Fifteen million merits — depiction of a dazed population being COMPLETELY TRAPPED in the Technocratic system and the Brave New World order.
Against the backdrop of the Brave New World and Technocracy, Bing, just as the rest of the citizens, found it suffocating and depressing leading a machine-like life — dedicating his whole life pedalling a stationary bike to earn merits, in exchange for a “cage” filled with unauthentic screens and digital pacifiers that obscured him from seeing something real (i.e.human’s deep desires and purposes) — until he met Abi, who possesses an authentically pure soul and a God-given voice.
Falling in love with Abi, Bing gave his hard-earned merits to her, hoping to empower the girl that he loved to escape from an oppressive and tedious routine of bike pedalling. Yet, he didn’t realize that the three judges (representing the powerful elites in society / the three beasts in biblical terms) were not looking for something “real” and beautiful, but something juicy, erotic and lunatic that satisfy people’s sensory pleasures and bring the worst out of human beings. Abi was sexually humiliated and repackaged as a product for sell in the porn channel by the three judges.
Bing was devastated by unintentionally ruining Abi. He then realized that the only thing he could do perhaps was to pedal hard to earn enough merits to get himself onto the stage, because that is the only way he could possibly save Abi. And on top of that, publicly expressing his frustration and anger towards the existing distorted system that destroy human dignity and authenticity, which, hopefully, to inspire the audience to work in concert to change the status quo. Unfortunately, his unfiltered, genuine and heartfelt speech on stage didn’t enlighten and awaken the audience to the distorted nature of the system, nor did it challenge the legitimacy of the three evil judges who run the system. Again, ironically, his speech was repackaged as another commercial product — a regular talk show given the scarcity of such “authentic” and “heartfelt” speech in the marketplace and the positive audience responses.
In the end, Bing finally realized he was COMPLETELY trapped in a system which he could not escape from no matter how hard he tried. So he gave in, and he fell in line with the three judges, hopelessly and unwillingly. His intended hope for speaking out the truths and destabilizing the distorted system did not bringing in real effect, but reduced into another entertaining commercial product for sell. In this sense, Bing had essentially become a “controlled” opposition, meaning that his supposedly “liberating” talk show had now being manipulated by the powerful top to perform within the parameters or the dominant order of the system. Thus, his talk show would not emancipate people from the system, but essentially become part of the forces that served to perpetuate the system.
Coming back to a “bigger” and “improved” version of “home” from his new “job” didn’t make him feel happy and content at all. Rather, it left him feel even more void, empty, alienated and isolated. His life had nothing real left but screens that stimulate reality, soulless digital pacifiers, and unauthentic confetti.
