If Genre Is The Drug Of The Future, I Don’t Want To Be A Part Of It.

Published April 15, 2020 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi,

If Genre is the drug of the future, I don’t want to be a part of it.

There are divine moments of truth in this show. The depiction of Caleb’s experience on genre wasn’t one of them.

In an episode called “Genre” you would expect to see a drug experience that switches visual textures to better communicate emotion and story. Right? Psychedelic drugs are uniquely poised to accomplish that goal as they alter the way our brains process information unlike any other class of compounds.

Psychedelic – from the Greek roots psyche- (mind) and delos- (clear or manifest). It’s incredibly clear in my mind that Genre was intended to cause a psychedelic trip. The creators, Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan said as much in their post show.

I’m sorry Lisa Joy, that was the lamest “Gonzo style road trip through hell” I’ve ever seen. Hunter S. Thompson is crawling out of his grave to blow his brains out again. I’m sorry Shat crew, “I am always bitchy. No Fun – for anybody.”

I have literally experienced more powerful trips than Genre from sleep deprivation and sneezing too hard. I’ve seen more nuanced depictions of drugs from South Park in 1998.

I’ve twisted my mind trying to justify why Genre was so tame. Perhaps it’s by design? Rohobo would prohibit anything that makes a person question their loop. It makes sense for rohobo to not allow the drugs i have known and loved, specifically psychedelics. Examining the Drug War we have today, the U.S. annually wastes $47 billion to discourage the use of mind expanding compounds while irresponsibly promoting alcohol consumption. Rohobo is just an extension of that control. With Rohobo in charge, I wouldn’t enjoy any psychedelic Saturdays petting my cat Picard on mescaline contemplating the absurdity existence. I’d be dead. Rohobo can’t allow psychedelic drugs to exist. They are tools of liberation. This show had a PERFECT opportunity to show the world what psychedelic science is now supporting. Psychedelics let you rewrite your “code”.

The scientific community is waking up to this. Psychedelics are being found to be the most effective treatments for depression, PTSD, substance use disorders and a whole host of other neuropsychiatric conditions. I truly hope they will be legal in every corner store before I die. Alcohol can and should be dethroned in our society as the dominant chemical. It’s a deeply flawed substance. Disagree with me? Enjoy your hangovers.

Considering the post show notes from Lisa Joy, Aaron Paul, and Jonathan Nolan I don’t think any of them have a clue what they are trying to depict.

Aaron Paul described his experience as,

“The craziest trip of your life, from horror to suspense to action to romance.”

What horror?

Caleb listened to some music while the lights blinked different colors. I’ve watched demons crawl out of the kitchen sink, covered in neon spiders, all while maintaining a 3-way breakfast conversation with Satan and Santa.

Here’s why they cast the charming fellow, Aaron Paul. As non drug users, they figured Aaron would give the drug experience credibility because of Breaking Bad. Stimulants are not the only drugs out there and are certainly not substances suited for the frequently shifting emotional perspectives implied by genre. The writers either don’t know or won’t know about the potential of psychedelics.

For a show that so amazingly captures what it is to question your reality, it surprises me that the the creators have never attempted to explore their own realities through psychedelics. Psychedelics do so much more than “push one chemical up, or push it down” as Jonathan Nolan so ignorantly put it. They have the potential to entirely replace the waking world around you with a psychedelic dreamland beyond your wildest imagination.

(See Nostalgia in Watchmen or Playtest in Black Mirror)

My favorite example of the potential for psychedelic experiences in story telling is season 3 of Community. The show oozes awareness of altered states.

Love the podcast, you guys are the best, and I still adore Westworld. I’m just disappointed to learn my favorite creators are less like me than I had hoped.

– PrimusSux

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