[ExI] et tu, nova?

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] et tu, nova?

 

On Sun, Oct 16, 2022, 7:03 AM spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> > wrote:

Regarding actual zombies, they really exist, according to a non-fiction book by Harvard anthropologist Wade Davis.

 

>…Well yeah.  The legend came from Haiti, as you described.  There are also parasites that take over insects, sometimes larger animals such as mice, and control their bodies to further their reproductive cycles (such as by encouraging mice to enter a cat's stomach).

 

 

I could clarify that statement that zombies really exist.  Davis claims that came from these witchdoctors forming the defacto law enforcement, in a sense, perhaps analogous to how the Godfather Vito Corleone maintained outlaw and order in the 1940s mafia families.

 

The Haitian existence is ruled by superstition.  The witchdoctor had “supernatural” powers from the POV of the terrified locals, so they damn well did as he said.  If a serious transgression occurred in the “community” Corleone and the witchdoctor had thier ways of dealing with it.

 

We know what Corleone did.  The witchdoctor introduced a toxin to the victim, she was presumed dead (they don’t really have coroners there) and was buried.  The victim was still partially conscious and even had memories of being buried.  After they all went home, the witchdoctor would dig up the victim, still alive, administer the antidote, after which the victim was alive but likely with brain damage of various degrees of severity.

 

According to Davis, the witchdoctor would tell the victim/perpetrator: I am the witchdoctor, I see all, I am a master of voodoo.  I killed you with my spell, because you raped Corleone’s young daughter so you deserve it.  I brought back to life because I am such a merciful and kind but powerful witchdoctor.  And I can kill you again, if you come around the village or do anything else wrong, and this time I will not dig your ass up!

 

Believing all this, the “zombie” would stay out there and hope someone brought food, but of course the locals were afraid of zombies, who were of course about half braindead and hungry as all hell, so they would just leave the food, sometimes in the form of a carcass of racoon or some revolting beast, which the zombie would devour raw, rather than starve.  The imagination can provide a visage of what that musta looked like.

 

That, according to Dr. Wade Davis, is the origin of the zombie notion: a grossly exaggerated myth popularized by a cool song and dance video with a grain of truth.

 

spike 

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