Talk:Red pill and blue pill

Follow the White Rabbit

One thing I've noticed in this wikipedia page, I'm not seeing any clear mention of the red and blue pills possibly relating to Alice in Wonderland in the song "White Rabbit."

One point about the red and blue pills that stick out to me is the reference to Alice and Wonderland as told by the group Jefferson Airplane.

In the Jefferson Airplane song "white rabbit", the lyrics start with "one pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small" and had a reference to "chasing rabbits."

In the film, Neo was told to "follow the white rabbit" follows a girl with a white rabbit tattoo to a club, where he meets Trinity for the first time. This ultimately leads to the encounter with Morpheus where he is offered the choice between the two pills.

Although the pills did not physically make him larger or smaller, it can be argued that this could be a metaphorical comparison. By taking the red pill he ultimately became a larger-than-life savior, whereas the blue pill would have allowed him to continue his life as a "small" insignificant person in the Matrix.

When watching these scenes in the movie, I can't help but see a slight resemblance between the pop-culture references between the movie and song. "Follow the White rabbit" and "Wonderland" are clearly references to Alice in Wonderland, and the red and blue pill seems inspired by the Jefferson Airplane song that was inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Especially given that Morpheus mentions Wonderland and the pills in the same scene.

I'm thinking that people that are old enough to remember Jefferson Airplane would get reference, but it may very well pass over the heads of younger viewers.

If there are no objections, I'm thinking this may be of enough value to include in the "other uses" portion of the article as an additional pop-culture reference. — Preceding unsigned comment added by XG-Raven (talk • contribs) 03:40, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

Dossier

If anyone can read the information in Neo's dossier that Smith opened in the interrogation room, we may have our answer on what Neo's age really is. The range of 30-35 is logical, but it may never be determined without this visual record from the movie. I believe I found this information before, but its source now escapes me. Spencerian 00:00, 13 August 2005 (UTC)

It is near on impossible to do so. The dossier is never displayed face-on to the camera, and when we can see it, it's at an angle. At those points, you can't even see any print, let alone try to read the information displayed on the pages. A Prodigy ~In Pursuit of Perfection~ 18:01, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Miltary Slang

In current US military slang, and going back at least to the 1960s, "redpill" has a very different meaning, particularly among US Army artillerymen. A "red pill" is a tactical nuclear artillery shell, which may have a bright red band painted around it for identification. "Redpill," the verb, is the act of firing a tactical nuclear shell at the enemy. I don't know whether this is sufficiently noteworthy to merit a Wikipedia entry but it's actually what I expected to find in the article; the Matrix references actually surprised me.

this sounds plausible but the only reference I've seen is in older versions of this Wikipedia article, to David Drake's series of novels Hammer's Slammers, where apparently the term "redpill" refers to a nuclear weapon. If there were better evidence, but even Google Books doesn't show anything more: +redpill military --Kai Carver 10:25, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

Total Recall

Wouldn't the "path out" be a blue pill then, rather than a red pill? The story of Total Recall is that his memory of all prior events is fake -- the "path out" of being aware of that would make him oblivious to the farce, much like the blue pill would cause a person to disregard all the events that unmasked the fake existence in the Matrix. I don't see how this "easy way out" can be seen as analogous to the red pill. — Ashmodai ^{(talk · contribs)} 04:41, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You're mixing metaphors from different movies and hoping to find logic? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.221.31.30 (talk) 11:13, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

You see, the point is that what Quaid is being told is that he is dreaming/experiencing an implanted memory; whether he actually is or not is irrelevant, just like what the pill actually does is irrelevant (we never find out either!) – the important thing is that, according to the doctor, the red pill will snap him out of his supposed dream and get him back to the real world. It is the only thing we are ever told about the pill and therefore it is the only fact about it we can use - anything else we read into it is conjecture. BigSteve (talk) 13:22, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Matrix Online

I've edited the portion of the entry that discusses the presence of the term 'Redpill' in The Matrix Online. Namely, I deleted the reference it makes about living in Zion, as no part of the game actually allows this (unless that's what you want to say, roleplaying-wise, if you let your account run out). I have, however, put something back in to make up for what I took out; a brief explanation of where things go once someone begins playing the game.--MythicFox 11:59, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

Crystal Method

I've added a line to the trivia section to include the song from the Crystal Method titled 'Red Pill' 212.2.167.199 01:14, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Redpill AB?

The Redpill AB statement seems irrelevant. Should it be deleted?GlobeGores 01:39, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Ok, no one seems to have any comment, so I will delete it. GlobeGores 03:40, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

There was less than two hours between the time you posted the request and the time you did the deletion.

