Ghost in the Machine

The big reveal of our second set of episodes, that the Sybil system determines Crime Coefficients by analyzing a scanned person's brain and comparing it to a vast catalogue of "deviant" brains collected over the years and which comprise the intelligence of Sybil itself, continues a running theme I've noticed in recent years. I think I could make an argument for having dystopia as a recognizable sub-genre.

The theme is this; a Dystopia either is the polar a bad utopia (in the sense that the writer intends for reader to not want to live there) or has a lie or a series of  lies which support the supposed Utopian society. We've seen a few examples of the latter this semester, namely Psycho Pass and Minority Report, but many others support this definition, including classics like Make Room (aka Soylent Green).

Utopias Overall

I've been a fan of Psycho-Pass for a few years now and initially I thought this would be a terrible world to live in but now I am not so sure. From all of the texts we have viewed/read in this class I realized there will always be something imperfect about society (violence, boring, everyone's a drug addict, etc). I think for many of these societies to be successful, it requires some level of unawareness and ignorance about the system from the masses. Kogami and Akane's increasing self-awareness seems to be a route of many of their problems as it isolates them from their blissfully unaware peers. As a result, it lands them in situations that causes them to pit their values against the ideas that have been ingrained in them by society and the Sybil system. Awareness seems to be a route of conflict for many of the characters we've studied (ex. if John hadn't been so painfully aware of the downfalls of the World State he would have assimilated into their society, been hopped up on soma, and living his best life). I guess what Im trying to say is sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

Consequences in Psycho-Pass

As we come to an end of our divulge into Psych-Pass, I actually enjoyed the series MUCH better with subtitles rather than the dub (RIP Kagami). I have question that I was pondering while I was watching the last episode where Kogami (Kagomi?) is being chased and is viable for lethal execution via the Dominator. Would the society change if there was a way to really reduce your crime-coefficient and nothave a certain person be forced into the life of an Enforcer after it dips below or becomes ‘hazy’? Would the world in Psycho-Pass be better if it was less permanent in its consequences for those who become latent criminals or psycho-hazards? I could also see how this makes the concept of the already muddy morals of Psycho-Pass even more messy.

I have food poisoning so enjoy this unrelated pic of true Utopian leader, Sailor Moon!

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The Law in Utopia

So I’m a bit surprised that Professor MB had us skip the episode that has this scene in it, since I feel like it directly conveys a lot of key concepts about society and the nature of Utopia. I think that in this scene Akane touches on something that is very important to note: the law is ultimately created by people, and it is depends on people who uphold it. While this may be challenged by societies where the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many, I think this is a concept that often gets lost in democratic societies like our own where it is most important. She also touches on how people are constantly working to create a better world - a utopia - and the law is a reflection of that.

Still Alive?

We've discussed this issue previously with Unwind, but I was curious as to the class' general idea on the Sibyl system, and particularly whether or not the individual minds that constitute it can be said to be still alive. They appear to retain memories of their previous lives, although whether or not they are able to express any individual action or are completely subsumed by the greater consciousness are left somewhat open ended.

One Law, victim or villain.

One of the most striking moments in the first five episodes of Psycho Pass comes at the end of the first episode, when we learn that the psychological instability caused by trauma or high-stress situations is not differentiated from actual criminal behavior. The reason for this becomes evident later, but it is an apt parallel to the real world stigmatization of trauma victims. Japan has this issue as much as we in the US do, but for different reasons. The extreme societal pressure to excel at your work, to do it stoically and without complaint, regardless of suffering or negative physical and mental health consequences, created a similar sense that someone who suffers a breakdown due to stress or other factors is to blame for it.

On the Accuracy of the Threat Level Detection

I'm sure that you all were absolutely horrified at first when the hostage in the first episode was given a lethal threat rating by Dominator, as was I. But as she doused the floor in gasoline and was about to kill everyone around her with a lighter, I was afraid to admit that the Dominator was accurate. The enforcer who was about to kill her would have been right to do so. Sure, she was managed to be talked out of it, but in a life-or-death scenario, it's not always feasible to take those kinds of chances. I begrudgingly found myself at least partially trustworthy of the Dominator's rating. At first, I thought that Akane would be punished a lot more harshly than she was for how she handled the situation with the female hostage. But even though Shinya was the enforcer who was about to pull the trigger, her recognized and agreed with Akane's humanity.  Ginzo has this whole business of learning through history rather than experience. Is a part of him right? Are Dominators usually correct and are Enforcers always quick to pull the trigger out of their own safety? Personally, I think it speaks to a larger theme of police bruality in Psycho-Pass and how it's brushed over because it's the system that takes responsibility for the actions of law enforcement. Akane doesn't seem to have to do much of anything other than watch the Enforcers, and the Enforcers only have to do what the system tells them to do.

There are a lot of factors that I think the threat detection system doesn't consider. This isn't a utopia that tries to be perfect (see the drone murders in the factory). The admitted holes see to rely on logic not being equatable to illogical human behavior and the ability of a threat level to change with reasoning.