Zombie Democracy
Season 2 | Episode 2 of The Human Layer
As we muddle through this period of accelerated transition, the old political frameworks and theories of governance no longer fit beast that is our democracy. “Zombie Democracy” is bouncing through social pipelines and landed in a late night AI prompt-off between myself and Tayken.
As unconventional as it may sound, the theory lands. What is a zombie? An undead entity devoid of soul, heart and life. A hollowed out carcass, consuming everything in its path and terrorizing those with their souls still intact.
It’s late 2025 and I don’t think a better metaphor exists for those of us with functioning souls who are watching in horror as our country is consumed by a wetiko that can only be described as undead.
So, Taylor and I tackled the topic. Listen here for the full episode here.
Hypernormalization: how people keep living as if everything is fine, even as the democratic body decays from within.
Weaponized algorithms and AI: how these tools accelerate disinformation, numb citizens, and enable modern authoritarianism without needing tanks or coups.
The inversion of power: institutions like courts, agencies, and regulators no longer serve the public—they now orbit billionaires, hyperscalers, and AI infrastructure no one voted for.
Civic apathy and desensitization: how people have stopped engaging with news, politics, and public life, making the soil fertile for authoritarian drift.
Surveillance creep: from hidden license-plate scanners to travel pattern analysis, they trace how freedom of movement and privacy are silently eroding.
New forms of resistance: from mass protests and whistle campaigns to community organizers running ICE out of cities, they highlight the emergent sparks of collective action.
The importance of community: the antidote to the zombie state isn’t reform from above—it’s connection from below: organizing, mutual aid, shared vigilance, and local resilience.
We addressed the problem this go round and hinted at solutions. (Spoiler alert, it involves the Human Layer) We created a few interesting solutions that we’re bouncing around the studio for a future episode.
Listen here or dive deeper in our Knowledge Garden.
Episode Essays & Research:
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