So, why do we love zombies anyway?

[harrisonpink]

I've been thinking a lot lately about the public and our love affair with the notion of the zombie. Why do we love them (or love to hate them) so much? I remember reading a study once that correlated the rising popularity of zombies and the rising distrust the public currently had in its government, as well as Big Business(TM).

I don't know if it's true, but I know it's an interesting thing to discuss!

So, why do you think we love zombies?

[RAnthonyMahan]

I guess there's a power fantasy aspect to it. For some people (who may have...less than ideal mental health, to be polite) living in a zombie apocalypse might be their idea of paradise. Conventional zombies can't do anything unless they're standing right next to you, and they move extremely slow to boot. So the threat that destroyed society isn't exactly too threatening.

Anyway, in your typical zombie apocalypse scenario you're free to kill anyone you see (with no judgment since...well, they're zombies), take whatever you want from stores, and any other survivors (some of who may...be female) would pretty much have no choice but to be around you.

As you might guess, I'm not a big fan of most zombie stuff, since there's a heavy "WOO ZOMBIES ARE AWESOME" air to it. The Walking Dead is one of the few exceptions, since it shows a zombie outbreak as legitimately bad. And the zombies are the least of the reasons why, of course.

[Grunty]

Cracked actually did an article about thishttp://www.cracked.com/article/136_5-reasons-you-secretly-want-zombie-apocalypse/

Basically you can kill people without guilt and can use your video game skillz for once in real life. Plus it goes with the whole 'end of civilization' fantasy where you can take and do whatever you want.

[Ignatius]

There are several things about zombies that i like and makes them stand out from other kind of monsters.

One is that these monsters are real people and not and external supernatural being. Your neighbors and fellow citizens that you see around you everyday.

Another one is the inevitable destruction of social structures that comes along with the zombies. You can have other kind of monsters confined to one little place, or situation and outside that everything is normal. With zombies you know shit hit the fan. It's rock bottom for everybody at the same time, and the story stays there, moving around in rock bottom without any kind of safe net.

Into a more deep thought zombies also show something that most of us don't want to face, that is death. I mean natural death, not the threat of being killed. We all know we re going to die someday but we don't like to think about that, and that after dead we are all gonna be rotten and ugly. The zombie concept puts that idea right in the street and shakes it right in front of you. Because zombies are dead people in wich you can reflect your own mortal destiny. And that's scary!

[harrisonpink]

Cracked actually did an article about thishttp://www.cracked.com/article/136_5-reasons-you-secretly-want-zombie-apocalypse/

Yeah, I've seen that article, but I think it's more humerous than totally accurate. There's something about being surrounded by a grey swarm of danger that gets stronger as it weakens your forces that is incredibly compelling. If the zombification of the dead was a one-time event, and people wouldn't turn when bitten / killed, I don't know if zombies would have so much appeal.

Maybe it's an allegory to how we've become mindless consumerist robots doing what we're told to do in a 9-5 world? /FirstYearPsychology :p

[Jon NA]

Maybe it's an allegory to how we've become mindless consumerist robots doing what we're told to do in a 9-5 world? /FirstYearPsychology :p
That's semi-exactley(!) like what I think (http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=470642&postcount=39)! Semi-Seconded.

[thesporkman]

Maybe it's an allegory to how we've become mindless consumerist robots doing what we're told to do in a 9-5 world? /FirstYearPsychology :p

Cracked has an article on that interpretation too:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19402_6-mind-blowing-ways-zombies-vampires-explain-america_p2.html

[harrisonpink]

Cracked has an article on that interpretation too:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19402_6-mind-blowing-ways-zombies-vampires-explain-america_p2.html

Well shoot. I guess original thought isn't my strong suit today.

[Rather Dashing]

Well shoot. I guess original thought isn't my strong suit today.
....especially considering that was the entire point of Dawn of the Dead? ;)

I think the interpretation that zombie fans all secretly want to be roving murderers and [i]rapists(the first time I've seen this assertion was in this thread but sure) is a terrible, outside looking-in sort of assertion. We're fascinated by death, we're fascinated by gore and blood. It makes us face mortality, it gives us really cool gore effects, it allows us to look in the face of mortal danger without having to actually endanger ourselves personally. The way society crumbles in an apocolyptic story, especially with an everpresent danger, what it does to people...zombies create a world in which we can push people to their limits. I saw a short film this weekend called "Spoiled Rotten", in which a mother grows too attached to her zombified child to the point of insanity. That's the sort of character study we're talking about here, characters in extreme environments given dramatic, powerful choices and either rising above or falling behind. It's a world in which it's EASY to be terrible, but that's not an excuse, it's an interesting and dramatic position to put characters in. The idea that fascination with zombie media implies a deep and secret desire to KILL and RAPE and LOOT and BE BETTER implies a complete inability to relate to things in anything but the most narcissistic of ways, which just doesn't seem realistic to me.

