Slaves & Zombies

I am starting to perceive a simple division between the majority of American voters and there are two main factions. For purposes of this thought, I will call them the zombies and the slaves. Neither group is in any especially good position, and they are both easily manipulated by fear and greed. The factions, en masse, have the power to do many things, but they are pitifully unaware of this. The main 2 things that represent common ground between the two factions are the ease of manipulation and the suffering they are party to. The main distinctions between zombies & slaves shows up in their philosophy or world view:

The zombies believe that America is moving in the direction of the all powerful military, economic, & democratic global reorganization. Zombies believe this movement is the greatest single force for liberation and freedom in the history of the human race. The zombies want to believe that our country exists as it is portrayed in the movies. Zombies tend to believe anything that they repeatedly hear and this is the message we have been getting for about 20 years from our culture. The zombies typically fantasize about the future and are therefore intrinsically in denial of the current situation. This is a rampant symptom of the post modern malaise. Zombies want to be omnipotent, fearless, & they always win.

The slaves believe that America is misusing its vast wealth and military power chasing rainbows. Slave mentality wants to know why they are being asked to save the world when they see what they they think is suffering here at home. Slaves are always looking for dual meanings in everything that the government does and often believe in conspiracy theories. Slaves have no choice but to make the distinction between hollywood and reality, because they don't know anyone who lives one of the hollywood lifestyles. Slaves recognize their own suffering, project it out onto all situations (magnifying it) and it makes them bitter. This, too, is a rampant symptom of the post modern malaise. Slaves spend a lot of time gambling, trying to game the system, and hoping for a better future. Slaves want something for nothing, to be treated like a god, & they always end up with their hands dirty.

I'm not making a judgment as to which faction is better, just trying to analyze the two so I can try to see through the deceptions of those who might want to take advantage of us. When a politician says, "I'm gonna help you by helping America," they are playing to the zombie crowd. When a politician says, "I'm gonna help America by helping you," they are playing to the slave crowd. Its a dicey time right now, because both factions are pissed (and rightfully so). There is a slim chance that the factions could unite and that makes this particular campaign cycle even more exciting!

The main point I want to make is that you might fall into one of these categories or you might at least lean towards one of these factions (I certainly do). If you are a slave, then you need to make a concentrated effort to ask yourself - am I making decisions based on my sardonic bitterness, or on an attempt at an objective evaluation of the situation? If you are a zombie, then you need to make a concentrated effort to ask yourself - am I making decisions based on my fantastical vision of the future, or on an attempt at an objective evaluation of the situation?