What Are Stories With Telekinetics Really About?

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Previously we’ve talked about what the horror and sci-fi movie baddies of some age SAY about that age. You know, like... whether zombies represent capitalism, or technology or both. Or how the sorts of lines grotesque film monsters cross can indicate what cultural, or political transgressions are thought particularly heinous. A man crossed with a fly? HAS SCIENCE GONE TOO FAR? In this episode we’re gonna do something different - instead of asking about the BAD GUYS, we’re gonna ask about what the GOOD GUYS may say about today. And we’re gonna ask about one particular type of film and TV protagonist ... that isn’t quite at zombie or sexy vampire ubiquity yet …. but seems increasingly common nonetheless: the telekinetic. Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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[@JiffyJames85]

At no point does Professor X display Telekinesis. Only Telepethy

[@pbsideachannel]

I'd cop to saying "everything he's in" may be hasty - but in Logan (without getting too spoilery) his loss of control over his abilities manifests as mental control over physical objects, and iirc this isn't exactly a first for him?

[@ElfRulerr]

He only freezes people's minds. Cars, slot machines, and guns function perfectly fine when he's have an "incident".

[@FlawlessP401]

In the comics he his ability to use telekinesis is dependent on the writer. It's not listed as one of his primary powers but he has used it on a few occasions. TBH I always though he made his hover chair hover with TK but that was when I was a kid.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

I'm fairly certain early comics did write Professor X with telekinesis. Didn't last long, but it does break the "at no point" argument, haha. Plus, the Ultimate version had low-level tk.

[@tomrivlin7278]

It's a common misconception! I assume it's because he spends so much time with Jean Grey, who DOES have the telekinesis/telepathy combo, that people just assume he has the same power set. But nope, he only ("only") has telepathy, but extremely powerful telepathy. I certainly read the scenes in Logan as him using telepathy to freeze other people in place. I remember noting that only people were actually affected by his seizures. ...not that any of this actually matters. It doesn't detract from the point in the episode at all. Sometimes internet pedantry is just fun for its own sake y'know?

[@briankuhns9769]

5:48 "Why do demon names always have to lurk at the end of the alphabet?" I think demon names generally contain letters not common in English to create a sense of the otherworldly, and several uncommon letters are strung together at the end of the alphabet.

[@Stephen-Fox]

I wonder if that's why Nethack uses various colours of & to represent major demons, given that that's a discontinued 27th letter of the english alphabet, actually named after its position in alphabetical order, right at the end. "And, on it's own, and" contracts and corrupts to ampersand if you say it quickly. "x, y, z, and on its own, and' being how the alphabet apparently ended while & was considered a letter - A character so uncommon in english that it fell out of the alphabet, lingering as an otherworldly Other in the sea of ASCII that is the Nethack monsters. I mean, no, most likely because the & symbol vaguely resembles a humanoid figure with a pointed tail if you squint, and that d (dogs) and D (Dragons) were already taken, while minor demons are represented by the less uncommon letter of i (standing for imps, a common type of them in the game). And just to confuse matters, there are a few & creatures who aren't considered Major Demons (Djinn, the Mail Daemon - though that gets away with being an & despite not being a Demon because Nethack is a game built around two central pillars - godawful puns, and D&D references - sandestin, and the three riders of Death, Famine and Pestilence (What about war? I think there are points in the game that it's heavily implied that you are war)

[@michaelkenner3289]

Historically speaking most demon names are usually just the gods or mythological figures of various nearby nations, usually other Semitic nations, to Jewish groups around the time the old testament was being developed. They probably didn't sound quite as other-worldly to Hebrew speakers as they do to modern English. After all, they were linguistically a lot closer related to their immediate neighbours than they are to us. Instead their frightening aspect was fueled by the idea that their followers might invade you some day or try to convert you. Linguistically they tend to look very other-worldly to English speakers because they are often from Abjad languages (which don't use vowels in their written system), include sounds not common in English or even sounds which don't exist fully in English. Ba'al for example where the apostrophe indicates a sound called a voiced pharyngeal fricative. Although some modern authors, like HP Lovecraft, deliberately invent their own languages like R'lyehian for otherworldy entities and in those cases they are exactly as you describe just using uncommon language features to make something strange and off-putting.

[@michaelkenner3289]

Actually the ampersand is just a calligraphic writing of the word 'et' meaning 'and' in Latin, it's not actually a letter. Since for a long time writing was frequently in Latin, people got used to it as a symbol for "and" or alternatively "+" and it was common and convenient enough to be included in a lot of type-sets.

[@cubeofcheese5574]

@Xidnaf

[@TheSpiffyNeoStar]

I think that the influx of telekinetics is based off of a long running theory of popular comic book heroes. The idea is that through the years, Super heroes in comic books (and TV) have been based off of what the populace is afraid of. For example: fear of nuclear weapons and the Hulk, Fear of Genetic modification and the X-Men, and fear of Aliens and countless characters (but probably not Superman). In that vein, I think the shift in telekinetcs getting their powers from within (rather than externally) shows that society is shifting towards being aware and afraid of what each person is capable of individually.

[@GenericKen000]

Patrick Daly Pretty sure xmen is about the fear of ethnic minorities and civil rights.

[@neohenry8292]

"Super heroes in comic books (and TV) have been based off of what the populace is afraid of" In art history, this is a fact. No art, whether it be paintings, sculptures, digital arts, books, and etc., can be isolated from the sociocultural environment it came from. It's impossible to isolate Michelangelo's David from the Renaissance; the classical aesthetics comeback to medieval Europe in the Renaissance produced Michelangelo's David. Telekinetcs, for me because I am a student of psychology, shows an interesting fear: how is it possible for a person to yield to antisocial behaviors. "Antisocial behavior can be broken down into two components: the presence of antisocial (i.e., angry, aggressive, or disobedient) behavior and the absence of prosocial (i.e., communicative, affirming, or cooperative) behavior" (psychology.jrank.org/pages/37/Antisocial-Behavior.html), and for such people with such power yielding to antisocial behaviors, we will wonder "What happen to this person?" The fear of losing control is to go from prosocial to antisocial.

