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Countdown for the Apocalypse Philosophy in 28 Days Later
Countdown for the Apocalypse: Philosophy in 28 Days Later
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn’t become one”.
– Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
From George Orwell’s Animal Farm to Walt Disney’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (1951), social allegories in literature and film have been used as ways to interpret political, economic and social tribulations in the world. Defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary, an allegory is:
The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form (Agnes 17).
Social allegories seem simplistic at a glance. They generally deal with topics and
issues that have been discussed repeatedly (such as time, individualism and survival), and then branch off into multi-layered, ambiguous symbolism. They can range in tone from sarcastic and satirical to sinister and sorrowful. Many film genres today can be used as social allegories: the Western allegorically represents Vietnam War; but of all the filmic allegories represented in contemporary cinema, the zombie film as social allegory is perhaps the most pervasive and striking. 28 Days Later, directed by
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Danny Boyle (Trainspotting), and written by Alex Garland (The Beach), is an
interesting cocktail of a social allegory and a rage-driven, zombie infested horror
picture. Executive producer Greg Caplan aimed to market this film for the box office for horror-loving film junkies as well as the intellectual film enthusiast. From the combined efforts of Boyle, Garland, and Caplan, comes a film that pleases not only the eye, but the mind as well.
The zombie film has been around since the early introduction of the horror genre from the Hollywood studios. Films like White Zombie (1932) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943) paved the way for the zombie genre, but in 1968 George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead really transformed the look and ideology of the zombie film genre. With a low budget and a grainy film stock, Romero’s film depicted a zombie filled city that seemed more believable than the works of his predecessors. After Night of the Living Dead, many films emulated that style, but the zombie film slowly became less and less popular after the late 70s. It wasn’t until recently that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland decided to reinvent the zombie genre with their haunting, symbolic film. 28 Days Later is a contemporary social allegory (the end of the world) that incorporates the philosophies of Nihilism, Existentialism and Darwinism.
One critic writes:
A hybrid of a George A. Romero genre thriller via Kubrickian morality tale with a turgid taste of black humor mix into a highly intoxicating cocktail of lurid emotionally fused melodrama. A rare treat: horror movie and social fable
intertwined (IMDb).
In the film, a group of animal rights activists break into a lab to liberate animals. Unfortunately they also release a blood-born virus that induces a zombie-like rage within 10 to 20 seconds of contact.
Within Twenty-eight days, all of Britain has succumbed to the rage-virus. “28 Days Later could best be described as the thinking man’s zombie movie” (IMDb). It is a postmodern, semi-nihilistic take on the genre. No longer are the zombies created from toxic waste that we settled for in the past, these zombies are the by-product of scientific experimentation on our society.
The establishing shot in the film begins with scenes of police brutality, global warfare, rioting, nuclear explosions, and supreme anarchy. The shot zooms out to show that these images are coming from a television in an animal experimentation lab. These heavy images are symbolic of how humans treat each other. It is, essentially, survival of the fittest. We are weeding each other out until there is no more existence.
From there the world is overtaken rapidly by the virus that transforms people into mindless zombies whose only intention is to kill. The depiction of the zombies is completely original. Some of the aesthetics of the zombie must be credited to George
A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, but instead of the zombies walking slowly and grunting, these horrific creatures are running and spitting vile blood from their insides. One drop of the “infected” blood into a survivor’s bloodstream, and it is all over.
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When the protagonist Jim (Cillian Murphy), a young courier, wakes up in an empty hospital, he walks around the hauntingly quiet streets of London. Here the director shows images of emptiness, desolation and sorrow that strike hard at the audience. He shockingly comes to the realization that humanity has been lost. Jim decides to visit his parents’ house, only to find them lying dead in their bed together. At this point, Jim begins to cry and complain about how his parents died in such an awful way. In response, one of his fellow survivors tells Jim how his family was eaten alive at a subway station. Jim then drops his mouth and apologizes. Money, love, and time especially; as Jim finds out are elements that all modern human beings adopt to use as a way to live our lives. In a post-apocalyptic world, none of these things are important. Dr. Alan Pratt, a professor at Embry-Riddle University, writes in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy about the concept of time. He states: Time is not present in general relativity, and that a temporal
variable is probably not a fundamental part of the universe (Pratt).
