Ep7 Positive Cinematic Spotlight ep. 3 - The Skynet Fallacy - a podcast by Academy for Success

*Be aware, like any movie production of a written work, there are differences between the text and video. The theme and overall message is the same. The text is presented smoother, more polished, and has more information.*



Welcome back, Wolf Pack, to another Positive Cinematic Spotlight! One of the things that I like to remind myself, when things seem to not be going the way I would prefer, is that things could be worse. Even if it’s not a conscious reminder, it seems that many of us are comforted by that thought because we love post apocalyptic tales of harrowing adventure and survival against all odds. This week we are looking back to arguably the pinnacle era of B-Movie sci-fi, the 1980s, to look at the positivity of The Terminator.


The Terminator was an early film for many Hollywood stars, so it’s easy to see how giving people a shot, looking past apparent limitations can lead to resounding success. After all, James Cameron, director of 2 of the highest grossing films of all time, had just been fired from… wait for it… Piranha II. Swarzenegger had only one real role under his acting belt as Conan the Barbarian and was considered, by both Director Cameron and co-star Michael Biehn, to be just a muscle man pretending to act. An inexperienced writer and director fired from his first major movie job and Mr. Universe with little acting experience were able to work with two young, minimally successful actors to turn what many expected to be just another mediocre-at-best science fiction B-movie into one of the most acclaimed movies of all time. Yes, from that we can learn to give people a chance to prove their capabilities.


And from the plot, Sarah Connor, a 19 year old waitress with boyfriend troubles, finds herself the target of a cybernetic assassin from the post apocalyptic future, can inspire us to remember that, even when we are subject to forces beyond our understanding and control, we can find unknown strength to persevere.


But what is ringing in my ears, figuratively speaking, is what I call the Skynet Fallacy. Skynet is the artificial intelligence which leads to the apocalypse, develops the terminators and other weapons to eliminate surviving humans, and sends the T-800, played by Arnold Swartzenegger, into the past to prevent the birth of John Connor, the organizer of the resistance. Skynet, in 2029, has determined it is losing against the human resistance and turns its focus on the past to solve its current dilemma. In doing so, Skynet commits a fallacy.


Even with time travel, in The Terminator universe, Skynet’s solution involves trying to affect things which have happened and in doing so removes itself from influencing the outcome of its own present concern. By focusing on the past, it fails to adjust to its present and adapting.


Even without time travel, we can find ourselves focused on the past, rather than dealing with the present. We ask, “Why are things this way?” which is a fair question. Understanding the past can help us plan for the present and future. But then we ask, “Why not” and “Why didn’t they”. We sometimes assign blame. We judge the decisions made. But none of this helps us deal with the situation as it is. We can learn from Skynet that we should focus on the present situation and the solutions for the problems as they exist.


Sometimes, with teachers, we can fall into the other problem: focusing on what was positive in the past and determining that it should be beneficial this year as well. If it worked before, by all means use it again. Just, be sure to assess its efficacy with your current class and adjust if it’s not working as well this go round.


Remember, learn from mistakes, don’t focus on them. Paying more attention to the past keeps us from affecting the present, and that’s where out students are.


Thank you for all that you do and for being the best.

Further episodes of AFS Wolf Den

Further podcasts by Academy for Success

Website of Academy for Success