“Matrix” co-creator Lilly Wachowski did not approve of Elon Musk and Ivanka Trump invoking her film on Twitter this weekend.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted “Take the red pill” on Sunday morning, referencing a famous point in the first “Matrix” film. The protagonist Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, learns he’s been living in a computer simulation and is offered a choice: Take a blue pill to return to his life and forget everything or take a red pill to learn the truth about the Matrix.
However, the phrase has taken on new meaning online to signify an individual shifting their political views to the right. It was first used in this fashion by misogynistic men’s rights groups in the TheRedPill Reddit community.
The president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, jumped on board with Musk’s Sunday morning suggestion. Wachowski, who co-wrote and directed the “Matrix” franchise with her sister Lana Wachowski, was unimpressed:
Wachowski also shared a link to nonprofit Brave Space Alliance, the first Black-led trans-led LGBTQ center on Chicago’s south side.
Musk’s cryptic tweet follows weeks of railing against restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19. He has most recently been involved in a spat with officials over the reopening of his Tesla factory in California. He described the governor’s stay-at-home orders as “fascist” last month, and on Monday, openly defied county orders by reopening the factory. President Donald Trump vocally supported him.
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