The theory of time being irrelevant is essentially nihilistic in nature. 28 Days Later deals with nihilist theory in many scenes. In one scene in particular, an army soldier tries to explain to Jim about time and humanity. He says:
If you think about it, humans have only been around for a blink of an eye. So when we all die out, that is a turn back to normality (Garland 89).
If one were to take a step back and realize the ephemeral existence of humankind in terms of time, one can see how the post-apocalyptic world that is created in 28 Days
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Later is a filmic interpretation of a social allegory. For centuries, dating back to
Socrates, humans have always questioned the significance of time and what the film’s writer, Alex Garland, is stating is purely another example of a social allegory. Later in the film, the survivors or the “uninfected” find brief salvation when they encounter a military base. There, they eat dinner with a commanding officer who, in a stern tone, tries to make sense of all the madness that has occurred. He says:
You know what I see? I see people killing people; and I saw that the day before yesterday and the day before that and all of my life. It’s just people killing people (Garland 95).
In this speech, the message of Darwinism appears. What the officer is saying is
simply, we are all zombies who kill and destroy. Throughout history there has always been conflict, death and destruction, and even in a post-apocalyptic society, we are still killing. So what makes humans now any different from a zombie who eats flesh? Dr. Walter J. Veith, a Zoologist, writes:
Living organisms, such as humans … survive the process because they are fitter, and they are fitter because they survive… (Veith 249).
What Dr. Veith is saying is essentially, the stronger or fitter one is, the more likely
one is to survive. In 28 Days Later, the “uninfected” are fighting for survival, and the only way to ensure safety is to kill. One look at our world today and it is evident, we are fundamentally doing the same thing; killing by whatever means necessary. The term “survival of the fittest” was coined by Biologist Charles Darwin, but the concept
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of humans killing humans for survival has been represented in literature since before. Survival is a frequently discussed concept in social allegories, and in 28 Days Later, survival is one of many underlying themes.
28 Days Later at its very core questions human existence, which is primarily
an Existentialist thought. The film asks its audience, “What is the point of living if all we do is kill and destroy one another?” Another film relevant to this same philosophy is Larry and Andy Wachowski’s The Matrix. In this film, Agent Smith (a machine that hunts humans) explains to the protagonist, Neo, how his robotic world views the human species. He says:
…as a species, human beings define their reality through
suffering and misery…The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization (Wachowski 156).
Agent Smith is saying that the only way humans know how to live is through
“suffering and misery.” Even if we knew how to live in a perfect society, it wouldn’t happen because human beings are flawed animals that ultimately are alive for their own survival.
Right now, we are living at the peak of civilization. Never before in history have we been so pampered and reliant on materials and objects that will “improve,” but eventually complicate our life. Just as the stock market crashed in 1929, once we reach our peak in social, economic and political evolution, the only way to go is
down. Matt Savinar, a graduate of the University of California at Davis, makes an interesting analogy to human existence. He writes:
Bacteria in a Petri dish will grow exponentially until they run
out of resources, at which point their population will crash. Only one generation prior to the crash, the bacteria will have used up half the resources available to them. To the bacteria, there will be no hint of a problem until they starve to death. Before that happens, the bacteria will begin cannibalizing each other in last-ditch efforts to survive (Savinar 112).
But humans are smarter than bacteria, right? You would think so, but the facts seem to indicate otherwise. The first commercial oil well was drilled in 1859. At that time, the world’s population was about 1 billion. Less than 150 years later, our population has exploded to 6.4 billion. In that time, it has been projected that we have used up half the world’s recoverable oil. Of the half that’s left, most will be very expensive to extract. If the experts are correct, we are less than one generation away from a crash. Yet to most of us, there appears to be no hint of a problem. If we are one generation away from our demise, then we are as clueless as bacteria in a Petri dish.