[@Randomluck]

As we become more interconnected I think many are learning that someone is only as strong as their weakest impulses allow them to be.

[@TheSpiffyNeoStar]

GenericKen000 yes, it is about that, but the source of their powers being from genetics came about at a time where DNA sequencing was revealing the mechanics of genetic disorders.

[@NerdSyncProductions]

Great video! I think there's also something that could be said about how telekinesis tends to find its way to people who could be seen as "weak," for lack of a better word. Luke is a farmer, Anakin is a slave, Eleven is a child, Professor X is in a wheelchair, we're introduced to David in Legion as a mentally ill patient with schizophrenia, Jean Grey was even viewed by Claremont and Cockrum as one of the weakest members of the X-Men which is why they started creating the Dark Phoenix Saga. ALSO! Just wanted to throw out there for anyone saying that Professor X doesn't have telekinesis, that's largely true, but I'm fairly certain early comics did write him with that ability. Plus, the Ultimate version has low-level tk. EDIT: One example of Prof. X using tk in the main 616 Universe can be found on the final page of Amazing Adventures #17 from 1970. It's on Marvel Unlimited if you have that and want to check it out for yourself! In context, it almost seems like he has technopathy as well. 🤔

[@jonathaneby1440]

NerdSync IdeaChannel, you guys should do a colab video

[@grassyclimer6853]

just make the video lol

[@fitandhappy42]

NerdSync Only super briefly referenced in the video but Matilda is a very explicit example of a "powerless" telekinetic in that her ability is directly tied to the weak position she finds herself in. It's missing from the film (to its detriment IMO) but in the book once she is no longer in that weak position and her intellect is appreciated and nurtured she actually looses the telekinesis.

[@MRCKify]

Note that in Game of Thrones and the adult version A Song of Ice and Fire, telepathy/skinchanging is associated with weak characters or developed by characters who find themselves in environments where they are limited. Possible spoilers: -Bran Stark takes control of his wolf Summer during his coma, gains more control when they hide in the pitch-black dark Winterfell crypts -Arya Stark reaches out through animals and can sense other people's emotions when she is chemically blinded in Braavos -Varamyr Sixskins is a stunted man who grew up with the name Lump, but can command a wolfpack, a panther and a polar bear -Bloodraven; doing this is the only reason he's still alive -Speculation: Robert Arryn complains of hearing voices and suffers seizures, particularly near the weirwood throne; the castle maester (resident doctor/literate) treats him with the same drugs as Maester Luwin gives Bran George R.R. Martin has created two House Vances in his story so I don't think this is too surprising.

[@MRCKify]

Also consider older martyr/self-sacrifice stories: Odin makes a sacrifice of himself to himself to gain magic and plucks out his own eye to drink from Mimir's Well of Knowledge. Jesus' on the cross... need more be said.

[@geeka1331]

I actually always see telekinesis as an act of control over our environment rather then being about interconnectedness. I think the portrayal of it in media is playing our increasing desire to control our physical surroundings. Matilda can't control anything in her life which I think is why her ultimate solution is telekenetic powers. Characters with telekenetic powers often have such a fear or risk of losing control because that is their central theme of their ability. Really any power can be a big problem if you lose control of it, but telekenetics are more focused on that control to begin with.

[@neohenry8292]

For me, "the fear of losing control" is not the lose of their ability, though this is another way of interpreting it! The fear stems from transforming from a person who uses their power for prosocial behaviors to a person who use their powers for antisocial behaviors. Prosocial behaviors are "social behavior that "benefit[s] other people or society as a whole such as helping, sharing, donating, co-operating, and volunteering" whereby antisocial behaviors are "actions that harm or lack consideration for the well-being of others. Many people also label behaviour which is deemed contrary to prevailing norms for social conduct as anti-social behaviour." We, human beings and other animals, don't do violence without good reasons; in fact, violence is one way of controlling people and the environment like telekinesis. However, for characters with telekinesis, their psychological makeup will predispose them to do harm. Therefore, one of the allegorical themes of telekinesis is the exploration of how people turn from prosocial to antisocial.

[@seramorn]

The line about Matilda can't control anything in her life is a good one. I think you could apply that to most Telekinetics in fiction. Eleven, Luke, Carrie, the kid from Chronicle and David are all stuck in their restricted environment and feel powerless against authoritarian figures.

[@MRCKify]

One aspect about book Matilda that's skipped in the movie is that once Matilda's promoted by several grades, she finds that she can't use telekinesis anymore. She and Ms. Honey speculate that her mind is sufficiently challenged and that telekinesis is her brain's second-most preferred method of brainpower.

[@danalarson9533]

This is me using the power of my mind to alter the reality of the comments section.

[@megazaider1051]

Strategy your mind is weak!

[@CyricV]

Be careful not to lose control.

[@danalarson9533]

It's a constant struggle... at any time I could mix up "your" and "you're" and that would be catastrophic.

[@joroc]

This is me saying no one is reading that shit

[@Noms_Chompsky]

This is me reading that shit Jonas Rocha wrote

[@hunterofmonsterss]

No mention of the movie "Chronicle"? I feel like that was a very good movie that had an interesting take on Telekinesis.

[@kayleighc3159]

hunterofmonsterss it definitely dealt with loss of control, thats for sure

[@emessar]

I thought of that movie as well! It might just not be popular enough to be included. It's reasonable to want to use the examples that are most commonly known to make the discussion more accessible to the general audience.

