Why do people obsess about zombies?

[WeirdRaptor]

These days, it seems like you can't go anywhere on the web (and sometimes, in real life) without there being talk of zombies sooner or later. It seems like everyone (including me) has a friend who thinks that they have a full-proof plan for surviving the zombie apocalypse. Sales on guns have sky-rocketed because people think that they will need to defend their families against ombies (I'm not kidding, look it up). My question to this mass psychosis is...why? Why are people so enamored on this one concept? I get that it makes for fun story-telling when done well, but this has trascended into madness.

For one thing: it won't happen.
For another: even if it did, it wouldn't amount to anything, because mankind's ONE natural weapon and means of survival is our intelligent mind. In the wilderness, mankind survives because it can build and create a means of overcoming their lack of fangs and claws. We're not that fast comparatively, either. Take away our minds and make us even slower, and we're walking coyote bait. Even if there was a disease or a T-Virus that broke out and a portion of the population became zombies:
1. We would contain it, because if all else fails, we'd just shoot them.
2. Their own bodies are decomposing and exposed to the elements, oh, and they'd be prey to predators.
3. I'm pretty sure I can keep a slow moving mindless ingrate from even touching me let alone biting me.

Zombies are not something that would overrun the Earth, let alone be able to chase its "prey"/sadistic tormentor (yeah, I can see a lot of people messin' with 'em) for an infinite period of time before their knees would fall off! Sorry, I just had to vent.

NORAD tracks Santa, but I don't see anyone older then 8 watching the skies for him on Christmas.

[jansenov]

A very steep decline in oil production  (something like an annual drop of 10% or more; I do not consider this likely) or a 1000+ warhead nuclear war (not likely either) would produce such disruption in food production and distribution systems that something akin to a "zombie apocalypse" would appear in and around large cities, but instead of waves of zombies there would be waves of people driven mad by fear and hunger.  The countermeasures would be largely the same as those you describe.

So, while the scenario those survivalists are preparing for is a very unlikely one, it is not completely ridiculous like zombies.

But yes, it's a psychosis. If one already feels like preparing for a disaster, then it would be much wiser for one to spend money and make choices (personal, political, whatever) preparing for the actual trouble that's coming, like more expensive fossil fuels or the effects of global warming, which will still present a considerable headache, but which can be overcome with people remaining civilised.

[Mumbling]

Good insight there jansenov.

As for me personally, I don't know why people actually start believing in zombies. All I can think of are the mass produced zombie video games that all the youngsters play. Sure, there are zombie movies as well but people only watch those for about 2 hours. With video games, people can play in such an environment for a hell of a long time. I'm not trying to say that everyone who plays zombie video games is a wacko, but it most likely does have to do with the growing 'popularity' of zombies.

I don't think it'll ever happen though. Even if it would start spreading in China or India or something like that, I'm pretty sure the USA will just get their planes ready and shoot them from above :

[Serris]

I see this stuff even in otherwise respectable military/tactical oriented gun magazines.

I mean a magazine oriented towards cops (SWAT team members in particular) had an ad for a firearms company called, not making this up, Black Rain Ordnance!



I admit, their name and logo are very badass but I do think it's a bit over the top.

To be fair, zombies often used as a metaphor.

[Malte279]

Perhaps there is a number of people who would love nothing more than using their weaponry on something human looking without feeling bad about it? The lacking sense of reality shown by people who cannot tell that zombies are fictional is reason why I feel uncomfortable about such people being able to legally posess and stockpile semi-automatic weapons.
Disappointment about lack of actual zombies in the world will again make some of them (even very few of them would be bad enough) go to schools or other public buildings to use their "anti-zombie" weapons anyway.

[StrutEggStealer]

^ there goes any chance I have of seeing Warm Bodies

Personally - from watching older brothers play graphic zombie-esque video games, or reading comics like that; heck, there's even a knock-off of Pride and Prejudice with zombies!! - I can totally see the marketability. Protect yourselves from the living dead! We are basically a living video game. but i cannot understand why people would take that seriously.
Jansenov, your comment makes more sense rather than corpses rising from their graves and going on a mindless eating spree... which isn't medically possible after you've been decaying XDD

[WeirdRaptor]

If anything, I fully support gun regulation adding "Are you doing this in preparation for a zombie apocalypse" to their questionaire, and anyone who answers 'Yes' doesn't get a gun.

