Why Do We Love Zombies? | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios
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- Опубликовано: 10 окт 2024
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Zombies are EVERYWHERE!! Wait, don't panic- we mean in pop culture, not outside your window. But why is that? Bad guys and monsters seem to go through phases: one decade there's a dozen movies about aliens, ten years later it's vampires. And right now, it's zombies. And monsters don't pop up for no reason at all. There must be something that makes us fixate on one antagonist trope; some qualities they hold that echo a deeper cultural fear... So what are we afraid of now? It might just be technology. Watch the episode and find out!
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Actually, one of the reasons I like zombie movies/shows is that there's something beckoning about a world that abandons all of our systems and drives us back to a world of survival to the fittest.
not just the fittest, but the most able to adapt and maintain control of themselves and maintain trust among their group.
Exactly zombies are slow and stupid what makes zombie scenarios scary is now your neighbor is trying to kill you and your family for all your food
@@awelschmeyer2281 that's the definition of survival of the fittest
Yeah, I like zombie apocalypse scenarios because of the fall of society as we know it where humanity is forced to persevere all the same, without the class system, without money, or looks, or anything that matters in our world today just gone and human kind is forced to all be in exactly the same situation. Sure the rich have their security and such, but in the apocalypse it's all fair game, there is no more laws, no more societal standards, and we are basically brought back to the dark ages.
I think there's just a part of everyone that wants to be a situation where survival is the only priority. In the modern world there's all these pressures like finding a career, fitting into a social group etc. A zombie apocalypse offers a situation that doesn't involve all these pressures of modern life but also isn't impossible to survive in and, ultimately, it's still within your control to survive (unlike in a situation where a disease like the black plague is spreading).
Ethan S ABSOLUTELY!
To add another angle to this: We like something scary and creepy to put us in an extreme situation (we like extreme situations in and of themselves tho) and then think about what we'd do. But if the scary/creepy thing is too powerful, things would probably be out of our control. We like being challenged, but still in control. That's the key thing, control. Which I think is why Zombie movies are liked/enjoyed by a larger portion of people than horror movies in general.
You know what's funny? It's 2022, and we're still obsessed with Zombies to some extent. It's not as strong as it was before the Walking Dead or any of the other Zombie media in pop culture came around, but the interest is still there.
I think the next is going to be Dystopian worlds.
I'm not sure what they signifiy, but they deffinitely seem to be on the rise.
As someone once said "Dystopian is the new Vampire" (In literature of course)
Dark Star Do you think the same now two years after this comment? I feel like they were just a trend that died out already. Although I haven't really kept up with recent movies tbh...
If zombies represent technology, then Slender Man represents the scarcity of privacy, meaning that even in a dark forrest you're still being watched.
Hmm... The *FLYING* Sharktopuss!
Why do I feel like I would be happy worshipping that?
I've always seen zombies as symbolic of conformity. Those who deviate from a major convention of a group, despite not necessarily being immoral or irrational, may find themselves constantly in conflict with almost everyone else until they either die or become just like everyone else.
i love zombies because they're all about TOTAL WAR - they don't sleep, lose morale, etc (see World War Z)
The main reason people like zombie fiction is because they feel that their own lives are not under their control. I got into it when I was doing badly with my university work. All these deadlines and endless hours of reading and writing essays seemed like meaningless nonsense. I longed to be out inthe bush with my pack and a weapon, saving a few peoples' lives and getting things together. It's the same for most people. We don't really feel alive, so we love shows where people are in genuine danger, or even really dying, and having genuine emotions because of their situation.
It's kind of sad really, but I bet that there aren't many zombie fans in properly dangerous parts of the world. People don't want to fantasize about something that happens to them in real life.
I disagree.
The harmless, technological environment alienated us from the primal fear that we once had and has caused us to crave for it.
The Zombie Apocalypse is a harmful world, where death might get you any time, big safe cities are overtaken and rendered unsafe and the survivors are forced to survive in an dangerous world; Zombies everywhere, no higher power to protect you (army, government), small wounds may be lethal... Virtually it's the feeling we had back in the tribal days (except maybe replace zombies with animals).
