I’m a Johnny-come-lately when it comes to zombies.
I’m okay with that, because I tend to see them a bit differently than the people who dealt with them originally; I think zombies are funny, and public tastes seem to be with me at the moment.
Sure, zombies are scary – but they’re funny, too.
People talk about how zombies symbolize the downfall of modern civilization or how we, as a society, are shooting ourselves in the foot in various ways, by a materialistic, corporate culture, or by treating various types of people as less worthy than others.
I see it differently. Zombies are change.
CHANGE IS BAD.
What causes zombie outbreaks? Science.
SCIENCE IS BAD; YOU LEARN STUFF, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO CHANGE.
Or, if the explanation’s not science (and if one’s provided), then the explanation is usually “some fool was messing around with something he shouldn’t have.”
CURIOSITY IS BAD.
The zombies come, and society is never the same again. The people you never thought would hurt you (either because they had no reason to, or because they didn’t have the strength to do it), they’re out for your brains.
And anyone who comes in contact with change, they’re corrupted, so KILL THEM TOO. Because anyone who changes is stupid and violent, and there are traitors within your midst.
An interesting opinion, and certainly one that fits with some of the current trends in zombie literature.
However, I think it’s important to point out that not ALL zom-pocalypse books & novels share the same sentiment – I mean, for sure – something like the classic I Am Legend (up to you if you consider these actually zombies or not) certainly stems from this “too much knowledge can be bad for you” thread, but some works like my debut zombie novel “GREY DOGS” may not fit the mold.
I like zombies not for their seeming symbolism, but because in my opinion they’re the most realistic horror monster out there, terrifying because the science behind it may be well out of reach or plausibility, but if it ever happened the scenario would prove itself to be quite something you can get your head around.
Everyone may not have seen a ghost, but everyone remembers the panic around epidemics (or near epidemics) like H1N1 and SARS, and in history diseases like the black plague really did devestate entire continents – even if it didn’t make the dead rise.
Either way, a very interesting opinion piece. And I can’t wait to get a copy of Choose Your Doom!
Well done, and keep writing!!
IDGS
True, and thank you 🙂
I think you’ve got a really valid interpretation.
I’m more of a FEED type of zombie fan, though.
Have you read FEED yet? If not, I should give it to you to read. Best book I’ve read this year, hands down, counting the Nebula nominees.
Nope, but I have it on hold from the liberry.
@seananmcguire is quite good as a twitter feed, if you’re not following her already.
So… You’re saying we should just start killing the stupid people now, as a preventative measure against a zombie outbreak?
Well, sometimes I’m an idiot, and I want to live, so I’m going to make that executive decision and say…NO.