Television series Black Mirror discusses many ways that technology could cause modern Western society to become a dystopia. Using current trends in society taken to their extremes, Black Mirror examines the different ways our obsessions with social media, consumption, or reality television could impose restrictions on our lives. No episode of the series goes to such an extreme as “15 Million Merits,” in which modern British society has been supplanted by a system through which people earn fame and freedom in an American Idol-esque reality show. Parallel, though distinctly different from this, is the Republic of Gilead in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. As opposed to a technology-flooded society of excess, Gilead has been taken over by Christian extremists who strip America down to a country built on Biblical strictures. Despite the differences between these two dystopias, there are fundamental similarities among the social structures, concepts of conformity, and ideas on freedom and modern society.
The protagonist in “15 Million Merits,” Bing, lives in a sort of planned community. He has a single bed in a small cell surrounded by screens, on which he can watch TV and interact with his peers through a digital avatar known as a “Dopple.” Everything Bing does is paid for through “Merits”, a digital currency earned by riding a stationary bike day in and day out. Everyone in Bing’s community is young and athletic, wears grey, and it is implied that they are providing power by cycling. Because of this, overweight people are forced to be custodians and wear yellow, and are regularly degraded and dehumanized. Also as a result of this apparent dependence on people-power, the only visible way to get out is by getting famous on the reality show “Hot Shots,” a chance at which costs a person the titular 15 million Merits.
In this there can be found some clear parallels with The Handmaid’s Tale. In GIlead, the protagonist Offred is made to bear children for men of stature, following a serious decline in birth rates due to ecological damage. Although we do not see how young people determine their roles in society in Gilead (Offred is in the first generation of Handmaids), we know that Handmaids do earn a type of freedom after bearing a healthy child. A similar disaster, such as a global energy crisis, could necessitate a system where citizens earn their adult lives by spending adolescence generating power. In this case, getting famous on “Hot Shots” may just be a fast-track to relative freedom.
The parallels of these societies seems counterintuitive to the fundamental ideas they are each built off of. In Gilead, a theocratic government has supplanted the United States. Every woman’s role is named after, and based on, a significant woman in the Bible. Laws are enforced based on Scripture, which determines who is an enemy of the state. In Bing’s community, the only God seems to be the almighty dollar (or rather, the Merit). We have no evidence that they are governed by laws and as a matter of fact, there’s nothing to suggest the three reality show judges are not the highest authority in the land. All of these motives are superficial, they are the almost-unnecessary “why” when compared to the “how” of each dystopia. While the overall structure of Gileadean society and Bing’s society are congruent, there are also deeper similarities in how each society keeps its citizens obedient to the regime. Both dystopias use color-coded clothing to keep people serving their designated social roles. They also use tactics to make each person compliant and complicit in the immoral decisions of society. When everyone is wrong, there can be no reproach.
Gilead has divided its women into classes based on their use. Most important are the Handmaids, in red, who are used to bear children in place of the infertile Wives. Wives, in blue, are husbands of political leaders known as Commanders, and place a semblance of Biblical purity on the Commander-Handmaid-Wife arrangement. Finally are the Marthas, who wear green and are in charge of housekeeping, cooking, and similar duties. Britain in “15 Million Merits” has also found a way to color code its citizens. Young people like Bing are forced to wear grey every day, which not only denotes them as the “exercising class” but also removes any sort of unique identity they may have. In addition to greys, there are also the overweight, who are made to wear yellow and are subjected to degrading treatment such as being the zombie-like enemies in a video game. Those who become too obese to clean up are seen to be participants on a “game show” where they are made to eat while being sprayed with water, which the grey-wearing population can pay to watch while cycling. In Gilead, women who do not conform to the roles of society are similarly disposed of. Known as “Unwomen,” they are sent to the colonies to do manual labor which ranges anywhere from agriculture to toxic waste cleanup. Both societies, though very different in ideals, require utility from their citizens, which reinforces the theory that Bing’s world is going through some sort of crisis. They also dispose of their useless citizens in very appropriate ways to their ideology: Unwomen are removed from sight and made to do jobs useful women wouldn’t be expended to, and the obese are used for entertainment to motivate cyclists to pedal more and spend more Merits.