We as a generation have not experienced this feelings. They are pleasant to us... As if we miss them.
the feeling you mentioned reminded me of Minecraft in survival mode...
I'd say zombies represent the idea that the whole world is against us. the fear that you truly are alone, and the hopelessness that things will never change.
It's also about losing your Humanity and very Identity!! It's about being self-sufficient and, at the same time, relying on others for survival. It's about Individualism and Diversity!! So many things....
the apocalyptic environment is appealing to me. like characters have to be crafty or gets bitten. also the zombie mowing part is awesome.
I think the zombie craze comes from people just wanting to have a legitimate excuse for destroying other human beings in ways that would seem irrational if they were killing normal people.
Your parallels between a society's fears and how people project them in medias like art and literature made the psychology nerd in me squeal! I'd also like to add my own two cents into the conversation.
Another reason why people were terrified by vampire stories (especially in the Victorian era) was that vampires, who would often take young women and literally suck to life out of them to fill a never-ending "hunger" for blood, represented something that was abhorred: lust. In the prim, uptight era of the Victorians, the idea of having this almost primal desire to have sex- which could spread disease and cause unwanted pregnancy you weren't careful- simply for the sake of having sex, disturbed people. This is partly why vampires today don't seem nearly as scary as they once did. Contraception and better healthcare has caused the dangers of sex to go down dramatically in most places, and views on sexuality are gradually changing from it being a sinful desire that needs to be hidden behind locked doors to it simply being something that most healthy, normal humans have.
I also think there's another possibility for what zombie apocalypses could represent: antibiotic-resistant diseases. Think about it. In most zombie fictions, the hordes of zombies decimate the human population. The humans that are left soon find out that the technology that once solved all of their problems are useless in combatting the undead. Usually any attempt to start over and create a permanent home for themselves end in disaster, with the people once again fleeing for their lives and desperately trying to survive another day. (Think Walking Dead.) Compare this to the relationship between humans and disease. For a long time, we thought we won the battle against illness through antibiotics and vaccines. But now, new diseases like STAFF infections an Ebola have appeared, with no cure or vaccine to protect us from them. The plagues that we once only experienced in history books are becoming more and more plausible to occur in the present. I think that the zombie fad is fueled by the fact that, in spite of all of our technological achievements (or in some cases, BECAUSE of them) we are sitting ducks for the right strain of flew to evolve and wipe us out.
*flu. sorry.
omg u predicted covid
After the covid pandemic we can add people denying obvious reality to our possible demise of zombies
YES. This exactly. The attraction of zombie apocalypse movies for me at least is kinda about the fantasy of leaving the constraints of society. We get so bogged down by the mundane, like going to work everyday or buying groceries(notice how every zombie movie has a scene where they go to the grocery store?), that it's fun to imagine a world where survival is the only thing that matters. That and bashing in heads.
already there: slenderman.
Slenderman: Tapping into our fears of always being watched. Recently, our governments have been upping surveillance and invading personal privacy (e.g.; SOPA and PIPA), and our personal lives are online for anyone to see through social networks. Slenderman's image of a faceless man in a suit can also correlate toward our growing aversion toward big business. Slenderman's ability to change height and body shapes taps into our fear of change. Lastly, everything about Slenderman is shrouded in mystery, and most people are afraid of the unknown.
Matthew L. Saunders Wow, great analysis.
I think that the popularity of zombies, when considered amongst the other intergenerational popular media manifestations of horror, has to be because of a fear within ourselves as humans. After all, if we were afraid of technology, wouldn't it be more natural for us to lean towards robot apocalypse movies? And these have not been as popular as zombies recently.
