THE ZOMBIE ANALOGY
THE ZOMBIE ANALOGY
In an essay I wrote about Charlie Manson a while back I made the analogy of most Americans being zombies, not unlike the ones depicted in the films of George A. Romero. Here, I would like to expand upon that analogy and discuss its implications.
The observations are all drawn from George A. Romero’s films, but please do not assume that George A. Romero condones any of my racial views. His films, I think he would agree, have themes much deeper than the surface material of zombies. For example, in the documentary Document of the Dead, Romero states that Dawn of the Dead addresses the mindless consumerism of Americans, and that the film was not randomly set in shopping mall. I am addressing the tactics and realities his characters face in dealing with zombies, as I think that the current state of affairs, in relation to racial issues, provides many parallels and hard lessons. If any of these parallels and lessons seem blatantly obvious to you, keep in mind that some people might not have thought of this yet, and that you, the ideal reader, are not the sole audience I intend to reach.
LESSON # 1: OUTNUMBERED
You are completely and totally outnumbered. Let’s just say, for the sake of illustration, that the population of the world, as of 5-18-09, was clocked at 6,780,677,396. Out of that 6,780,677,396 there are barely a handful of living (read: non-zombie) people. The majority of that 6,780,677,396 are living dead within cities. You have to stay away from the cities, unless you need supplies, etc. Otherwise, going to the cities is an exercise in madness, a suicide mission. Lesson # 1 provides a segue for Lesson #2….
LESSON # 2: GO WHERE THERE ARE NO PEOPLE OR VERY FEW PEOPLE
Since the cities are too dangerous for you, go where you have a fighting chance. What do I mean? You will be sniffed out for your racial views and eaten alive in the cities. That’s all that is. Do not subject yourself to that sort of danger. In LAND OF THE DEAD, they end up actualizing a recurring dream of Romero characters: escape to the Great White North, i.e., Canada. This leads us to Lesson # 3……
LESSON # 3: THERE IS NO ESCAPE
That’s right. You will never escape the zombies. You can only minimize the numbers you have to encounter. You find that you are a drifter, always on the move. The realities of the situation demonstrate that the living are of vital significance only if they have valuable skills and knowledge. Which leads us to Lesson # 4…..
LESSON # 4: HUMAN CAPITAL
Human capital is a term that sort of turns my stomach, much like the saying, “The children are our most valuable resource.” But the term serves my purpose if you take the precaution to not infer that I view people as commodities, as that IS THE ZOMBIE MINDSET! That said, the films of Romero always show us that there is a natural stratification of people, and that the ones who can fly helicopters, shoot a gun, drive a big garbage truck, make firebombs, etc. are far more valuable than the living characters who have few skills and cower in the corner while everyone else is fighting to preserve their lives against the zombies.
[There will be more lessons added as I think of them and re-watch the Romero movies.]
In an essay I wrote about Charlie Manson a while back I made the analogy of most Americans being zombies, not unlike the ones depicted in the films of George A. Romero. Here, I would like to expand upon that analogy and discuss its implications.
The observations are all drawn from George A. Romero’s films, but please do not assume that George A. Romero condones any of my racial views. His films, I think he would agree, have themes much deeper than the surface material of zombies. For example, in the documentary Document of the Dead, Romero states that Dawn of the Dead addresses the mindless consumerism of Americans, and that the film was not randomly set in shopping mall. I am addressing the tactics and realities his characters face in dealing with zombies, as I think that the current state of affairs, in relation to racial issues, provides many parallels and hard lessons. If any of these parallels and lessons seem blatantly obvious to you, keep in mind that some people might not have thought of this yet, and that you, the ideal reader, are not the sole audience I intend to reach.
LESSON # 1: OUTNUMBERED
You are completely and totally outnumbered. Let’s just say, for the sake of illustration, that the population of the world, as of 5-18-09, was clocked at 6,780,677,396. Out of that 6,780,677,396 there are barely a handful of living (read: non-zombie) people. The majority of that 6,780,677,396 are living dead within cities. You have to stay away from the cities, unless you need supplies, etc. Otherwise, going to the cities is an exercise in madness, a suicide mission. Lesson # 1 provides a segue for Lesson #2….
LESSON # 2: GO WHERE THERE ARE NO PEOPLE OR VERY FEW PEOPLE
Since the cities are too dangerous for you, go where you have a fighting chance. What do I mean? You will be sniffed out for your racial views and eaten alive in the cities. That’s all that is. Do not subject yourself to that sort of danger. In LAND OF THE DEAD, they end up actualizing a recurring dream of Romero characters: escape to the Great White North, i.e., Canada. This leads us to Lesson # 3……
LESSON # 3: THERE IS NO ESCAPE
That’s right. You will never escape the zombies. You can only minimize the numbers you have to encounter. You find that you are a drifter, always on the move. The realities of the situation demonstrate that the living are of vital significance only if they have valuable skills and knowledge. Which leads us to Lesson # 4…..
LESSON # 4: HUMAN CAPITAL
Human capital is a term that sort of turns my stomach, much like the saying, “The children are our most valuable resource.” But the term serves my purpose if you take the precaution to not infer that I view people as commodities, as that IS THE ZOMBIE MINDSET! That said, the films of Romero always show us that there is a natural stratification of people, and that the ones who can fly helicopters, shoot a gun, drive a big garbage truck, make firebombs, etc. are far more valuable than the living characters who have few skills and cower in the corner while everyone else is fighting to preserve their lives against the zombies.
[There will be more lessons added as I think of them and re-watch the Romero movies.]
posted by Noel at
10:38 AM
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