Something copying something else for purpose, mimicking what it needs to. Animals using camouflage as cover, insects looking like something else to blend in unnoticed, reptiles having an adaptability to their environment to be unseen. It seems it is littered throughout nature, the ability to hide yourself in plain sight. And what of humans in this field? We too are able to hide it seems, by using actual camouflage in war scenarios (or training), or by appearing as something else to blend in, by way of clothes, mannerisms, language and masks. And in that arena, we have a whole bunch of people among us who we actively encourage to do that, to pretend to be something they not, for the sake of ‘entertainment’. Actors and actresses. Already discussed in Just Pretend or a Con? and Deceivers, or Just Entertainment?, as well as Seeing Double.
Men in Black 4 – the strange part to the storyline of the hero not actually being a hero at all, but being brainwashed and a false memory of saving the world implanted in his mind. And other people reinforcing it thereafter. And I thought of the that happening in real life, and the reverse, where people either think they did something, because others tell them so. And equally, where you could be party to something you have no memory of after, thinking it was all a strange dream if you did happen to recall any details. Or you get discredited and told otherwise, but others who ‘know better’. With all the odd idea put forward of mind control, experiments and MK Ultra type things, mentioned in Do You Mind, There’s Something To Control, it’s a possibility.
But as humans have a tactic of ‘imitate to infiltrate’ it seems one we should consider, or at least give thought to. Uncover cops using that very MO for all sorts of things, as well as people in other areas of society, to get ‘on the inside’ of an organisation, a group, a usually inaccessible area. And none of the scenarios work out well for the ones being infiltrated, unless of course those with a ruse and disguise get rumbled and exposed. And it all gets a bit ugly from there.
People also seem to be able to mimic behaviours and style – giving thought again to actors, especially I guess what they call method actors. Getting into character, and not stepping out of it until the ‘part’ has been played to its conclusion. And usually we laugh, we clap and we talk about what a good job they did convincing us they had become that ‘character’ by adapting their entire persona. I wonder if their own personality becomes strained in the end, a confused jumble of various different pieces of others, or that they never really know how to be themselves, because they spend most of the time thinking about, or being someone else.
Shapeshifters – although I am on the fence with this particular idea, it is an interesting one. With the concept being represented in books, films and generally discussed if you get onto the topic of a human reptile race if beings having infiltrated our society. I think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as the main film that springs to mind for mimics though, and heard a strange twist on the creepy islands said to operate. That each celebrity that is taken there, gets cloned and the copy has to stay on the island afterwards, and the celebrity goes back to the ‘real world’ none the wiser. Except, it seems there is still a connection between them, and a crossover of thought or memories occurs. Leading me to think of that other film I mention here and there, aptly called ‘The Island’.
Where clones of rich and famous are grown as spare body parts and kept away from the world with an elaborate story of a contamination. But the main character starts to develop memories from his sponsor’s life, things he has never seen or done become part of a recurring dream, and his temperament changes as time goes on. It’s funny with things like this and the shapeshifting idea, because it does make me wonder where we started getting ideas like that from. Was it just for fiction and from fiction? Or do we fictionalise that which we can’t quite work out, or understand, or remember properly? Finding it easier to just write a story and say it’s fiction, without having to really focus or question where the ideas came from or how they formed and found you. But perhaps in back of your mind, you start to wonder…
(c) MKW Publishing
