I love science fiction though I don't have time to read it anymore. Like a lot of sf fans, I dislike wizards and vampires and such. For many of us, life is interesting enough without these creatures. We can speculate and ask "what if?" without adding cheesy idioms that appeal to the silly-minded.
People who know me well know that I always have objected outright any game that had a wizard in it (Yes, this is back in the day when I could consider playing games.) Games like Panzer Division or Gettysburg or Axis and Allies would not be improved by characters who cast spells.
Vampires always confused me. Why did a King or Rice or Meyer keep coming back to this foolishness? Why is the subject endlessly fascinating to so many people? I don't get it.
With "True Blood," "Vampire Diaries," and vampires by the truckload I sometimes asked (to anyone who wanted to field the question) why the vampire fascination, and as a follow-up, have we finally reached saturation? I even joked that vampires were passe and that we needed to get on the zombie band wagon. I became an accidental prophet, so it seems.
One lame answer I used to get about vampires is that it's metaphor. To which I would ask, metaphor for what? No answer. Have fun with your blood suckers. Don't let me ruin your fascination.
Whereas I cannot grok vampire metaphor, zombie metaphor is crystal clear. Every cultist, including the followers of Obama, is a zombie. They are all around us and they are frightening.
Back in the old days, TV networks did not want to touch racism. So clever writers like Rod Serling used aliens to tell the stories of irrational hate. Today, bloggers like me denounce Obots and the masters of mind control who play them like puppets. We don't need metaphor to explain a tragedy. Then again, I am not pitching "The Zombie Next Door" to an entertainment mogul.
Are viewers of "World War Z" intrigued because wittingly or unwittingly the movie voices their genuine fear of and concern for the mentally untethered, blindly obedient, mindless, inarticulate Obot? Can't everyone see parallels between "The Walking Dead" and the "Hope and Change" crowd? Yes We Can!
One of the problems with metaphor is that it is sometimes missed on some people, even when it is flamingly obvious. The racist could be charmed by the story of the gentle Earthling abused by the Martians and go right back to his hateful mindset when the TV was turned off. So too, the Zombiephile with the 2012 bumper sticker on his Prius might miss real life parallels. Humans have a way of compartmentalizing their thoughts and feelings and sentiments.
Like it or not, the Zombies are here. A Hollywood ending would be wonderful but real life isn't that way. All we can do is pray for "The Walking Dead."
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