Zombies have always functioned as emotional shorthand for a condition in which it’s morally allowable to attack everything, to see every encountered life as a p

Zombies have always functioned as emotional shorthand for a condition in which it’s morally allowable to attack everything, to see every encountered life as a possible threat, while resenting or mistrusting the last few survivors. Not strictly accurate...if you consider the plight of folks in Romero's ___ of the Dead series, you see that that isn't the case. Zombies are a convenient standin for a constant, seething, but not largely dangerous existential threat, a backdrop against which human drama can be cast. That's the best bit of the article--especially towards the end, the author plays a few "mmmm yes privileged males pandering" cards and fails to critically evaluate their own claims. As an example, consider the Left 4 Dead series approach to zombie apocalypse: people still work together, laugh, cry, and try to make the most of things while supporting each other. There is a good conversation to be had about why apocalyptic memes are so popular in fiction (interactive and otherwise) today, but the author doesn't really do anything with that. Maybe we'll fare better here.