Introduction
Short Summary of the Episode
Black Mirror is a dystopian Netflix anthology with strong social messages, mostly related to technology. “White Bear,” an episode from season two of the series, is arguably one of the most disturbing episodes of the series. Victoria, who wakes up with no memory of who or where she is, and her ally go on an action-packed quest to destroy a transmitter while being constantly filmed by indifferent observers and chased by cruel hunters. However, at the seeming culmination of the events, when Victoria points a gun at one of the hunters, it shoots out confetti, and it is revealed that she is a part of a twisted game show. Together with the audience, Victoria finds out that her fiance kidnapped and murdered a little girl while she just stood by and filmed it. Unlike her fiance, who killed himself while in custody, Victoria is subjected to psychological torture daily, providing entertainment for those that come to the “White Bear Justice Park”.
Short Summary of the Cancel Culture Concept and the Article
Public shaming has been around for thousands of years, with crowds of spectators shouting threats and throwing tomatoes at the convicted. However, in today’s increasingly globalized and digitized world, the public does not even have to be physically present to torture the accused. Although “doxxing,” or “renrou sousuo,” are Internet phenomenon meaning the usually malicious search and reveal of personal information, the consequences of it are often taken into the offline world (Mishan 1). Recently, there has been a rise in popularity of the “Cancel Culture,” the vague social vigilante concept that often leads to people being outcasted and even stalked and harassed (Mishan 1). The Cancel Culture chooses a scapegoat and probes it until something worthy of shaming comes out, including old tweets, family history, or other things. The highly individualistic American people become a part of a bigger group, intimidating and harassing people for the sake of entertainment.
The Black Mirror episode “White Bear” is exemplary in demonstrating the vicious nature of Cancel Culture. The show confuses the audience’s sympathies by not revealing the protagonist’s past actions, making it seem like the observers refusing to help are the antagonists. However, when the cards are flipped, the audience is left disgusted with all of the participants of the story – in a way, they are all guilty of the same crime, silent torture, and complicity.
Body Paragraphs
The producers of Black Mirror always tend to leave their audience questioning their own decisions and everyday actions, and “White Bear” is no exception. As the story unravels, it becomes clear that the eerie observers with phones always filming represent the Internet culture of today. Only about 4 minutes into the short movie, Victoria encounters the onlookers in the windows, silent and refusing to help. Without any memory of her previous life, she is helpless, and there does not seem to be anyone empathetic enough to explain anything to her. Similarly, in real life, the scapegoat is often unaware of the reason, the magnitude of which is often intensified for dramatization, for their shunning. As Mishan mentions in her article, no one is exempt from the scrutiny, and it might at any moment be released on any one (7). Similar to the classic characters in the myths about Hell, Victoria is forced to relive the realization of what she had done, with the indifferent observers savoring her misery.
However, the even more terrifying message is the similarity between the torturer Victoria and the “White Bear Justice Park” game show participants. The audience is presented with the truth about Victoria’s crime, which is incredibly similar to what the show participants had been taking part in themselves. The people that pay to come and watch Victoria’s daily and endless persecution are seen smiling and laughing. This raises the question of whether a line is being crossed, and whether what the visitors of the park are doing is any better than the crime they are punishing Victoria for every day.
Works Cited
Mishan, Ligaya. “The Long and Tortured History of Cancel Culture.” The New York Times Style Magazine, 2020, pp. 1-8.
“White Bear.” Black Mirror, created by Charlie Booker, season 2, episode 2, 2013. Web.