[@RobertAdoniasCostaGomes]

maybe he didn't mention it because Chronicle uses an external source (the glowing rock) and the characters are anything but empathic, but I agree it is good pick to discuss control or lack there of... I, however, would argue that Andrew never had control of any aspect of his life at any point of the movie and his lack of control over his powers are just a manifestation for a desire of control over those who opress him... so, it feels more like a case of what might a disenfranchised person do if they channel all of their frustations toward a newly received power than an actual struggle between having power and doing the right thing...

[@nosuchthing8]

hunterofmonsterss yes, good point.

[@NeroLeMorte]

yeah chronicle, push and akira

[@skyw87]

Lol, editor good job on the floating thingy next to the lamp at @2:16

[@forthwalled]

The internet is often criticized as being a great interconnecting network that nevertheless fosters isolated personalities so if anything it becomes an even better fit for the telekinetic allegory. Great video, thanks again

[@Octa95]

I'm loving this channel! As an Argentinean, I notice that you usually mention Borges in your videos. So I wanted to ask: how do you discover him? What was your first approach to a Borges' work? That's a story that I'm really curious about. Cheers from Argentina!

[@pbsideachannel]

My introduction to Borges was actually his poetry! We had to memorize poems for a class in high school, and I wanted to pick a book no one else had. I went to the library and found his collected poetry. I think the one I memorized was Anticipation of Love? Maybe a little inappropriate now that I think back on it... After that I made my way through most of his other works on my own time. Eventually I took a class in college where we spent a while on his work (I think it was a Weird Fiction class? that was a while ago). That cemented my love of his writing, definitely.

[@cgmaister1]

First: Mike your show is great I'm a big fan from Colombia, the ideas proposed in your videos are absolutely awesome. Second: I think that the rise of the telekinetic power in sci fi is linked to the fact that we as human beings want to feel we have control and power over ours lives, because of that the appeal of this power comes from the fact that it proposes the idea that everyone can achieve this level of power by training your mind or via some greater and external force, even a inside force. I don't know I think we all want to feel important, but as you can see in Mob Psycho 100, even if you have this great abilities it won't make you important or famous, only discipline and hard work will get you the power you seek.

[@milohobo9186]

I believe that telekinesis has surged, especially with the dressings of characters that feel alone and confused, has more to do with our desire to regain control in a world that feels more and more out of our control. We feel powerless to control the political landscape, the extreme weather events, economic depression, and resource driven wars and latch onto characters that can not only sympathize with that very real feeling, but can exert control and make changes to his or her world. With this comes a kind of fear of messing things up worse than they were before because we've lived with a feeling of powerlessness for so long. But that is just my opinion.

[@MaraK_dialmformara]

The idea of doing things on the internet being like telekinesis ties in well with your recent episode on the speed of money. Not only can we move money faster now, we can do it from far away, and that's one way we use our minds (mediated by the internet) to affect people and events at a distance from us.

[@Desimcd]

I wish you still made these 😭 idea channel was the best

[@Jaggemonkey]

The general theme of actions and consequence relating to telekinesis kind of reminds me of the Stranger. The Stranger I think explores among other things the implicit horror that you might take an extreme action that even you, the doer of that action, don't see coming and still have to live with the consequences. The stranger explores that idea in a realistic context by giving us a character who, despite narrating in the first person, is seemingly incapable of deep self reflection, (perhaps due to mental illness) and is therefore unknowable to the reader and himself. I imagine we all to some degree fear we have some unknowable side of our own selves capable of taking over at anytime and effecting the world. Telekinesis manifests that unknowable aspect into a supernatural force. Usually it can be tamed but doing so requires a process of mental and usually spiritual discipline similar to therapy or study with a guru. To master telepathy is to master oneself, and to know oneself entirely.

[@patrickgarvey5739]

Peter Stanchek in Harbinger from Valiant comics is another prime example of this character that most people wouldn't know of.

[@cooperdoyle95]

You should check out the YA novel Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti. None of the characters really have telekinesis, but all save one are built around interpersonal connections in some way. One character's power is to harness and direct attention, another one's power is to be ignored and even forgotten. There's a blind girl who can see through other people's eyes. Another character's power is channeling the energy of a crowd. It's all really interesting to see these powers that are very much based not around enhanced individual, physical action, but rather centered on social interactions between people.

[@MooseHowl]

2:05 Mike, that was amazing! It's like I was literally hearing your voice, in my head. Are you an Avenger yet? You should be.

[@TheHyBriD3I6]

pls...chronicles? did you ever?

[@Faustobellissimo]

I think that: - telekinesis is a symbolic way to assert a philosophical stance, a stance contrary to determinism and necessitarianism. The message is that human consciousness is able to break the chain of causality by sheer willpower. - telepathy is a symbolic way to believe that our own consciousness is able to affect and influence other people's consciousness. It's pretty clear in the character od Apocalypse: in order to finally control the whole world he needs Xavier's telepathy. While Xavier is ideologically contrary to using his own power to annihilate other people's individual self, Apocalypse wouldn't think twice about it.

[@argonaut999]

great vid as always. the shift from "telekinesis as other" to "telekinesis as self" could also be interpreted as "telekinesis in a Discipline society" to "telekinesis in a Control society". in the old model of telekinesis, the supernatural outside force is responsible for the danger - in the new model, telekinesis's dangers are privatised, individualised - "human nature". reminds me of Mark Fisher on the depoliticisation of mentall illness.

[@thecheezycracker]

I think drawing a difference between telekinesis and interconnected technology is that telekinetics feel isolated and the internet is connected is a disservice. The two are actually very similar in regard to isolation. The internet may have the potential to connect and bring us closer, but often it can make one feel more isolated. In that regard the powerful telekinetic may be more like the home-dwelling computer geek than originally postured. They are both connected to "everything-ness" on some level, but that connection creates a feeling of disconnect between their more immediate fellows.

[@전에녹]

Great video and great insight into telekinetic in modern media about how it shows an allegory that sense of self-control is required. As mentioned, regardless of one having such powers or not, uncontrolled emotions/ideas may results in hurting others. It's just seems more obvious when we have telekinetic to shows physical effects. Funny thing I noticed, the house in the background just levitates randomly in this video (2:23)

[@Kittywitchthesecond]

I feel that describing poltergeist activity as "ghosts moving things around, sometimes blamed on humans" glosses over how connected it is to this subject. While many poltergeist films (for example, Poltergeist) present poltergeist activity as angry dead people moving things around. This makes sense in that the word literally means "noisy spirit". However, the word "geist" can also be translated as "spirit" or " emotion", as it is used in the word "zeitgeist", the spirit or feeling of an age. And this is relevant to a second explanation for poltergeist activity which I think you were almost getting at for a moment. In the second model of poltergeist activity, the objects moving around and loud noises are subconscious telekinetic powers moving things around more or less at random. This is why poltergeist activity tends to centre around a single person, often but not always a young girl. The theory goes on suggest people feeling powerless can subconsciously be lashing out in the only way they are able, which is why it is most associated with children, people in early puberty, and girls, especially if they are being abused. This theory also brings in why poltergeist activity seems to happen more often at night, if the person creating it is asleep, more of their mind is able to focus on knocking things over and generally being a ruckus. If we accept both types as options then the second option is definitely pertinent to this conversation. I understand that this was not Fort's theory, which is what you were sharing, but I feel it is one that cannot be ignored if poltergeists are being brought up in conversations about telekinesis.

[@teavis2762]

I think that telekinetics being people who are isolated still fits the bill. Taking your allegory of these people doing things online, It could represent a fear of people being too interconnected with the internet and their online communities meaning that they lose connection to things in real life. Since, as you stated, most telekinetics are also empaths, able to feel the emotions of other beings or things around them. This could be like how some people feel real emotional connections to those they find online in internet communities. This could relate back to the isolation because stereotypically, people with online communities that they're attached to do not have a large social circle outside of the internet. On a slightly different note, telekinetics might reflect the social ineptness of said people who do have those online connections. When telekinetics affect something in the real world, they usually do it in a round about, and more difficult way. They don't show their powers to most people, only to those they trust a lot. The actions that these telekinetics take can reflect people who feel they're socially awkward. The things they do are normal people things, but it is more difficult for them to do. They feel inept and shut themselves out of society, thinking more about their feelings with other people that won't see their social flaws. When they finally do meet people that they can trust, they don't feel they have to hold back anymore.

[@half_pixel]

2:15 I like that little background touch ;)

[@JamesWWare]

Your thoughts remind me a lot of some of the theories of Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan theorized that all technology extends some physical faculty (the car extends the foot, clothes the skin, television the eye, etc.) He dreamed of a world very much like our own where we were connected by electronic communication. He believed that this would be an extension of the mind, making us discarnated (bodiless) beings. I can see telekinesis (the literal extension of the mind) closely paralleling some of these theories.

[@Viatoreptil]

Thanks for sharing about the book, Telek. Also, I think Chronicle is by far the up in the ranks with Akria and Stranger Things. As for allegories, current technology certainly gets us closer to telekinesis = via techno-telekinesis. Just look at advances in brain-computer interface, with paraplegic patients being able to control a mouse cursor on the screen or a robot arm. I think one of the most realistic takes of telekinesis is the villain in Disney's "Big Hero 6." I think of telekinesis (or the increasing frequency of it) as a way to fictionally cope with being "overwhelmed" by modern society. Never in any other time in history are we so connected with the news worldwide. You grow up as a decent human being with a healthy sense of empathy and when you see different world turmoils happening,you feel powerless as your actions are limited within the reach of your physical body. I see the connection between telekinesis and the internet as a way to expand your reach to do good (or neutral or evil) from your body to the computer screens on every corner of the globe. Telekinesis as a story prop or concept, I think, is a way to influence things normally out of reach. Even in a more local perspective (just thinking about yourself), in the society of today's developed countries you feel like you never have enough time to do things. Telekinesis (at least the efficiency of its use in many series) seems like a great solution to improve multitasking. Feel like your only way to travel freely is to paradoxically be chained to your car on the road, along with its regular payments and insurance. Just fly on your on terms and override the traffic and tolls. Is your 9-5 work life in the big city suffocating you? With telekinesis, you can fly/float above the heights of the tallest buildings to escape the surrounding hustle and bustle and get a refreshing glimpse of sunset that was block by surrounding infrastructure. As for losing control, or the fear of it, I'm going to need time for another post, but I think it was nicely explained in the vid.

[@angrypirate1094]

I've been wondering for weeks why telepathy and tekenicy were so often connected, great video!

[@pedroscoponi4905]

Quick nitpick - Sylas' power wasn't really telekinesis! He had the ability to understand mechanisms, no matter how complex, by simply looking at them directly. That's why he keeps opening up people's heads. He learns to use people's powers by learning how they do it. ... What? I think it's pretty cool. :C

[@zyklqrswx]

Taking the supernatural (or just "super") as an allegory for the unnatural or artificial, telekinesis is an artificial form of control over one's environment, something which is one of humanity's defining practices. The danger comes when that level of control threatens that environment, thus it is important to maintain a mental equilibrium when dealing with such awesome power, a struggle that is beautifully illustrated by the emotional plight of the telepath or empath. The key to maintaining this equilibrium lies in a respect for the interconnectedness of all things, and remembering that with great power comes great responsibility. By contrast we often see villainous telekinetics fall victim to their own hubris, destroyed by the environment they so freely manipulate with no regard for the consequences of their use of such unnatural power. Looking at it in this way, we see that telekinesis makes a great analogue for humanity's ability to artificially manipulate our environment using technology, warning us that we must keep a level head and respect the world we live on, or else risk destroying ourselves along with it.

