This entry is informed and inspired by an impressive natural scientific article by Carl Zimmer published in the Nov. 2014 National Geographic. The full title of the article, which was also the cover title of the issue, is “Real Zombies: The Strange Science of the Living Dead”
To understand, two illustrative examples from the article can help us:
“Ladybugs are said to bring good luck- but one infected by the wasp species Dinocampus coccinellae is decidedly unfortunate. When a female wasp stings a ladybug, it leaves behind a single egg. After the egg hatches, the larva begins to eat its host from the inside out. When ready, the parasite emerges and spins a cocoon between the ladybug’s legs. Though its body is now free of the tormentor, the bug remains enslaved, standing over the cocoon and protecting it from potential predators. Some lucky ladybugs actually survive this eerie ordeal.”
“Like the spotted ladybug, the caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly plays bodyguard to a parasitic puppet master. A female white butterfly wasp injects a caterpillar with several dozen frozen eggs. The larvae hatch, feed, grow…then paralyze their still living host and chew their way out. As the caterpillar comes to, the larvae spin little cocoons beneath it. Rather than leave them to fend for themselves, their enslaved host spins an extra silk layer around the cocoons, then stands guard over the brood, flinging its heard back and forth to ward off predators.”
I hope you now have an idea of what Real Zombies are…or look like. Well, one more chance for conceptualization…
A feeble synopsis of the piece would say that the article presents an impressive scientific discovery of parasites that make their hosts (voluntarily) serve them even to the point of death. These “hosts (ranging from insects, to fish, to mammals) serve their parasites even if they must literally hurl themselves to their own death to do so”. “Across the natural world”, the author maintains, “the same question arises again and again: why would an organism do all it can to ensure its tormentor’s survival rather fight for its own?”
Well, I wish to tell the author that such a question does not apply to natural world only…but to the social world too! I wonder if political scientists, or anthropologists, or sociologists, or geographers, or economists have studied or analyzed human zombies yet??? Paul Krugman, a renowned economists, have written about Zombie Ideas…but am yet to find out about zombies in our understanding of socio-political-economic lives.
Reading this article last week amidst hyped escrow saga, pressured me to think of “to what extent are we (the public in Tanzania) zombies!!!! In the debates, there was a lot of “protection” of the very “parasites” that eat us…
That sounds obvious! Is it? … well, those who can understand please do understand…
But the Zombieness was further highlighted, I think, by the lack of critical analysis to arguments given by both sides of debate. Most people got emotional and supported one side without wanting to listen to the other side at all! Praises all over… (I felt like the spirit Zombie is hovering over the country…or was it on tweeter only?????…no I also get to listen to people on the streets, in a party’s , at offices, etc…ooh how I wish to exorcise this demeaning demonic zombie spirit in my beloved country…stop tormenting beautiful people…even Kyeku interfers…lol)
Anyways, I personally think we still don’t have clear answers to the whole escrow saga and that’s why…it’s on its way to be forgotten…as history is always right! Innit? Lol
Ok, so what am I saying? I think we need to evaluate our actions and ask whether we are like the ladybugs (beautiful outside but potential Zombies protecting the very people who are messing up with our country, ‘fragile’ democracy, and…our ‘young’ institutions)…
Are you infected by parasites??? Awake before it makes you a Zombie…ask questions to both sides…be alert!
I end there…