"The horror genre in general has always been a reflection of our social anxieties. … In the wake of 9/11, zombie narratives have increased dramatically, which isn't surprising considering the concerns in our culture since then -- SARS, bird flu, chemical weapons and the radicals and extremists with whom you can't reason and you can't negotiate."
I’m afraid I cannot disagree. I DO agree that horror narratives address popular fears. If nothing else, horror stories are akin to urban legends, tapping into anxieties and giving them fangs. The end result is a catharsis, based ironically in survival (yes, I am claiming that surviving is the real horror. More on that another time).
What I don’t agree with is this idea that the particular fears that Zombies embody are influenza, biological warfare, and terrorism. None of these, in my mind, align with the horror that a slow shuffling field of teeth-chomping brain eaters evoke. However, those three things do, sort of, have something in common that I think DOES resonate with zombies: government hubris.
I’ve talked about it here before (or at least I’ve meant to) this idea that when the zombie apocalypse comes, it will be the devastation to infrastructure that spells mankind’s doom. Communication breakdowns, service and product distribution failures, and worst of all, patriotism begetting factionalism. Us versus them will lump anyone who isn’t in your immediate pack or clan a “them.”
In other words, zombies represent our fear of internet dependence. Yes, it’s as simple as that. If the lights go out, if we can’t Facebook and Amazon and Fantasy Football and Fox News, then we’ll have to look at ourselves. Looking at ourselves means everyone else is, basically, not us, and paranoia means they’re all jealous of our brains and want to eat us, whole.
You think I’m silly, but mark my words. The only people in the world who are unafraid of zombies are the Amish.
HA HA! Amish zombies.
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