[@BurnBluefireK]

While not a western example, Mob Psycho 100 is an excellent modern series exploring the consequences of strong telekinetic powers linked to emotions. Especially the loss of control aspects as that is the primary fear the main character has about himself, and it's what has caused him to form an extremely emotionally repressed personality.

[@AbiSaad]

Sylarrrr!omg he's one of the most scary villains I've seen but I always forget his existence XD

[@almightytreegod]

Gotta mention Serial Experiments Lain...it's not specifically telekinesis, but it's more on the nose of this idea.

[@KristofDE]

A Shadowrun t-shirt? I'm envious!

[@henrikv8211]

Telepathy and telekinesis are more often mutually exclusive as the former is dependent upon empathic confluence and the latter absent such. A likely subtext could be practical conflicts between humanism and sociopathy that elderly philosophers are likely to struggle with so of course a teenager is basically screwed.

[@penguindrummaster]

I think that telekinesis is something even more historical than proposed, and can be linked to advances in military technology. Magic (sorcery, as mentioned) has been featured in story-telling since before it was written, and one could make an argument for this being linked to the fear of an unknown death. Many older forms of magic required laying of hands, or some sort of physical touch. After the advances to long-range weaponry, the likes of bows and catapults, we see a shift to the idea of someone being able to reach out with their minds and inflict upon someone a force. To the point of the question, why is telekinesis so prominent in modern literature and film, I'd propose the dawn of the nuclear age, and the development of ICBM's that can be fired at a moment's notice with disastrous results. This timing coincides with the suggested shift happening from the late 50's to the 70's, which would arguably be during the height of nuclear tensions. Since then, many of the telekinetic themes have shifted to lone wolf archetypes, which one could make the argument that they represent our current climate of terrorism, in which a single individual could be a deliverer of compact high explosives, which would be observed similarly to a loss of control.

[@simpulacra2]

I think also the conversation of AI influences the conversation of what we are. In particular, what makes our brains function the way they do and how that can be exploited

[@solarblitzX]

I feel like Telekinesis indulges our needs to exert power when we feel powerless. The depiction of telekinesis between the three protagonists in Chronicle is a good depiction of why some people need it more than others. It's a shame the film was not mentioned in this week's video.

[@Erika-gn1tv]

If you think about it, telepathy is really just a variant of telekinesis since what you're doing is changing the brain-state of another person or otherwise present them with a physical sensation.

[@hellothere4858]

one of the great anime of the 21st century shin sekai yori really captures this theme very well, both on an individual level and also of the level of the relation of these powers to power dynamics within a society. spoiler people in this society can lose control of the telekenetic powers and the thoughts begin to poison the world and begin to warp it. but at the same time the character's whose journey to this lost of control begins with curiosity and a desire to know ( and also the questioning of the reality around him) and descend as he in way began to become more understanding of the world as he loses more control and its depicted as him being overloaded by the world. he made this connection between these powers and human capabilities more explicit when he argued that the powers are dangerous because they byapassed the flesh and allowed for the almost ethereal mind to take over the roles and faculties that was once performed by the body , from needed to move things with their body, to warping the world with their creativity and actions and also to observe the world with their eyes; which was partly depicted by how the people who lose control seem to exhibit psychometric powers as their symptoms developed more.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

Have you read/watch the novel/its anime adaptation Shin Sekai Yori/From The New World? It takes the idea of coming-of-age telekinesis, and runs with it, for 1000 years to be exact. The story takes place in 300x, in an utopian rural community of TKs, where people make use of their powers to perform tasks in daily lives. But as the story progresses it uncovers the same thing with "loss of control", only this time it's subconscious and has collectively widespread impact on the environment. My opinion writing might be disservice of this great story, but it offers a futuristic pov of the TK theme, rather than the contemporary settings of every other TK stories.

[@quailsinspace]

I think it might actually have to do with the increased prevalence of mental disorders. Similar to how people may like a superhero because they see an aspect of themselves in them, a person with depression, for example, might see a character go through similar problems or have similar thoughts/concerns, and see them overcome it. Just like Batman uses his fear to make him strong, we can see telekinetics as examples of someone who had the same problems and was able to overcome it and use it to better themselves and the world around them.

[@mchapman8960]

Forbidden Planet: The Krell - technological powers with no instrumentation - rather technical terms for tech based psychokinesis. Even a more advanced and intelligent race of beings were still a evolutionary product with a subconscious mind. So, from you thesis of allegory, the story looks like a fear of self and in fact more specifically fear of the subconscious mind.

[@fruitloop4009]

It seems to me like telekinesis addresses the fear of one's internal life. People are afraid of the power of their own thoughts and feelings, and so manifesting this literally (telekinesis) allows us to process these fears and maybe attain catharsis. We're given a vessel to explore the consequences of our deep, dark, and perhaps poorly understood motivations.

[@neohenry8292]

To which people do you refer to that are afraid of the power of their own thoughts and feelings? This begs for more clarification. While making a vessel for exploration of the human psyche (a notion dated back to the Romantics, art historians observed) and catharsis is important for understanding human conditions, fictional characters with telekinesis are not totally made to guide us to understanding ourselves. They are made to resonate with us, but they are not manuals. Psychology and interpersonal communications are, however, manuals.

[@MorganGriffithDavid]

Please do an episode about "the scary letters"!

[@vibujicilemi]

The floating SX-70 is great!

