red-pilling
noun phrase

- The process of becoming aware of and accepting a previously hidden or unpopular truth, often in the context of politics or social issues. It can also be used to describe an individual's ideological shift, typically towards a more conservative or libertarian viewpoint.

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PHRASE ORIGIN

In recent years, the term "red-pilling" has emerged as a way to describe the process of waking up to a new reality or perspective.

The term comes from the 1999 science-fiction film "The Matrix”, in which the main character is offered the choice between a red pill (which will show him the truth about the world) and a blue pill (which will allow him to continue living in a comforting illusion).

The first known political use of this metaphor was in the 2006 essay "The Red Pill" by University of Colorado sociology professor Kathleen J. Tierney, in which she argued that those who felt that the U.S. government had a poor response to Hurricane Katrina should "take the red pill" and realize that "post-September 11 policies and plans have actually made the nation more vulnerable, both to natural disasters and to future terrorist attacks."

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MATRIX-VOCABULARY

Test your knowledge of new English phrases created by the science-fiction film "The Matrix," — which of these words best fits the blanks?

(a) inexplicable, (b) linguistic, (c) metaphor, (d) precedent, (e) uncanny, (f) vocabulary

1. The film introduced a ______ to describe many of its associated sensations.

2. The Matrix became shorthand for the ______ feeling that our media-saturated, hyper-commercialized, machine-mediated culture had alienated us from some primal human reality.

3. A “glitch” in the Matrix, too, has come to mean something ______ and surreal happening in an otherwise normal situation.

4. “Bullet-time” — the slow-motion effect used in the movie to depict bullets rippling through the air — became a ______ for viewers dislodging themselves from space and time to see the world from a new dimension.

5. Even the idea of “unplugging” from one’s devices has its literal ______ in the vivid image of Neo unhooking his connection to the Matrix from the port in the back of his neck.

6. But no concept has carried more ______ weight than the “red pills” and “blue pills”, which can either solidify a radical new awareness, or send one back into ignorant narcotic bliss.

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QUIZ ANSWERS:

1. (f) vocabulary

2. (e) uncanny

3. (a) inexplicable

4. (c) metaphor

5. (d) precedent

6. (b) linguistic

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THANKS to Martin for suggesting today’s word!

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Do you think it’s possible to ‘RED-PILL' oneself, or does it always require external influence?”

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