Have Whit's Inventions Gone Too Far?
Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2020 11:12 pm
Oookay. I have been itching to discuss this! And I'm not trying to be a Karen here, I swear. I think this is an interesting conversation worth having. The question is, "Have Whit's Inventions Gone Too Far?"
I honestly never thought about this topic before album 69. Whit's inventions have always required suspension of belief. That is to be expected his sci-fi-esque dabblings. However, recently with album 69 & the latest interview with Phil Lollar on the AIOWiki Podcast, this seems like a discussion fans need to have. The writers and the show itself have become more self-aware. Phil Lollar himself is pushing fans to meditate and ponder upon the morality of recent episodes and Whit's actions themselves. One of the roots of the conversation involves Whit's inventions. Are they morally acceptable? Is Whit being manipulative with his inventions? Does the good in his inventions outweigh the bad? Etc, etc, etc.
First, I would like to address the possible physical danger of his equipment.
Whit's technology has become tremendously dangerous as of late. Take, for example, the "portable Imagination box" (or, as the fans prefer to call it "the cobble box"). The logistics are unclear, but there are certain things we know for a fact. The cobble box is small and can be set up anywhere. One does not "enter" the cobble box. Nay, it is too small. The box can simply snatch one's imagination and consciousness away from them without warning and one may not even realize it. Of course, I'm referring specifically to the incident in "Further from the Truth." Emily walked into the kitchen at Whit's End and was unknowingly swept into a program. A whole day seemed to pass in the station. When she figured out she was in the Imagination Station, she realized only 5-10 minutes had actually passed. She found herself standing at the kitchen sink when the program freed her mind. Horrifying, right? Of course, one may try to justify this, saying, "Whit didn't program the adventure! It was Morrie whole stole the box and set the trap for Emily!" True, Whit didn't set up that specific adventure. But why on earth does Whit have such equipment in the first place? What purpose could he have for it? It is absolutely weaponizable. It has been weaponized by Whit (among others) to take down a notorious spy and de-escalate a hostage situation. In that case, Whit used his technology for good. But the question remains...Should Whit have this technology at all? Do the ends (capturing the spy) justify the means (Whit owning and using this technology in the first place)? I would also like to point out that the Inspiration Station functions similarly to the cobble box. One doesn't need to "enter" the Inspiration Station to have an adventure. With the push of a button, it simply takes the user's mind captive. So the cobble box isn't the only instance of a potentially physically harmful machine.
Now, the secondly, we must discuss the mental harm involving Whit's inventions.
I think we can all probably agree Whit's inventions (such as the Room of Consequence, Imagination Station, etc.) are not inherently bad and can be used for good. I think a good use of the Room of Consequence is demonstrated in "Rewinding the Big Picture." If you are unfamilar with the episode, Camilla goes to Whit and tells him about her best friend, Maisey, who is going through a hard time. Camilla doesn't know how to reach Maisey and aid her in the best way. Camilla feels like she blew it. So, Whit programs a ROC adventure so Camilla can relive the day with her friend and have the opportunity to rewind everything that happens and try different strategies to help her friend. This is a good adventure; Camilla comes to Whit for advice and Whit's answer is a ROC adventure. Camilla is thrilled about the premise of the adventure (and even programs a tiny bit of it herself) and learns a simple but valuable lesson. This is wholesome. This is good. I like this usage of Whit's inventions.
Compare that to "Things Not Seen." Whit takes Renee on an Imagination Station adventure to Biblical times. She thinks she leaves the station, but instead never does. She lives out a day of her life at Whit's End, believing she is working a regular shift, but in actuality is the Imagination Station the whole time. *dramatic gasp* Whit uses the adventure to try to teach Renee about faith (something she is adamantly against). This is pretty manipulative and unfair of Whit, imo. I can dig further into my argument if anyone so desires, but if not, I'll leave it at that. If you disagree, dispute me. I am open to being proven utterly wrong.
Now, onto another point of contention. Are Whit's programs truly traumatizing to users? Phil Lollar himself has argued this is the case. I can totally see where he's coming from and I think I agree in some cases. HOWEVER, the kids (usually) know that everything they are experiencing is virtual and that probably helps them in their fears and reservations about the machine(s). That does not mean these programs cannot mentally harm children. Say an 11-yr-old watches an R-rated gory horror movie. Even if the child knows that everything isn't real, it can indeed traumatize them and leave images in their mind that could haunt them for years. It's one of the reasons I don't think I, personally, could ever stomach a horror movie. The movie would haunt my memory for God knows how long. I think the same can be said for Whit's programs. A child may know an adventure in fake, but seeing the bloody, awful Crucifixion of Jesus could scar them for life. A child could be scarred by seeing Joab murder Absalom before their own eyes. A child may be traumatized from getting into a virtual car crash, killing their best friend, and paralyzing themself. These are all things that happened in Whit's inventions. Are we saying these programs were okay? Even if the child should come out psychologically unscathed, do we think it's okay for Whit to program such adventures? Where do we draw the line?
Gahh. This is really messy when one has to take off their lenses that suspend their disbelief. It kinda feels like Phil Lollar is asking us to do so. It certainly makes for a fascinating conversation. Let's talk it up! I'm excited.