[@ladysalad9501]

Real nerds use the term psychokenesis because telekenesis' definition doesn't specify how specifically an object is being moved/manipulated. Storm can move objects using air currents and Magneto can move objects with magnetic energy and if telekenesis is to move objects by thinking about it without using touch then Storm and Mageneto can be telekenetics. Psychokenesis means using psionic energy to move objects. Jean grey and Faith are psychokenetic. Psionic energy is also used by telepaths but in a different ways allowing them to read minds, broadcast thoughts and even control the nervous system. Psionic energy has also been used by other psychics like Psylocke's "psychic knife" and Emma Frosts' "mental spears" and "psychic lightning bolts".

[@PavlockProducts]

I'd love to hear your view about weather or not movie prop replicas effect the value of their respective originals. Does the existence of a hard to make replica somehow enhance the originals importance by showing that others also would consider it valuable? Or does the existence of a replica take away from the uniqueness or prestige that comes from owning the likeness of an object? I also wonder if these sort of comparisons have an altered meaning in video games. The 3D printing episode featured a video game character that was accurately represented in physical form. But I wasn't sure if the object's mere existence would inspire others to play and experience the game for themselves or if the object would somehow give the extended viewer* the dealing of already had experienced what that object had to offer. Even if showing the extended viewer* the object and having them feel satisfied enough not to want to experience the game, would taking the time to show them be worth it? Or would it be more advantageous to just hide the physical object as though it was a spoiler for what the game would have to offer? Hearing anyone else's thoughts on the subject would be cool. Leave a comment to let me know what y'all think *Extended viewer to me is the person who only experienced the physical form of the digital object Personally, I feel as though the creation of replicas adds to the value of the "real" versions by showing that people are interested and devoted enough to want to also experience the object in a personal, physical way. Thanks again

[@mkmarchmage]

I wonder if the Increase in Telekinetics has something to do with how In or out of control our society is. Many today would say it is out of control and that would increase the need to fantasize about being in control.

[@PoseidonXIII]

I always thought of telekinesis was used to illustrate our fear of the brain, because of the comfortable uncertainty it has with us not understanding it 100%. As well as the scary feeling of how is this weird fleshy round thing me and all that I am, what black magic allows it to make me me.

[@Craft2299]

Yes! I like this one. It also goes with any type of magical type of ability. A fireball from ones hand is like the perception of someone that witnessed a pyrokinesis show but believes in it. Or a fireball from ones hand could also be an allegory to just someone who is an expert with pyro tech. It is actually easy to look at these magical things this way, as an unbelievable action. A secret group could brainwash someone into doing something. That in a legendary tale could be told as a possession. However, my only question is one layer over, and that is the idea of being able to shoot fire from hands. Not as an allegory, but as a possibility. The fact that being convinced to magic being real gives ideas to actually find a way to make it real. So like in a million years, humans have transcended and they now inhabit INDIVIDUALLY on their own planets. Eventually one human with his own planet creates life that starts a cycle where now that life form will come to evolve like we do. They tell the legend of a god or many gods, tell how they created the world just like so, but it was actually super advanced technology blah blah you get the point! So like, despite telekinesis being an allegory, it in itself sparks an idea that both the faker (Magician) and the perciver (Audience) are both actually unoriginal to because it has existed, or obviously should, or something else.

[@rossd1929]

"This is the monster. His name is Anthony Fremont. He's six years old, with a cute little-boy face and blue, guileless eyes. But when those eyes look at you, you'd better start thinking happy thoughts, because the mind behind them is absolutely in charge. This is the Twilight Zone." - Very surprised this wasn't mentioned.

[@JoshuaHaveman]

Telekinesis, while dangerous, is also an opportunity for extreme agency. Far more than the most people experience on a daily basis. Very simply, it's rise in popular media could simply indicate we want more agency in our everyday lives. We want to see what it's like when people can control both themselves and their spaces more completely. In that vein, telekenisis is also a perfect picture of great power coming packaged with great responsibility. If we do have agency, in other words, if we can control everything, look how responsible we become.

[@mikececconi2677]

You're partly right, probably, but partly I think it's just about telekinesis being a Swiss Army Knife of powers (move stuff, lift stuff, bulletproofing, flight, etch) and being a fairly cheap special effect. Never underestimate the power of lazy writing and cheap producers.

[@boroxd5455]

Meaby we are overthinking this...meaby it's just cool XD

[@ben-xl7ne]

Was the mug flying off screen the start of you losing control?

[@ElectricDidact]

The mug at the end. I kept rewinding...

[@DameUtaI]

I can't account for Zul, but Pazuzu isn't a name they made up for the movie. It's an ancient Mesopotamian demon.

[@renaudbardet6699]

I just finished reading Sphere, which is, spoiler alert, exactly: people struggling to contain their awesome alien telekinetic powers when wielded by their subconscious.

[@atmankost3261]

I like the floating house in the background lol

[@atmankost3261]

Also loved the Hackers flash... Been a while since I've seen it!

[@m3grim]

5:48 Abaddon disagrees with your premise.

[@capability-snob]

except that it's another title for Jesus; in his role as destroyer of Satan's system (note that he "has the key to the abyss"). Maybe good guys always end up at the start of the alphabet, too? ^____^

[@afroking42]

Well my take on it is that telekinesis is showing up more as technology become more prevalent is that, having telekinesis is very much a parallel to being a hacker. Having absolute control of the physical medium instead of the digital. it's not too uncommon for people who don't understand technology to just treat it as a force or a type of magic. Thus, what better way to invoke these same feelings of absolute control over a thing that they equate to magic as to show it as someone with tk abilities.

[@Gagneto]

you did an episode on everything interconnected and now this close it with an episode on ghost in the shell's ideia of being one self

[@joebazooks]

2:20 thing floated in the background :)

[@capn4045]

The obvious answer is it's an allegory for many things. But I think the common thread you're looking for is transhumanism. People are increasingly aware that humanity still has room to evolve or become better, are clever enough to figure out how, and PK is a novel means of representing humanity's greatest evolutionary advantage: the mind. PK answers questions about how humans might evolve in a versatile, interesting way, and is a natural companion to humanity's impressive accomplishments through technology (products of brain, not brawn). It's why cyberpunk is becoming more popular. But PK explores the same idea through a biological or spiritual means rather than engineering.