The scariest thing about zombies is that they are us. Each generation is going to project different fears onto a body that looks so close to -- and yet so far from -- ourselves. Romero's zombies were popular and scary because people were afraid of consumerism. When I watch or read The Walking Dead, the scariest scenes are always when there are legions and legions of zombies that need to be avoided. So maybe we're afraid of... overpopulation?
agreed, I think it's more of a fear of the "other"
Tyler Graham Very good comment. Agreed
We covered the whole popularity of zombies in my English class last year, reading works with monsters in them to get an idea of the themes like Stephan King's "The Man in the Black Suit", but we talked about zombies more as something that pushes our boundaries and let's us learn from situations that we would be scared or afraid to do in public society. I do, however, like and agree with the technology representation. Seems accurate and reasonable enough for me. Excellent work :)
No.
Yes
Aren't Zombie fans typically nerds? Why would it make sense to compare them to Luddites again? Oh right, loose correlation equating to absolute causation, I forgot because I'm dumb.
Came back to this because it crossed my mind after watching a zombie movie in 2022. But now coming with another question of why we're now getting lots of multiverse movies. Missing your stuff, Idea Channel.
I LOVE ZOMBIES
I WANT TO TAKE ZOMBIES OUT ON A DATE.
She will eat your heart out.
I love the irony that it's technology which makes depictions of the zombie apocalypse more entertaining and popular
Zombies have been popularised by television shows/movies, not by people naturally gaining a fondness for zombies due to an underlying fear of anything. The visions of talented artists/movie makers turned the concept of zombies into a popular trend by making some excellent movies and TV shows that are dramatic and captivating.
I think, and I've always thought, that much of the reason that zombies have been used so much is because they, by design, are numerous. To excess. So many other monsters are "unique", as in there's only a small number (often even just 1) and it makes it a little more difficult to keep it going. There's a reason why re-animated beings are often used: because they're always numerous and require less explanation to explain WHY they're there
The RUclips channel, Cracked, has a series called After Hours where they talk about theories and ideas like this, and they had an episode about the sexualization of vampires in society. It was really interesting and I think anyone here would probably like that series.
I love how an Arrested Development clip makes it into almost every episode
Personally I feel that you are spot on the the analysis of the Zombie genere as a example of the scariness and hopelessness of the world today, as it is experience. Also the return to things that actually rely matters - which is not celebrities or the newest iPhone, but food, shelter, loved ones, a hot shower and the occasional booze storage. The important stuff.
I think zombies have always symbolized our fear of time running out, a fear of death, because in zombie movies, tv-shows, and games, especially those with slow zombies, we can run and hide, but at some point, we will get bit and become one of them. Like with death. And everyone are always making plans in the movies, tv-shows, and games, they are always stressed and there is always something happening, that makes it so that the survivors can't settle down. I think todays society is a lot like that, with expectations that you have to watch certain stuff in cinema or in tv, or play the new game. So I think the fear of death and FOMO is reason zombie media is so easy to relate to.
So if the description I'm hearing is correct, Ludites are the reason we don't have:
1) Refrigerators that last for more than five years
2) Tires that never degrade or go flat
3) Alternative sources of automobile fuel
4) Free Healthcare services (this one's a stretch)
5) etc.?
The portrayal of them as ones who stop progress just got a little more real.
I will have to agree with this video 100% because my whole idea of wanting a Zombie Apocalypse to happen in real life is to get back to when things were simple: no technology and use your brains in creative ways and to have real relationships with those around us.
That ine dude in spongebob with the lights flickering made me cry all the time,
Attack of the Killer! Tomatoes What a way to bring back such a goofy enemy, biotechnology.
The popular fabs I noticed when growing up.
80s - Slasher Films
90s - Witchcraft
Mid/00s - Vampires
2010s - Zombies, Dystopians, Vikings, Dragons( Examples: Elder Scrolls Skyrim & Game of Thrones) & Victorian Gothic London/Steampunk (Examples: Bloodborne, The Order 1886, Thief, Assassin's Creed Victory)
Who knows what will be the next big fab a decade later in books, movies, TV series, & video games.
i love the generous use of the tennant doctor gif.
