nor comprehended by most of its Black victims.

It is often so well disguised that although many of its Black victims may instinctively feel

that there is something wrong, they are however unable to sufficiently conceptualize it.

leaving them defenseless against it.

Their strategy is to employ words and images in a way that alters the thinking of otherwise

rational and intelligent people. For example, I am a resident of Baltimore. Most people are

aware of the single day of rioting following the Freddy Gray lynching.

Months after the incident local TV channels were still replaying clips of black youths

destroying property. Obviously, the images insinuate that black youths are a growing

menace and need to be jailed or put down.

WBAL-TV wins the contest for displaying the most negative image of black youth. After

showing lawless black youths rampaging through eviscerated parts of the city, the thirty

second promo cuts to white families enjoying a carefree day at the beautiful Inner Harbor.

This contrast is blatantly racist. More than a tale of two cities, it’s a tale of two races. This

seemingly innocuous branding of the races (in this cast for ratings) was aired at least a

dozen times a day for the about four months.

It is this kind of constant and relentless graphic bombardment using deplorable images to

which black victims are so inundated with that it may starts to become for them a self

fulfilling prophesy.

Over time these daily attacks mold a character of self-hatred, self-doubt, and self-loathing,

curling their rage back against themselves and one another. The result is a toxic blend of

white superiority and black inferiority. Furthermore, it is the mainstreaming of such

negative images that set the stage for blacks being disproportionately incarcerated, and

given stiffer sentences. And, worse still, such hostile depictions make blacks more likely

that any other racial group to be, humiliated, beaten and shot down in cold blood by agents

of the system.

Moreover, the enduring racist mass media campaign is designed to make the black mind

question what is real. To become skeptical of our own imprisonment, and to doubt what we

see, hear, and feel. So, it goes without saying that white supremacy matrix trains and

conditions its victims to avoid asking questions about the massive psychological warfare

program directed against them.

But, fortunately for us, there is always this feeling lurking just beneath the surface of our

black consciousness. Having stripped us of our language, our culture, our customs, and

our religion; they were confident that they had purged us of our natural warning system. By

their calculation, we would have no choice but to surrender to our conditioning.

But the voice of the ancestors remained spiritually embedded inside us and out of reach of

those who would cast us into bondage. As it was locked deep within our collective soul, we

used it to erect new cultural models from the remnants of the old.

Morpheus: Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for

yourself.

Analysis: While all victims of the white supremacy matrix have their individual stories of

having been vilified and degraded (at the job or by the police), most remain blind to the

workings of the full apparatus. Furthermore, most won’t believe that a synchronized and

wide-ranging system of mind control actually exists.

Having been subjected to dehumanizing propaganda by way of miseducation by public

schools and the spread of misinformation through movies, TV, and literature, victims of the

matrix are unable to accept the reality of white systemic culpability.

“The oppressed will always believe the worse about themselves”, says Franz Fanon.

Combine that with the historical talking points that convinced the world that black people

have always been uncivilized, childlike, and content with bondage. A more refined post

modern version of the age-old stereotypes includes low-income blacks are drug addicted,

criminal, oversexed, dependent on government assistance, and generally irresponsible.

Thus, it isn’t until black people gain the knowledge of their history; as well as that of their

Euro-centric overlords that we will begin to gain a proper perspective. But each victim must

see it for himself. According to Marcus Garvey: "A people without the knowledge of their

history, is like a tree without roots."

But the agents of the white supremacy matrix will do everything (knowingly or unknowingly)

to prevent this. In fact, to maintain its social dominance over its suppressed group, it must

condition its suppressed group from a very early age, before they have an opportunity to

question the propriety of the matter.

How many predominately black public-school systems make Black History a requirement?

Some may offer it as an elective, but most point to their recognition of black achievement

during Black History Month. Yet someone needs to remind nearly all of them that Black

History didn’t start with slavery.

According to the late, great Dr. Henrik Clark, “Powerful people cannot afford to educate the

people they oppress... because once you are truly educated, you will not ask for power you

will take it.”

So, it should have come as no surprise that my indoctrination intensified when I attended

college. Instead of developing a broad and critical intellect, under the watchful eyes of my

instructors, I cultivated a narrow and pedantic Euro-centric mindset. By the time my

brainwashing was complete, I was more estranged from my African self than at any time in

my short life.

It was William Yeats who said: “Education is not the filling of a mind, but the lighting of a

fire.”

What little passion I had for wanting to make a difference in my own community was soon

extinguished, doused by cleverly constructed lies, crafty distortions, and deliberate

omissions. The thought police had done a thorough job in training me to think what I was

told to think. What they called education was simply the deification of white culture, and

the condemnation of my own.