[Serris]

Perhaps there is a number of people who would love nothing more than using their weaponry on something human looking without feeling bad about it?

Malte, I'm starting to get very annoyed with your broad brushstrokes of American gun owners. Most of them are law abiding citizens who just so happen to own several firearms along with ammunition.

Yes, it is true that there are a lot of firearms in the US (270,000,000) and that gun deaths are fairly high (32,163) but I'd prefer to look at the ratio: 32,163/270,000,000 comes out to .00011912. To me, this implies that the vast majority of gun owners are perfectly law abiding citizens and it is just a few that cause problems.

Cite: http://www.gunpolicy.org/

I'd also like to point out that humanoid targets do have legitimate uses. They are (or were) used in IPSC and 3-gun shooting ("practical shooting"). They're also used by civilians who wish to train for self-defense, military and police.

-----------

As I said again, zombies are a metaphor for natural/man-made disasters. As espoused by this site: Zombie Squad.

And finally, zombies let you have a politically correct OpFor in various training exercises.. Since zombies can't be identified as an ethnic group; people cannot get offended. If you were to have your OpFor from, say Kaharistan (fictional country), you run the risk of people being offended because people would think the Kaharistanis were a thinly disguised real Middle Eastern ethnicity.

[Ptyra]

If anything, I fully support gun regulation adding "Are you doing this in preparation for a zombie apocalypse" to their questionaire, and anyone who answers 'Yes' doesn't get a gun.

That sounds like a good idea in theory, but there's a chance that someone could be lying about their answer so they can add to their armory.

It does have some merit, though

[Blais_13]

Most people don't know where all the zombie stuff came fom:
http://jennzie.hubpages.com/hub/Clairvius-...eal-Life-Zombie

It's a sick way to get hardworking slaves.

To sum it up,a real zombie is a man,who was poisoned with a venom that makes your life functions slower,and makes you look like you are dead.Then,after the man was buried,the guy who poisoned him dig him up,give him the antipoison,and give some kind of drug that makes him more easy to manipulate(so he can use him as a slave),and have side effect like bad ballance.If someone who knew the "zombie" before meets him,he can easily think that he is a mindless undead,becose he "died",and very gross becose of the drug.There was even a tradition to place a big stone in the top of the graves to prevent the dead from coming back.That's where the braineater undead zombies came from.

So am I affrai that the worl will be overruned by kidnaped people?NOPE

[Justin1993]

Imagine how I feel knowing that a good number of people here think I'm crazy.  
You're never going to get a consistent answer since everyone has a different reason for obsessing over something. I find the legend of the 'zombie' and its evolution to be quite fascinating. Also, Blais, zombie lore existed long before the 1900s; by a couple hundred years, to be exact. The original 'zombie' was a corpse reanimated through mystical means, such as witchcraft, voodoo, hoodoo, etc, who was then used to commit deeds, usually evil in nature.
Honestly, I feel that many of you don't possess enough knowledge about the zombie subculture and its followers. I do not mean to offend anyone. It is just my opinion gathered from what has been posted here. Hollywood zombies aren't the only class in zombie lore, which is the class you guys appear to be focusing on. I agree that a zombie apocalypse is very unlikely, and I doubt there will be one, but if people want to believe that one could happen, why not let them? I have heard of no harm coming to anyone as a result. Also, on the subjects of weaponry, any true zombie enthusiast would tell you that guns are as much a danger as a zombie. They are loud and attract unwanted attention. Just a little tidbit.
And please, in the future, be a little considerate for those out there who may believe in something you find laughable. I did feel a little hurt at what was posted here.    
...Okay, I'm over it.  

[Dracorider19]

I'm glad you started this topic. For a long time I didn't get why people seemed to obsess
over the idea of zombies. At times, it seemed like some people WANTED zombies to be
real. I find that truly bizarre and hard to understand. There is no strong evidence
of zombies, let alone a "zombie apocalypse." Even if zombies could exist, we wouldn't need
them. They don't need to exist. They shouldn't exist. The "zombie" we know today came almost
entirely from the 1968 "Night of the Living Dead" movie from George Romero. The word
"zombie" had quite different connotations before that movie.
I guess the zombie idea is popular because many want a sense of thrill and excitement,
and horror often follows that.

[DarkHououmon]

Even if zombies could exist, we wouldn't need
them. They don't need to exist. They shouldn't exist.
and horror often follows that.

