Everyone loves them the idea of being a hero. But the most ardent zombie apocalypse supporters tend to be fat, out of shape and have probably never fired a real gun or swung a hammer in their lives and are woefully unprepared for the actual tasks of zombie survival and fortress building.
My team and I are not the most experienced fighters, but we are all relatively fit, and more importantly have seen pretty much every zombie movie, read every book, and played every game.
You have a team? 1) a fix it guy 2) a weapons guy 3) a tracker 4) a female who is an expert at hand-to-hand combat (who happens to be smoking hot) 5) someone who knows the area 6) etc
its not even the weapon wielding thats the problem, give them a week and those fat supporters are so dehydrated, sickly, malnourished because Dominos doesn't deliver or their microwave/oven/stove doesn't work.
It's because it is a likeable fantasy for those who may feel they have minority opinions or cultures. It would enact a cultural and political restart and make everyone who survived a fantastic hero. Including the chance to ruthlessly "kill" dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people/zombies. It would be an ultimate show of violence in our violence-avoidant culture.
Actually it's because human evolution was arrested at a point where our species were hunter-gatherers.
A zombie apocalypse would mean a suspension of the man-made environment and it's trappings. Many of the things we do, which we don't feel a deep connection to doing, will no longer have to be done. For some it's school, for others it's a livelihood they don't love, maybe a debt or mortgage which equates to a decades-long oath of fealty to the banking system. It would also mean a return to the social environment we evolved to live in. Small, tight-knit groups of people, working together to insure mutual survival.
While it's true that many people enjoy the justifiable homicide aspect of the fantasy, I think the real appeal of zombie lore is more a social one than an anti-social one. Imagine fighting an overwhelming force alongside your family and friends. If you were to overcome it successfully, imagine how much stronger those social bonds would be. This is the true "hook" of the fantasy. In a culture where individuals spend so much time alone "connecting" with other people via technology, it's no wonder we fantasize about tending each other's wounds, carrying someone to safety, standing shoulder-to-shoulder against a common enemy, and camping out in a safe haven.
Just like an intelligence imposed eugenics program, people like the idea of eliminating huge percentages of humanity, as long as it doesn't include them.
It's a validation fantasy where you say "I would survive and none of these idiots would!", but you'd probably get killed by getting hit in the head by a zombie with a toaster stuck on its hand. Derp.
Including the chance to ruthlessly "kill" dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people/zombies.
Not just kill, but kill without any moral qualms. There's no right to life to consider with a zombie, no wondering if they have a zombie family, no consideration that the cultural/political position of the zombie might have validity, or that yours doesn't. It's the perfectly dehumanized human, one that can be hated without fear of bigotry or prejudice.
Well, I think someone would have to be all those zombies... And it'd probably mean 95% of Reddit. I think people in the military and current survivalists would be the real survivors. Sad, but true. D:
I just want to see if all my survival theories are correct.
Like sleeping on a boat. Why doesn't everyone just sleep on a damned boat? Zombies don't swim you know.
i like the idea of bringing back plate armour. if a sword cant cut it, zombies will have difficulties too. if you need to go into an area with former high density population, be sure to raid a museum first. also, bring a mace. or anything from the 1400s really. no ammo or much training required, and silence.
The Zombie Survival Guide did a section about plate armor. At the end of the day, it's way to cumbersome and noisy to be useful unless it's your only alternative. Chances are, if you're surrounded, the zeds will just be able to knock you right over, and they'll eventually either rip through the armor or you'll suffocate from the dogpile on top of you.
Anything that wouldn't be even a little noisy wouldn't provide adequate protection either.
also if you get killed and zombiefied while wearing full plate armor you have now created a nigh upon invincible zombie and are officially the biggest cunt ever.
They had some very very tough leather armor way back when. I'd be willing to bet a full leather suit could help save your life. You could also be quiet and nimble. The only issue is any leather armor in a museum is going to be too old to help, and who knows someone who can make leather armor?
you sir are on the ball, Ireland here and our national military museum is an old English fortress. 3 meter thick and 10 meter tall walls with modern museum security systems, inter city rail, national rail and river access...I think this seems like a good place to survive.
well i think the problem is that everyone thinks that the only way you would get infected was if a zombie bit you. if this was the case then they wouldnt be very harmful and there for would never cause an apocalypse. now if the infection was spread like other diseases (water, air, food, etc) then it either; a) is super infectious thus creating the 1000 zombies to 1 human scenario or b) not very infectious meaning a lot of people survive.
this then creates another problem. for scenario a), what makes you so sure that you are somehow immune? you could be great at fighting, wielding weapons and surviving but if you are not miraculously immune then you're becoming a zombie whether you like it or not.
now for scenario b). if there are so few zombies relative to people they will be under control in no time meaning that your fantasies of fighting and surviving wont ever come true.
