Raised by wolves - But Not the Ones You’re Thinking Of

Mynd fengin af HBO

Raised by Wolves follows the aftermath of a war caused by the polarizing strife between two factions: atheists and believers. Failing to find common ground, they resort to violence, nearly leading to mutual annihilation. Sent to uncharted territory where imminent danger is always around the corner, a pair of androids are programmed to foster a new civilization. 

The series carries all the traits of the sci-fi genre and is a classic Ridley Scott production. The Tyrell Corporation’s slogan in Blade Runner (1982), “more human than humans,” resonates in the desperate attempt to give humanity another chance, relying on self-intuitive machines designed to express emotions and mimic behavior. 

Father (Abubakar Salim) is no match for the strength and complexity of Mother, a more evolved android. Mother (Amanda Collin), the benefactress of the newly founded colony, is also a deadly necromancer of astonishing power, going on killing sprees during hysteric attacks when danger is imminent and using her primal sonic scream as a weapon. Her powers emanate from her eyes. She carries another set of regular eyeballs in a pouch and uses them for everyday life, changing to necromancer-superpower eyeballs when in attack mode.

Eyes are a window to the soul - or, in this case, to the android’s internal struggle between fostering or destroying life. This is similar to Blade Runner, where the Voight-Kampff test monitors physiological responses and determines if the subject is human or replicant. 

 Blade Runner’s Los Angeles urban space covered in Japanese billboards, dark streets with multicultural crowds speaking various languages in a time when Japan appeared to be the next global power and Japanese investors flocked to buy US real estate, alludes to real fears and precedes Huntington’s anxiety-packed Clash of Civilizations. Rising environmental awareness is seen in the foggy and dusty skyline, while grimy, tarnished streets provide a stark contrast to gleaming skyscrapers, highlighting class division and acting as a prelude to the discourse about the 1%.

The series and the genre rely on preying on anxieties. Both Raised by Wolves and Blade Runner reflect the very polarizing world we live in.

The four horsemen of the apocalypse

The early 21st century alone saw life-changing events in a rather intermittent fashion. The 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, subsequent war in Iraq, and surveillance measures became part of our lives.

The economic meltdown of 2008 meant that after graduation one might not land a job and led to the precarization of workers. Virtues and aptitudes have little weight when slashed budgets in universities around the world impacted primarily the humanities, sending a clear message: the survival of the fittest prevails under neoliberal uncertainty.

Engin Isin (2004) formulated the idea of the neurotic subject. The rise of neoliberalism entailed withdrawal of the state from certain areas, decline of social citizenship, privatization, downloading and intensification of the ICT revolution (Castells), turning the individual into a sufficient, calculating, responsible, autonomous agent (Isin, 217). You are the one to blame for your personal failures instead of external forces such as the capitalist order or the greed and irresponsibility of the banking system. If you fail, it’s on you.

This mentality harshly contrasts with the era of COVID-19, which has put a halt to most people’s plans as we slowly grow restless. As we enter October 2020, one cannot help but feel that this year nearly did not happen.  

Isin also discusses the idea of governing through neurosis (neuropower and neuropolitics), fostering the creation of governmental projects whose conduct is based not merely on calculating rationalities but also arises from and responds to fears, anxieties, and insecurities (Isin, 217). Sound familiar? Well, when the article was written, he was alluding to the environmental discourse of saving the environment through everyday habits. Governed by a logic of compulsively recycling and reducing consumption, alarming imminent danger produces the neurotic citizen, who went on a mission to save the earth, but, being unable to judge whether his neurotic energies were any match for what multinational corporations do or if his intentions - addressing anxieties - were being wiped away by an overseas jet trip for vacation (Isin, 229). 

While in the realm of privacy, gated communities, surveillance technologies, and security industries address the vulnerabilities and anxieties associated with ‘home security’ (Isin, 230). The immigration crisis dating back to 2015 is the third crisis of our very young century and reflects immigration and border issues evolving through the years in the discourse of powerless states and fluidity of borders. 

Together with the plague of 2020, these are our four horsemen of the apocalypse and a generation saturated by information and fact-free journalism are reshaping our reality and capacity to dream of a better tomorrow.

Entering a dystopian reality: sci-fi series and today's world

The sci-fi genre creates these micro-alternative realities much like ideology does and portrays dystopian or utopian versions so we can draw comparisons of where we are and where we are heading, thus helping us reflect on our existence, what is, and what ought to be. It also serves as a temporary retreat from the chaotic times we are living in. The governance of bodies (Foucault), fear of loss and failure, the rise of extremism and misinformation - which took a toll in public discourse in the form of conspiracy and mistrust of authorities. It’s reminiscent of the time when The X-Files was a thing and Agent Mulder still believed the truth was out there, while Agent Scully struggled to verify his theories through scientific proof.

No one can hear you scream 

Everyone is on edge these days. Some of us have been through adversities, incurable and incommensurable pain through the course of our lives. Others feel vulnerable and impotent. One should allow the difficult parts of life to take their course. Fiction reminds us we can imagine and create things differently while the world is in disarray. 

We are the generation raised by wolves dwelling among extremes, impacted by rapid changes modifying the way we think about ourselves, our bodies, and our interactions. Not long ago, debates about who was allowed to use what toilet were making the headlines worldwide, and we often transgress in overlooking our commonalities for the sake of emphasizing our differences.

Then there is the very pertinent question of what type of intervention is possible in the current tragedy of everyday life. Is there a possibility of a strategy? Like a creature from the underworld breaking through the asphalt and making the headlines, COVID-19 took us all hostage but also underlined our codependence and the vulnerability of exacerbated individualism. Solidarity and mutual aid are essential if we are to thrive through this.

Many of the less fortunate, those with financial debts, physical or mental disabilities, did not partake in the ways of social engagement we were so used to. Isolation and powerlessness are something they were already very familiar with. We are all in this together, some of us more together than others. Maybe this is something worthy of reflection, where we want to go from here. Unlike the polarizing factions in Raised by Wolves, we are not yet threatened by a necromancer with nearly absolute power nor chased by Deckard the Blade Runner. There is still time to make amends. Perhaps we can figure something out. Time will tell. 

References:
Isin, E. F. (2004). The neurotic citizen. Citizenship Studies, 8(3), 217–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362102042000256970