[@Biscuitsdefortune]

In the enumeration about the impact of "the Internet", you missed online harassment or how some comment (or comments, delivered by a group of people, concerted or not) can lead to devastating consequences to people on the receiving side (including suicide, it doesn't go a year in Canada without hearing about it). I think it fits perfectly with the telekinesis theory.

[@Ronenlahat]

Telepaths are loners in movies but the internet is full of people, however all those people *fell* loners and not understood, like their movie counterparts.

[@renatoe9648]

Telekinesis could come from a lack of or nead to control one's environment or others, a responce to a feeling of powerlessness about the character or what it represents. Carrie had no control over her life, Luke was stuck in the moisture farm and saved by the force, David Haller doesn't even control his own mind. You could even include Lucy from elfen lied (not telekinesis but close enough) lost herself by trauma and of loss of power by being locked in crazy lab for many years so powers lash out at everything with no control

[@missraaae]

On the point of telekinetic actors, particularly children and young people, working through their loneliness, I think that has a pretty clear link with technology. It's often asserted by older people who aren't involved with online communities that technology isolates, that it's not the 'real world', and that kids should spend time with 'real' people. There's a bit of a moral panic around the way that young people use technology to communicate as opposed to going out and playing in the street, like the good old days. If that were the case, there are definitely parallels between these young people using telekinesis or tech. They are dismissed as disengaged, dangerous and out of control when people misunderstand or ignore the empowerment and connectiveness that young people feel when they use technology. There is also an increasing number of storylines around external agents trying to manipulate or control young people who have telekinesis (whether by imprisonment, government experiments, etc) which I think illustrates the frustration and depression young people can feel when adults try to 'step in' and limit tech usage.

[@almightytreegod]

Holly Rae I'm not sure if I would go with the parent/child thing on this (or older/younger generation comparisons), but you make a great point about the idea of isolation being in the context of physical existence. Not only can it appear that someone engrossed in technology is lonely, but it's often true, even of users of social media. However, I think the allegory probably leans more towards the physical observation in this case.

[@missraaae]

Long Island High thanks! I work with young people digitally, so I think I just see everything through that lens!

[@AlexandriaBrusky]

I'm noticing that no one noticed the floating decoration at around 2:16-2:27

[@Raakhushili]

I have always been a huge fan of psionics and mind powers in media but I've always seen it more like fear of our developed knowledge of everything rather than a metaphor of our crescent power as individuals. Since mind-powers work by understanding most of the time (you have to understand the Force, yourself, the Matrix, achieve the 100% of your brain...), I think the increase number of psionic users in media is because we see ourselves as a big group of people capable of understanding anything, at any time, but whose parts are always fighting one another. So, I think we are afraid of what could happen if someone gets to understand more than the rest and before the rest of the group. Like the atomic bomb, which only but a few with the knowledge and the materials can build and use (with catastrophic effects if done). That would explain, in my opinion, why always psychics "spurt from nowhere", as people isolated that suddenly grow mind-powers or as people "created" to have them inside a laboratory: we are afraid of "uncontrolled understanding", after seeing how brilliant and harmless theories by a phycisist can turn into a killing bomb. Of course, this only adds more to the internet idea exposed in the video, I'm not denying it at all

[@catherine_404]

I don't think it would be best to explain that and lots of other tropes we use in different times. How we​ apply them, what do they look like, difference, context. I believe it's more about a diagnosis we can give our society noticing these indicators. For example, poltergeists indicated fear of external world, while telekinesis from the inside indicates how we feel close to being godly powerful and being able to break surrounding world. That was just on the surface, an example, I don't insist it's like that. Or these may be two schizophrenic-like attitudes that were and are more adaptive than they were. Or more wide-spread.

[@LynnLeFey1]

I hate to break it down outside of the main topic, but the use of TK in modern fiction doesn't come from some deep allegory, so much as lack of creativity and the rehashing of older material. X-Men have been around since the late 60s. Stranger Things is largely an homage to Stephen King's horror, ala Carrie, the Shining, and Firestarter. The notion that the source of the ability is external has been all but eliminated, with the exception of the endless string of Catholic Priest vs. Possession horror movies. As an even BIGGER meta explanation, TK is a REALLY inexpensive 'superpower', as far as visual effects cost in your show's budget. Hide or erase the strings, or something similar. Sometimes it gets more elaborate, but doesn't really need to. I seem to recall that one extraordinary moment of unexpected power was a character in 'Babylon 5' demonstrating the power to slide a coin across a table. It wasn't the visual effect, it was what the act implied that carried the impact. Sorry if I don't see much of a deeper meaning.

[@LNSS_v]

Foundation predates Carrie and already had telekinesis and telepathy as an extension of the mind.

[@robertojaramillo9945]

I think it's the interconnectivity of individuals that leads the rise of a radical individualism. The more a collective furthers it's inclusivity the more an individual wants to stand out against the generic. Even though people are social animals and inherently desire to belong to something greater than themselves or a belief in that, social conflict theory proposes an inequality when talking about an individual and a representation of an individual's beliefs that lead to deviance. Which I believe is what telekinesis is, the manifestation of deviance to an unjust social order and not just a struggle for identity. Namely it's a form of individualism that lashes out against the norm/ social structures that exudes unequal treatment in it's collective and remains a system that ultimately produces an outsider, a revolutionary and it's ultimate downfall ex. Luke, Neo, professor X (MLK) to some extent although magneto (Malcolm X) fits the bill better.

