What makes you... you?

       When I first started watching White Bear, I was pretty confused. I have seen a variety of Black Mirror episodes, so I do understand that they tend to be unique, per se. Although this particular episode had me feeling a mix of emotions. In the beginning, I felt bad for Victoria. I didn't know who she was, or why she hadn't remembered who she was--although I felt genuinely bad for her. I feel as though that experience would be incredibly difficult for anyone to have to go through. Not only did she not know who she was, but any form of humanity around her was filming her instead of helping her. That made me feel incredibly angry and again, confused. I then began to think that maybe this was some sort of Purge type deal. Most of the Black Mirror episodes are set in the future. So I thought that maybe this episode was about a time in the future where people would film/torture victims as a way of entertaining themselves. Them, meaning rich upper class people. When the ending of the episode played out, I felt an immense amount of pain for Victoria. I understand that she aided in the murder of her daughter. But the way that these people are creating a show with staged actors and props in order to "punish" Victoria is simply sadistic. In my opinion, this type of "entertainment", makes them just as bad as any of the actions that she partook in.

     In our class discussion, we debated whether or not having Victoria's memories erased made her a different person--a different Victoria. Memories are a vital part of what makes a human being. Their experiences, their encounters, and their family life growing up. These things are what make human beings who they are. In White Bear, they wiped what made Veronica who she was completely away. Her mind was blank and she had zero recollection of who she was. What they did to her was simply cruel.

       Another idea we touched on in class is a situation in which someone was on death row and "found themselves." In other words, they were saved by God and were now a "new person." I don't agree with that whatsoever, and I think it is completely ridiculous to think that being saved by a higher entity that not everyone believes in can take someones wrong doings away. Let's say that someone actually were to be taken off of death row because they found God. What would follow? People would come to understand that they could commit a barbarous crime (one that gets you on death row) and get out of it by saying that God has changed them. It would set an example and I believe people would take advantage of it. Church and state should be kept separate, period.