# Zombie craze--metaphor for?



## BryanMaloney (Oct 22, 2013)

The classic American 1950s monster invasion movies were metaphors for the Red Scare and the Cold War. America was under siege by very obviously alien/foreign powers that sought to destroy "our way of life" by what amounted to large-scale military invasion.

What is the current zombie craze a metaphor for?

Not "terrorism", because, while insidious, terrorism does not have the "infectious" element. People killed by terrorists do not, themselves, become terrorists. Metaphors for terrorism would be closer to more recent "bug" movies, where the goal is still extermination of humanity, but by sneaking around and jumping out of holes rather than coming over the hill in a big wave.

Not "AIDS" or "disease". It's too obvious a parallel, and, let's face it, AIDS doesn't scare most people, anymore.

I would say that, and this is going to get me into some hot water with somebody (as if that bothered me), the zombie craze is a metaphor for immigration. Look at the rhetoric of the nativists: Immigrants are going to destroy our culture by undermining it. They are going to supplant our language, "Para Espanol, oprima dos.". They are going to "infect" our children with their food tastes, their music, their dress, and their attitudes along with "infecting" us all with their language. The result will be the extermination of humanity and its replacement with a subhuman (non-Anglo) existence. Unlike the Cold War invasions, the zombie plague starts small, a little trickle, but then it spreads, and from across the countryside come ever more and more of them, until the last remaining pure humans are holed up in gated communities, shooting down anyone who walks differently.

Of course, nativism has been with the USA since the USA was founded, when the rule was that only "Englishmen" were true Americans--the Irish, for example, were a different race, not really white and genetically unsuitable for American citizenship. However, fear of invasion is also very old for the USA. What matters is whether a specific fear is very widespread in general cultural consciousness.


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## Brennan (Oct 22, 2013)

That's an interesting theory, but I don't really see that. It could be a metaphor for people getting set into daily routines day after day, never changing. Like the stereotype of a corporate zombie maybe. Just my two cents.


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## dfreybur (Oct 22, 2013)

Zombies work as the decline of churches - soulless zombie atheists.  Zombies work as disrespect for science - mindless zombies who get hysterical over humdrum scientific products like GMO foods.  Zombies work as immigrants as Bro Bryan already pointed out.

Stories of ghosts, vampires, werewolves and such have been popular forever.  If you're a fan of Norse myths and sagas zombies were called daugr - Bodies left over after the soul left at death.  With the popularity of vampire stories (Anne Rice and those teenage movies) other entries in the realm grew along with them (Ghost busters to Ghost hunters).  Zombies are an old story told anew.  Plus sa change, plus sa meme chose.

The classic 1950s japanese monster movie - Godzilla is a symbol for the US.  Rising from the sea raining radioactive fire down on Japanese cities yet going out of its way to protect children while burning an entire city.


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## Brother JC (Oct 22, 2013)

Ever seen a group of teens (or even adults) walking down the street, riding public transportation, or sitting in a cafe? Zombies, staring into a glowing device. May not be what it's all about, but that's what I see when I see zombies everywhere.

On the topic of nativism, _Gangs of New York_ is a sharp commentary on that topic. "Native Americans" were those whose ancestors had fought in the Revolution. Everyone else getting off the boats were invaders.


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## BryanMaloney (Oct 22, 2013)

Which current moral panic actually inspires some people to form armed bands and start patrolling? That would be the immigrant panic. The movie "Gangs of New York", for all its qualities, had nearly zero penetration into popular culture compared to the zombie craze. Likewise, we are not actively encouraged to sympathize and side with Bill the Butcher in "Gangs of New York". We are encouraged to sympathize with the "survivors" in zombie productions. We identify with them, and thus, with extermination of the "outsiders" and "infected".


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## Brother JC (Oct 22, 2013)

I wasn't disagreeing with you, Brother, merely making an observation. And the Gangs reference was just to quantify your comment on early nativism.

Walker out.


