This is mass madness -- you manics!!!!
In God's name - you people are the real thing -- we are the illusion!!!!!(From the film Network, see the clip below.)
The represenation of reality in the medium of moving images (film/TV), which is 'once removed' from reality (i.e. like the relationship between a shadow and the actual thing which casts the shadow) is a vital aspect of the matrix - and largely accounts for its meteroic rise in our modern times. It is just a fact that for a multitude of reasons, most can only see the 'shadow of reality' while only a few can see 'actual reality'. And for those who can only see the shadow of reality (reality once removed), it means that various powers can manipulate the shadow which such people see and realte to (whereas manipulation of reality itself is a completely different matter and for the most part, nigh impossible).
If one had travelled the world only 50 years ago, the sight of humans bathed in the 'blue light' of their TV every night for many hours would have been a rare sight. But now it is standard fare and expected human behaviour, every night of every day of their lives - across the whole world.
It's so ironic that over 2000 years ago, Plato, (as the main website header image so wonderfully depicts) wrote his Allegory of the cave. In Plato's Republic, it is really as if Socratees is decribing film/TV and the ability it has to manipulate the mind. It is of immense significance that Socratees appears to state that artists should be excluded/exiled from society. However it's not clear whether this is because of them just being so dangerous to society (as in their ability to manipulate it via a 'once removed realty') or whether he is removing them 'publicly', so as to to then purposefully employ their services in a covert manner in pursiut of his own goals of a highly stratified/compartmentalized and controlled society.
My favourite part of the clip below starts here: https://youtu.be/vQAzpV7GC0U?t=186 however the whole clip/speech below is definitly worth watching a first time, as is only a 3:11 minutes long in total (is best to start at the 46 second mark).
