ThirstyFish

This is another photograph from the Philly Zombie Crawl event. Akuma is the Japanese word for "The Devil". (Aku: evil, wicked, inferior, dull, immoral; Ma: demon, evil spirit, devil).

The Devil is a powerful supernatural entity that is the personification of evil. The concept of the devil as the trickster or tempter of humankind exists in most religions and cultures around the world. Throughout history, people in social and political conflicts have claimed that their opponents were influenced by, or are supportive of the devil.

Whether you attribute evil to the devil or not, do you believe that tyrants, tricksters, tempters are roaming freely in your own environment? If so, do you think that you can accurately recognize them - remember, they are tricksters and they do not wear a costume nor do they have "horns"? They are masters of crypsis.

Although these questions seem redundant or even rhetorical, they are not. A professor of mine that had resided in the former Soviet Union during some of its most tyrannical periods used to talk about the existence numerous people who unconditionally supported the regime despite the obvious tyranny: "They didn't know any better" he said. This carries on even today; According to a controversial 2007 poll, a little more than half of the surveyed Russian youth thought that Joseph Stalin did more good than bad. Hmmm?