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## NativeSteel (Oct 22, 2013)

Brother, you said that terrorism wasn't infectious , i am going to have to disagree. I have fought in three terrorism hotspots and it seems their ideals spread like a virus over the land. Their own families at times wonder what has taken them over.  If anyone here has fought in a war against these people you can understand what i mean about a terrorist being a zombie , just look one in the eyes, it almost seems they may eat you. 

" SEMPER ANTICUS "


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## nfasson (Oct 22, 2013)

I think the Zombie craze is more a reaction to how isolated we are as a society --- constantly barraged by the media that the world is out to kill us, kept separated from other humans by the technology we can't separate ourselves from, and taught that we can trust no one so we avoid contact altogether.

It's this isolation that I think makes a zombie apocalypse so appealing in that it forces the humans that are left to band together, ditch their technology and survive against the world together. It reduces our needs back to a basic level, instead of being chained to a desk or endlessly posting updates on Facebook. 




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## WEST TX MASON (Oct 22, 2013)

I would like to add to this and say that I'm sorry that my culture my family my food my cultures language and all it has to offer is an infection to u and ur children even though I'm sure u have used my culture hundreds of times in your life... Yet again I'm not sorry for my culture I'm sorry I have something that assoc. me w someone like u... And I would love to say other things but . It's best if I don't 


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## NativeSteel (Oct 22, 2013)

Hopefully,he didn't mean it like that Brother i think he meant that is how nativists think as history has shown.

" SEMPER ANTICUS "


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## WEST TX MASON (Oct 22, 2013)

Sounds very racist when saying  mixed race humans that come from a white background are referred to as " the extermination of humanity w a subhuman non Anglo existence" 



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## nfasson (Oct 22, 2013)

My critique is merely that, and when I refer to "society" I simply mean our modern existence, not any particular country and/or culture.

Even though a zombie apocalypse is not my top choice for escape, there is that appeal to going back to basics and depending on one another without having our digital proxies in the way of everything we do. I guess there are downsides to every option...



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## BryanMaloney (Oct 23, 2013)

NativeSteel said:


> Brother, you said that terrorism wasn't infectious , i am going to have to disagree. I have fought in three terrorism hotspots and it seems their ideals spread like a virus over the land. Their own families at times wonder what has taken them over.  If anyone here has fought in a war against these people you can understand what i mean about a terrorist being a zombie , just look one in the eyes, it almost seems they may eat you.



I see, therefore, if a loyal American soldier is "exposed" to terrorists, they can become "infected" by it? Doesn't wash. On the other hand, from a nativist perspective immigrants "infect" us all. In Texas, I know many Anglos who say "bueno" instead of "okay", and nearly everybody here is happy to eat a real, Mexican-style breakfast taco. Those are what the nativists would call "infection", which puts Americans at risk of, themselves, becoming more "zombies"--are you claiming that ordinary Americans are all also on the verge of being "infected" with terrorism and becoming terrorists?

That being said, Islam is one of the immigrant/foreign cultural elements that would fall under the "Zombies as immigrants" idea. Indeed, there are people so stupid in the USA (I've met some) who think of "Muslim" as a "race".


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## BryanMaloney (Oct 23, 2013)

WEST TX MASON said:


> Sounds very racist when saying  mixed race humans that come from a white background are referred to as " the extermination of humanity w a subhuman non Anglo existence"



It IS very racist. The idea is that the zombie craze is ultimately based on a racist paradigm that, unfortunately, is far more common in American culture than we want to believe. When we have a country where people can believe that "Muslim" is a "race" and that Mexicans cannot be "white", it's foolish and head-in-the-sand to believe that we do not have a strong, if often unconscious, racist element in our national psyche. After all, if it is not hard to believe that humans can tend toward being "lustful" without necessarily being promiscuous, how can we exclude a sinful passion like racism from a similar situation?