Questioning existence and the importance of humankind in relation to the universe are both topics discussed in social allegories. This idea is a theme in The Matrix , as well as 28 Days Later. On the first day of realizing that the world as he knew it was over, Jim asks a survivor about the status of the British government:
JIM
Where is the government? STEVE
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There is no government, everybody’s dead!
JIM
What do you mean there is no government? There is always a government! (Garland 32).
Having been so dependent on the structure of Democracy, it is impossible for Jim to fathom a life of disorder. When society fails, the basic human instincts become more relevant. In order to survive, Jim must fight, eat, and find shelter. Essentially, he has become his own government- a rudimentary idea of anarchy.
In the social allegory Animal Farm, George Orwell questions the necessity of governmental institutions and corrupt regimes. In 28 Days Later, Garland’s pivotal characters question the legitimacy of government and the vague obligations of the military. The query of government and politics is again another form of a social allegory.
28 Days Later is simple and powerful. It was made on eight million dollars (fifteen times less than Pirates of the Caribbean’s one hundred twenty five million dollar budget). What 28 Days Later lacks in effects, it makes up for with a mind-altering story and excellent acting. There are a few arm-chair gripping, jumpy moments but it is the intellect and intricacy of this movie that make it so powerful. The set design is unique and creative. In fact, for a whole day, the cast and crew had to block off many popular sections of London to create a desolate, disturbing vision of a post-apocalyptic England. The acting is top notch and the lighting, for their very limited budget, is used to perfectly accent a wonderfully dark story. If you were to rent 28 Days Later at the movie store, you would find it under the horror section; but this movie is way more than a simple horror film. It is a social
allegory reflecting aspects of our society combined with a unique zombie plot. From the writing, directing, acting to the cinematography, all the elements that help distinguish this film are made to open the eyes of the masses in order to realize if we, as a society, do not choose to change the way we live our lives, then supreme devastation may arise.
28 Days Later is a clear warning sign for the past, present and future. In
Victorian Literature, H.G Wells, “the father of science fiction” (The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau), warned the world that scientific experimentation would eventually lead to a societal collapse. In that same mentality, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland are trying to explain to the masses, through a zombie film, that if we do not change the way we all behave towards each other, then who knows? Maybe a zombie will be coming after us.
Democracy and Civil liberty and Voting polls
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Democracy / Civil liberty/Voting polls:
Magna Carta, originally issued in 1215, was a formation of the English and was aimed at limiting the authority of the monarch of the time. It was about granting liberties to people and ensuring that laws of the land were followed when administering justice. It was drafted by the feudal barons at a time when open defiance and dissent to the king was common-place. They aimed to shift power from King John of England by determining that he should announce some specified liberties while accepting that his prerogative was not absolute.
They put up a sustained defiance to force the King to accent to the ‘Articles of the Barons’, a document that had elaborate clauses that could enable the barons overrule decisions made by the King if they were contradictory to the Charter put in place ( Clause 61). It included a section that allowed them to seize the property of the King if they deemed that appropriate. This is familiar to the current day provision that allows for freezing of assets which applies to every American citizen as well as foreigners with property within the jurisdiction of the United States. Our constitutional liberties have a resemblance to what was done in Britain in those days of yore. They both subscribe to and insist on the rule of law when handling criminal cases. The original constitutional document has a legislation that guarantees trial by jury (Article III, Section 2).
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had the following major provisions: It encouraged elimination of discrimination based on race, religion, and origin or skin color. It banned discrimination in public places (title II) and pushed for desegregation of public schools (title IV). The 1965 Voting Rights Act repealed hindrances to voting, highlighting the only requirement of American citizenship. These had included poll taxes and tests on literacy. The emergence of black crusaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., a proponent of equality and the rights of Black citizens, added a major voice to this cause that led to the inclusion of these Acts. Graham states that the pace with which disquiet was gathering steam enabled for these pieces of legislation to be enacted (121). It may have taken long because it faced resistance from the more conservative Whites both in Congress and among the citizenry.
