Zombies are people who have succumbed to mortal sin. They are spiritually dead, devouring others in their selfish self gratification. They infect others and make more like themselves. We really are in a Zombie Apocalypse if you think about it...which will be the topic of today's post. There are a lot of zombies out there. People who have given up their free will and mindlessly follow wherever their "natural" instincts lead them. From the idea that homosexuals are unable to control their impulses (and shouldn't try) and likewise for heterosexuals who are encouraged to "just do it." I think the attempts to redefine marriage in terms of sex instead of sacrifice are part of this zombie apocalypse.
But of course zombies are only one kind of monster. What else is out there? There are vampires. Vampires are people who have sold their soul for the promise of eternal life on Earth. They kill young innocent human beings, taking their life's blood in order to keep themselves alive longer. Although embryonic stem cells have yet to add one minute to anyone's life, they are taken in the name of longevity, and are being used increasingly in ways to "help benefit" people, from vaccines to cosmetics to artificial flavor enhancers to lasers!
Then there is Frankenstein's monster. He was created by Dr. Frankenstein, who took organs from executed criminals without consent. Monstrous, and yet we have it being used to support euthanasia in Belgium. Just as troubling are the presumed consent laws, which basically give the state de-facto ownership to use your body unless you "opt out" and, of course, unless they make a mistake or fail to find you on the list, etc. In those cases, you have no legal recourse but to be chopped up for the greater good.
There's the werewolf. Once a month this person looses control of their body and becomes only partially human. Women today are encouraged to use "the pill", which interrupts their monthly cycle and suppresses one of the natural functions of the human body - the giving of life. Just like the werewolf slowly becoming less and less human, they lose their desire and desirability, and the ability to love and be loved, and perhaps risk their lives as well.
There are monstrous chimeras, as depicted in the classic horror stories The Fly and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Consider the actual chimeras produced in labs today, such as the cows that give human breast milk or the man/mouse hybrids being used in research.
Those were all the monsters I could think of. Feel free to chime in if I missed something important. Eugenics and IVF are staples of sci-fi distopian stories as well, but I'll leave them for another post, since they are not typically thought of in the "monster" category. Scarily, unlike the monsters in books, movies, and TV, these are all real world things.
One other thing struck me as true about all the "traditional" monster stories. They are all afraid of the Catholic church, and can all be defeated by it. Some things never change. I find comfort in that.
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2 comments:
If the “culture of death” is a true culture then it would rightly have all the aspects of a culture. This “culture” would, of course, include a body of literature...also its own music, visual arts, drama, fashion, foods, history, etc. But it’s unlike an ethnicity which is tied to race and region (and is generally born into). And it’s unlike a religion that has a set of formal rituals, beliefs, and membership. A culture is more like an acquired lifestyle lived out with others and passed on through time.
I have always thought that the imagined Vampire lifestyle was quite emblematic of the real life abortion enabling promiscuous lifestyle.
So, now, does merely reading about vampires and whatnot mean that one is dabbling in the culture of death? Does vampire literature somehow ring truer in the heart of a post abortive woman?
A book could be written exploring this topic.
That's an interesting perspective. I'm aware of the whole "good vampire" motif of late, but hadn't quite connected it that way. You're right, a book could be written on it. I wonder if it would sell?
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