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An examination of postmodernism, Cyberpunk, and technology's role in future societies
By Tom Cronin
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III. Cyberpunk
On the surface, the term Cyberpunk appears to be oxymoronic. It concerns the mixing of cybernetics - which is often viewed as being a privilege of the rich upper class - and punk culture. In the era of modernism, "Cyber" and "Punk" were two terms that did not mix, since technology was often viewed as an instrument of the upper class to oppress the working class. Although technology is still seen as a privilege of the rich in many circumstances, technology is increasingly becoming available to more and more people. This concept of technological access by all individual is one of the facilitators of postmodernism. Csicsery-Ronay suggests that Cyberpunk is the apotheosis of postmodernism, for it fuses the "high-tech" subculture associated with cybernetics and the "low life" punk counterculture of the 1980s. (Csicsery-Ronay, 182-183) He adds to his description of Cyberpunk by saying that "Cyber" and "Punk" cultures are the ideal postmodern couple, described by, "a machine philosophy that can create the world in its own image and self-mutilating freedom, that is the image snarling back." (Csicsery-Ronay, 186) Csicsery-Ronay also addresses the concept of "bad faith" as a significant aspect of postmodernism. It is this "bad faith" in technology that propels the uncertainty associated with postmodernism, he said. "All of the ambivalent solutions of Cyberpunk works are instances/myths of bad faith, since they completely ignore the question of whether some political controls over technology are desirable, if not exactly possible. Cyberpunk is then the apotheosis of bad faith, the apotheosis of postmodernism. ... But in a world of absolute bad faith, where the real and the true are superseded by simulacra and the hyperreal, perhaps the only hope is representing that bad faith appropriately." (Csicsery-Ronay, 193)In order to identify a science fiction film or novel as Cyberpunk, one needs to know what elements of science fiction to look for. Csicsery-Ronay summarizes the major elements of Cyberpunk in the his description of the basic Cyberpunk plot:
"Still, how many formulaic tales can one wade through in which a self-destructive but sensitive young protagonist with an (implant/prosthesis/telechtronic talent) that makes evil (megacorporations/police states/criminal underworlds) pursue him through (wasted urban landscapes/elite luxury enclaves/eccentric space stations) full for grotesque (haircuts/clothes/self-mutilation/rock music/sexual hobbies/Designer drugs/telectronic gadgets/nasty new weapons/exteriorized hallucinations) representing the (mores/fashions) of modern civilization in terminal decline, ultimately hooks up with rebellious and tough-talking (youth/artificial intelligence/rock cults) who offer the alternative, not of (community/socialism/traditional values/transcendental vision), but of supreme, life-affirming hipness , going with the flow which now flows in the machine, against the spectre of a world-subverting (artificial intelligence/multinational corporate web/evil genius)?" (Csicsery-Ronay, 184)
In order to called Cyberpunk, a text or film cannot simply represent either cybernetics or punk culture - it must embody both. Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), for example, meets both of these criteria. The character of Alex, who was a key player in the "punk" culture at the beginning of the movie, is also subjected to a torturous "recovery session," which makes Alex sick when hearing his favorite pieces of classical music. This "recovery session" is a result of Alex's interface with technology, which can be viewed as a precursor to cybernetics. Unlike most science fiction films, A Clockwork Orange creates what is known as the "Nadsat" language. "Nadsat," a language that is unique to the film, provides the person viewing the film with an opportunity to examine "standard American English." In her article "Screen Space," Vivian Sobchack said A Clockwork Orange is the only film in American science fiction cinema to give a language that is equivalent to its visual images. Because of the complexity of both the language and images in A Clockwork Orange and the inclusion of both elements of Cyberpunk, the film can be categorized as Cyberpunk. Just because a film addresses issues surrounding technology, however, does not mean it falls into the Cyberpunk movement. Fritz Lang's Metropolis , although it addresses the effects of technology on society, represents modernism instead of postmodernism. In an article entitled "The Vamp and the Machine: Fritz Lang's Metropolis ," Andreas Huyssen said modern technology is presented as oppressive and destructive in the narrative of the movie. In Metropolis , technology is used by the Master of Metropolis as a tool to oppress the working class. As Huyssen pointed out, the machines are subservient to the master, but the machines enslave the workers. (Huyssen, 67) In Cyberpunk, although technology is often viewed as being anti-individualistic, it is an omnipresent part of the Cyberpunk society. The role of technology in Cyberpunk is similar to its role in the Internet. In both Cyberpunk and the Internet, there is no central authority, but every individual is just as "dehumanized" by technology as another individual.
One film that is often used as an example of Cyberpunk is Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982). The film is set in a dystopian future version of Los Angeles, in which humans no longer have any compassion or understanding for one another. There were several situations in the film where people were killed, but those who witnessed the murders didn't seem concerned or affected at all by what they saw. Technology was also at the center of the dystopia depicted in Blade Runner . Although Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (1918) is usually identified as horror, it can also be identified as one of the earliest Cyberpunk films. Although the film takes place before the emergence of postmodernism, it incorporates such postmodern concepts as the recycling of body parts, the creation of life, a scientist working outside the law, and a schizophrenic attitude toward technology. Fritz Leiber's Coming Attraction , another early example of Cyberpunk, is told using sharp and surreal images. Leiber begins his short story with the statement, "The coupe with the fishhooks welded to the fender shouldered up over the curb like the nose of a nightmare." (Leiber, 1) Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 stands out as a significant Cyberpunk novel because of its ability to blend "high culture" with the underground "punk" culture. Csicsery-Ronay refers to Cyberpunk as being perfection, or the complete apotheosis of postmodernism. However, due to the nature of the arts of writing and filmmaking, no science fiction novel or film will ever exactly fit the Cyberpunk label. To do so would suggest a movie or novel that represents postmodernism in its purest form. At the same time, the shift toward the increasing presence of postmodernism in today's society is reflected in the increasing popularity of Cyberpunk.
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