Political socialization is a process. It involves people and society as a whole and how they acquire political attitudes and cultures. Several factors affect this process, which include religion, the media, one’s gender, age, social group that one belongs to and many others. The publicity of the 2004 neck-to-neck presidential polls that pitted former president George W. Bush against John Kerry left an impression on many about how polls were advantageous to the incumbency because despite his seemingly shaky campaigns and a strong opposition, President Bush still won, albeit by a ‘mere’ 34 electoral votes. It is difficult to separate an incumbent from the advantages that come with the government he is serving in during elections.
In the 2008 presidential elections, opinion polls showed a consistency as to the direction the outcome would take. Polls carried out at the end of October 2008 by all major pollsters such as Gallup, ABC News, NBC News, American Research Group and Reuters showed Senator Obama leading John McCain by a margin of between six to fourteen percent. The polling methods used by the polling agencies were stratified and included sections such as “likely voters” and “registered voters”. The consistency of the opinion polls shows that they were reliable.
Poll results indicate the popular opinion of the public; it would therefore be my positive proposition that they can be used to shape public policy. However, discretion is advised when dealing with foreign policy as it involves non-Americans whose views may not be in sync with those of American citizens.
Is there something wrong with political socialization in the United States? This question, as general as it is, should be directed to the definition of Political socialization. Citizens of the United States have no way of escaping the factors mentioned above such as religion and their respective social settings that lead to it. Furthermore, it is appropriate to say that it is due to political socialization that Democrats have distinct political views from Republicans that determine how they respond differently to State and National issues.
Does political equality deserve merit? Socioeconomic benefits of political equality are diverse if considered that every American Citizen has the same rights as any other in terms access to service and privilege.
On issues of democracy, Robert Dahl, an American scholar and an authority on political issues, outlines clearly why democracy is important in the whole well-being of a Nation State. He talks of the privileges that come with it such as tolerance, all-inclusive participation to progressive development and an environment that limits the chances of a dictatorial authoritarian rule but without repealing the fact that there is no guarantee that those elected through democratic systems will be inclined to uphold democracy.
Dahl examines the issue of political equality and addresses whether it is an attainable feat or whether we are better of looking for other ways to reduce inequality. Through looking into the growth and development of the democratic space, he tries show us how political equality is realizable. He also explores the impediments to political equality and how they can be overcame, as well as the reasons that drive the quest for this equality. On civic competence, Dahl attempts to show how people can charter the course of their own governments by participating in policy making such that it reflects on the people’s opinion. It is important to note that there is a variance on the level of civic competence from State to State depending on the system of governance and the room for democracy in which one can stretch to express his opinion on geo-political issues. Large-Scale Democracy i.e. democracy on wide proportions, requires such political institutions as Law Courts that uphold the rule of law and which cannot be viewed as tools of government to suppress dissent, a free Press service that is not biased nor stifled by externalities as well as political parties with clear mandates and vigilance to State activities.
In a democratic country, a free press sure plays an important role. It is the people’s vigilant-eye on how they are governed; it provides an avenue for free flow of information and allows for freedom of expression. Currently, the media in the USA can pride itself for its efforts towards democratization. All major News agencies can be said to be politically active. They hold debates that pit political opponents against each other, and these are usually streamed live allowing for public participation. They are known to set agenda on issues affecting Americans such as jobs and the ever-explosive healthcare debate. However, there are instances where the media fails the objectivity test, sometimes choosing to focus on sideshows such as why the First Lady’s dress won at a Press conference should have been light blue and not the dark amber that reeks of dullness.
Reference: BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033
Dahl, Robert A. On Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
Graham, Hugh Davis. Civil Rights in the United States. Pennyslivania: Penn State Press, 2004.
