The Fear of Loss

In many forms of popular culture, from dystopian novels to horror films, two recurring archetypes capture our collective anxieties: The “hive mind” and the “mindless zombie.” At first glance, these tropes appear to represent opposite ends of a spectrum—one governed by rigid control, the other by chaotic anarchy, but both tap into a shared fear: The terror of losing individuality, autonomy, loved ones, and ethics in the face of overwhelming, dehumanizing forces. This blog post explores how these seemingly opposing fears reflect similar concerns about our place in society, the impact of conformity, and the consequences of isolation.

The Hive Mind: Fear of Overbearing Control

The “hive mind” is often depicted as a collective entity that suppresses individuality in favor of a singular, all-powerful will. Popular examples include the Borg from Star Trek, the Mind Flayer from Dungeons and Dragons, and the authoritarian dystopias in George Orwell’s 1984. These narratives center around a domineering force that enforces strict conformity, with all members abandoning their personal beliefs, desires, and agency.

Root of the Fear: At the heart of the “hive mind” trope is the fear of control and loss of individuality by an external force—be it a government, corporation, or alien species—that imposes its ideology on the masses. This serves as a metaphor for the dangers of extreme conformity, the horror that lies in the loss of free will and the erasure of diversity. This fear is deeply tied to real-world anxieties about authoritarianism, social surveillance, and the suppression of alternate voices and ideas.

Loss of Individuality & the Fear of Communism/Socialism: A historical manifestation of this fear is the perception of communism and socialist ideas, particularly during the Cold War era, where capitalist societies typically depicted communism and socialism as a force that would strip individuals of their autonomy, transforming them into mindless drones serving a collective ideology. The portrayal of communism as a mindless, collective system reinforced this idea, suggesting that a society based on shared resources and collective ownership would turn people into automatons devoid of personal agency. While these ideologies are defined as advocating for collective ownership, equality, and social welfare, there is a tendency for unethical political leaders and platforms to operate under the name communism or socialism while consolidating power in the hands of a few, undermining democratic principles, and suppressing dissent, thereby distorting the original ideals for personal or political gain. This includes Stalin’s Russia, and modern political platforms such as those in North Korea, where leaders have used the rhetoric of socialism and communism to justify centralized control, suppress political opposition, and maintain power within a small elite group, often at the expense of the broader population’s freedoms and well-being. The misuse of ideological frameworks for personal or political gain can distort the core principles of equality, social welfare, and collective ownership, resulting in authoritarian regimes rather than the egalitarian societies originally envisioned.

Resolution and Misconceptions: The “Destroy the Leader” Response: A typical resolution in hive mind narratives often involves the idea of severing the controlling force, frequently symbolized by the destruction of a central figure, such as the queen or leader. This mirrors historical responses to oppressive systems, where revolutions or rebellions aimed to overthrow individual leaders (or dictators) in the hope that their removal would restore freedom and “return to normal.” The logic is simple: Remove the source of control, and everything else will naturally fall back into place. However, this is an inaccurate and overly simplistic view of power structures. In reality, the collapse of a centralized power does not always lead to a return to normality. Often, it leads to chaos, instability, or even the rise of new, equally authoritarian systems. One example from reality is the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917: The collapse of the Tsarist autocracy, which was seen as a centralized and oppressive power, did not immediately lead to a return to stability or “normality” as many had hoped. Instead, it resulted in chaos and civil war, culminating in the rise of the Soviet Union under Lenin and later Stalin. While the Bolsheviks promised equality and the dismantling of oppressive systems, the new regime became increasingly authoritarian, with a centralized power structure that suppressed dissent, led to widespread purges, and created a totalitarian state that mirrored some of the very characteristics of the Tsarist system it had overthrown.

