Walled In

One of the most memorable scenes of World War Z involves zombies piling on top of each other to climb over an Israeli wall. The prize on the other side of the wall is human flesh. The living dead make their way over the wall with no regard for their own bodies, possibly because they are eternally numb in their new state, and begin chewing away at people who in turn become zombies as well. No spoilers, just the cycle of life.

The picture featured above is from an anime titled Attack on Titan, in which walls, and terrible humanoid creatures, play prominent roles. Human life is always on the brink of destruction by the things that lurk outside the walls, and it's best to stay put forever unless you want to become a meal for the enormous Titans.    The concept has metaphorical value- as do all wall themed stories- that is up for interpretation by you, the viewer/reader. If you feel like you've outgrown your small town, and the small town mentality that portrays big cities as  versions of Hell on Earth, wall stories are for you. People that suffer from anxiety and serious insecurities will also find solace behind these man made barriers that keep fears out, and they will find themselves relating to the people that above all else wish to stay safe behind walls.


Whoever is chosen to protect all these walls must spend every waking hour aware of how close they are to whatever it is everyone else is staying away from. In Game of Thrones the men that stand guard on "The Wall" are close to undead-like creatures, giants, and savages who have pet mammoths. They do this while greedy, incestuous, incredibly wealthy families compete for power and position. Their proximity to the terrifying outside comes with vows that deny them sex and marriage. The closer to "The Wall", the farther you are from obtaining a plethora of inalienable rights all your friends and family enjoy. These protectors exist in every society and as we move on to the idea of "moral walls" think of them, law enforcement agents, and authority figures in general.

Walls are a part of reality as well. The Berlin Wall, for example, was used to keep capitalist- democratic ideology out of Eastern Germany. It's strange when stated this way because ideologies are not physical entities that want to inflict visible harm to humans on the other side of the wall. But the powers that be are good at making us believe otherwise; that's one of the reasons why they're in power. Think about all the borders on this planet and what they imply: there is something within these borders that people from the outside will take if they get the chance, so, common thought dictates, they should never get that chance. Countries that don't have many valuable resources end up with borders that were not of their choosing. This is due to the relation of resources to power, which you can figure out quite easily. Now, imagine someone knocking down half your house- preferably with their bare hands- and putting up a new wall that divides the food from the bedrooms. You're probably on the side that's starving. It's an example of the power of power and what it says about they capitalist myth that is complete human autonomy.

The strange thing about walls and the nature of stories in which walls play a prominent role is the theme of comradery. Behind the wall are a group of people that if need be would unite to fend off whatever enemy the outside can produce. Have you ever watched a zombie movie and spoken to someone about what you would do if the zombie apocalypse approached your neighborhood? Once a group is assembled and provisions obtained you would probably start thinking about how to keep the corpses that want to eat you at a safe distance. This may include building some form of a wall.

Of course, building a wall that's worth a damn during such a grave situation (pun intended) requires some help. "The more the merrier" rule does not count here, or anywhere else for that matter. But you must work with people you once only waved to and hid your farts from, these are the people you'll have to get chummy with until someone finds a cure or something. That won't last too long, especially when the food supply starts running low, or when you realize you never wanted to be this close with your neighbors. Helping each other out is one thing, losing any sense of privacy is another.

Prisons are complexes made up of walls that keep those deemed a danger to society from doing any further harm. That is the concept at least. What prisons do best is gather and unleash criminals upon each other in an environment where Darwin's survival of the fittest is still in play. Once a member of the upper economic tier of society, Aaron Hernandez is currently tucked away in a prison. As an athlete, Hernandez was under the constant scrutiny of the media and fans of the sport he once played for a living. When his alleged crime was exposed he was taken from public view and placed in seclusion. If Hernandez is found guilty this would be an example of the highest fall from grace in terms of public visibility. Only the people that protect these walls are allowed any contact with him; correctional officers, lawyers, police officers, etc. While physical prison walls keep him from walking the streets freely, the social wall that is morality vilifies him. Remember, his crime is a crime because we, as a society, have deemed murder as an immoral act. So, his jersey is pulled from stores and even recalled, his likeness is removed from video games, and his existence will serve as a reminder to stay on the right side of the moral wall.

Leave the post apocalyptic world and Aaron Hernandez aside and start thinking about that invisible place we call the internet. You are fortunate enough to have the ability to build whatever walls you please while online. Information can be allowed in, kept out, and released according to your standards. Morality online is whatever you choose it to be because social pervasiveness is not as all powerful as we were told it was when we were children. The physical world, especially in a big city, can feel like a wall breaching, with you, the protagonist, just trying to get home behind your wall. But online you can avoid the things that annoy you, that's why it's a virtual reality. Peter Singer's Famine, Affluence, and Morality seems like it was written centuries ago during a time when escapism wasn't at the tip of your fingers. Today, we can build walls on the go, shutting out anything that may cause us the slightest pain. I touched upon the dangers of this ability here. This isn't a guilt trip, just  a reminder that you should occasionally come out for air and make sure the world you rely on for sustenance and shelter hasn't been ravaged by the things you fear.

- Alex Moran (@MoonbeanMarcos)