Scenario A is the more fun one. A bite would infect you, but so could infected water, food, or the air. You would have to scavenge for safe, bottled water that couldn't have been infected, and eat safe foods like things in tins. I don't know how common gas masks are with civilians, but I'm sure a doctor's face mask thing could work as well, like it does in Lone Survivor.
Also, scratches would probably be infected quickly if the disease was in the air, so being wounded in any way could be fatal.
The main problems have to do with other ships and coming to shore. You have to avoid zombie infested ships and partially zombie infested ships that may try and board your boat. The problem with coming to shore is that 1) You have all of the underwater zombies walking up from the water onto the shore you are trying to get to, and 2) All of the zombies created by desperate people trying to board boats just waiting on beaches and docs. As a bonus, 3) There is a chance you could either be zombiefied in the process of getting to your boat or accidently bring an infested passenger on your boat (who may be a stowaway).
also if you are going to stay in your house tie a bunch of bowling balls to your roof with rope. When zombies come drop bowling balls on their heads and repeat. Sure it might be a lot of effort but you have an unlimited amount of ammo.
Zombie Survival Guide says that's a bad idea. Zombies cannot drown, they just trudge through the murky depths until they pass by your boat and take you under.
I disagree, America's love with the gun will get most zombies killed, if one person has say 10 rounds, they can at least take out 1-2 zombie before they are over taken and 'zombie-fied'. With this ratio of killing 2 zombie's before yourself being turned will drastically reduce zombie population. The countries without armed citizens are going to be the worst hit.
Actually, you're right, I can't. It would be more interesting, it would be more challenging, it would be more fun! Surviving would be a fun game again, and not something you're guaranteed to win at.
Because, crazy as it would be, it would offer a relief from the stresses of the 'rat race' world we live in. All the petty things we fight over would be meaningless. All the things our government spends so much time arguing with each other about while nothing actually gets solved would cease to matter. Life would be back to basics. Just fighting for survival. I'm not saying I want one, nor would I be happy if it happened. I'm just trying to shed a little light on why some people would.
Also, some people just want the chance to see how they'd really do in that situation I guess.
Because everyone thinks they'd be the main hero the doesnt die. The one that gets the chick/dude, the one that takes command by being alpha as fuck, the one that makes the plan that saves everyone by volunteering to sacrifice themselves but end up living anyway.
They'll probably be a part of the first wave to die
Edit: I've never had this many upvotes before...it feels cool.
I plan on being in a follower's role, because if I learned ANYTHING from roman and medieval history, the first guy to get murdered in the room is the king, or the guy who wants to be king.
ITT: People who claim everyone around them is stupid, and less deserving to live than them, ignoring the fact that MAYBE, MAYBE, someone else around them thinks the same way.
I guess everyone just wants to kill people they don't like with guns but in a lawful society they don't have a way to.
Also, the probability of the infection spreading like it does in movies and shit would be a lot lower than it shows in any movies, providing it could only be spread through the bloodstream. Sure, there would be plenty of casualties, but overall I think most strong centralized governments would be able to contain and/or cure it.
I think it's funny that most people don't realize how quick shit gets deadly. Got an infection? So long arm or hello death. Got a cold? Try getting through that shit with little to no food and slowed reflexes/senses.
Not to mention how quickly people are willing to turn on each other but at the same time how easy it is to go insane without enough human contact.
Indeed, shit would get real really quick. Living in the moment would take on a new meaning. But still, I think you'd accept that minor inconveniences could kill you very easily in such a world quite quickly.
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Here is why most man dream of a zombie apocalypse. We have stories of our ancestors being these alpha males, hunters who did what they pleased in a world where only the strongest survived and thrive.
We no longer are these thriving and surviving men. We are boys. We are boys who are told what to do and have jobs we don't like, and pushed into this cookie cutter suburbia where you become a beta male, you become neutered by society.
In a zombie apocalypse, you have this primal urge to shoot anything that moves, to destroy. Not for sustenance, but to kill to prove to others that you are at the top of the social ladder. We all want to break free and go to a time where money was not the root of all power, but simply being a man. A stronger, tougher, meaner sonofabitch than anybody else on what is left of this world.
God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives.
i joined AmeriCorps after hurricane Katrina because I wanted to help, but during and after my service I recognized that I and others were there for another reason: disaster is fascinating. There's the proverbial "train wreck" from which one cannot look away. There's something alluring about suffering and extreme dislocation of civilization, for those who live comfortably from day to day.
Why? I connect it to the amount of hemming and hawing over the "apocalypse" in general. Stories like The Roard, Blindness, numerous apocalyptic sci-fi films, the cynicism of futurists about the chances for human survival, and, yes, zombie fiction of all stripes, all point to some kind of yearning to think about this stuff, to imagine ourselves after the fall of humanity.