Direction of this article

The lead section implies this article is discussing the term as a person aware of the matrix, but the bulk of the content is references to the red pill as an item from the matrix. It appears there is sufficient content to potentially justify an article on the latter aspect, but focusing on it's usage as a slang term (or a slang term within a fictional universe) has questionable notability for it's own article. I'm not quite sure what to do about this. I'm thinking it would be best to reorganize the article to be about the red pill from the matrix and move it to Red pill or Red pill (The Matrix). Opinions would be appreciated; I'd like to avoid just sending this article up for AFD, as it has some decent content, unlike the now deleted Bluepill article. -Verdatum (talk) 18:33, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

This section of the article:

" In the movie, a Redpill is the term used to describe a human who has been freed from the Matrix, a fictional computer-generated world set in 1999. Bluepill refers to a human still connected to the Matrix."

Is factually incorrect. While it is possible that within the wider Matrix universe this kind of terminology is used, at no point in any of the three films comprising the trilogy does anybody refer to a human using this pill metaphor. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.146.34.227 (talk) 07:33, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

From what i see, in matrix revolutions, while looking for a colleague in the matrix, they say the line "Nothing but blue pills.", suggesting that at least the blue pill expression is used at least once. But I just got that from a google search on a line that stuck in my head, i've actually never seen the movie. -Verdatum (talk) 18:10, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Obama would take the blue pill.

He keeps dropping this reference is his speeches and interviews. [1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.213.120.190 (talk) 01:29, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Wow, I totally expected this to be random vandalism. Still, despite the fact that Obama uses "Blue pill" and "red pill" in the dialog, there is no indication that it is intended to allude the concept within The Matrix. The pills do not represent ignorance or insight. They represent treatments with similar effectiveness and dissimilar cost. So I'd count it as coincidence and leave it out of this article. -Verdatum (talk) 16:22, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:48, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

You're wrong. If given "The Choice", Obummer would certainly have swallowed the 'red pill' every time. Why,look at him: He's totally "jacked" into the "system" of global power,lately centered in Washington, D.C. The United States of America. Apart from his showy,"ceromonial", liberal policies, he has continued projected the Neo-Con, Dick "Lon" Cheney\Bush geo-political agenda. His domestic economic stand is business-as-usual,given the Koch brothers, rwactionary Republic ans the victory in 2016AD as he deliberately did in 2010. He is simply another aspect of "control". --65.88.88.73 (talk) 14:42, 22 March 2014 (UTC)Veryverser

Move to "red pill"

I think the term "red pill" is probably more notable and widely used than the conjoined "redpill". –xeno^talk 20:31, 18 September 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. ceranthor 21:32, 18 September 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. 78.82.141.241 (talk) 18:06, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Agreed. --Wuestenschiff Dune-talk 19:42, 9 April 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wuestenschiff (talk • contribs)

Agreed. "Redpill matrix" conjoined only gets 65,000 hits versus over 350,000 with the space. Thus "red pill" is more notable and widely used. If redpill is a sub-usage, that can be noted in the article. Cyferx (talk) 18:39, 26 April 2011 (UTC)

Agreed. Since everyone agrees I'll be bold and move the page from Redpill and bluepill to Red pill and blue pill and put a redirect. I wonder how the odd and unreferenced no-space versions of the terms got in here. --Kai Carver 09:59, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

OK done, moving pages is scary but pretty easy!

Also, I think the no-space version of the terms comes from the game The Matrix Online and probably nowhere else. --Kai Carver 10:59, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

Fixed some of the redirects.. Morphh ^(talk) 13:10, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

split out other uses

The "other uses" section should be split out as separate articles, with a disambiguation page. It makes no sense to have completely different meanings of red pill in the same article —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.184.27.253 (talk) 07:05, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

Yes there already is disambiguation page for Blue pill (disambiguation).

We ought to create a Red pill (disambiguation) page if there are significant unrelated other uses.

Also it would be good for symmetry :-) --Kai Carver 10:59, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

More than The Matrix

I'm a little surprised that this article on "red pill" is limited to The Matrix. I got here by looking for information after hearing a lyric in a Daniel Lanois song entitled "Lotta Love To Give" were he sings "Sick of the red pills, sick of the dealer's grin." This song was written long before the Matrix was released so there must be another reference at work. I have a feeling there is an actual "red pill" and whether it's a downer or upper I have no idea. Any ideas?

Personally, I think your suggetions of the redpill's usage are pretty trivial. Red pill from The Matrix is practically a cultural icon, and a lyric in a song simply cannot stand up to it. - The New Age Retro Hippie used Ruler! Now, he can figure out the length of things easily. 07:05, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Matilda

In Roald Dahl's Matilda (Danny DeVito) at 00:23:58 one of the students is caught eating two M&M's, one red and one blue. As this film was made in 1996, is it possible the The Matrix crew were making a subtle reference (Easter Egg) to Matilda? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Smeacock (talk • contribs) 18:47, 9 October 2010 (UTC)