[@bronexakuseru1]

great work, i really enjoyed this vid

[@NarfiRef]

Asmodeus Beelzebub Chernobog Demogorgon Etrigan Fenrir Golgothan Hastur Incubus Jaraxxus Khorne Lucifer Mephistopheles

[@Shmee718]

2:17 got me

[@joroc]

What about the fact that is never used to kill by moving organs?

[@sblower9410]

Increase in telekinesis is mostly an increase in powered people in fiction (a more interesting topic) the real question is why is an overpowered ability like telekinesis is always used against normal peoples and planet busters like hulk, superman, goku, OPM all have the less impressive ability: strength.

[@sevanouir7]

look for stuff floating in the background lol

[@wesleyackerman8211]

you smashed that poor mug

[@mat5116]

I'm kinda wondering if the increase in prevalence of telekinetics has to do with the decrease in control we (in general) feel that we have in our own lives. Because of our newly increased connectedness we feel like we have less control because we are always learning about these things that happen in far away places that are outside of our realm of control. As humans we crave that control. And what better way to have control then to be able to influence the physical environment just by thinking? Humans are also just really lazy and want the remote to magically be in their hand when they desire.

[@Blabla130]

A:TLA follows this pattern as well. Also why are telekinetics so often bald? Is using the internet making us lose our hair?!

[@Boytoru1]

Why no mention of Shinsekai Yori?

[@LimeLimpidGreen]

The Old Man would never network the computers!

[@arunkanthan]

Why was there a camera moving around in the background?

[@JoshuaHillerup]

The Internet is very isolating though. I feel a lot like Xavier or whatnot when I'm online too much, because while my thoughts are close to other people, my physical self is very isolated m

[@jenniferhartshorn2391]

I've always seen this as a form of anti-intellectualism -- the fear that nerds are emotionally unstable (as you state at the end -- they're usually loners, social outcasts, etc.), can do things normal people have no defense against, and they're doing it with their big noggins. People with big brains can be allies, even heroes...but you've got to watch them because they can always turn on you. In many SF/genre shows, the most brainy character (Willow, Daniel Jackson, Gaius Baltar) also pose the greatest danger to the other main characters, and they're the most corruptable (Dark Willow, Dark Phoenix, etc.). I don't think that's incompatible with what's being said in the video; if anything it's complimentary. But I think one reason you can see it gaining traction is the increasing polarization in this country (and many others), the mistrust of "experts" and "facts", etc. The attraction/fear of TK is that you don't have to be physically strong to toss a car or force choke a person. With TK, the geek can beat the jock at his own game. In an era when anti intellectualism is at an all time high, is it any wonder we're afraid of a psychic "revenge of the nerds" scenario?

[@WilliamLevasseur]

Telekinetic is the ultimate power fantasy. Both tool and weapon. It's the sonic screwdriver and an AK-47, but you can't take it away, because it's inside the user. I believe we are seeing a lot of it because it's an easy way of empowering a protagonist without resorting to muscles (too old school?). When exploring themes of power (and control over ones own power) it works as an effective metaphor, because power is also often intangible. It's also a great way of giving physical manifestation to a character's emotions, for extra catharsis points. I didn't really catch onto your allegory theory. In my opinion, we're just seeing more telekinetics is fantasy because it's a potent storytelling tool. Period! And even though it has no foundation in science or plausibility, there is an automatic suspension of disbelief from the audience when it comes to telekinetics, for some reason. "So you where given an experimental drug and you can now move stuff with your mind? Yeah! That makes sense!" You should do an episode about "suspension of disbelief" and why some contemporary tropes are in vogue while others go out of fashion...

[@mausmalone]

Here's a really uninspired theory: Maybe we're getting more telekinetics in movies and TV because rendering a floating object and removing wires from actors in harnesses are now a trivially cheap effects.

[@SupLuiKir]

Because actions have consequences.

[@renatoe9648]

but is a "power" still a "power" if it can be explained and everyone can do it ?

[@piciaxel]

what about the technology introducing more and more eastern influences in the world we live in (i think the flying swords in the martial stories were the first telekinetic "incident" and from there comes the control theme associated) it is slowly starting to change it's meaning, but that may be only because some increased open mindedness

[@GenericKen000]

11:10 - the internet isn't intensely isolating?

[@LyraFay12]

Ha I'm writing a story about a telepath whose already lost her control and is stuck in it. Hmmm is that going to be where those type of stories move next. I'm surprised you didn't mention Raven or Terra from teen titans when you listed off superheroes with telepathy like abilities.

[@EverSoJoe]

NOOOOOOO MUG! I LOVED YOU SO MUCH!

[@ConradW]

I doubt I'm the only person to suggest this: this is an externalisation of our own perceived impotence. I can play music I have never heard of before and find the millionth digit of pi, but I can't understand why my marriage is failing or do anything to fix it. I can record everything I see and hear, but I can't change anything more than I can lift. It's like driving a rocket powered tank but you can't reach the controls, use the pedals, and see where you're going at the same time.

[@keeganpatrick1263]

Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the Matrix has such great relevance to this (although not really telekinetic) due to it having such technological themes. However you could look at telekinesis in the matrix as connected to information. The rebels are only able to achieve impossible feats in the matrix with the knowledge that it isn't real. Along side this the system set up by the machines only works if mankind is unaware of this information. I think this draws some nice parallel to information in the digital age, with power given to and stemming from data, in almost any sense from experience to say hack-able information like credit card numbers and passwords. Possibly this could also be strengthened by the common link between telekinesis and intelligence. Interestingly it also brings up a new fear of ignorance, as in ignorance to compromised data. solarblitzX pointed out that there are often cases of people having telekinetic powers who seem unempowered. This seems rather fitting for this argument due to the difficulty of detecting compromised data, and how the power gained from this is not physically visible. I wonder if there are any other stories where this comparison fits nicely?