We’ve all been there – confessing our feelings to our crush too soon. You get caught up, confuse perfectly normal eye contact to mean something more and boom, before you know it, you’re telling her that you like her now, you have for years, and you spend most of maths class imagining your future together. Let me chill out – that was oddly specific. Anyway, we’ve all been there – I think. Where we haven’t been, though, is in a place where our premature confession has multi-universal consequences.

The same can’t be said for Wade. He confesses his love for Samantha way too soon, even by my standards; reassuring her that he still thinks she is pretty, despite her birthmark – how noble. The two go on a hunt in the virtual world for the golden egg, the final reward for completing a series of three tasks within the game. They face opposition from a government body, which sends for them first in the game, and later in the real world as they get closer to succeeding. Inevitably, Wade (or Parzival) wins the competition and gets the egg. He meets the ‘ghost’ of the game’s creator, Halliday, in his childhood bedroom, where he is given control of the server and the ability to shut it down. In a slightly overdone speech, the games’ creator says to Wade that you can’t have sex in the game, implying that is basically the only reason to spend time in the real world (I may be missing a few details, but you get the gist). In a sick sort of tribute, Wade and Samantha enjoy their honeymoon period by turning off the servers on Tuesdays and Thursdays – just how Halliday would have wanted it. It’s weird and it’s wacky, but the two meeting via the Oasis and finding a genuine connection in the real world is just a little heartwarming.

In Bell Hooks’ theory of Postmodern Blackness, it is described that ‘class mobility has altered collective black experience’. At the end of the Small Axe episode, Alex’s cellmate explains that class oppression is what allows white supremacy to remain prevalent.

Small Axe; Alex Wheatle. medium.com. https://medium.com/@leiladaisyj/small-axe-alex-wheatle-growing-up-rising-up-1b5df11ec957 <30/04/24>

He encourages Alex to educate himself, to learn about his past for a better future. Bell Hooks acknowledges in her theory that pre-existing stereotypes of black struggle are ‘rooted in class’. In present times, however, a blurring of class divides has been sparked by the rise of black individuals finding success, such as Alex Wheatle – a now renowned author.

As a result, we find ourselves in a place where class and race are not as intertwined as they once were. Unfortunately, as a consequence, black people now face forms of institutionalized racism. To summarise Hooks, paradigms of black identity represent blackness one-dimensionally – this reinforces and sustains white supremacy. As a result, the oppression and fear experienced by the main character who we follow the perspective of in Assembly can be seen as somewhat ‘illegitimised’ due to her not conforming with the pre-existing stereotype of black struggle, which is rooted in class.

I found real enjoyment when I watched Rear Window for the first time. For a film first released in 1954, I found the aspects of humour and narrative to be timeless and, for that, I give Hitchcock his flowers. That being said, you’d do well to find a film that better proves Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ theory. In the film, we follow (and literally see) the perspective of L.B. Jefferies, or Jeff, a photographer recovering from a broken leg. As a consequence of his injury, he is in a wheelchair and bound to his apartment. Passing the time, he takes interest in the everyday lives of his neighbours, watching them through their windows – taking the term ‘Male Gaze’ to a whole new level.

Rear Window, letterboxd.com, https://letterboxd.com/film/rear-window/ <29/04/24>

Take, for example, very early on in the film. We see a shot from Jeff’s perspective of a dancer nicknamed “Miss Torso” bending over and, quite frankly, I could rest my case here. I also found out however that the actress, Georgine Darcy, was only paid $350 for her troubles. Granted, this was worth a fair bit more at the time but is only the equivalent of about $4000 today. A severe underpay, I hope we can agree.

And proof, that the Male Gaze is a product of the patriarchy which in many ways remains prevalent in contemporary society.

When I set off, I was liberated.

Burnt my cash, abandoned the car – just I remained.

I couldn’t hide behind the materials of my ego.

I had to look in, look at my soul.

