VIII. Actually

[TOBY]
Truth man, truth. We are so fucked

It's not just porn though—it’s all on there, no filter. Beheading videos, hate groups, red rooms...we have an entire generation of children growing up having seen a man rape a baby in a horror film. They've all seen it. They're smarter than parental controls

These will be the greatest monsters humanity has ever created

(He plays a note.)

SO ANYWAY I’M DOING GOOD
MOSTLY
LIMITING MY TIME
MOSTLY

I TURNED ON GRAYSCALE
I GUESS I'M SEEING A LOT OF GRAYS
RIGHT NOW
YOU KNOW
JUST NOT A LOT OF BLACKS AND WHITES
AND LEFTS AND RIGHTS
RIGHT NOW
YOU KNOW
ACTUALLY

[C​HORUS]
ACTUALLY
ACTUALLY

[TOBY]
ONE THING THAT'S BEEN ON MY MIND
IS INTELLIGENCE
AND HOW PEOPLE EVOLVE
AND HOW I'VE EVOLVED
YOU KNOW WHEN I WAS A KID
I WAS REALLY PUNK ROCK
JUST BURN IT DOWN MAN
CAPITALIST PIGS
HOMOGENIZED SHEEP
SHEEP MAN
BAAAAAAA!
“OH I NEEDED THAT”
“OH THAT'S SO WELL PUT”
“OH HOW INSPIRING”
“EXACTLY”
“THIS, THIS”
“SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!”
FUCKING CONSENSUS-DRIVEN MONOLITHIC FUCKERY
EVERYONE BLIND TO THE CONSPIRACIES
THAT DULL OUR WITS
AND NUMB AND DUMB US ALL

[C​HORUS]
FOOLS AND MARIONETTES
HOMOGENIZED ON A DIGITAL GAZETTE
BLOATED SURFACE HIVE NOISE
MONOLOGUE ALL THE GIRLS AND BOYS

FOOLS AND MARIONETTES
HOMOGENIZED ON A DIGITAL GAZETTE
BLOATED SURFACE HIVE NOISE
MONOLOGUE ALL THE GIRLS AND BOYS

[TOBY]
Welcome to the
Echo! (echo echo echo)
Chamber! (chamber chamber chamber)
I-am-a-robot-please-tell-me-what-I-am-to-be-thinking

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER
JUST A MATTER OF GETTING UNDERNEATH WHAT'S UP IN THERE

YOU THINK YOU KNOW ANYTHING?
SERIOUSLY?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE CODE?
NO, NO ONE SEES THE CODE
WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL

NO IT'S ALL A FUCKING GAME
YEAH IT’S ALL FUCKING RIGGED
WE DON’T GET THE FIGURES
WE DON'T GET THE REPORTS
ALL WE GET ARE SCRAPS MAN
BLURRED BY THE MASS MEDIA OPIATE HAZE

POST A SCREENSHOT
WAKE UP, WAKE UP
CUZ THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES

[C​HORUS]
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
FOCUS
EXPAND YOUR THINKING
HOW DO YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD?
TRIANGLE HAS THREE SIDES
FOCUS
FOCUS
FOLLOW THE CRUMBS

[TOBY]
Let’s go to work!

[THREAD C​HORUS 1 (KARLY & PAULA)]
HUMANS ARE VERY BAD AT UNDERSTANDING RANDOMNESS
WE BELIEVE X HAS TO BALANCE OUT Y
AND IF IT DOESN'T THEN IT'S NOT “RANDOM ENOUGH.”

[TOBY]
Okay, sheep. Critical thinking much?

[THREAD C​HORUS 2 (VELMA & JESSICA)]
HUMANS COMPULSIVELY COMMIT PATTERN RECOGNITION
IT TAKES ACTUAL EFFORT TO TURN OFF THIS SURVIVAL SKILL
THIS IS WHY CONFIRMATION BIAS IS SUCH A PROBLEM

[TOBY]
Okay normies, try thinking outside the box?

[THREAD C​HORUS 1 & 2]
SINCE WHEN IS COMING TO A CONCLUSION
WITHOUT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE
CONSIDERED THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX?

[TOBY]
Look I play a lot
Probably more than anyone else in this thread?!

Wow. You see this shit?
This is just what they want
We're all sitting here fronting and flexing
While they’re out there raiding the fucking vaults!

FIRST THEY POISONED THE WATER
THEN THEY POISONED THE SKY
AND NOW IT'S OUR MINDS

AND YOU GOTTA STAY VIGILANT
EVERYONE THINKS THEY'RE SO TOP TIER
NO ONE SEES THE FRAGMENTATION IN THEMSELVES

BUT THAT'S THE PLAN
THAT'S THE SCAM
THAT'S THE GAME
THAT'S HOW THEY'RE FUCKING US
CLICK CLICK CLICK ON A CREDIT CARD
AS YOU CREAM YOUR PANTS AND YOUR CRANIUM CRACKS

[C​HORUS]
CONTENT OVERSTIMULATION
DOPAMINE DESENSITIZATION
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN

[TOBY]
We're all getting stupider, man!
I can feel it
Cuz our brains are learning
Like “Oh that's what I want!
Let's do it again!
And let's do it again
And—”

[C​HORUS]
CONTENT OVERSTIMULATION
DOPAMINE DESENSITIZATION
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN

[TOBY]
Mental obesity
Neuroplasticity
This shit is real
If you're too lazy to educate yourself
That's on you
THE MONKS ARE LIGHTING THE FLARES
BUT TELL ME WHERE HAVE ALL THE PUNK KIDS GONE?

