Global Indigenous Philosophy: Remembering the “Us”
Abstract
HBO’s The Last of Us begins with Dr. Neuman speculating that some zombie-ant fungus could evolve and spread to humans. The fungus makes ants climb trees where they sprout spores that rain onto new victims. If transmitted to people, Dr. Neuman frets the result would be “billions of puppets with poisoned minds permanently fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection…” Now, we have fungal yeast and bacteria in us that affects our brains, and there’s a pathogen that leads rodents (and humans) to behave riskily, making them easier prey for felines, inside of which the parasite reproduces. 1 But The Last of Us isn’t solely about fungus-driven zombification. It also explores the contagion of ideas. Whether it’s the fanaticism of FEDRA, the Fireflies, or David’s cult, people become mindlessly obedient to the agendas of larger groups. Does The Last of Us infect the viewer and gamer with a populist American ideology that elevates individuals over communities? With the complicated exception of the Jackson Community, the other collectives are mind-numbingly authoritarian. Despite occasional moralizing about Joel’s or Henry’s past misdeeds, we root for their survival, even if it means killing members of collectives. And let’s not forget the main antagonist is the fungus, which dehumanizes the Infected by pulling them into a violent hive mind. Collective existence isn’t inherently dehumanizing though. Communities form the basis for importantly human traits like language, cooking, political reasoning, advanced tools, and religion. 2 In fact, Indigenous traditions from around the globe suggest that the individual “I” originates in the collective “us,” and these perspectives shaped founding American philosophies. 3 Because The Last of Us celebrates popular American values, which are rooted not just in traditions stressing individual