I saw a bare man, but a free spirit.

As I lay now,

With death at the door of my campervan,

I question whether I achieved all I set out to do.

All I set out to find.

My thoughts are losing their hold as I drift,

Drift to the higher plane,

And within the space,

In the absence of thought,

I find it.

Not ready,

Not prepared,

Happiness is nothing, it isn’t shared.

Epilogue: When I watched Into the Wild, the ending and McCandless’ final journal entry really stuck with me. This poem derived from that feeling. Born from wondering what Chris felt, in his final moments, facing his inevitable death.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s highly acclaimed novel Klara and The Sun gives us a fascinating look into a world of AI advancement. This is shown in many forms and mainly through the perspective of Klara, the main character. We soon infer that AFs (short for ‘Artificial Friends’) like Klara are becoming the norm, filling in as companions of adolescent children. However, AFs aren’t the only way in which the potential of AI is demonstrated. We are exposed to the concept of ‘Uplifting’, the definition to which only became clear to me near the end of the novel. My interpretation is that uplifting is a form of genetic enhancement that is given to babies at birth, which enhances the potential of their intellect.

‘Genetic Engineering’, engineersnetwork.org, https://engineersnetwork.org/10-things-to-know-about-genetic-engineering/<29/04/24>

As we read on, it is at many points referenced that Rick has not been uplifted. He is treated as a sort of outcast, emphasizing to us that uplifting has become the new normal. I assume that it was his mothers’ decision to not have him uplifted, and Rick faces adversity because of this when trying to find a college, with his mother trying to exploit the favouritism of an old ‘friend’ who had connections. I find it interesting to consider whether Rick was not uplifted for ethical reasons, or because his mother never had the means to do so. The fact that he does not have an AF leads me to assume the latter to be true. This can therefore act as a warning to how AI may make the divide between the middle and lower class even more vast, as its capabilities may not be attainable for all.

I think we’ve all been in my position at least once. On your way back to campus after sunrise from a mental ten-hour sesh, stumbling from all of the Jager bombs and, worst of all, BURSTING for a piss. I’ll be real, I didn’t really think I was doing anything wrong at first. I saw the lake, a massive body of water, and just added a bit more to it. What’s the big deal? Well, I only went and wazzed right into a haunted lake, didn’t I? I thought my flat mates were messing with me the next day when they started going on about a girl in the background. It was damn near 6 am, what sane person is lurking about at that time?

As it turns out, it wasn’t a person – or a living one, anyway. It was the ghost of, what was her name again, Emit? Edith? Anyway, each day since, strange things have been happening. Things moving, noises at night. I’m sure it’s all my imagination, but my flat mates really got in my head about it all. Don’t tell them that though. Anyway, Edith, if you are reading this over my shoulder, my bad innit. I won’t do it again. Just allow me, please?

Feeling – Terrified :0

Maybe it was the brilliance of Joaquin Phoenix as an actor, or the thought of losing Scarlett Johanson – but something about this film hit me right where it hurts. As affirmed by my classmates, making that claim is slightly ridiculous – how can a man and an AI chatbot have something even close to love? Maybe it was the aspects of Mise En Scene – which at times in this film are nothing short of stunning – or the metaphors and rhetoric explored in terms of the meaning of life, that made me question what I thought I knew. Regardless of what it was, I have to admit that the film was so well put together that it convinced me that what the main character and his computer girlfriend had really was true.

‘Her’, filmaffinity.com, https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/filmimages.php?movie_id=889720 <29/04/24>

We are all here a short time and while, you know, falling in love with another human being is more than ideal, does it have to be the only way to find fulfilment? In retrospect, the tears may have been a little over the top – we all have our days, and that was clearly one of mine. The main takeaway is that if there are advancements in AI that make it so ever advancing, I need to stay far, FAR away for my own good. I’m going to wrap this here – things between me and my computer are starting to get a little weird.

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