

The Dreams in Which I’m Dying: The vanity of the zombie apocalypse - dnetesn
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/08/29/the-dreams-in-which-im-dying/

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angersock
_Zombies have always functioned as emotional shorthand for a condition in
which it’s morally allowable to attack everything, to see every encountered
life as a possible threat, while resenting or mistrusting the last few
survivors._

Not strictly accurate...if you consider the plight of folks in Romero's ____
of the Dead_ series, you see that that isn't the case. Zombies are a
convenient standin for a constant, seething, but not largely dangerous
existential threat, a backdrop against which human drama can be cast.

That's the best bit of the article--especially towards the end, the author
plays a few "mmmm yes privileged males pandering" cards and fails to
critically evaluate their own claims. As an example, consider the _Left 4
Dead_ series approach to zombie apocalypse: people still work together, laugh,
cry, and try to make the most of things while supporting each other.

There is a good conversation to be had about why apocalyptic memes are so
popular in fiction (interactive and otherwise) today, but the author doesn't
really _do_ anything with that. Maybe we'll fare better here.