Counselling the Elderly
Counselling the Elderly
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Counselling the Elderly
The majority of adults typically encounter health problems and stress as they age, and the support of mental health professionals such as a therapist helps make their transition easier. For instance, counselling for anxiety among the elderly is very prevalent. It helps older adults struggling with the aging transitions to find new enjoyment sources, manage their emotions, and find new support systems. Thus, this has made counselling the elderly very important. However, to counsel the elderly, one must possess special counselling skills. Some of these skills include problem-solving skills. While it is not the role of the counselor to solve the problems of an elderly client, counselors who counsel the elderly require outstanding problem-solving skills to assist their clients in identifying and adjusting their negative thought patterns that arise as people grow older. Another special skill for a counselor of the elderly is empathy. Although the counselor might not be an older adult, they should be able to feel what their elderly client is feeling. This assists the client in feeling heard and understood. Flexibility is another special skill required by professionals who counsel the elderly. Since the counselor may not be as old as the client and might not have experienced what the client is going through, they should be capable of transitioning from their perspective to those of their client despite the age difference. Lastly, counselors who serve the elderly population require excellent observational skills in order to be able to watch for certain behaviors and be able to help the client. This is because most of the time, the elderly express themselves through nonverbal communication such as body language and facial expressions.
While counselling the elderly, it is important to instill faith in them. Faith is a source of hope, strength, and comfort for elderly clients during difficult times and brings about a sense of belonging and community (Malone & Dadswell, 2018). Consequently, this allows the elderly client to lead positive lives, despite the various aging challenges. Although counselling the elderly plays an important role in their lives, counselors face difficulties in assessing the elderly clients. Research reveals that the elderly are poor at identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety (Petkus & Wetherell, 2013). According to the authors, although most depressed older adults present with complaints of loss of interest, they deny any depressed mood. Also, the elderly with anxiety disorders fail to identify their experiences as worry or anxiety ad describe their experiences in idiosyncratic terms (Petkus & Wetherell, 2013).
The main issues that affect the elderly include delirium, cognitive impairment, and depression. Cognitive impairment arises with the normal aging process due to protein abnormalities and the shrinking of the brain (Kendall & Wiltjer, 2019). Various assessment tools for cognitive function include the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), which assesses attention, recall, registration, calculation, and capacity to copy simple drawings. Other tools utilized to assess cognition include mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (M-ACE) and the clock drawing test. So far, there are approved drugs for treating cognitive impairment. However, Alzheimer’s drugs such as galantamine and rivastigmine may help slow the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia (O’Brien et al., 2017). On the other hand, depression can be assessed using several validated and reliable tools, such as Depression Inventory (BDI), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Therapies for depression among the elderly include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which entails a talk between the client and a therapist on how the client can modify the negative behaviors and thoughts. Also, behavioral therapy and psychotherapy can be used as therapies for depression among the elderly. Delirium is characterized by sudden confusion. It is assessed using various tools such as Delirium Index, DSM-V criteria for delirium, and Delirium Rating Scale (Kendall & Wiltjer, 2019). Confusion is normal among the elderly and can be managed through supportive care to help the client minimize confusion.
References
Kendall, N. A., & Wiltjer, H. (2019). Assessment of older people 4: assessing the psychological domain. Nursing Times, 115(8), 44-48.
Malone, J., & Dadswell, A. (2018). The role of religion, spirituality, and/or belief in positive ageing for older adults. Geriatrics, 3(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fgeriatrics3020028O’Brien, J. T., Holmes, C., Jones, M., Jones, R., Livingston, G., McKeith, I., … & Burns, A. (2017). Clinical practice with anti-dementia drugs: a revised (third) consensus statement from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 31(2), 147-168.
Petkus, A. J., & Wetherell, J. L. (2013). Acceptance and commitment therapy with older adults: Rationale and considerations. Cognitive and behavioral practice, 20(1), 47-56. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cbpra.2011.07.004