Friday, May 6, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau Part III, or, speaking of suits

I suppose whilst we were watching the angels dressed in suits in The Adjustment Bureau we were expected to recall the Agents (also wearing business suits) in the Matrix series. These superhuman, sentient computer programs who looked human, guarded the Matrix against anything that might reveal it as a false reality, somewhat akin in a strange way to 'men in black' - aliens who dressed that way to convince others they are government agents. It appears suits are associated in science fiction films as denoting some form of deception. We may also remember that in GATTACA all employees were required to wear suits and this represented not only conformity but the fact that each of these individuals gained entry into the corporation because they were considered genetically superior. But even here there is certain subterfuge, since Vincent is by all accounts inferior. In The Adjustment Bureau much is made of David Norris's lack of conformity and although he wears a suit, like most politicians and business men,  in a maiden speech at an election rally he draws attention to the deceptive nature not only of his attire, which has been purposely selected so that he will be seen as strong and dependable rather than a loose cannon,  but also to the fact that even his speech was a concoction. You may understand that with all this in mind, why I couldn't help but be suspicious as I watched President Obama, in his suit, explaining why the White House would not be releasing the death photo of Osama Bin Laden. Was it the severity on his face as he sat with other suits watching the execution on a video link from the head of a Navy SEAL or the slight smile on the edge of his lips when he spoke of his decision in a 60 minutes interview, that made me think that some deception was afoot? And just thinking about the presence of White House staff watching a simultaneous feed both real and virtual of Osama's killing reminded me that there other other realities that remain usually unseen and generally hidden from view that are determining to a certain extent the way we perceive world events.

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