Author: dukovacevic

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I’ve always wondered what the appeal is in the zombie apocalypse. I think beyond the horror, action, thriller, and drama, we watch it as a kind of way to vicariously experience anarchy. I believe that somewhere within, every person enjoys the idea of breaking rules, no matter how small or meaningless. Think about it, going to Chipotle for the thousandth time, you must have been tempted to pour root beer in a water cup – maybe you did (you criminal). But regardless, in the rigid world of protocol we live in today, I feel that everyone experiences moments where they simply want to break away. I imagine these little (or sometimes larger) moments of temptation manifest themselves in the form of brief fantasies, where in the world of our imagination, we can break all rules. It’s one of those moments where you say to yourself “How funny/fun/entertaining/crazy would it be if I/someone –“(did something really inappropriate (don’t get any ideas).

I feel that the huge obscure appeal of the zombie apocalypse is the manifestation of these fantasies in one continuous narrative. It’s like putting together all these moments that tempt us, and releasing them into one coherent scenario. Basically, anarchy, without any guilt, because the fault is always that of the “other” (the zombies). Anarchy usually (and rightfully I guess) feels wrong, so when the blame is not on any one person, but a legion of monsters, then everything is justified, and one can go crazy breaking every rule that once used to exist.

I’m sure everyone loves those scenes when characters finally make it to a supermarket, or some kind of storage with food and supplies. It’s like every consumer’s dream come true, running (away) through isles and isles of free things. Consume as much as you want, with no repercussion, it’s finally okay to steal (lol). By virtue of still being alive in the zombie apocalypse, you have earned the right to everything you can get your hands on.

You can imagine how this extends beyond consumerism to every basic instinct we have as humans. Instincts for violence, romance, anything really. The zombie apocalypse is the perfect place for the real “you” to surface, without any negative feedback, everything is allowed. It’s like truly being naked, or something.

 

Peace,
Duka

In Black Mirror we witnessed an episode that fired up our imagination to its limit, mostly because we consider the science behind the episode to be in the relative future. Martha and Ash were a somewhat generic married couple until the day that Ash died in the tragic car accident. On the day of the funeral, one of Martha’s friends told her that she could diminish her pain and suffering through the use of some new software. The software collects all the data that a person ever published online. The sources online include social media, and mostly public information, but then a more personal source which includes emails. At first Martha’s reaction to the suggestion was very negative (to say the least), but only within a couple of days of dealing with the grief of her husband’s death, she found out she was pregnant and succumbed to the temptation of speaking to her husband again. Her decision to use the software led her to live a life along the boundary of the real and digital world.  The software goes through three upgrades, from a kind of chatbot, to a voice chatbot, to a full-blown faux body with Ash’s memories and behavioral patterns. At first, Martha welcomed the new Ash, who was much like the old Ash. As time went by however, Martha began to realize the lack of details that were unique to Ash that the new Ash lacked. She comes to face reality once again, Ash is never coming back, and nothing can replace him.

I found it very intriguing that Martha missed the negative aspects of Ash’s personality which would cause arguments and tension in the relationship, which speaks to the fact that positive without negative is not really positive any more. It is evident through the show, but through common sense as well, that when one has complete control over another’s free will, then a relationship cannot exist. I’ve come to a conclusion, both after watching the show and after thinking on my own, that we will never be able to create a conscious creature. It seems that divine intervention is the only way consciousness will ever be recreated, in the case that it would be.

Peace,
Duka