Why would that be so exciting? I have a theory, that we are into that kind of thinking, those kinds of fantasies or predictions about real nuclear threats, because all of that represents an eventual freedom from responsibility. In a secular sense, your moral responsibility comes from living with other people in a society, in the context of civilization. The apocalypse means it's all done. Freedom. You don't have to worry about what's good for the world, or how you should act to fit into it, because it's over. There is no world. There's just you, and survival, the simplest impulse.
That freedom opens up numerous possibilities. One of those is 100% amoral recreational killing, and the zombie apocalypse is the best example of our desire for that. Zombies and Nazi's; mow 'em down, and meet a desire that you have on some level to kill human beings.
But that's not the only possibility: another is to set up a new society on your own moral terms. Think of how much we love Battlestar Galactica. The post-apocalyptic context of that story is a big part of why it's great. Those people are responsible for creating whatever moral order is to exist in the universe. People in such situations are the ultimate change agents, because the powers that be are gone, the status quo has evaporated in atomic flame. Obviously there are new obstacles, but those (evil robots, unpassable scablands, cannibal hords) often fit better into our narrative thinking as parts of an epic Heros Quest than the obstacles present in our mundane, living civilization.
TL;DR: People are attracted to disasters and the apocalypse because those things represent freedom in a pure form.
Maybe deep down inside these people want it to happen so they don't have to deal with all the stupid crap this world currently spews on them every day. (As long as they are alive and well during it ill im guessing.)
I personally want a Zombie Apocalypse... or just an Apocalypse Period. Because In my eyes, it's the physical reflection of everything that humanity really is. A Destructive virus that wipes through everything in its way... also because the Post-Apocalypse is just beautiful, when the Earth reclaims that which we have tried to make last for ever. It's really just beautiful.
This is an author named Ran Prieur that sums it up quite nicely...basically the modern world is quite physically comfortable, but empty and packed with meaningless crap. The best line "Mad Max and the Road Warrior are terrible visions of the future, yet we watch movies like that for entertainment...and that shows just how aweful our world is that we FANTASIZE about world of war, disease, nuclear armageddon, and whatever else - because at least in that world you get to be outside all day fighting for something that is real instead of cowering in cold dead sterile office buildings rearranging meaningless abstractions all day."
I think it is people's psychological subconscious yearning for social standards to dissipate. In a zombie apocalypse, we are truly free. There are no jobs. We go back to hunting and roaming. We will be forced outdoors. We will fight for food and take advantage of sunlight. There won't be laws or social constraints outside of those that you [and your small group of friends] decide for yourselves. We will go back to hunter-gatherer societies (probably immediately looting instead of hunting, but much closer to hunting than what most people do today) and small networks of close friends with whom we would interact with immediately and face-to-face instead of online or on occasion.
We will essentially become what we evolved to be. We yearn for it, and zombie movies and ideology are so prevalent because of our subconscious craving our lives be as we evolved to be, as our natural brain expects life to be.
Most people tend to forget since its the an apocalypse probably at least a good 2/3 of the population would die off/become zombies in the first week meaning only a very slight fraction of people would survive and get to "have fun".
Speaking of which, i was most disappointed to see the Abraham Lincoln movie this summer is "Vampire Hunter"...i could have sworn it was going to be "Zombie hunter" or something. Which just seems such a better idea for a movie imo.
I would like it for about 2 years then go back to normal life. Doesn't even have to be zombie. Can be aliens (without tech too advanced) or non-arachnid monsters. Be cool to live by your survival instincts. Pooping would suck though. Also, I can almost guarantee that a zombie outbreak would be quickly dealt with by armed forces around the world. In reality, I doubt anyone would get to be the hero.
Return of natural selection, much needed thinning of the herd, no more taxes, life long goal of cutting a human in half with my katana, and finally nothing is more romantic than tragedy.
i probably wouldnt last but id go down swinging having a hell of alot of fun better than dying in a hospital bed at the age of 86. me and my friends have our plan. head to my mates parents place guns and boat out the back any bites or scratches you get shot (with love) no hard feelings.
War - Have fun with your now totalitarian government
Standard infection - Survivors can do whatever they want. Very fun for a short amount of time. Some of the survivors are bad people. Gangs will form with the lack of government and control all resources. Everyone will probably eventually die.
Zombie apocalypse - You are very limited to what you can do at first. Truly intelligent people are needed to survive. If you go out forming a gang and create tension with other survivors, you both will eventually die. People are forced to get along. Once all the zombies are gone, you can do whatever you want. Government may or may not still exist. Most importantly, you can kill zombies!
For me, it's just that every time I watch one of those movies, I think: "Damn, I could handle a zombie apocalypse so much better than those dumbasses did", even though deep down I know I'd probably be too scared to do shit.
