It does not matter what brought the zombie into life, and there have been so many ways that different storytellers have envisioned it. Whether it be a powerful necromancer recruiting from a mausoleum or a careless scientist within a lab, or perhaps as the movie Zombieland theorized, cheap food from the local gas station, the result is always the same. Another variation is within the level of intelligence the zombies are considered to possess, whether they be aimless wanderers waiting for their prey to appear or intelligent enough for coordination and basic communication, not much changes. The defining part of these zombies is they are incapable of independent thought and are concerned with only the most basic of needs.
The general characteristics of the zombie are directly related to the first thesis of Cohen. There is clearly an underlying fear in our society that we are letting technology take over our lives, and it is only natural that these anxieties get expressed through stories of zombies. What better way to demonstrate our concern as a society that we are allowing technology to possess too much influence than comparisons to a single minded entity? This also ties in directly to the seventh thesis in that the monster is at the threshold of becoming, and who can deny that advancements in technology have made many things convenient, but there may be a cost to convenience.
Who needs to talk to someone face to face when we have a seemingly unending list of ways to talk to others without having to leave our chair? The popularity of social media reflects our desire to be involved with other people, but what are we giving up by allowing that need to be meet with a press of the like button or 140 characters at a time? We may have the largest audience, but are we really communicating? These aren't outlandish fears. These are things we may have to address as a society, as we are losing the need to leave our homes or interact with people in a physical space. We can avoid shopping by using amazon and hanging out with friends requires all of the effort of pressing the power button on a gaming console. Less effort and less thought is going into meeting our needs, and it is no surprise we feel anxious about these changes, and it is even less surprising we have a new found obsession with zombies.
It's interesting to note that the blog post as a way to turn in homework makes it so I don't need to go to class or even leave my room to turn in this assignment.
A quick Google search reveals that the informal meaning of zombie is “a person who is or appears lifeless, apathetic, or completely unresponsive to their surroundings.” I think this perfectly describes a person that has their eyes glued to a cell phone. While it can be not only distracting at times, the abuse of technology can lead to unforeseen consequences. In the context of zombies, these consequences could be caused by biological or chemical experimentation. The existence of a zombie poses as a warning not to explore certain fields of science. Ignoring this warning can lead to the creation of a zombie. As Cohen said in his Thesis V, “curiosity is more often punished than rewarded” (Cohen, p.12).
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a cost to convenience. As innovations in certain technologies are made, our lives become seemingly more relaxed. However, in this lax state we become more ignorant to the changes happening around us. When we realize that the world has changed, we fear it, as that is human nature. The confused, fearful atmosphere during the appearance of a zombie outbreak reflects this.
I had never put a deep thought into what a zombie really stands for, after reading both the post and comment above, I can clearly understand how a zombie represents the people of the present. Everyday people walk around like "zombies", people just follow the motions and do the same things day after day. I also agree that its interesting to think about how much people admire or enjoy zombies when they are essentially what most people already are.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to look through history and find the monsters that represent the "average" person in a specific time period. I feel like the zombie represents a new kind of monster in the sense that it represents everyday people because most other monsters represent an event or moral injustice that only some people make.
Allison, that is an interesting idea. It seems like the perfect topic for an essay. While the modern human relates to zombies, perhaps people of the future will relate more to cyborgs. Our abuse of technology might evolve to a point where we are so immersed in it that it will become one with our very being. However, who is to say this hasn't happened already.
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