Obviously, color-coding society does not just serve to denote each person’s social standing. In both Bing’s society and the Republic of Gilead, the demarcation of different classes based on color is a way to induce conformity among the general populace. To reiterate the yellow vs. grey scenario of “15 Million Merits,” the overweight do not just hold a lower social standing than the athletic or healthy. In a world where everyone wears grey, and all the surrounding structures are dark or black, wearing yellow makes you stand out among the backdrop. Not only can everyone see that you are too overweight to contribute to society, they can also see that status distinctly. In addition, the people in grey refer to those in yellow as “Lemons” due to their bright colors (and possibly, their shape). The message here is clear – stay on your bike and earn your Merits, or else everyone will know of your failure. One important aspect of this is the name of the currency. The use of this word, “Merit”, shows some of the psychology at work on the cyclists in Bing’s community. Rather than giving the currency a generic name, the society has directly tied monetary value to personal worth. This all comes together to emphasize the pressure put on people to conform. They don’t ask questions or try to escape, they just sit back and ride their bikes all day.
From the attitude we see in Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale, we can assume that Bing and his peers are not the first generation of people put into these cycling communities. In fact, we know Abi, the secondary character in the episode, has just aged into it at 21. She and Bing have likely spent their entire lives knowing they would one day have to ride their bikes. Meanwhile, Offred was once a free woman living in the United States of America as we would know it. Unlike Bing and Abi she knew what it was like to be free and determine her own place in society. As such, her decision to conform to Gilead’s laws is much more based out of fear and survival than any sense that it is her duty to be a Handmaid. In Gilead, pressure to conform takes on an even more sinister role than in Bing’s world. Most likely, this is because Gilead is in its first generation, and has to force those who were once free to comply with their new laws. We see scenes from Offred’s indoctrination into her role as Handmaid, where she is taught her new place in Gilead. We also see how Gilead punishes those who refuse to conform. Offred often goes to see the recently-executed in town, where they are displayed alongside a sign describing their offence. Homosexuals, Catholics and non-Christians, abortion doctors, and traitors are all hanged and displayed. Handmaids who are found guilty of some offence face a worse fate- they are hanged in public, and every other Handmaid gets to pull the rope that kills her.
Just as Gilead makes the Handmaids complicit in the execution of traitors, Bing’s Britain makes all of its citizens complicit in the over-consumptive society that enslaves all of them. In daily life, the cyclists can purchase little things using Merits that make their tedium more bearable. While they do have to pay for basic needs, they most often redeem Merits in the form of entertainment. Whether in their cell or on the bike, Bing and his peers have access to video games, reality television, and even pornography, all of which they purchase with their Merits. In addition to this, they can also pay to customize their Dopple, a digital version of themselves, with clothing and items. Because of the previously-discussed grey outfits, this is the only way they can express themselves. The Dopples are also the way they can interact with each other from their cells, and participate in “Hot Shots” as an audience member. In reality, they are being tricked into spending Merits on useless things as opposed to what may be a shot at freedom. By continuing to purchase things that often aren’t even tangible, the cyclists secure their future of never having the requisite 15 million Merits to purchase a slot on “Hot Shots” and have a chance of escaping their tedious lives. However, this may be the greatest lie the cyclists are sold. After Bing convinces Abi to participate in the reality show, she is coerced by the judges not to become a singer, but to be a pornographic actress. When Bing decides to rebel against the system as a result of this, the judges do not listen to what he has to say. Instead, they offer him a position giving speeches on a livestream. These two experiences outline the most tragic aspect of life in Bing’s society, which is that becoming an entertainer only makes you even more of a part of the over-consumptive lifestyle. After Bing takes this offer, we see him in a much nicer, larger cell with a screen emulating a vast forest posing as a window. While his life is much better, he is still contributing to the Merit system. Even when famous he is not free from the system—just from his cycling—and will continue to contribute to the Merit community until his usefulness has run out.
In both stories the protagonist tries to be free from their oppressive communities in their own way. Two of the most important aspects of freedom in these examples are freedom of expression and freedom of possession. Although Gilead and Bing’s world each have restrictions on these freedoms, both Offred and Bing identify ways to rebel against each of them, to varying effect. Their ability to possess things and express themselves are key to their identities in their dystopian lives.
One of the most draconian laws in Gilead is that women are not allowed to read. Not only are they not allowed to read books for example, they are not permitted to even read signs on stores. Signs such as these are replaced with images demonstrating what may be purchased inside. Naturally, there is no writing either. This law makes a piece of writing which Offred finds in her bedroom even more significant – a line of pseudo-Latin which translates to “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” The writing, left by a former Handmaid, is a token of solidarity which Offred carries with her. This also means that when she plays games of Scrabble with her Commander, and he lets her read magazines, they are not just doing something illegal but also something completely taboo. Offred uses these little rebellions to keep going. Without the ability to read or write, or change her manner of dress, Offred ends up relying on her oppressor to provide her with the ability to even express herself. So does Bing. After his friend Abi is turned into a porn star, Bing spends several months earning back the 15 million Merits he needs to go back to “Hot Shots.” On stage in front of everyone, he rages against the whole system and the judges in particular, while holding a shard of glass to his throat. The only way to get anyone to listen to him is to throw himself entirely into the system that is oppressing him.