Had I received a single grain of education, I would have graduated a devoted warrior,

prepared to do battle with the white supremacy matrix and its plans to bring about the

gradual annihilation of the black race. Their diabolical plan for our demise is driven by the

fact that their economy no longer needs us, accept perhaps as consumers.

Had I been in my right mind, I would have instantly engage the enemy in an effort to prevent

the institutional extermination of black babies, the assault on the black family by the

legions of social services bureaucrats, the genocidal spread of infectious diseases within

the black community, the economic underdevelopment of the black Diaspora, the

manipulation of black minds by the white media, the flooding of the black community with

drugs by the CIA, the mass incarceration of black men disguised as a war on drugs, the

erasing of black achievement from the pages of history, the commercial plundering of

black culture (for its music, its dress, its style and its ideas), and the endless rape of

Mother Africa.

But being the well programmed robot that I was, after college I sought only to serve my

enemy in hopes of becoming the recipient of a white-collar gig. According to Tony Brown,

award winning journalist: “it’s impossible to send a black man to a white university and get

a black man back”. At least in my case, he was right.

Morpheus: The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside,

you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very

minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of

that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these

people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so injured, so hopelessly

dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it.

Analysis: Most black people don’t want change. Like the Last Poets said: “Niggers are

scared of revolution”. Most will not entertain thoughts of rebellion; instead aspire to a more

a comfortable life of enslavement.

Thus, those of us who are serious about meaningful change must avoid the “house niggers”

at all cost. Those victims (mostly middle-class blacks) who are still plugged into the white

supremacy matrix won’t believe you if you told them and will think you’re a fool. Others,

that know the truth of their bondage, will see you as a threat. Sadly, they fear those who

would cut their umbilical cord more than they fear their white malevolent mother.

Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is?

Analysis: Do blacks living under the tyranny of the white supremacy matrix really want to

understand the nature of their imprisonment? Hell, no! Such an endeavor would require

them to put down their remote controls or cease making it rain at the club and pick up a

book. “Like the saying goes: the old slaves were killed for reading, while the new slave won’t

read to save their lives”.

Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You

can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel

it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world

that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

Analysis: The black man or woman, who searches with all their all of their capabilities for

an answer, is labeled a racist. Other labels like paranoid, sociopath, and or delusional

come to mind.

When I look out my window, I see stores and properties owned by outsiders. When I picked

up a history in school, I was exposed to a past told from the perspective of my oppressors.

When, I turn on the tube, I’m subjected to a litany of stereotypical images or glossier

versions of Jim Crow caricatures. Even the Savior of my faith is portrayed as someone

unlike myself in appearance while the facts suggest otherwise.

Malcolm said it best: you’ve been misled, you been had, you been took.

Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a

prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind.

Analysis: Once the chains and shackles of our bondage were removed with the signing of

the Emancipation Proclamation, a new brand of captivity was employed. This new

instrument of control was psychological in nature and tasked with seeing that niggers knew

their place. It was the birth of Jim Crow.

While the unjust laws of the era and hellish retributions doled out for breaking those laws

were very tangible, the psychological damage (the fear, shame, trauma, anxiety and

insurmountable stress) to the minds of the black victims were immeasurable.

Because it was the only world they ever knew. The only reminder of the wretched existence

was the privileged lifestyle of some whites. Without any hope of better days, it must have

all seemed so dreadfully normal. And a mind that cannot dream beyond its torment is a

mind possessed (occupied by a force beyond its control).

Morpheus: I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the

one that must walk through it.

Analysis: Give me liberty or give me a Lexus. Every victim of the white supremacy matrix

must decide whether to choose self-determination or servitude. Once they are unplugged,

they are faced with the most important decision of their black lives. Some, like the

traitorous character Cypher in the film, will find life too difficult to manage without their

former master and beg to be given a second chance. They are the most dangerous of all,

because they’ll sell out their own mother to prove their loyalty.

Morpheus: Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference

between knowing the path and walking the path.

Analysis: Remember the black power movement of the sixties. Here is what killed it;

crumbs from the banquet table of the establishment. Given the choice of purchasing a

house in the suburbs and driving a shiny new convertible, some of the most “down”

brothers chose to denounce the movement. The slow exodus of talented and educated

blacks over the years further destabilized the black community. In time, black communal

priorities and values were replaced with an every-man-for-himself outlook.

Morpheus: Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you

were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the

dream world and the real world?

Analysis: “He who control the present controls the past, and he who controls the past

controlled the future.” Here George Orwell is implying that knowledge of a people past

plays a major role in influencing their future actions.

