Monday, March 11, 2013

The socio-economics of zombies


I don't have any evidence yet to back this up, but I think there is definitely a connection between economic and social upheaval and interest in the zombie apocalypse.

The same goes for all types of preppers: the gun nuts; survivalists; underground bunker-builders, et al.  

We also have to admit that this instinct of embracing mass death, or at least preparing eagerly for it, goes back a few decades in the West, especially in the U.S.

I can't prove it (yet), but I am sure that there has existed a sense of personal insecurity in the U.S. that sought some source: nuclear war; famine; plagues (natural and man-made); environmental catastrophe; and now, zombies. A corollary of that feeling of insecurity is a distrust in our government and institutions to 1) recognize the "real" danger and 2) tell us the truth about it, and 3) protect us from it.

It's all of a piece.  

I would love to see some socio-economic research about who is engaging in all this prepper stuff most actively. My guess is that the very poor and the very rich are excluded; it's likely most prevalent among the working and middle classes who have something to lose, walking the knife-edge of economic insecurity.


By Meg Kinnard
March 11, 2013 | AP

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