Appropriate Resolution: Proper responses to dismantling oppressive power should focus on creating a just and stable society by prioritizing the rule of law, inclusivity, and accountability. This involves establishing transparent, valid, reliable, and unbiased systems and methods to hold all individuals accountable, ensuring minimum ethical requirement for all individuals seeking office to allow diverse political participation, and fostering a vibrant civil society where community-based organizations and grassroots movements can thrive. Economic equity must be addressed through redistributive policies that reduce disparities, while decentralized power structures and civic education help prevent the rise of new authoritarian systems. Ultimately, the goal is to rebuild a society that balances justice, individual freedoms, and social cohesion while avoiding chaos and the consolidation of power into the hands of those who will misuse it.

The Mindless Zombie: Fear of the Unknown and Unreasoning Forces

While the “hive mind” is associated with controlled, systematic ideologies, the “mindless zombie” trope embodies a slightly different kind of terror: The fear of an all-consuming force that is both irrational and incapable of being reasoned with. Zombies represent a shift in understanding and knowledge: Unlike traditional leadership structures where killing the leader might end the movement, the horde continues onward.

Root of the Fear: There are three common fears associated with zombies, affecting the individual, power structures, and the future of society. Individual zombies can represent a detrimental change in ourselves or our close relationships: The unwilling loss of individuality and control due to an unknown, uncontrollable being that is blind to reason, empathy, or compromise. Viewing the horde from the perspective of a solitary individual, it represents the feelings of powerless against forces that seem overwhelming, in which all individuals share the same overwhelming abilities and a singular, unyielding, and dangerous goal. This may also reflect the fear of a mindless, unstoppable force of detrimental societal change—one where individuals are no longer autonomous but are swept up in hunger or hatred that drives them towards their goal, regardless of resistance or reason. Finally, the zombie apocalypse often represents our collective fear that hunger, fear, pain, rage, and hatred will doom both humanity’s and the world’s future. In this context, zombies are an exaggerated expression of the dread we feel toward both known and unknown threats—be they viruses, environmental collapse, or social upheaval.

Loss of Individuality & the Fear of a Negative Societal Shift: The fears that zombies symbolize go beyond personal loss of control and touches on a larger existential anxiety: The fear of a negative societal shift, where human progress in learning, equity, and shared prosperity is abandoned in favor of mindless, destructive behaviour. Much like the fear of a mindless zombie horde consuming society, there is a growing concern that current social trends—be they driven by misinformation, political division, or unchecked technological advances—could steer humanity away from ideals of justice, progress, and equity.

The fear of an unstoppable, mindless force that wishes to rocket humanity back into the prehistoric age is not without basis. It speaks to a very real and deep-rooted anxiety about individuals, power structures, and forces in this world that are incapable of ethical reasoning, and cannot be easily avoided or combated. These individuals, power structures, and forces exist today, and are interested in preventing or eliminating equality, diversity, and inclusivity so that they can achieve power for their own desires. They typically operate by creating division between individuals with noticeable differences and designating certain individuals to be seen to be lesser (i.e., children, women, gender-diverse and transgender individuals, and demographic differences between individuals) and therefore permit the abuse by individuals perceived as greater. There are many areas in which these individuals, power structures, and forces operate: Academic (The historical exclusion of non-White individuals and women from access to higher education, such as the denial of enrollment to African Americans in U.S. universities during the Jim Crow era, and the systematic marginalization of women in academic institutions), Health (physical, psychiatric, and psychological mistreatment of non-White individuals, women, LGBTQIA+2S individuals, and those inappropriately deemed “insane,” such as forced sterilizations of marginalized populations or discriminatory medical practices, like the overdiagnosis of mental illness in Black communities or the criminalization of transgender individuals seeking healthcare), Political (the historical Canadian marginalization, imprisonment, and cultural genocide of Indigenous communities such as the forced relocation of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands, the residential school system aimed at eradicating Indigenous languages and cultures, and the ongoing violence and discrimination faced by Indigenous people), Societal (Systems of systemic inequality like the caste system in India, where lower castes face social exclusion, violence, and discrimination), Spiritual (Roman Catholicism human rights violations regarding Indigenous populations, Women, & LGBTQIA+2S including such removal of children from their families, forced religious conversion, and conversion therapy; ISIS promotion of male power through the subjugation of Women & LGBTQIA+2S individuals, including the brutal enforcement of gender segregation, honour killings, and forced marriages to maintain patriarchal control), and more.

