Vitus: Vitus the Mad’s psycho-philosophical observation of the week: there are a plethora of zombie movies and tv series out now and more on the way. This genre may be popular because it is a sublimated expression of our fear that the thin veneer of civilization is about to be ripped off and reveal that humanity is a writhing mass of cruel idiots bent on consuming itself in apocaclyptic violence. Either that or it is more simply social programming by the ultra rich who are planning a depopulation crisis. I don’t watch scary movies much anymore.

Kai: I agree. The movies that came out of Japan following WWII about Godzilla, giant monsters from the deep, and heroes such as Inframan were a way of addressing the pain and fear of atomic weapons, and their impact on the Japanese culture at that time.

Daniel Dennett argues that most people don’t have a mind, let alone a soul and as such, are walking conglomerates of living tissue with only momentary true self-awareness, or for many, none at all.

Does not the majority of modern life mimic Zombie behaviour? Morning ’till night, routine without pause. A perpetual, frenzied effort to get things done that truly have no meaning. All of this compounded by a deep cultural pain through shootings in schools, movie theaters, and churches, wondering where and when it will strike next.

Yet, we continue to watch more and more violence on TV as violence increases in the real world. Perhaps we are the Zombies already, thriving on the living, undead without knowing.