The first is that we are watching through the show Battlestar Galactica. It has been out forever, and many friends have said we should watch it, but we never got around to it. Now we are hooked, and generally try to get one episode a night watched... at least.
The second started with this show, that I didn't want to watch, planned to not watch, but Blake asked nicely, so I gave in... and low and behold I am now a fan of the genre... don't judge.
I have at this point read a couple more zombie themed books, and am in the middle of a few as well.
Maybe it is because I am reading about zombies while watching Battlestar, but I can't help but see parallels between the two, and wonder if the things they have in common is exactly why I, and so many others, are drawn to these kinds of stories.
Both start with the basic premise that there are not many humans left. In Battlestar it is because they were destroyed by cylons (robots), in Walking Dead and zombie lore it is by zombies, but either way, the sum total of the human population is greatly reduced. Each person left is by default more valuable, and a bigger loss if something happens to them.
The second thing that they have in common is that the remaining human population (for the most part) is united against a common enemy. The old national boundaries and everything else that would set countries against each other is gone because everyone falls either into us or them.Of course, there are a few people who don't unite with the main human population but try to hurt and destroy others so they can benefit, and those people are always going to be around.
The last main parallel that I see is that governments and leaders have to start over and face the most basic problems. These worlds that these characters live in have very few of the typical political problems that we think of today. The leader's job is simple- keep the people safe, keep the people fed, find necessary supplies. Things like housing prices and social security and almost everything else are completely irrelevant in a world where every day is a fight for survival.
I think that most people need an escape, need something to focus our attention on to unwind from the general worries of life. While there is a lot of danger, and problems in those shows mentioned above, they also let us think about how life would be if we had a reset button for the human race. If we could somehow start over, and ditch the bogged down government, ditch all of the issues with countries and borders, and instead bind ourselves together against a common enemy. I think that we like the idea of thinking about how the government would run if they went back to having just a few responsibilities.
I also noticed that leaders in these shows tend to fall into two main categories. There are the leaders who think offensively, and their main thoughts, plans and goals are always about how to destroy the enemy. Of course, this can help long term because if the enemy can be destroyed, then in theory, life will go back to normal. However, since all of the above shows and books start with the premise that humans are few and the enemy is many, these kinds of leaders generally take too big of risks of human life.
The better leaders are those whose primary goal is survival and rebuilding what human population is remaining. These leaders don't run into a fight, they avoid it whenever possible. The book I am currently reading has the main character actively looking for other survivors in the effort of uniting all of the survivors together, and trade is being established between the various strongholds in the country.
I guess my main point in this blog is that the day to day concerns of life with the demands of work, bills and other necessary chores make many of us long for a life that is simpler. Not easier, by a long shot, but a more back to basics life. I think there are many who are fascinated with the zombie genre (and Battlestar), not because they like gore and scary movies (at least, I don't enjoy either of those things), but because the idea of having to band together, and just worry about the most basic survival needs can seem appealing on days with a seemingly endless amount of tedious, necessary adult responsibilities.
Just something to think about.
No comments:
Post a Comment