Whether or not we 'need' something isn't really a justification on whether or not a species should or should not exist. There are a number of species around that we as humans don't really rely on, but nonetheless other species do. It's a balancing act.

The main issues of zombies existing has nothing to do with 'not needing' them; it has more to do with the fact that, well, at least with the traditional zombie, they don't heal. And becaues they don't heal, injuries will pile up and eventually they're no longer a threat. The odds are stacked against them. So a zombie apocalypse wouldn't really last that long. Just hide out in a good spot long enough and the zombies will just either fall apart eventually or get eaten by wild animals.

[Dracorider19]

Even if zombies could exist, we wouldn't need
them. They don't need to exist. They shouldn't exist.
and horror often follows that.

Whether or not we 'need' something isn't really a justification on whether or not a species should or should not exist. There are a number of species around that we as humans don't really rely on, but nonetheless other species do. It's a balancing act.

The main issues of zombies existing has nothing to do with 'not needing' them; it has more to do with the fact that, well, at least with the traditional zombie, they don't heal. And becaues they don't heal, injuries will pile up and eventually they're no longer a threat. The odds are stacked against them. So a zombie apocalypse wouldn't really last that long. Just hide out in a good spot long enough and the zombies will just either fall apart eventually or get eaten by wild animals.

I see your point, but what I was trying to make a point on how some people bizarrely
seem to want zombies to exist, for reason other than a sense of thrill. Nevertheless,
you were correct with the odds stacked against zombies if a zombie apocalypse ever
happened.

[action9000]

Zombies offer us a unique kind of horror:

They're as close to people as one can get without having any personhood, or fundamental traits that make something a person.

This is why zombies can't simply be interchanged for some other kind of horrific beast: The ability to experience something that's resembles a person, yet has no moral code, and no ambitions or goals outside of committing a murderous rampage, is what gives zombies their unique place in horror.

Basically, the zombie fills a role similar to a sociopath or serial killer, but without the aspect of them legitimately being people. This means taking a shotgun or chainsaw to them feels less horrible and more rewarding than doing the same to a sociopath.

It's kind of the best of both worlds: You get a monster that's basically a human, but without any moral code and without any of the negative repercussions that come from killing one when you're threatened by it.

[Justin1993]

Eh-what?! I posted here? And why did I post THAT?  :blink: Bizarre.... and very cringey I don't even remember liking the zombie subgenre that much to even say that. :huh:
I like the "infected" variation of zombies than the walking rotting corpses. Most of my favorite zombie media involves humans being turned into aggressive beings by means of a pathogen. I liked the way 28 Days Later handled zombies.
I'm very doubtful a zombie apocalypse of any kind could happen though. It is an interesting thought though, surviving in such a world.

[Kor]

Very insightful posts on this thread.  Personally I am tired of zombie stuff, have been for quite a while, though it does have a huge number of fans, even more then of vampires it seems.

[Coyote_A]

I'm very doubtful a zombie apocalypse of any kind could happen though. It is an interesting thought though, surviving in such a world.

Honestly, I don't think we even need any kind of virus to make the zombie apocalypse scenario real.  As soon as the resources on this poor little blue globe of ours will start to deplete it'll be on without the need to make the population any more animalistic!..

Happy thought of the day, I know. <_<

[ADFan185]

Yeah let's not make a zombie outbreak a real thing let's keep it in the movies. And maybe because zombies are very Interesting monsters.

[Dracorider19]

Okay, so I came back here to show my own kind of zombie.
While I'm not a fan of zombies, I do enjoy studying creatures from horror folklore and
I recently have been looking up and learning about the origins of zombies.
I've decided to create my own kind of zombie to show my creativity. Now I won't make
it too glory or bloody, since I don't watch that kind of stuff, but more psychologically
scary or thrilling. Here it is-
The "Liver-eating Zombies".

These zombies are a rather different kind than the familiar undead monsters that
seek out people. While these are reanimated corpses like the familiar brain-eating zombie,
these zombies do not eat brains nor people. Rather, they seek out animals and prey upon
them for their liver. These zombies are physically weaker than people, but have cunning
tactics to work together to catch animals. They favor eating the liver, hence their name.
While they may not be much of a danger to people, they have been known to seek
out pets such as cats and dogs and therefore anyone living in a town close to a
cemetery that may become cursed must be cautious not to let their pets get too close
to the aforementioned cemetery.
What do you think?