zombies zombies zombies

I keep hearing news, radio, and friends talking about zombies. There is clearly a great interest recently because of the recent rash of violent/cannibalistic incidents like the face eating man in Florida. But I feel they are making the connection of these incidents to zombies in the wrong ways. Cannibalism is not a new phenomenon, and unlike the more modern idea of some sort of bite related infection creating zombies, I believe these incidents more closely relate to the original (drugged in Haiti) idea of zombies.

Many of these recent incidents are individuals taking new/untested/experimental drugs (although the “bath salts” are not administered by a witch doctor) and acting in this way. This drug relation to zombies is similar to the incidents in Haiti reported by Zora Neale Hurston (1937) and Wade Davis (1982). This and Voodoo are the origin of the idea of zombies, unlike “Flesh Eating Zombies” infecting every one with their bites as depicted in many modern fictionalizations.

On the murderous cannibalistic note, again this is nothing new as suggested by many, including (I think/hope jokingly) suggested to be related to the Fukushima disaster tonight on an online radio show I was listening to. The Carib West Indian Tribes and the Maori People are some of the earliest reports of cannibalism. There are also more recent cases of individuals in prison or executed for their crimes such as Jeffery Dahmer, Andrei Chikatilo, James Riva, Revolutionary United Front, Mauerova family, and quite a few others. Actually, there are known murderous flesh eaters free and among us currently... Perhaps you have heard of some of France's biggest mistakes: Issei Sagawa, or Nico Claux? If not google them...

Again, I guess my primary point is that their cannibalism should not be what makes these recent incidents relate to zombies in our collective minds, but more perhaps the drugged almost mindless connection.