Intro. Use of the term within the film

I have removed the last sentence of the introduction and replaced it with a more accurate representation of what happens in the film as the terms redpill and bluepill are only used a couple of times in the film (first by morpheus when offering neo the choice and later once by cypher) at neither time is either term used to refer to a person but rather literally a red or blue pill. The citation given at the end of this sentence linked to an opinion piece in a korean news paper about religion and the matrix and did not in anyway support the sentence (or any other part of the introduction). Loganrah (talk) 06:50, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Strange Wording

"Redpills appear to have either seen "glitches" within the Matrix (e.g. a book continuously reappearing on a shelf, regardless of attempts to remove the book)." This sentence appears to be missing a section; it seems to be prefacing more than one possibility, but ends in an odd manner. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chardansearavitriol (talk • contribs) 19:51, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

New Background Section

The existing background section was confusing and convoluted. I have rewritten it to be a more concise background of the terms in relation to their origins in the 'The Matrix' films. If anyone has issues with this current version please let me know and do not attempt to undo or rewrite without reason. I am flexible as to rewriting it, but anything is better than what was there before! Cyrus40540057 (talk) 19:15, 3 June 2011 (UTC)

Band

Red Pill are an Edinburgh based Progressive Death Metal band.

http://www.metal-archives.com/band/view/id/3540323159

Akira

At the beginning the main character is wearing a jacket with a pill on its back one half red other blue! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.114.142.39 (talk) 08:30, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

exoteric Stories

There is a story about Padmapani...

At the beginning of the creation of man the highest Buddha let a rose beam of light come out of his right eye and a blue out his left. The rose became Padmapani Bodhisattva..."heroic-minded one (satva) for enlightenment (bodhi)." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.114.142.39 (talk) 08:59, 3 July 2011 (UTC)

Isn't this backwards?

The terms were popularized in science fiction culture via the 1999 film The Matrix. In the movie, the main character Neo is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The red pill would allow him to remain in the Matrix, a fictional computer-generated world. The blue pill will lead to his escape out of the Matrix and into the "real world".

68.33.119.43 (talk) 09:30, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Accepting reality

This concept is not present in the movie. In the movie Morpheus just offers Neo the possibility to discover the true reality. And Neo is not alone is accompanied by a lot of people, and is part of a group. So there is no such a thing in the movie and in popular culture since accepting reality is something that implies first that you know what that relity is, second that you are alone otherwise how can you retreat when you are part of a group. In the movie it implies that the true reality is better for Neo, he even finds a girl, than "false reality" so the concept sohuld be : "the choice between blissful reality and painful unreality". SO I edit — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aufels (talk • contribs) 13:35, 7 March 2013 (UTC)

գրում է Neo-կետ, իսկ հեղուկ է 0.50 կարով ծննդյան քվեարկությամբ ավելի բաց կոդով pensamietos մյուս բոլոր մտքերն միասին — Preceding unsigned comment added by 186.94.128.238 (talk) 19:54, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Was it popularized by the Matrix or invented?

Seriously. There's no mention of it being used elsewhere before it. Did The Matrix "popularize" it or did the invent the thing? If they didn't invent the phrase then can someone give examples of when someone else used it before? I'm sure the ideas existed before, which begs the question should this article be renamed to accomodate for it?

Seems like a useless article. RocketLauncher2 (talk) 15:44, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Read again, it doesn't say The Matrix popularized it. It says science-fiction culture popularized it, and it derives from The Matrix. Gendralman (talk) 22:23, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Aren't the "Blue Pills" Really Cyborgs?

Hasn't it occured to anyone out there in this whole wide blue ball called Earth that the "Blue Pills", the liberated thralls of the Matrix Machine empire are in fact cyborgs? They were "conceived" as such by the Machines themselves. Their sub-dermal 'nodes', which connected them to the Matrix are part of their biology; their entire beings are jammed with circuitry, which fed them both physically,and mentally (in the last part-of course-the illusionary enviroment of the Matrix). When their brain stems node are plugged into the Matrix interface, well, this should inform anyone that they are more narrowly defined as cybernetic organisms, part machine,part human physicality. This raises a universe of speculation as to what their thought processes are: How independent are each of them, and are any one of their thoughts antipole to the Matrix program such that any one of them in time would become rebellious to the continuous "coded" indoctrianation of the machine? Once released from "the enviroment" and introduced to reality, would at least some of the "Blues" have become preprogrammed to act as "deep-cover" agents, even without their knowing it (this scenario was more recently played-out in 'Battle Star Gallatica"). Lastly, could not the Machines broadcast "messages" to the "Bluesies" via their "nodes? This could be why some of the natural-born inhabitants of "Zion" feel either edgy, or sometimes down-right suspicious of the "Bluesies" even though the entire group of humans are totally integrated socially? could a "pod-born" possibly partially project himself into the matrix as a "simultron"-type digital "skeleton", as it was supposed that "Morpheus" had done in the "Enter the Matrix" interactive video game? Their are more possibilities with this notion of "Blue Pills" being cyborgs. --65.88.88.73 (talk) 15:04, 22 March 2014 (UTC)Veryverser