The White Bear – A fantastic idea, a horrible reality

As a person who has never seen or heard of the Black Mirror series before, I was captivated by what I saw in class that day. I actually went ahead and purchased my own Netflix account in order to watch the other episodes, but no other episode, I felt, had the same impact or implications that the White Bear episode provided. Whoever was the mastermind behind the premise of the episode was a genius. A criminal justice system in which a criminal is not only punished severely, but one that also serves as an entertainment industry. While I commend the sheer ingenuity of the idea behind the particular episode, I also think it’s incredibly sick and twisted. A world in which it is normal to find enjoyment in the form of another person’s suffering is, in my opinion, a world I would not want to live in. Hell, they even bring kids to the “amusement” park as if it was some kind of zoo, and they were observing the feral activities of a wild animal.

What this episode is essentially showing is the dehumanization of the human race. To be able to look upon your own kind suffering, regardless of the crimes committed, and finding pure joy from it, is one of the most disgusting ideas I’ve ever come across. And to illustrate that through this Black Mirror episode truly brought it to light, what this world could be like if humans became like that. The Black Mirror episodes are designed in a way to make it seem like these are all viable situations through the work of progressive technology, and that’s what makes it incredibly frightening at the end of the day. The Black Mirror is, to me, scarier than any horror film I’ve ever seen, as it is presented in such a way that makes it seem like this could be a reality in the near future. However, for invoking my morbid curiosity as well as providing a great thrill, the White Bear episode deserves a 10/10.

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