[Noname215]

Well, duh, they’re scary. And we basically watch horror movies not to be scared but to watch our own kind get savagely killed or savagely kill other people or monsters or zombies.

[ruairi46]

[QUOTE=RAnthonyMahan;538142]I guess there's a power fantasy aspect to it. For some people (who may have...less than ideal mental health, to be polite) living in a zombie apocalypse might be their idea of paradise. QUOTE]

Me =) It'd deffo be interesting to see a world were the more money you have doesant make you the more powerfull, be funny to see how people would react to the situation (Allthough if there was one I'd like to know all my family would be safe and I wouldent have to look after them)

[Cyreen]

I think zombies tend to reflect the typical human paranoid "us against them" mentality in broad black and white, where the imagined inferior masses truly are monsters.

[Warp zx]

Shhhh. If people realise why they love zombies, the spell will break and they won't buy the future episodes! Keep it quiet.

[Drbg]

Haven't alot of people bought season passes? We wont get refunds so we might as well know why we like zombies.

[Drake Sigar]

I think zombies tend to reflect the typical human paranoid "us against them" mentality in broad black and white, where the imagined inferior masses truly are monsters.

Pretty much. They can be applied to any and all demographics, calling to our hubristic nature. Most people believe they're one of the few intelligent lifeforms on the planet, and everyone else is a mindless sheep

Baaaa.

[marcu5]

i love them because they're still faster than TTG's production team

[CapnJay]

Nice try Harrison :Cracks Whip: Back to work

[Zeruis]

The actual things or the genre? If it's the zombies , I like them because they prove a threat to the person/group and can easily kill them. This gives out a point of survival. If it's the genre, I love the drama between the characters.

[Noname215]

But what about those god awful tongue-in-cheek zombie flicks that only want to show audiences how much blood can splash against the screen?

[Zeruis]

But what about those god awful tongue-in-cheek zombie flicks that only want to show audiences how much blood can splash against the screen?

Those are another thing. Mostly any other zombie movie that is made on a low budget are really bad. Those are just the kind of movies that ruin the actual zombie genre: Quarantine series, anyone?

[Master of Aeons]

While we're linking essays, have you read this one? It was featured in a Walking Dead trade.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/04/television-simon-pegg-dead-set

Simon Pegg talks about why zombies are important.

[Cyreen]

Nice try Harrison :Cracks Whip: Back to work

Old thread from almost a year ago (someone really had to dig for this one), but an interesting one. Certainly better than some lately.

[Master of Aeons]

Are you kidding? I love these current topics!

Or maybe I'm hungry.

[Cyreen]

The ones that are plot, character or zombology 101, I'm all for!

Those are another thing. Mostly any other zombie movie that is made on a low budget are really bad. Those are just the kind of movies that ruin the actual zombie genre: Quarantine series, anyone?

I liked Shaun of the Dead! Definitely low budget.

[Kiel555]

Zombies are great. They just give you so much bang for your buck. First there is the overnight collapse of our glorious civilization. Everyone is back in the stone age. No power, phones, internet, cable tv, etc, etc. Lots of things are on fire, people are running around screaming. It really is just pure panic and everyone gets to participate.

Next, we're not at the top of the food chain anymore. You're just white meat or dark meat now. Nothing works on zombies. Technology - nope, medicine - nope, diplomacy- nope. Safe during the daylight - nope.

Lastly, all the usual threats are still with us too. Bad people but no police or prisons. Sickness but no hospitals. Cavities but no dentists. It's medieval.

Let's see a vampire or a ghost top that.

[Rock114]

I think the reason might be having a clean slate. The "Social Totem Pole" would no longer exist, and give you a completely new chance to define yourself free of previous judgements, like Lee and Doug. Lee is a convicted killer on his way to prsion when the world ends, and is given a new chance at life. Whether that means gaining redemption from his crime, or just living day-to-day looking out for himself is up to the player. Doug is a nerd, plain and simple. Like me. But when it hits the fan and the dead rise, he steps up and saves Carley's life from that news van, or whatever. Both Lee and Carley say that Doug is a nerd, but if he is saved he becomes good friends with Lee. Before the pharmacy is overrun, and even after, Carley says that she likes him, while she probably wouldn't have said two words to the guy before the outbreak hit.

[Noname215]

Or maybe I'm hungry.