The dream world for black victims of white supremacy is the current image they have of

themselves spun by master propagandist (referred to as public relations experts) for the

purpose of maintaining and perpetuating their domination. We fell to sleep with the signing

of the Emancipation Proclamation and have yet to wake up. Our grand mistake was and is

allowing the enemy to sprinkle fairy dust over us with their talk of equality and acts of

tokenism, showcasing wealthy blacks as the only barometer of racial progress.

Consequently, when you allow a stranger to tell you who or what you are, you become a

stranger to yourself. Keep in mind that in addition to colonizing most of the world, they have

colonized information. Thus, self-education is the only means of waking from the

aforementioned dream state.

When I was a child and refused to get up for school, my mother often shock me awake with

the use of a cold, wet facecloth. For we victims of the largest ideological subversive

program in history, rediscovering who we were before foreign contact can be our cold, wet

facecloth.

Morpheus: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue

pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You

take the red pill - you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

Analysis: Be satisfied with the current trajectory of the black community as we move into

the 21st century. Buy into the media’s explanation for black poverty, black crime rates, and

failing schools. Excuse yourself from the dialogue on racism in America because it makes

you sad. In other words, take the blue pill. As a reward for your apathy, you will receive a

marginal degree of contentment. Because it’s no secret that ignorance is bliss.

Join the fight by taking the red pile and discover how deep the rabbit hole goes. But be

warned that you risk suffering retribution from agents (guardians) of the system. Your job,

your so-called freedom, even your life may be at risk.

But know this; any marginal degree of comfort that you may gain is paid for with the blood,

sweat, and tears of those who came before you.

Perhaps, if our forebears knew that you would sit in the shade of the tree that they planted

and eat its precious fruit without planting the seeds for future generations, they would not

have planted the tree in the first place. Remember, our North American predecessors may

have been helpless at times against the onslaught of white supremacy, but they never

stopped resisting their victimization.

Morpheus: Welcome to the desert of the real.

Analysis: The white supremacy created the matrix (perception management program) to

control black minds by the use of misdirection. For, the enemy understands that all wars

are based on deception. Real is another word for truth. That being the case, our enemy has

seen to it that the truth has become a lie and the lie has become the truth. I recall the night

President Obama was elected. It was then that I was first heard the phrase post-racial

society.

Those blacks who believed the hype celebrated more than a black man being elected to the

most important political office in the western world. They celebrated the end of racism in

America. The messaged to us from the white supremacy controlled media was that your

struggle for equality was over, you have reached the mountaintop.

Morpheus You have to let it all go, Neo. Fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind.

Analysis: Fear and intimidation are still two of white supremacy’s most effective weapons

of mass subjugation. Just consider the disproportionate number of black people being

murdered and brutalized by police.

But it is their psychological (mind control) campaign that is most effective at nurturing

doubt within the victim’s own psychic about their true worth as human beings.

Consequently, it is nearly impossible for victims of white supremacy’s thought control

devices to believe in themselves. That is, to see each other as the solution to the myriad of

social ills plaguing their community. Instead, they wait for the very government whose

policies have done nothing but stifle our progress to lead the way.

If we are to free our minds, we must first throw off the shackles of their mis-education and

misinformation and rediscover the truth of who we really are. It is only then that we can

begin to rebuild. The blueprint is a close has your nearest black book store. In the words of

the R&B group, the O’Jays: “How can you call me brother—when you ain’t even searchin’ for

the truth?”

Conclusion:

In closing, no one is saying that black people shouldn’t make as much money as possible,

climb the corporate ladder to the top, or live anywhere their hearts so desires. What I am

saying is this. Before taking action, employ an Afrocentric point of view. Ask yourself not

only whether the desired outcome is good for you (personally), but how does that outcome

impact the lives of other black people (the collective).

To feel one another’s pain and to rejoice in each other’s success is the only way to bridge

our cultural chasm. In sum, we owe it to ourselves, our ancestors, and to future

generations to place the welfare of our race at the center of our thoughts and actions.

It is important that I add that I don’t hate white people. Most are subject to the very thought

control process which molds and shapes the consensus of public opinion. Like most black

people, the vast majority of white people believe only what they are told, making black

people the scapegoat for their own inadequacies, and their feelings of helplessness as

pawns of the white power elite.

Their marching orders are to protect white privilege and entitlement, as they long

nostalgically for that time when they had everything and we had nothing. And, as a result,

they (teachers, bankers, politicians, etc.) are all too willing to act as accomplices in the

ongoing systemic oppression of black people.

However, others are well read and quite intelligent. They know the truth (and see the white

supremacy matrix for what it truly is) but are too frightened and intimidated to openly resist

it. They dare not expose the lies and hypocrisy or risk having their privileges revoked.

Theirs is a crisis of conscious, cognitive dissonance eroding away the core of their self

respect (white guilt). Then there are those courageous white souls who line up on the side

of righteousness. Them I simply call friends.