This video feels as though it could have come out today, shocking how it continues to feel so modern almost a decade on
You have given me a lot to think about over the past two days in which I watch all of your videos... For that, thank you so much! I feel very inspired to think about and question society and culture.
i feel the scary part of a zombie is that... it used to be a person.. with a name, a job, a life! and now its just.. an animal! it wears the face of a person but underneath is a bloodthirsty monster! it stumbles (or sprints) towards you so unnaturally, so stiffly, it could be missing its lower body yet it will stop put in 110% effort just to rip your head off and feast on your flesh! Zombies are scary because they look like us.. but something darker lies underneath.
Never thought of the technology aspect of the Zombie apocalypse really. It is a great way of looking at it.
I think Simon Pegg also described zombies, particularly the Romero slow-moving ones, as a metaphor for death, also another thing that is inevitable and out of our control.
So I was reading Romantically Apocalyptic, and one of the pages reminded me of this video. It was even posted a few days before this video was uploaded.
Imagine life as an RPG. You're already at level 90 (almost max). The only thing left to do is work for 40+ years to maintain your health and possessions. A zombie apocalypse is alot like resetting the game. You now have the thrill of adventure, collecting useful items which help in your survival for a better life and working with a small community where every member plays their part (you're party). Survival once again becomes a real challenge and brings back excitement into your life
its like having a monster that wears the face of your lover attack you,
The zombie genre seems to be almost exclusively about the zombie apocalypse - apocalypse and end of the world tales are also rather popular in today's media culture. I would suggest that the amount of end-of-the-worlds that this generation has survived - 1984, Y2K, 2012, and a host of religious rapture scenarios - is a key factor in our fascination with this theme.
As a conscious rapper, I love it when I find lines of correlation & analogies I haven't really thought about before.
I vote we all be obsessed with dinosaurs next...
This makes a lot more sense than the idea that zombies are an expression of fear of consumerism.
Me too, all we need are Rail guns, Power Armor, and Dogmeat.
They even have Zombie Run. I was just in the "Zombie Run New Orleans 2013". It was a blast. Do it when it comes to your city
I think the Kaiju are making a come-back! But that may or may not be me just being hopeful for it lol
i always thought that zombies might also represent our fear of disease -- or rather, diseases that are outside of our control. i remember during the H1N1 and Mad Cow disease panic there was an influx of zombie novels being stocked on the shelves in nearly every bookstore i went into. the original zombies in haitian vodou were reanimated through magic and now they're frequently represented as being reanimated through infection. modern horror/thriller novels also portray vampirism and lycanthropy as some sort of virus. i don't think any of these creatures will ever go out of style, but rather adapt to whatever era they're being used in.
Your absolutely right about the meaning of monsters in our stories. I find this field of study fascinating. I also agree that technology may be the source of some of the social anxiety that makes zombies resonate in our culture. But I think the main reason we love zombies has more to do with an anxiety that goes deeper--the zombie monster specifically terrorizes the modern secular self -- more on this at my website--we modern folks are suffering from a serious identity crisis.
Thank you very much, PBSIdea Channel. For if it wasn't for you, I would have a very hard time finding something to write about for my COM 101 class.
>"gonna talk about vampires later"
YES
'Queue' refers to a line of waiting, 'cue' is the theatrical term for introduction.
I've also noticed that the desire to return to a simpler time could also explain the immense popularity of Minecraft.
Your absolutely right, that apocalyptic feeling almost drives us in to things we wish not to see. For example when we watch the news. The curiosity drives us to know whats happening out their despite how horrid it may be. And that's how they get money basically.
I think its like this random monsters, ghost, werewolf, vampire, zombies and next crazy parents... just maybe?
More than anything, I want to see a larger version of the graph of Monsters you have there.
That said though, I do admire that the creators of The Last of Us went with infection by Cordeyceps as opposed to the types of infections/causes seen in other post-apocalyptic games/movies/media. And the fact that the fungal virus is a real thing that attacks and controls insects in a similar manner as the infected people in The Last of Us is just really fantastic.
Speaking of the vogon poetry thing, you should do an episode on the Hitchhiker's Guide!
