VI. The Public Square: Hosting the Debate. Once the walls of the old institutions have fallen and the zombies have been named, what emerges is a public square where liberated minds can gather to debate, design and dream. In the Scholing Network this square is embodied in opendemocraticdebate.eu and surroundedbyzombies.com. This essay explores how these sites create and curate spaces for discourse in a media environment that often punishes nuance and rewards outrage. It draws on democratic theory, public sphere research and digital community design to offer a model for deliberation in the age of the zombie.
We start with opendemocraticdebate.eu, a platform designed to host open debates on topics ranging from data privacy to climate justice to cultural policy. Its interface borrows from ancient Greek agoras and modern forum software, combining simple text threads with multimedia exhibits. Users can propose topics, and moderators facilitate discussions to ensure that all voices are heard. The site rejects “likes” and follower counts, features that tend to gamify interaction and amplify populist sentiments. Instead, it emphasises reasoned argumentation and mutual respect. Essays on the site explore the history of democratic debate, from Athenian assemblies to Habermasian public spheres, arguing that meaningful dialogue requires both shared norms and structural inclusivity. In the zombie metaphor, the public square is where we rediscover our humanity through conversation.
Surroundedbyzombies.com, by contrast, is a reminder of the stakes. Its homepage features a stark declaration: “We are surrounded by zombies.” The accompanying essays, podcasts and art pieces do not wallow in despair, however. Instead, they treat the statement as a prompt for vigilance and creativity. Contributors share survival stories, analyse current events through the zombie lens and propose actionable strategies for staying human. One series titled “Dispatches from the Borderlands” reports from spaces where the line between zombie and human is blurred: addiction clinics, content moderation centres, refugee camps. Another series, “Reconstruction,” invites readers to imagine post‑zombie societies. Surroundedbyzombies.com thus complements opendemocraticdebate.eu: where the latter is deliberative and policy oriented, the former is affective and narrative driven. Together they nurture both mind and heart.
In the essay’s third section we examine how these public squares are designed to resist zombification. They use open‑source software, transparent moderation policies and decentralised hosting to avoid becoming prey to corporate algorithms. They intentionally include translation features and accessibility tools to invite participation from non‑English speakers and people with disabilities. They partner with schools, community centres and activist organisations to host hybrid events that bridge online and offline communities. Additionally, they provide resources on how to create similar forums elsewhere. The design ethos here is one of proliferation: the more public squares, the less likely any single one can be destroyed or co‑opted by zombies.
The essay concludes by reflecting on the role of discourse in the resistance. In an age of information overload, many retreat into cynicism or echo chambers. The Scholing Network insists on the opposite: that conversation across difference is a source of strength. It acknowledges that debate can be messy, that consensus may be elusive, but argues that the process itself is transformative. The call to action invites readers to join debates on opendemocraticdebate.eu, to submit essays to surroundedbyzombies.com, and to create local public squares in town halls, schools and community gardens. In the zombie war, the public square is our training ground, our strategy room and our campfire where stories are shared. It is where we remind ourselves that we are not alone, that resistance is communal and that the future is something we build together.
Do you know who the toxic zombie was in this story? Leave your thoughts in the comments below—there is no wrong answer.
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