Are Whit's inventions too much? Are they acceptable in some situations but unacceptable in others? What episodes in particular do you think are crucial to mention in this conversation?
I honestly never thought about this topic before album 69. Whit's inventions have always required suspension of belief. That is to be expected his sci-fi-esque dabblings. However, recently with album 69 & the latest interview with Phil Lollar on the AIOWiki Podcast, this seems like a discussion fans need to have. The writers and the show itself have become more self-aware. Phil Lollar himself is pushing fans to meditate and ponder upon the morality of recent episodes and Whit's actions themselves. One of the roots of the conversation involves Whit's inventions. Are they morally acceptable? Is Whit being manipulative with his inventions? Does the good in his inventions outweigh the bad? Etc, etc, etc.
First, I would like to address the possible physical danger of his equipment.
Whit's technology has become tremendously dangerous as of late. Take, for example, the "portable Imagination box" (or, as the fans prefer to call it "the cobble box"). The logistics are unclear, but there are certain things we know for a fact. The cobble box is small and can be set up anywhere. One does not "enter" the cobble box. Nay, it is too small. The box can simply snatch one's imagination and consciousness away from them without warning and one may not even realize it. Of course, I'm referring specifically to the incident in "Further from the Truth." Emily walked into the kitchen at Whit's End and was unknowingly swept into a program. A whole day seemed to pass in the station. When she figured out she was in the Imagination Station, she realized only 5-10 minutes had actually passed. She found herself standing at the kitchen sink when the program freed her mind. Horrifying, right? Of course, one may try to justify this, saying, "Whit didn't program the adventure! It was Morrie whole stole the box and set the trap for Emily!" True, Whit didn't set up that specific adventure. But why on earth does Whit have such equipment in the first place? What purpose could he have for it? It is absolutely weaponizable. It has been weaponized by Whit (among others) to take down a notorious spy and de-escalate a hostage situation. In that case, Whit used his technology for good. But the question remains...Should Whit have this technology at all? Do the ends (capturing the spy) justify the means (Whit owning and using this technology in the first place)? I would also like to point out that the Inspiration Station functions similarly to the cobble box. One doesn't need to "enter" the Inspiration Station to have an adventure. With the push of a button, it simply takes the user's mind captive. So the cobble box isn't the only instance of a potentially physically harmful machine.
Now, the secondly, we must discuss the mental harm involving Whit's inventions.
I think we can all probably agree Whit's inventions (such as the Room of Consequence, Imagination Station, etc.) are not inherently bad and can be used for good. I think a good use of the Room of Consequence is demonstrated in "Rewinding the Big Picture." If you are unfamilar with the episode, Camilla goes to Whit and tells him about her best friend, Maisey, who is going through a hard time. Camilla doesn't know how to reach Maisey and aid her in the best way. Camilla feels like she blew it. So, Whit programs a ROC adventure so Camilla can relive the day with her friend and have the opportunity to rewind everything that happens and try different strategies to help her friend. This is a good adventure; Camilla comes to Whit for advice and Whit's answer is a ROC adventure. Camilla is thrilled about the premise of the adventure (and even programs a tiny bit of it herself) and learns a simple but valuable lesson. This is wholesome. This is good. I like this usage of Whit's inventions.
Compare that to "Things Not Seen." Whit takes Renee on an Imagination Station adventure to Biblical times. She thinks she leaves the station, but instead never does. She lives out a day of her life at Whit's End, believing she is working a regular shift, but in actuality is the Imagination Station the whole time. *dramatic gasp* Whit uses the adventure to try to teach Renee about faith (something she is adamantly against). This is pretty manipulative and unfair of Whit, imo. I can dig further into my argument if anyone so desires, but if not, I'll leave it at that. If you disagree, dispute me. I am open to being proven utterly wrong.
Now, onto another point of contention. Are Whit's programs truly traumatizing to users? Phil Lollar himself has argued this is the case. I can totally see where he's coming from and I think I agree in some cases. HOWEVER, the kids (usually) know that everything they are experiencing is virtual and that probably helps them in their fears and reservations about the machine(s). That does not mean these programs cannot mentally harm children. Say an 11-yr-old watches an R-rated gory horror movie. Even if the child knows that everything isn't real, it can indeed traumatize them and leave images in their mind that could haunt them for years. It's one of the reasons I don't think I, personally, could ever stomach a horror movie. The movie would haunt my memory for God knows how long. I think the same can be said for Whit's programs. A child may know an adventure in fake, but seeing the bloody, awful Crucifixion of Jesus could scar them for life. A child could be scarred by seeing Joab murder Absalom before their own eyes. A child may be traumatized from getting into a virtual car crash, killing their best friend, and paralyzing themself. These are all things that happened in Whit's inventions. Are we saying these programs were okay? Even if the child should come out psychologically unscathed, do we think it's okay for Whit to program such adventures? Where do we draw the line?
Gahh. This is really messy when one has to take off their lenses that suspend their disbelief. It kinda feels like Phil Lollar is asking us to do so. It certainly makes for a fascinating conversation. Let's talk it up! I'm excited.
Are Whit's inventions too much? Are they acceptable in some situations but unacceptable in others? What episodes in particular do you think are crucial to mention in this conversation?