I really feel like the relationship between technology and zombies is the opposite of what you propose. Notice how much zombie films focus on what the world is like when all of our technology and economic/government systems fail- when food is not delivered, when there's no cell phone service, when we're relegated to a "state of nature." Perhaps zombies hit home because we live in a society where the skills needed for zombie survival are skills we no longer need to master.
Good point, maybe one of the scariest things about zombie fiction is that the comfortable, convenient technology that we're used to suddenly disappears or becomes unusable.
You could say that crowds of people waiting for major chain stores to open on black friday are like a zombie horde.
You guys need to post links to all of the infographics and pictures you reference. Some of that stuff looks really interesting!
Well, I've just finished going through all the videos since I discovered this channel about twenty hours ago. I guess you could say I'm a fan. But I wonder, is there some possible way to know when a new episode is put online? ;)
Episode 4 of Space Dandy is my favorite representation of zombies. You should check it out if you like anime and/or comedy :)
Quickly becoming my favorite RUclips Channel. Thanks again for thought provoking discussions, laughs, and split-second images of the Doctor.
As someone who always liked the zombie genre (muuuuch much before the zombie outbreak with The Walking Dead , which is awesome btw.) I think the factor that attracted me the most is the survivability there is in these stories not the killing and gore. Well, but that's my opinion, perhaps you're right too .
Holy crap. You're AWESOME :D "coughcough" As for zombies, I think you've hit the nail on the head. They represent change, I think, and technology is one of the biggest changes that's still happening today.
i have never understood the zombie fascination but then again im a sysadmin, which essentially makes me a zombie herder. very explain.
That's pretty much what he said. Although he is saying that it is changing like the change in society's feeling on vampires. I mean Warm Bodies was a recent film and that is pretty much a huge example of such.
I love the Talking Heads album cover art in the back!!
One reason that I think we all love zambies (yes, zambies not zombies :P) is because it can represent ANYTHING, economic collapse, riots, raids, other country take overs (red dawn), atomic warfare, governent collapse, etc... it can litterally mean ANYTHING that could be "potentially fatal" to us as a human race, or as a nation (USA). Because if you look at it, ALL (correct me if I'm wrong) zambie movies/tv shows/etc, take place in the USA... So maybe it's just a fear of the protection/civility of our country going down the toilet.
I would love to see more robotic assimilation movies, vs a terminator-esque robot that just kills people.
It makes sence. I have never enjoyed zombie movies, and I have always been the type of person who enjoys technology and looks forward to advancements, and I hope to advance it myself when I finish school.
On "What monster will we be obsessed with after them?": Although I don't know whether this one will be it, I think that the werewolf is a cliché monster with a lot of story potential. Unlike a zombie apocalypse, a werewolf apocalypse couldn't be answered with reckless violence, because unlike zombies werewolves are only dangerous once a month. People would have to come up with new strategies. Authors could use this to explore things like prejudice, health panics, quarantines, etc.
While that's true, they show such zombie-like qualities, that I mainly just refer to them as zombies anyways. The fact in game (aside from the more specific names like clickers, bloaters, etc) they refer to them as infected, the fact that they do attack other living people by sometimes biting and therefore infecting them, and the fact the symptoms people undergo when they are bitten are similar to people turning zombie ...all makes my mind relate them to zombies.
for me, zombie media is entertaining because of the social interactions of the characters which have to put aside differences to live. Also, because you get to see how different people/characters deal with the same problem as other people...i.e. fight vs flight and all the variations in between when dealing with a zombie appocalypse
Thank you for not mentioning House of the Dead, though the Uwe Boll mention might've covered that.
I need to improve my English. This channel is so awesome! Great Ideas! Keep us thinking!
Everyone, plant lots of peas and sunflowers!
The zombies are coming...
Braiiinzzz!
Get use to it, the Zombies are here and we're not going away! [GWO]
There is already an anime about this kid falls in love with a zombie.
Fear of bio-technology? Remake of "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes??
YES, PLEASE!!!