[C​HORUS]
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
FOCUS
BE A VIRUS OF CONFIDENCE
BELIEVE IN YOUR BONES THAT WE'RE RIDING THE GREATEST TIMELINE IN EXISTENCE
WHAT IS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR?
WHO CONTROLS THE NARRATIVE?
HOW DO YOU CAPTURE A DANGEROUS ANIMAL?
WHO IS ASLEEP?

[TOBY]
No I'm awake
I'm awake
Fucking addicts
Please

[THREAD C​HORUS 1 (KARLY & PAULA)]
ADDICTION IS A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEPENDENCY ON A PARTICULAR SUBSTANCE AND THE INABILITY TO STOP USING WITHOUT ADVERSE EFFECTS

[TOBY]
Yeah exactly you need a substance
Kappa Kappa Kappa

[THREAD C​HORUS 2 (VELMA & JESSICA)]
DIAGNOSIS CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMORBIDITY

[TOBY]
Click click

[THREAD C​HORUS 1 (KARLY & PAULA)]
COMORBIDITY IS THE EXISTENCE OF ADDITIONAL DISEASES AND DISORDERS
CO-EXISTING WITH THE PRIMARY

[TOBY]
Ok so what's the primary…

[THREAD C​HORUS 2 (VELMA & JESSICA)]
ADDICTION
DEPRESSION
ANXIETY
IMPULSE CONTROL
ATTENTION DEFICIENCY
MORAL DEFICIENCY
SCHIZOPHRENIA
DYSMORPHIA
DISSOCIATION

[TOBY]
All sound good to me!

[THREAD C​HORUS 1 (KARLY & PAULA)]
YOU DO NOT TURN IT ON AND OFF
THERE IS NO CURE
SHATTER THE BINARIES
CAUSE AND EFFECT IS A BINARY
THEREFORE CAUSE AND EFFECT IS A MYTH

[TOBY]
Novelty, fantasy, feedback, and ecstasy
It is man, it's all fucking porn!

AN INFINITE SELECTION
OF BODIES AND FETISHES
KETCHUPS AND RELISHES

POSITIONS AND OPINIONS
IMPOSSIBLE DIVISIONS

NEVER-ENDING SUFFERING
AND IRRITATING BUFFERING

[THREAD C​HORUS 2 (VELMA & JESSICA)]
INFINITY IS OPTION-5
REALITY AND FANTASY IS A BINARY

[TOBY]
BRAIN FOG
MIND WASTE
ZINGERS AND FACTOIDS AND HATE
AND THIS IS

[TOBY & THREAD C​HORUSES]
POINTLESS
THE ONLINE COMMUNITY IS BY DEFINITION PRO-SOCIAL AND PRO-TECHNOLOGICAL
ITS VERY NATURE DEFLECTS ANY CRITICISM OF ITSELF
NOT DRENCHED IN IRONIC INSINCERE SELF-EFFACEMENT

[TOBY]
So fuck it!

[TOBY & C​HORUS]
BEHOLD! THIS MOST TWISTED PERIOD OF THE PENDULUM!
KNOCKING DOWN NORMS
KNOCKING DOWN CATHEDRALS

[TOBY]
IN A SWIRL OF IRONY AND LULZ

[C​HORUS]
REFRESH REFRESH REFRESH

[TOBY]
FEED THE ADDICT!

[C​HORUS]
REFRESH

[TOBY]
FEED THE MONSTER!
TRANSGRESSION, CHAOS, AND LIBERTY!

[TOBY & C​HORUS]
THESE ARE MY GODS

[TOBY]
KEK!

[C​HORUS]
KEK!

[TOBY]
KEK!

[C​HORUS]
KEK!

[TOBY]
KEK!

[C​HORUS]
KEK!
KEK!
KEK!

[TOBY]
I am The Magician!

[C​HORUS]
WHY IS THIS RELEVANT?
HOW IS THIS CONNECTED?
WHERE WE GO ONE WE GO ALL
BELIEVE AND MAKE A CHOICE RIGHT NOW
FOCUS
FOCUS
LIGHT WILL REPEL DARKNESS!
LIGHT WILL EXPOSE DARKNESS!
LIGHT WILL REVEAL DARKNESS!
LIGHT WILL DEFEAT DARKNESS!

[TOBY]
So anyway yeah we are fucked
No one feels anything
Numbness reigns
The numb king numkin
Go to sleep
Who cares
Pet and swipe and feed the Monster

Everything's bullshit so you're a fucking idiot if you genuinely care about anything
Right?

IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW WELL YOU CRAFT YOUR POST
THE CHOIR SINGS HOLLOW AMENS FROM COZY CAFÉ COUCHES
WHILE THE IDIOT WORMS WIGGLE AND SHIT IN THE MUD

YOU KNOW WHEN I'M IN THE REAL WORLD
I CAN'T EVEN INTERFACE
I JUST WANNA SCROLL DOWN, YOU KNOW?
SCROLL DOWN, SCROLL DOWN, YOU KNOW?
GET TO THE FUCKING POINT

I DISSOCIATE ALL THE TIME
LIKE I'M NOT COMPLETELY HERE RIGHT NOW
I FEEL VERY FAR AWAY FROM MYSELF RIGHT NOW
AND I DON'T TRUST MYSELF ANYMORE
AND I DON'T LOVE—

Fuck it
Nothing changes
No one revolts unless they're hungry
People only change because of trauma
Or light rain

~~~~~~~~