Oh, shit. I’m loading my shotgun.

[Gennadios]

What made the most sense to me was a deconstruction I read ages ago in an article I don't really remember.

Essentially it boils down to a dissatisfaction with the qualities that our society values in individuals. The most arrogant and charismatic will be given power and people who'se entire purpose is to game existing systems or play psychological games with consumers (Social Games/Operant Conditioning, anyone?) are the ones that earn the most money.

Zombies solve that problem. You can't charm your way out of them, and economics and psych are are kind of the useless skills in those situations. It evens out the playing field and lets people fail or succeed on their own merits.

Then Kirkman goes and f**** it all up by giving us a story arc where someone like the Governor gets put in charge. I'd rather just see the zombies win.

[ommmnomnomnom]

I think the reason might be having a clean slate. The "Social Totem Pole" would no longer exist, and give you a completely new chance to define yourself free of previous judgements, like Lee and Doug. Lee is a convicted killer on his way to prsion when the world ends, and is given a new chance at life. Whether that means gaining redemption from his crime, or just living day-to-day looking out for himself is up to the player. Doug is a nerd, plain and simple. Like me. But when it hits the fan and the dead rise, he steps up and saves Carley's life from that news van, or whatever. Both Lee and Carley say that Doug is a nerd, but if he is saved he becomes good friends with Lee. Before the pharmacy is overrun, and even after, Carley says that she likes him, while she probably wouldn't have said two words to the guy before the outbreak hit.

Who's preventing all the nuclear power stations from going Chernobyl? After a while wouldn't the radiation just kill us all anyway?

[magodesky]

I think a lot of it is basically what Rock114 said. Zombie fiction is more or less a subset of the post-apocalypse genre, which is itself a modern incarnation of ancient end-of-the-world myths. And a lot of that apocalyptic literature seems to be about giving hope to people that society really hasn't been very good to. It's an escapist fantasy about the bad guys finally getting the comeuppance they never receive in real life while the good guys have the opportunity at a fresh start.

In any story set in this genre, there's usually that one guy who's the biggest jerk in the whole group. And as soon as you see him, you know that guy's going to die. Most likely in a horribly gruesome way. Like Larry. Of course, depending on the tone, all of the characters may die. But if any of them manage to survive, it's usually going to be the person who at least tries to do the right thing.

The other thing is that, with zombies in particular, it's symbolic of our constant struggle with the idea of our own mortality. Like zombies, death may shamble towards us slowly, but in the end, you can't really escape it. I think these kinds of allegorical tales, where the hero can literally shooting death in the head with a shotgun, help us come to terms with our own fear of death.

[Bcroft]

i think cause we all want to be in that situation but theres soo many ways it could play out

[ruairi46]

I think a lot of it is basically what Rock114 said. Zombie fiction is more or less a subset of the post-apocalypse genre, which is itself a modern incarnation of ancient end-of-the-world myths. And a lot of that apocalyptic literature seems to be about giving hope to people that society really hasn't been very good to. It's an escapist fantasy about the bad guys finally getting the comeuppance they never receive in real life while the good guys have the opportunity at a fresh start.

In any story set in this genre, there's usually that one guy who's the biggest jerk in the whole group. And as soon as you see him, you know that guy's going to die. Most likely in a horribly gruesome way. Like Larry. Of course, depending on the tone, all of the characters may die. But if any of them manage to survive, it's usually going to be the person who at least tries to do the right thing.

The other thing is that, with zombies in particular, it's symbolic of our constant struggle with the idea of our own mortality. Like zombies, death may shamble towards us slowly, but in the end, you can't really escape it. I think these kinds of allegorical tales, where the hero can literally shooting death in the head with a shotgun, help us come to terms with our own fear of death.

That was some deep shit ='(

[Master of Aeons]

Oh, shit. I’m loading my shotgun.

If you're going to shoot me, I want jaybreezy to take the shot, because he'll put me down clean.

[AceStarr]

Rise of the BATH SALT ZOMBIES!!!!!!:eek:

[Milosuperspesh]

If you're going to shoot me, I want jaybreezy to take the shot, because he'll put me down clean.

interesting...at point blank range only duck would miss...

[magodesky]

That was some deep shit ='(

Sorry. Too much? :o

[JabbaDaHuttX7]

I'd say a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction is based on real-world events and fears such as a nuclear holocaust, technology that we depend on no longer working, war for resources, environmental problems (usually our fault), etc., zombies being the exception I guess.

[CapnJay]

I'd like to play an Evil ruthless vindictive manipulative bastard in a Zombie game but in real life i'm a nice guy