Why Zombies Seem Easier to Face Than Real Life

The stress of Zombies attacking or the average day...choose.

The stress of Zombies attacking or the average day…choose.

Just in case you have been living under a rock, Zombies are all the hotness.  The story is not really new, but the popularity of the genre is reaching a critical mass thanks to hits like The Walking Dead.

What strikes me about the trend is the timing.

There seems to be (to me anyway) a solid correlation between the rise of the Zombie/ post-apocalyptic genre and the decline of the national economy.

Let’s explore some common themes.

  • The total eradication of modern technology…no more cell phones, TV or gadgets.
  • A return to living off of the land and the need for physical labor.
  • Simplified focus and interest, such as just trying to survive the day.

These are just a few; believe me I have read some lengthy theories.  Why in times of financial struggle do we seem to embrace these stories about a pared down survivalist life?

I have a theory of my own.

This theory is compressed for the sake of the blog but here goes – In tough economic times, when jobs remain challenging to find and even harder to hold on to…it’s a nice fantasy to imagine a world where there are no mortgage payments, no student loan debt and no 10 hour workday.

In a post-apocalyptic world your existence is dependent on your primal and instinctual ability to survive.  You are facing off against a single foe and it is clear this foe is evil.

The real world is fraught with concerns about bills, health, childcare, elder care and  of course the concern that we are actually creating a potential apocalypse due to our misuse of fossil fuel.  You know, heavy stuff.

It’s a lot of stress coming from all angles.

Compare all of that to what I imagine my Zombie apocalypse to-do list looks like:

  • Find water
  • Find food
  • Do not be eaten by a Zombie

Done!

Your average working parent would take that list any day…but I digress.  We live in vastly connected and tuned in time. There is a lot of pressure that feels largely out of our control.

I like to imagine that my survival skills are way better than my multitasking skills.  I think it might be nice to face off against a zombie rather than figure out how I am going to send my kids to college, or attend a dance recital and a soccer game at the same time.

The idea here is that this world is simple.  Don’t get me wrong, being eaten or attacked randomly scares me very much.  But having only one central thing to focus on and getting back to basics sounds kind of appealing.  I imagine me and the family huddled up in our make shift shelter, cooking a fish we caught in a nearby stream.  Obviously we are on high alert and fairly dirty, but we are together, unharmed and happy because survival is the only goal.

What about you? Why do you think there is a growing obsession with all things Zombie?

About Suzanne Coblentz

9 Responses to “Why Zombies Seem Easier to Face Than Real Life”

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  1. Nice Suzanne. I love The Walking Dead. That show is awesome. This show is playing right into the chaos theory that people think is going on right now. I think people enjoy this show and many like it because it is a way to get away from the real world. We know that this won’t happen, but you don’t have to think about it. You can just watch and enjoy the show and see how survives.

  2. Travis says:

    I think one of the other things that makes concepts like this popular is that there is a clear villain, and a clear path of action. Oh, there’s a zombie? Kill it. Oh, lots of zombies? Run like hell.

    In real life things like grocery shopping, paying bills, filling the car with gas, disciplining kids, parent teacher conferences, etc aren’t evil things that we need to fight – they’re just things that need to get done and there’s no real right or wrong answer. I can put off shopping, and I can discipline my kids or I can decide not to this time and there’s not necessarily an immediate consequence.

    Many people (myself included) like it when things are black and white. Fight the zombie or die – that choice is pretty easy. 🙂

  3. Kris says:

    I think the whole idea of zombies is silly – but I can definitely understand the fascination. For me, sports is the “fantasy” release. Watching a game takes me away from reality. So I can see how zombies are a great release for some people, it’s a great way to get away from reality, have fun, focus on something else. But zombies aren’t really on their way, are they?

    • Hi Kris,

      I totally agree and find sports a welcome distraction as well – okay most sports…okay really only a few that I will watch on television. But I get what you are saying. As long as we can check out from time to time and focus on something simple with clear rules and a plan. Ummm, well I don’t know for sure about the Zombies…hate to say “no” and then BOOM apocalypse…LOL

  4. I think it depends very much on what kind of zombies we are talking about here (fast/slow, infectious/non-infectious)… but much agreed about the huge number of distractions that take away from the important parts of our lives, Suzanne!

  5. They have the strength in numbers, no matter how slow they are. Hopefully, they are slow. saw the new trailer for World War Z and those zombies know how to run fast!

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