I think as technology becomes more precious to people, the next wave of horror films may be all about hackers, and groups like anonymous becoming threats or something
Oh, I know what the next monster is...rouge AI
By the way, Mku Hatsune has become so popular since last time you guys talked about her.
In many stories from many cultures involving monsters, the monsters are symbolic of something that is causing problems in their community. In the saga Beowulf, Grendel is symbolic of political instability among the Geats. As for zombies, one theory I heard put forward is something that most humans are afraid of: a large group of people coming from somewhere else and completely destroying your civilization and way of life. This has happened many times in our world's history: the Germanic tribes sacking Rome, the Mongols sacking Baghdad, Europeans invading and colonizing the Americas, etc. These could all be viewed as "zombie apocalypses" so to speak. In that sense, this being channelled into interesting and entertaining stories about zombies is a lot more positive than how this real human fear is often manifested in a destructive manner in the form of xenophobia and racism.
(3/3) Today, like you said, everyone has their phone, their car keys, their whatever that makes life more of a luxury that is taken for granted. But in Day Z, a simple topographical map is extremely helpful. Maybe that's why we love zombies so much. They are a reminder that what we have now took a long time to create, and in one fel-swoop, it could be all gone. And that's a bit scary to think about.
A zombie apocalypse would be awesome, I would love wandering the deserted cities. Unless it were the zombies (some may argue they are not, but ye, they are) from 28 days and weeks later would be absolutely terrifying.
Zombie apocalypse ain't got nothin' on me, i've got my perk-a-colas. Wait, those aren't real...and i can't take on a spider alone... Welp, i'm screwed.
You should watch the documentaries "The Truth Behind Zombies" and "Nightmares In Red, White, and Blue." They state that zombie apocalypses are synonymic with natural and man made disasters and human behavior. Also, George A. Romero's zombie films are social and cultural commentaries on things like over consumerism and "if it isn't on tv, it didn't happen" mentality, etc.
Also, for more emotionally invested stories, jumping into the "merciless killing of zombies" is not an instant process, and even then, the mercy can be re-instilled when familiarity is encountered, such as friends and family.
We abandon remorse in a zombie scenario since it demands actions that counter our need for survival.
If we need military sims, we have CoD, BF, and many movies for those. Zombies are more than a "faceless enemy to be mowed down", to me.
i personally love zombie films and stories. heck i even write about it myself.
in my stories zombies are the more modern, half brained yet just as quick people infected by a virus.I think people in modern life lack challenge, and no body is pressured to play a role in society. i think it lets us imagine a role in society that we are forced to do to survive. in my stories i like being the agile, cunning leader while my friend is happy being the young,almost defenseless girl.says a lot about him.
I think that zombies might be a response to our continued striving towards individualism, putting creativity on a pedestal while pragmatically being part of the faceless, anonymous horde of consumers. Zombies in their essence our a loss of individualism, all sharing the same goals and thoughts. This also shows a state where our "instincts" override our moral code, which is also terrifying.
I Love Zombies So Much, I Really Hope They Exist
Great as usual :-) talking about the change in perspective we have on zombies: It seems Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be staring in a Drama about his "Zombie-daughter", the Film will ne namend "Maggie"
You make a point, perhaps it's not that we're afraid of them because something "darker lies underneath." Related to what you said, because of the fact that humans find it hard to let go of our human attachments; we see other people, know that they live their unique lives and maybe realize, "That could be me," and so, when you see something like a zombie, you realize that all the memories of when they were alive, and all their sentimental attachments are gone, which scares some of us greatly.
I only like that because in a zombie apocalipse you can do your own rules,its not because of the zombies in it self.
"So is it any wonder that people are afraid of technology?"
Pro tip: when the zombies come melee weapons with good range will be your best friend. Pride and prejudice and zombies say that the spade is a great weapon because it gives you both range and thrust. Things to avoid: anything that requires ammo because you know...ammo is not endless. The lady from the walking dead with the sword has the right idea
*oops book was zombie survival guide. but ya read pride and prejudice and zombies too