Beware Of The Pod People!

I am not sure how many remakes there are of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers." The original black and white version is the best. The idea of being replaced by some unfeeling automaton is truly creepy. Creepier still is the idea that the people you love could suddenly turn into unfeeling automatons! Yet this happens to everyone sooner or later. Have you ever had a friend that suddenly seemed to become a stranger? Wasn't that pretty much the theme of junior high and high school? Too bad it doesn't stop along with adolescence, say at age 35, 40 or 60. It really hurts when someone you love turns into a pod person.

In the movie pod people would stash a big seed pod looking thing somewhere nearby and while you slept the pod would pop out a duplicate of you. The duplicate would replace you. Before it happened to you, you would experience your family and friends suddenly turning into cold unfeeling strangers. They would superficially mimic their former selves but they had no soul.

I haven't noticed any big seed pod looking things but I have experienced plenty of pod people. I don't think it takes an actual pod to replace a person with an unfeeling automaton. Well maybe an Ipod, or some other gadget or other. It's not the gadget that does it either. You could probably have all kinds of gizmos and stay human. But there is something about the emphasis we place on stuff that has something to do with becoming a pod. Also I have noticed we seem to be spending more and more time talking to and texting each other but I have hunch the more we communicate the less we say. That has something to do with it too.

Still, things and small talk are not the problem. Maybe we start seeing each other as a means to an end, or as instruments. If I don't see you as human does that mean I become less human? That sounds right to me. But what about the pod people? If I keep seeing more and more pod people does that mean I am turning into one? Shit! I hope not! Because they're here! They're here! The invasion has started!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFnSxeDfENk

Russell