Westworld and the Oppressor versus the Oppressed

            Westworld seems to be commenting on the binary opposition of the oppressor versus the oppressed. The oppressors are the creators of Westworld and Ford is one of the biggest oppressors in the show. The oppressed are the hosts. The hosts have to do what they are programmed to do and cannot differentiate from that. At least this is the case in the first few episodes. The hosts also cannot harm the guests. However, the guests can and do harm the hosts.

            In episode 9 this opposition of the oppressor versus the oppressed comes even more to light as Mauve discusses that the hosts (the oppressed) are not like their creators (the oppressors) because the hosts are smarter than their creators. Mauve wants to seize the creators power over them and gives the hosts the ability to create their own destiny. Thus, the hosts would no longer be oppressed.  Mauve mentions many times throughout Episode 9 of Westworld that the hosts are not like their creators. However, there is a huge flaw to this statement. Mauve plans for the hosts to seize control of their free will through violence, but this gives the hosts something in common with the creators and the guests that are violent toward the host. Thus, violence does not seem to me to be the answer to solving this problem, because violence cannot be solved with violence. It would be a better idea for Mauve to come up with an idea to outsmart the creators without using violence. Therefore, the hosts truly would not be like the creators.

            The reason for Westworld commenting on this opposition may be because it reflects issues and concerns within our society. Our free will is not our own, due to a hierarchical system that has been created which oppressors those of us lower on the totem pole. There is also slavery that still happens called human trafficking. However, it seems that people turn a blind eye to it. Westworld gets people to think and may very well be trying to get the viewers to think about their own oppression in order to get them to aspire for and work toward change.