Red pill and blue pill
Metaphor for a choice of truth or illusion
Summary
The red pill and blue pill are metaphorical terms representing a choice between learning an unsettling or life-changing truth by taking the red pill or remaining in the unquestioned experience of an illusion appearing as ordinary reality with the blue pill. The pills were used as props in the 1999 film The Matrix.
Originally created by Spencerian
6/2/2005, 3:45:44 PM
Modified
5/28/2026, 3:31:09 AM
Recent revisions
Reverted 1 edit by [[Special:Contributions/TietoTeekkari|TietoTeekkari]] ([[User talk:TietoTeekkari|talk]]): [[WP:NYPOST]]
/* Popular figures in red pill communities */
Reverting possible vandalism by [[Special:Contribs/~2026-31150-45|~2026-31150-45]] to version by Sangdeboeuf. [[WP:CBFP|Report False Positive?]] Thanks, [[WP:CBNG|ClueBot NG]]. (4516907) (Bot)
/* */
/* Popular figures in red pill communities */ undergraduate [[WP:THESIS]]
miscellaneous citation formatting
/* Popular figures in red pill communities */ [[WP:RAWDATA]] – reliable, secondary sources needed to put follower counts into context
/* As a political metaphor */ Kathleen J. Tierney's 2006 essay is unrelated to later right-wing usage – mention is [[WP:UNDUE]] absent independent sources discussing it
/* As a political metaphor */ Source mentions left-wing disillusion once, connecting it with "alt-right" online discussion, not online discussion in general
/* As a political metaphor */ Non-primary source not needed when citing for opinion
/* Red pill as transgender allegory */ Punctuation
/* Red pill as transgender allegory */ Less suggestive wording, more directly summarizing the source, and added the original interview as a reference.
/* Antecedents */ Paraphrasing quote, linking to name of actor
/* In The Matrix */ Wikilink the person actually in the photo
/* In The Matrix */ [[MOS:EGG]], miscellaneous copy edits
Caption [[]]
Reverted 2 edits by [[Special:Contributions/QMQ5|QMQ5]] ([[User talk:QMQ5|talk]]): Not a scientific term in this context, source does not mention wealth
Grammar and addition
Linked to the social science article, not only an incel theory
Reverted edit by [[Special:Contribs/Greciapossiedonn|Greciapossiedonn]] ([[User talk:Greciapossiedonn|talk]]) to last version by TietoTeekkari
