MovieChat Forums > Rick and Morty (2013) Discussion > Autoerotic Assimilation equates....

Autoerotic Assimilation equates....

posted 8 years ago by rzajac
10 replies | jump to latest

Had a flash. Probably not that big a deal, but if I can induce a few insights....

Anyway, I was thinking about that line in Autoerotic Assimilation where Unity, as the rescue pilot, says "...probably should be piloting a hovercopter! Nor should I be running 200,000 pediatric hospitals and 12 million deep fryers... But hey! It's not like this planet can take its business elsewhere!"

And it hit me. If there's an argument in support of a War on Drugs, it *would* be in a hive-mind world.

So: If American Republicans are pro-"War on Drugs", does that mean their mentality is more like that of a "hive mind"? Why should you care if I get stoned? Is it going to impact your well-being, e.g., do any performance issues ensuing from my chemically modified view of reality truly hurt a society composed of billions of slivered, unique consciousnesses?

In Unity's world, either everyone is high, or no one is. She needs a War on Drugs. We don't.

(And, of course, I know the issue of drugs is more multifarious than the simple exposition above.)

--
And I'd like that. But that 5h1t ain't the truth. --Jules Winnfield

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[–] Talamasca2 8 years ago

"Recreational substances were phased out here. There's no need for escape from the self when your world is one."

You must be high, because you've missed the point.

Like a lot of people, Unity lost its control over its life and career because of the distraction of drugs and negative influences. It was much better off without both.

"No,no,no! Morty! The only monster here is alcoholism. That is an anamatronic werewolf."

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[–] DeusExKatrina 8 years ago

Like a lot of people, Unity lost its control over its life and career because of the distraction of drugs and negative influences. It was much better off without both.

Love was the distraction that caused Unity to lose control over her life, drugs had nothing to do with it.

To the OP, you're right that it's hypocritical for supposedly "freedom" loving Americans to impose their recreational morals on the rest of us. But that's a pretty huge non sequitur, that's not what the episode was about and the war on drugs isn't about a hive mind mentality, it's about imposing blanket morals and the (in this particular case, factually inaccurate) concept of a ripple effect (crime begetting crime).

---
Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the antidote to shame.

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[–] Talamasca2 8 years ago

Love was the distraction that caused Unity to lose control over her life, drugs had nothing to do with it.

Unity was still well in control of the planet until it was no longer sober. Then it was losing its hold over the assimilated, missing important steps in its career goals, and the society's infrastructure was sustaining major damage.

Drugs had everything to do with it.

"No,no,no! Morty! The only monster here is alcoholism. That is an anamatronic werewolf."

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[–] DeusExKatrina 8 years ago

Drugs had everything to do with it.

Only on a superficial level. It was the reemergence of Rick in her life that caused her to lose control. She's in love with Rick, not drugs. The drugs were incidental in that downfall.

---
Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the antidote to shame.

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[–] Talamasca2 8 years ago

It was the reemergence of Rick in her life that caused her to lose control. She's in love with Rick, not drugs.

It was in love with Rick, and Rick is an addict. It knew it could never change that in Rick, and that assimilating itself with an addict caused it to participate in Rick's addictive behaviors, and lose control exponentially. That's why Unity had to leave him.

That's not superficial! Substance abuse is a problem that's endemic to Rick, and therefore endemic to the relationship between them. It was THE problem.

But I know how it goes with us... I lose who I am and become part of you, because in a strange way you're better at what I do without even trying. Yours, and nobody else's, Unity

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[–] rzajac 8 years ago

DeusEx,

You say, "...it's about imposing blanket morals...".

That's exactly my point. I'm saying that the imposition of blanket morals is at least analogous (apropos sci-fi storytelling) to the imposition of a hive-mind.

We agree.

--
And I'd like that. But that 5h1t ain't the truth. --Jules Winnfield

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[–] rzajac 8 years ago

Talamasca2,

I would be inclined to say that both are true (my view and yours).

You might say our views are mutually exclusive, but I don't think there a "hard" exclusivity there. At the very least a mark of "great truths" (as attributed to Niels Bohr) is that their opposites are also true. I think one of the stunning things about R&M is how the mythical underpinnings are awesomely broad and inclusive.

And, for another thing, it's by no means a stretch to interpret the "phased out" quote from Unity as an act of anticipatory prophylactic boundaries-setting; It knows it's susceptible to Rick's wiles, and attempts to head off a lapse by saying something high-minded to Rick in hopes that he'll demur from dangling any forbidden fruit in front of its nose.

But... we know Rick!

At any rate, your thinking about Unity doesn't obviate my analysis.

--
And I'd like that. But that 5h1t ain't the truth. --Jules Winnfield

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[–] Talamasca2 8 years ago

it's by no means a stretch to interpret the "phased out" quote from Unity as an act of anticipatory prophylactic boundaries-setting

I don't see it as that... when Unity found Rick again, it was confidently on clear career path. For Unity, the achievement of those goals were far more enticing that being drunk. I included that quote for the second line: "There's no need for escape from the self when your world is one." Unity was what was unifying the world, which is exactly what it wanted to be doing. Unity was happy and only wanted more of the same. Without Rick's influence, what was there to escape from?

"I'm having fun with your Grandpa, lost a little control. Probably shouldn't be piloting a hover-copter, nor should I be running 200,000 pediatric hospitals and 12 million deep-fryers..."
Unity was making a point here that no one should be doing these things any less than sober. The "war on drugs" was an absolute failure, but the reasons that war was started still proliferate.

One thing you said that I do wholeheartedly agree with, is that the issue of drugs is far more intricate and multifaceted to be fully explored and solved in a discussion board for a cartoon, even if that cartoon is as wonderful and kick-ass as Rick and Morty.


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[–] rzajac 8 years ago

 back atcha

--
And I'd like that. But that 5h1t ain't the truth. --Jules Winnfield

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[–] JohnSmith2560 8 years ago

I interpret the episode as the consequences of being infatuated with pure evil. Unity is the embodiment of pure evil, she destroys free will and enslaves entire worlds. Yet Rick is obsessed with her and is drawn to her beauty. As evil is always beautiful, that is why it is so alluring. If evil was hideous people would run from it.
Being drawn to that evil also makes people commit evil acts themselves, such as Rick mass raping all of the victims of Unity. He fools himself into thinking it is fine as Unity is doing the talking, but in reality he is raping every single person.

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