Invasion of the Body (& Mind) Snatchers

I remember being a teenager and watching "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in absolute horror (not surprising, considering I'm such a delicate creature).  I suffered paroxysms of pure fright watching the final scene, in which Donald Sutherland lifts his zombified finger towards his last human friend and lets out a guttural moan, calling her out to a certain death.

What on earth could make people want to have their bodies snatched, anyway?

A really good public-relations campaign, for one thing.

Somewhere along this p.r. campaign trail, we've been trained to mistake dis-traction (which pulls people away from something) for at-traction (which pulls people towards something).  Along the way, we've ended up giving ourselves over to things that don't really matter.  Wrapped up in the shiny, false sheen of necessity, even silly things can take on the feel of life-or-death.

"You have a TracFone?  Are you kidding me?!" 

"I only have 45 followers.  What's wrong with me?"

"Hang on.  Someone's texting me."

I'm starting to think that "smart phone" is code for "dumb, distracted user." 

This from a 2012 Pew Institute study:
•67% of cell owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls — even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating.
•44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night.
•29% of cell owners describe their cell phone as “something they can’t imagine living without.”

. . . and that study is two years old, nearly ancient in modern terms.

I may not know much (I own a TracFone, after all).  But I'm pretty sure about one thing:  If you want to snatch a body, you need to start with the mind.  

Donald Sutherland, I smell a sequel and I'm shaking in my shoes.


Click here to watch the final Scene of "INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS"