Zombies...What is all the hype about?

Unless you live under a rock, you have probably noticed the uprising in zombie related occurrences lately.  No, I’m not talking about the actual dead rising from their graves and feeding on human flesh or even the hordes of Obama Zombies that still think he is doing a good job…I’m talking about the zombie mythology going mainstream.  In addition to the usual zombie mentions around Halloween, there has been a lot more popularity this year.  Respected ammunition manufacturer, Hornady, has released it’s new Zombie Max Ammo line with unprecedented zombie take down power.  Guns & Ammo Magazine has started the Zombie Nation blog where they are posting important information about zombies to help you survive the impending zombie apocalypse.  Even mainstream mail order catalog companies like Brownell’s have started websites selling zombie hunting and survival merchandise!

Zombie Max Ammo

To go even further, there have been several shows on the TV about Zombies.  The most notable was on the History Channel just before Halloween.  It was called ‘Zombies:  A Living History’ and it was actually a pretty good documentary on the history of Zombies, both in real life and in mythology.  The 2 hour show also went on to describe how an actual zombie apocalypse could happen and how close we are to it actually happening!  Science may have already invented viruses that can bring on zombie like symptoms.  The show also mentioned several natural viruses that can be considered zombie like plagues if they ever came to infect humans.  Some of these natural born killers are Mad Cow Disease and the infectious Prion Disease.  Both viruses could start a chain reaction of zombie like behavior if ever released into the human population!

Scary stuff.  Many consider a zombie outbreak to be unthinkable, but the notoriety has even been discussed in the highest levels of our government, including a new promotion by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.  The CDC came up with a program to help bring situational awareness and survival to Americans by capitalizing on this new uprising in zombie popularity.  The CDC states what most zombie websites and forums have been saying for years…if you are prepared for the zombie apocalypse, you will be prepared for any type of survival situation.  Natural disasters, civil up rise, economic collapse…nothing is worse that the undead walking the earth looking for a fresh meal at your expense!  You can read more about Zombie Preparedness 101 on the CDC’s official blog here: CDC Blog

With all this zombie popularity, there is also a lot of haters that are going to be hating!  I’ve seen a lot of folks criticize the above mentioned sources for their playing into the zombie mythology.  Some say that they are wasting money and resources on these promotions and others say that they are lowering their standards by advertising products with a comic book approach.  Personally, I say BULLSHIT!  One of the best ways to advertise a product or to promote your word is to use popular fads. Although the zombie mythology has been around since the late 60′s this current popularity spike is a fad.  It has been building ever since 9/11 2001.  Half of all zombie related movies and books have been produced since the attacks on 9/11.  That really says a lot about why people embrace the zombie mythology.  It is a way of expressing fear and outrage against a fictional enemy.  With current events getting more and more discouraging, fighting hordes of the undead actually seems appealing.  I have nothing but admiration for these companies stepping up and embracing zombie popularity, even if it is to make money.  Hey, this society is based on companies selling shit to us!  So, quit complaining and get out there and buy something!

Several years ago, I started something that is bigger than I even knew when I created the a simple logo for the Pennsylvania Zombie Response Team!  In the

Pennsylvania Zombie Response Team

past several years, the logo spawned into a forum called PAZRT.com that now has well over 1,000 members.  The forum also hosts a Facebook group of the same name that has over 10,000 fans!  That’s pretty impressive for a local website focused on the zombie mythology.  Why, you ask?  I think it is because Pennsylvania is ground zero for the entire zombie genre.  George Romero started everything with a little low budget film shot in Western PA called Night of the Living Dead.  That was released in 1968 and zombie popularity has been growing ever since.  PA has been refereed to the front lines in the battle against the undead.  So it is only natural that PAZRT.com has become so popular and I am certain that it will continue to grow in popularity.  We currently have members from all over Pennsylvania as well as National and International chapters.  I’m willing to bet that Mr. Romero himself is a member of the either the forum or the Facebook page!

My advice to all those that find this new found zombie popularity ridiculous or stupid?  Get down of your high horse and live a little!  Zombies are here to stay and if everything goes right, they will continue to be just mythology.  If things go south and the government releases zombie toxins into the water supply by accident (or on purpose…) then we will have a common ground to ban together and help protect the human race LIKE A MOFO!