As it all comes crumbling down!! (Zombies)

Let's talk about zombies! I am right now watching a show on the history channel - scratch that, the history 2 channel - entitled 'Zombies: A Living Hostory'. Now we all know that at some point a few years ago all of these educational networks gave up on actually having informative, scientifically thought-provoking shows and documentaries and began an arms race of crappy reality shows and made-up history. The history channels have devolved into programs limited to nazis, aliens, nazi aliens, the apocalypse, and the nazi alien apocalypse.

The fact that this entire month is devoted to shows about the end of the world is no surprise. What I find remarkable is how prevalent the idea of zombies has become as the most likely cause of the end of the world. And I think this faux documentary I am watching accidentally explains why zombies are on everyone's mind: zombies are the manifestation of all of mankind's deepest fears. They carry disease that cannot be cured, their weapon is infection and cannibalism, they cannot be stopped, and they may have been a product of our own creation. These themes have been drilled into our souls for thousands of years (apparently).

And so I have to hand it to George Romero for understanding those innate fears and creating the modern idea of the 'zombie'. It is a creature and an idea that will always be around in some form or another, because humans will always, at their core, be afraid of the same things.

I used to spend hours in college discussing zombie outbreak plans with my friends; how would we get weapons, where would we get food, who would we trust, and where would we make our last stand. (In fact it's ironic that this is my shortest post so far and yet I could write pages and pages about my thoughts on zombies.) Now, with zombies becoming such a mainstream idea on television and in the movies, even my parents are (jokingly?) brainstorming strategies for the apocalypse. There is an entire brand of real, live ammunition called Zombie Max and targets that are shaped like blood-thirsty walking dead. There are 'zombie runs' all over the country where you can run a marathon through mud and over obstacles while being chased at top speed by awesome people in makeup. I mean, the very thought of zombies proves to be much more infectious than the zombie plague itself (fingers crossed).

So I also think that since zombies represent all of mankind's deepest fears, the way people have been manipulating it into pop culture is a brilliant way of dealing with those fears. At this point we are so desensitized to the gore and horror of a zombie apocalypse, that if it should actually take place, not only would we be prepared for the shock, we may even be more anticipatory of the social breakdown.  In fact, at this point, I would prefer dying in a zombie apocalypse than, say, a nuclear explosion or a giant meteor, because at least I get to experience the fantasy that we all share, that of gunning down everyone in my community that I hate.