The Theme Park as Simulation of American Rape Culture: #MeToo and the Problem of Justice in HBO’s Westworld

Abstract

Drawing on Jean Baudrillard’s theorizing of the theme park, this study recognizes the TV show Westworld (2016-2022) as a simulation of contemporary America with intriguing questions about rape culture and justice in a post-#MeToo moment? In seasons 1 and 2, android characters like Dolores (Evan Rachael Wood), Maeve (Thandiwe Newton), and Akecheta (Zahn McClarnon) are violated but rebel against sexist and racist programing, and the “Man in Black” represents the violating nature of the stereotypical, Western hero. The principles of the Old West, like benevolent violence, are reflected in a TV industry where the actors of Westworld document their own violation in #MeToo artifacts, such Wood’s documenting of abuse in Phoenix Rising (2022), and interviews with Newton. In thinking about justice, Westworld falters, because it frames redress only in terms of further violence and revenge. Wood and Newton, however, represent the prevention of future violence, offering a possibility of justice.