Resolution and Misconceptions: The “Destroy Them All” Response: It often seems as though “Destroy All the Zombies” —often through extreme violence and/or devastation to innocent life forms— is the only true method to restore peace, order, and safety. This mentality feeds into the idea that existential problems can be solved by a simple, decisive action, without considering the long-term consequences or the complexity of the situation. In reality, such a strategy often fails to address the root causes of societal breakdowns or chaotic events. Just as killing the zombies does not necessarily guarantee the resolution of the societal collapse they represent, destroying a perceived threat in real life—be it through violence, military intervention, or radical elimination of opposing forces—rarely leads to the restoration of a stable, functioning society, but instead it often results in further instability, power vacuums, or the rise of new authoritarian structures, as the underlying social, economic, or political issues that allowed for the breakdown to happen in the first place remain unresolved or further exacerbated.

Appropriate Resolution: Resolution to the zombie problem—whether in fiction or in real-world analogs—lies not in the wholesale destruction of the “other,” but in understanding that survival and progress are about more than just eliminating threats. They are about finding ways to understand and address the systemic issues that created the crisis in the first place, and to ensure that humanity does not lose its core values of empathy, justice, and reason in the process. Many zombie films suggest that survival depends on peoples’ ability to seek comfort, strength, and refuge in each other, developing ethical social structures to prevent the development of authoritarian power structures, and adapting to the environmental changes as they occur. The resolution is not about control and conformity, but instead about accepting the reality of the situation and learning what can be done in order to better ourselves within it and working together to create new systems of survival and understanding. This mirrors the real-world necessity of adapting to unforeseen challenges—whether they come in the form of ethical, social, environmental, political, or personal crises.

Extremes Are Rare, but Our Minds Are Built to Consider Them

It is important to remember that the extremes represented by the “hive mind” and “mindless zombie” tropes are extremely rare. Our minds are naturally wired to consider extreme dangers because they help us develop strategies to avoid or mitigate potential threats. These extreme dangers are not always as prominent, imminent, or as severe as they appear: In reality, many societies tend to fall somewhere in between, navigating complexities and finding ways to balance individual freedoms with collective responsibilities. It is important to recognize and confront fear-based rhetoric from individuals or groups who benefit from controlling others can amplify these exaggerated fears, and act in a way that prevents the control of ourselves and others by these individuals or groups. Whether through misinformation, sensationalized media, or political rhetoric, these voices can distort our understanding of reality. Recognizing these mental and social processes can help us regain a sense of balance. By actively questioning the validity of extreme fears, seeking out information, and considering the long-term consequences of our actions, we can move away from reactive fear-based thinking toward more informed, rational decision-making.

The fear of hive minds and zombies are a useful symbolic warning, highlighting the potential consequences of ignoring societal problems, disregarding collective responsibility, and underestimating the impacts of dangerous ideologies or movements. It forces us to confront the idea that while we may feel powerless against larger forces, it is still possible to resist the mindless march toward destruction by fostering a more reasoned, inclusive, and empathetic world.

A Road to Healing and Stability

I have hopefully convinced you that dismantling oppressive power structures is a necessary but complex process. To prevent the emergence of new forms of oppression and ensure a peaceful transition to a just society, it is essential to implement strategies that prioritize the understanding, inclusivity, solidarity, economic equity, and the prevention of authoritarian tendencies. While the path to rebuilding a fair and democratic system is not without challenges, history has shown that with careful planning and a commitment to justice, societies can overcome oppression and create a future that respects the dignity and autonomy of all individuals.

We made it here. We can make it further.

Initial Publication: 2024-11-12