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## BryanMaloney (Oct 23, 2013)

nfasson said:


> My critique is merely that, and when I refer to "society" I simply mean our modern existence, not any particular country and/or culture.
> 
> Even though a zombie apocalypse is not my top choice for escape, there is that appeal to going back to basics and depending on one another without having our digital proxies in the way of everything we do. I guess there are downsides to every option




You can "go back to basics" without having some insidious, subhuman enemy forcing it upon everyone. After all, look at "Revolution" and "Defiance". In "Revolution", the enemies are just humans--maybe they're bad humans, but they're every bit as human as the protagonists. In "Defiance", the aliens are every bit as much "people" as are the humans, and the disaster behind everything looks like old-fashioned power politics gone askew.


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## nfasson (Oct 23, 2013)

My understanding of the appeal of going back to basics does not mean I wish for a zombie apocalypse to happen just so we can go back to basics. I'm just saying that I understand why it might appeal to folks who are drawn to this particular genre.

Zombie hordes, or just go hiking to get away from things for awhile... I'd personally go with the latter.


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## NativeSteel (Oct 23, 2013)

Good discussion Brother, maybe we are overthinking it and people just love the adrenaline rush from the fight or flight effect. Former president of the american psychological association Frank Farley said there was a personality called "type t" or thrill seekers that want to be scared alot to feel the rush.  it can be viewed as  an addiction.

" SEMPER ANTICUS "


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## BryanMaloney (Oct 24, 2013)

WEST TX MASON said:


> I would like to add to this and say that I'm sorry that my culture my family my food my cultures language and all it has to offer is an infection to u and ur children even though I'm sure u have used my culture hundreds of times in your life... Yet again I'm not sorry for my culture I'm sorry I have something that assoc. me w someone like u... And I would love to say other things but . It's best if I don't



Perhaps you are just looking for a fight. I did not say that I considered such things to be an "infection". I said that the zombie craze is based off a fundamentally racist metaphor. I did not express approval of that metaphor or the racism behind it. Please explain exactly how it is that pointing out such a thing is 100% identical to actually agreeing with such beliefs. I'm waiting to hear how that works.


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## JohnnyFlotsam (Oct 26, 2013)

trysquare said:


> Ever seen a group of teens (or even adults) walking down the street, riding public transportation, or sitting in a cafe? Zombies, staring into a glowing device. May not be what it's all about, but that's what I see when I see zombies everywhere.


  This!


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## cog41 (Oct 26, 2013)

I don't usually watch zombie shows because I think they're silly and gross. I don't see the commie or racist metaphor brother Bryan is referring to., but that's just my opinion.
I do see mindless bubble gum for the brain entertainment that gives people an escape from endless Political pundits, stupid politically correct sit-coms and bizarre world of so called reality shows.
The zombies come in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, ethnicities, religious persuasions, cities, towns and countries. Therefore it is easy to kill them, no one can cry foul, racism, hatred or discrimination. Hey They're Zombies! They're Gonna Eat Ya!! ARGHHAAWWEEARG!!!! I'd rather watch the History channell, NatGeo or read a good book. Just my opinion.


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## jwhoff (Oct 26, 2013)

I've read this entire thread.  Enlightening, misunderstood, most often well thought out.

Zombies?  Godzilla, et al?  The premise is plausible.

Man's inhumanity to man ... a dead certain.


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## AAJ (Oct 27, 2013)

Maybe the zombie craze is simply a representation of the fear of the mob. Is one zombie scary?

People are afraid that all them (Democrats/Republicans) will get into power and force bad policies down everyone else's throat. Is congress scary if there is just one cranky ideologue?  I blame hyper partisan politics.

People are afraid of unchecked immigration overwhelming our institutions. Is one (choose your nationality here) family scary?  I blame income inequality and bad immigration policies. 

People are afraid of the USA losing their place in the world to the hordes of China and India.  Is one foreign IT company scary?

Globalization, urbanization, hackers using denial of service attacks, these can all be seen as a mob versus a few. And we l need to know that the few will win, or that we can win.


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