MovieChat Forums > Black Mirror (2011) Discussion > White Bear

White Bear

posted 8 years ago by dreadheadeva
25 replies | jump to latest

I know this is a season 2 episode, but I just got into the series and I'm randomly watching episodes.

I was wondering about the ethics behind this episode. The main character was a disgusting person, and i can see how this punishment seems suitable. However, they are wiping her memory every time they do this. She doesn't even know why this is happening until the end, then she's basically tortured and forced to do it again. But if she no longer remembers what she's done, then she is no longer the person she was when she committed the crime. Who we are is heavily based on our experiences, and they erased all the experiences that made her a terrible person. So they are basically punishing a "new" person each time they do this. This makes her punishment seem much more excessive and immoral. Am I the only one who was thinking this?

[–] turnipjedi 8 years ago

I got the feeling from the show that the memory wipe isn't 100% hence the flashbacks and that they have to re-administer the drugs everyday, meaning it wouldn't be safe to 'wipe' someone and then release them

The concept of the gameshow is pretty much on par for Black Mirror, which is broadly today taken one or two steps into the future, yes it's horrid and cruel but its only a few jumps beyond todays reality shows