I know you are being wry, but actually they were people who were messing up the community in a variety of ways. You know, real toxic people. Eventually the elders would get together, decide to put the person in question through the ritual - which included the ingestion of a paralytic - which symbolized their death. IOW they were now dead to the community. Perhaps we could incorporate it into impeachment procedures and as a punishment for severe white collar crimes.
A bit, yes. But then, it occurred to me that this kind of ostracization could be a useful social tool. Precisely. I suppose one could argue that our contemporary zombies then, would be prisoners. Though, we don't exactly banish or 'turn our backs on' our prisoners, in fact, in most states, we support them...
Absolutely. In fact I think we should use social punishments more often. We have people terrified of wearing fur - which to some degree I think is fine - but perhaps there are other 'crimes' which should be punished with social tools more often. And given how many of these people are in prison for crimes against their own bodies - possession of drugs - it is pretty ridiculous. I can't imagine eating prison food and worrying about being raped all day long is good for the body. Of course white collar crimes can get people shunned - at least in certain circles - but something more systematic might be useful. Something that starts on TV and includes a rather smelly hat with a sign one must wear for years, amongst other conditions.
What does the OP define a Zombie to be? If it is just a person without full consciousness (a philosophical zombie) then it is impossible to prove, the way you can not tell that I am conscious, the way I can not tell if you are. If it is the flesh-eating living-dead of popular culture then I'm doubtful enough to say no, but it's possible a disease / virus could make people appear that way. Heck, just look at doped-up patients that shuffle around medical wings - it's not all that far away, is it? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
No, it's not all that far away. The actual (by that I mean real) zombies were very much like mental patients doped up. In fact they had been doped and they had gone through a ritual that severed all there social and familial ties. This also 'dopes' them and many wither away. And 'western' mental health treatment was not very successful with them either.
Yes they do, in our cultures, our myths, and our imaginations. Perhaps they might be real one day, never know Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
there is a conspiracy theory about a government made drug that was made in the 1940s that activated the human instinct. their where very small trace amounts of an unknown chemical found in the brains of dead US and German soldiers and civilians that were reported to cause the bodies to move for about 15 seconds
Well, a zombie is a living dead. There is a disease that causes it called Solanum. I read it in the Zombie Survival Guide. The thing about the guide that intrigues me, is that he says it and says there was scientific research done, but with no real proof. Then he goes on to list the symptoms of Solanum. Other than that, he says a bunch "recorded attacks", but if those attacks were real then why isn't it a big issue in today's world? Personally I think it's possible, and who knows, could have happened; but it's scientifically unlikely.
You do know the ZSG is a work of fiction written by Max Brooks? And afaik the Solanum virus is also fictional?
http://www.livescience.com/animals/090812-ant-fungus.html Zombie ants are real, so yes. Basically there's a parasitic fungus that travels into an ant's brain, which then manipulates the brain's machinery allowing it to drive the ant like a car.
Also fire is a surefire way of eliminating zombies and the virus itself. But the down side is that they are still alive when you first set them on fire.
Immortal = infinite lifespan, that doesn't mean it can't be killed, that is called Immortal AND Invincible.
By that definition Zombies still aren't immortal. After a while they decompose. Not enough nutrients in brains. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