The rules on consumption and possession in Gilead and in Bing’s community seem to be opposite. In the cycling communities, people are actively encouraged to spend their Merits on anything and everything they like – it’s almost hedonistic (as long as that hedonism does not lead to gluttony). In Offred’s society, purchases are only made for sustenance, and owning anything beyond a habit is not allowed for a Handmaid. However, the acquisitiveness of the cyclists, as previously mentioned, is all spent on digital things which do not improve the quality of life. The only things Bing ever owns are hidden under his mattress in his spartan cell. It’s merely a veneer of possession, and ultimately the cyclists own as much as the Handmaids do. Once famous, we see Abi speaking in a commercial about her glamorous new life. She talks about all the beautiful things she owns now, which is clearly an incentive to all the grey-clad people watching. Bing has the same experience. Once he becomes a personality, he lives in a beautiful cell the size of an apartment. He has his own decorations, fresh food in the form of orange juice, and presumably his own clothes (although we never see them). Again though, it is still a cell. His possessions are put in place to make him complacent with his new status, as opposed to truly giving him freedom.
For Offred, possession and expression are more often one and the same. When she is in the Commander’s office, we see he has much contraband, like the aforementioned magazines and Scrabble. Not only are these illegal, but owning much of anything at all could be viewed as excessive and sinful. Being able to express herself in the form of clothing is no longer possible, and even owning the clothes she would need to be able to do so is not permitted. But Handmaids have another way to fight the system that is not discussed in “15 Million Merits.” They have the power to die.
One of the first perspectives we receive from Offred is that of the spot in her ceiling where a chandelier was removed- the former Handmaid hanged herself from it. Her window does not open fully, so she cannot jump out. All around Gilead, Offred shows to what lengths Handmaids have gone to kill themselves, and the countermeasures intending to prevent that. As was previously referenced, Offred is a first-generation Handmaid, and Handmaids during this time are coming from a life of freedom — many would rather die than live in slavery. Bing and his peers have been born, or at least grown up with the system. So, it is not so surprising that Bing’s community is not full of suicidal people trying to escape. It is only Bing, who has become completely disillusioned, who ever threatens suicide. In fact, only by breaking his screens does he even have an opportunity to do so. It also raises the question of how Bing’s brother, who left him a large sum of Merits, died. He lived in the same sterile society where fitness and health were emphasized. Did Bing’s brother have the same fit of rage, and kill himself in a similar way Bing threatened to? Bing’s society may have an underlying secret that is only hinted at in the course of the episode.
Margaret Atwood suggests that her novel is not science fiction but speculative fiction, a story about something which could happen given current social trends. It is a commentary on society today. Despite the science-fiction aspects of “15 Million Merits,” it is also a work of speculative fiction, and has a similarly critical message about modern society with regards to fame, success, and consumerism.
In “15 Million Merits” the majority of people toil day in and day out on stationary bikes, contributing little to society other than a vague sense of providing power, and presumably fueling the economy with Merits. The only way these young people can see to get out is by becoming famous, either on reality television, pornography, or internet livestreams. This closely reflects the way young people view avenues to fame or success today. Many people think that if they work constantly for long enough they can find a way out and be discovered for their mediocre talents. However, upon finding this fame they may realize that they are feeding back into the system they thought they escaped from. They will only be famous so long as people like them, then outlast their usefulness and be deposited into the real world. At the end of the episode, Bing is already being ignored by his peers. How long until his fifteen minutes of fame run out? In fact, the most intriguing characters on the show don’t even have names. They are the security guards and the producer on the set of “Hot Shots.” Viewers do not know where they came from or how they got those jobs — they obviously did not win them on the show. These otherwise-inconsequential characters provide credence to the theory that Bing and his peers are only in the Merit system for a few years of their life. These staffers would not be able to buy their jobs with Merits, and clearly are not cycling on their days off. People who put in the time and effort and avoid the fast track to fame have a shot at finding their own kind of success. A fulfilling job may be more important in the long run than anything Merits can buy.
One of the great strengths of The Handmaid’s Tale is that at the end, the readers see that eventually, Gilead is dissolved, and a new and free society takes its place. It creates a believable tale which is rooted in history. Upon initial viewing of “15 Million Merits” the audience is left with a bleak feeling that Bing and his cohort will never escape the confines of their compound. However, a critical eye may come to the conclusion that the two stories are actually very similar from start to finish. Even though we leave Bing in as bleak a place as we leave Offred, it is possible that freedom is yet attainable for both, once their trials come to an end.