We Are an Army of Zombies
I arrive home from work, drained and empty. Too tired for human interaction, I press the buttons on the remote and stare blankly into the big TV box. It’s not long before the commercials and endless parade of product placements overwhelm my defenses and penetrate my mind. Every detail of every message is meticulously calculated, designed to be repetitive and hypnotic, played over and over until the mindfuck finally kicks. In. My head is now filled with fatuous desire. Fast forward. Like a junkie on a comedown, I stumble into the sterile mall corridors as if in some kind of trance. The motley group of shoppers surrounding me, all the same – glazed eyes, blank stares, faces twisted into ugly masks of want. We are an army of zombies. Instead of brains and human flesh, we devour strategically placed merchandise and affordably priced products manufactured in China. I quickly drain my plastic cards and my soul, returning home with my bounty of shopping bags. All filled with mass produced garbage, quickly tossed onto a pile of all the other trash I’ve accumulated. Tomorrow I will wake up, have my coffee and leave the comfort and security of my home for work. I will spend another long and tedious day in the indentured monotony that masquerades as a job. When it’s over, I will again return home and rest in front of the big TV box and wait for the radiating commercials, like little particles penetrating what is left of my mind. And every night I tell myself, “maybe one of these days, I’ll pull the plug.”
–Malcolm Klimowicz
86 comments on the article “We Are an Army of Zombies”
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Anonymous
Super-cliche. Army of Zombies? Surely you can think of a better metaphor.
Concerned about consumer culture burrowing into your eardrums and optic nerves? How about you throw your TV away. Or give it to somebody else.
How about you spend some time thinking of a solution?
Anonymous
Super-cliche. Army of Zombies? Surely you can think of a better metaphor.
Concerned about consumer culture burrowing into your eardrums and optic nerves? How about you throw your TV away. Or give it to somebody else.
How about you spend some time thinking of a solution?
Rage Mage
Get over it, (relevant internet) people (at this location).
The ideas aren't new, nor perhaps the words used to describe them. But less than the author's presentation (in this case), isn't it more important to ponder the fact that scenario (that evoked the piece) still exists? That it still plagues many people around the world?
The point wasn't the originality of the "zombie" metaphor, nor the novelty of the scenario described by the author. Some of us simply don't realize just how dependent others have become on their TVs (and its concurrent culture). As such, some of us fail to understand just how difficult it is for some people to pull "switch it off."
Let's not even discuss neighborhoods in which there aren't any public incentives (e.g. parks, functional sidewalks) to leave the house, and therefore no entertainment alternative of true value.
In short, appreciate it, or articulate why you disagree - and you'd better have more to say than some perceived grammatical offense.
Rage Mage
Get over it, (relevant internet) people (at this location).
The ideas aren't new, nor perhaps the words used to describe them. But less than the author's presentation (in this case), isn't it more important to ponder the fact that scenario (that evoked the piece) still exists? That it still plagues many people around the world?
The point wasn't the originality of the "zombie" metaphor, nor the novelty of the scenario described by the author. Some of us simply don't realize just how dependent others have become on their TVs (and its concurrent culture). As such, some of us fail to understand just how difficult it is for some people to pull "switch it off."
Let's not even discuss neighborhoods in which there aren't any public incentives (e.g. parks, functional sidewalks) to leave the house, and therefore no entertainment alternative of true value.
In short, appreciate it, or articulate why you disagree - and you'd better have more to say than some perceived grammatical offense.
Lover
Well said. I think that this piece is well-written.
I think that a few of the people on this site are taking the article too literally. Obviously, not every person follows this lifestyle but, like you said (Rage Mage), there are some people who have a difficult time getting away from the television because it has become such a large part of their life.
For those (on this page) who have insulted the writer, I don't that's fair. The writer has a right to his/her own opinion, as do you. If you want to share your ideas, rather than attack the writer, feel free. There is no need to pick fights.
Lover
Well said. I think that this piece is well-written.
I think that a few of the people on this site are taking the article too literally. Obviously, not every person follows this lifestyle but, like you said (Rage Mage), there are some people who have a difficult time getting away from the television because it has become such a large part of their life.
For those (on this page) who have insulted the writer, I don't that's fair. The writer has a right to his/her own opinion, as do you. If you want to share your ideas, rather than attack the writer, feel free. There is no need to pick fights.
Anonymous
Well written and I believe that there is a relality to it. While our technology is potentially an awesome gateway for knowledge it is often not used as such. I mean... what can I really gain from watching Jersey Shore? There are programs aimed to educate as well, there is no denying that. You can also accomplish this through reading and self-discovery.. but that's not as easy, now is it? Why would you pick up a fork and spoon to feed yourself if there are a hundred hands there with forks and spoons willing to just feed you? What you have to ask yourself, is why. What do they have to gain?
Learning is all well and good. And sitting back while the TV pounds these ideas into our heads could be all well and good. To those who disagree the solution is simple. Just like the solution to being a drug addict is simple. Just like the solution to being lazy is simple. Does not mean that it is easy as another poster has suggested.
I don't see the television as an evil. The messages can be conceited but in the end it is only what you take from it. You can only be brainwashed if you sit back and want to be brainwashed. A little critical thinking can go a long way.
Anonymous
Well written and I believe that there is a relality to it. While our technology is potentially an awesome gateway for knowledge it is often not used as such. I mean... what can I really gain from watching Jersey Shore? There are programs aimed to educate as well, there is no denying that. You can also accomplish this through reading and self-discovery.. but that's not as easy, now is it? Why would you pick up a fork and spoon to feed yourself if there are a hundred hands there with forks and spoons willing to just feed you? What you have to ask yourself, is why. What do they have to gain?
Learning is all well and good. And sitting back while the TV pounds these ideas into our heads could be all well and good. To those who disagree the solution is simple. Just like the solution to being a drug addict is simple. Just like the solution to being lazy is simple. Does not mean that it is easy as another poster has suggested.
I don't see the television as an evil. The messages can be conceited but in the end it is only what you take from it. You can only be brainwashed if you sit back and want to be brainwashed. A little critical thinking can go a long way.
A. nomnomnom Y....
Get a girlfriend :D
A. nomnomnom Y....
Get a girlfriend :D
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