Them Again

[RICHARD ROMEO]

Can we think of Them (good film by the by) as  comparable to say, ant 
hierarchies and culture(?).  The Insect kingdom, at least for this 
writer, garners much fascination as well as horror (anybody else?)  I 
mean ants use other ants as slaves, they fight wars, they build large 
underground labyrinths, everyone has their own place and function, 
seemingly for some purpose.  They also have this "group mind" thing going 
which is pretty frightening--just who is giving the orders within the 
colony?  Any entymologists out there? 

Finally, are They just as scary in that WE/US can never discern just who 
is giving those orders, no hierarchy explainable, no order of battle, no 
ultimate roster, possibly there are no orders?  Personal note:  I was 
taking Amtrak cross country a few years back and it was way past 
midnight, all this machinery including our rumbling train in Western PA 
somewheres, just going thru the motions, and I couldn't sleep and I 
thought despite all the movement and subtle hudden sounds, there wasn't 
anyone around controlling it, no one was about, it was just moving on for 
some purpose, just not known to the night nor to any of its waking 
dreamers like myself --I think of Them like that.  



Richard Romeo

Coordinator of Cooperating Collections

The Foundation Center-NYC

212-807-2417

rromeo at fdncenter.org