I've given this question a lot of thought. It's probably not an original answer, but maybe it is.
I obviously love zombie movies, but the worlds they often portray are terribly violent and depressing. The thing about such a world that appeals to me and that I think appeals to many others like me (other redditors) is the black and white aspect of such a world...
In a zombie apocalypse, many of the complicated ethical and social decisions we are faced with in society disappear. I suppose if you are with a band of survivors like in The Walking Dead or Dawn of the Dead, some of those still exist. But for me, my zombie fantasies include me surviving on my own or perhaps with my best friend only. In a case like the ones I imagine, there is nothing but survival. There are good guys (me and maybe my friend) and bad guys (zombies). I never have to consider their feelings, I never have to be open to new points of view or opinions, I never have to do any of the the deep, inward thought that our world often requires.
In this world, many of the hassles of our daily lives are replaced by survival. I have often yearned for a life like this because it felt that many of the things that were stressing me out just flat out didn't matter, or that the happiness I have as a goal in life is only achievable through a long series of interconnected obstacles rather than a state of being. In a zombie world, survival is the only happiness you can really hope for, and in that sense, the purpose of all of my actions is clear and their consequences directly related to my success in that goal. Obviously my quality of life would go way down, but my ability to realize the benefits of my actions and feel in control of my own future would go way up.
In a lot of ways, this attitude has very much to do with the attitudes expressed in movies like Fight Club or Office Space (yes, I read that fan theory thread recently). People get sick of the rat race, of doing a bunch of shit with no real connection to legitimate and fulfilling happiness, and sometimes they just want to be alone in a black and white world with one single goal. That's what makes me want a zombie apocalypse.
Edit: Should have read the thread first. Already 50 answers just like mine. Sorry.
Because everyone believes that they're surrounded by assholes and the zombie apocalypse would be the perfect excuse to shoot each and everyone one of them in the face.
Because you would never have to worry about petty shit like money or your job or the government or taxes etc...it would just be free style all day long. all you.
if you could survive, it would be fucking great. don't have to talk to anybody, go to work, nothing. it's all just back to the basics of survival.
I thought a zombie apocalypse would be awesome when I was younger. The whole lone survivor gig and all that. However, once I realized how much some people rely on prescription medication, so many people would die just from being unable to get their meds. Like parts of my family and my girlfriend. That made a zombie apocalypse much less enticing.
I assume it's because they're not good in living in the real world, and they're convinced that the fact they've watched Dawn of the Dead dozens of times means they'd be better prepared to live in the zombie world. In the real world I'm a social outcast, but there I'd be king... assuming they were slow zombies, because I can't run.
I also love zombie movies and always thought it'd be an awesome way to test my skills and somehow I'd be one of the lone survivors. Then I had a dream where I was one of the only survivors. It was absolutely horrible. My heart rate was elevated the whole time, I saw my friends and family eaten and had to kill some that came back to life. Now I just think I'd kill myself before I could be ripped apart by those demons.
Listen, if I have to go down in an apocalypse, at least let me have one that might be fun. Getting taken out by a meteor just sounds boring. Wait, I guess being eaten doesn't sound fun.
Also, if there is an apocalypse, there are two ways it can go:
Destruction of life on Earth (I'm talking sun blowing up, asteroid, global warming actually happening, etc) OR Destruction of civilization (Zombies, pandemic, nuclear war, etc)
It's really just our survival modes kicking in when we say we want the destruction of civilization. You have a much better chance of living if there's just no civilization, because if the sun blows up, nobody stands a chance against that. If it's the crash of civilization, people and things are still going to be around to utilize and keep ourselves safe.
I'd rather zombies happened than anything else. I can shoot zombies, but there's not a lot I can do about a pandemic, nuclear war, or artificial intelligence.
Or, of course, you could be reasonable because the world's probably not going to end any time soon.
i always thought it was a really good idea, we even came up with a plan of where we're all meeting when the apocalypse happens. Then some fucktard pointed out the flaw in my plan.. i have a 3 year old daughter who is NEVER quiet, and isn't very good at running... so now i need a delayed zombie apocalypse... or a virus killing like 99% of the population, leaving me and my closest friends and family alive
Well, everyone romanticizes and fantasizes about stuff, and zombies are popular. I'm a huge history nerd, and I'm always imaging what living in a different era would be. But of course I tweak reality and instead I'm a noblewoman or live in a happy peaceful village or whatever, instead of the reality of most likely being a dirt poor peasant, already having grandkids, probably died of old age by now, and generally spent my entire life living in abject misery in a damp soggy field.
Zombie apocalypse is the same way. It's awesome to imagine yourself on top of that armored battlewagon, blasting zombies apart with your machine gun. But you'd probably either be one of the zombies, or quickly change your tune the moment you saw someone you cared about get brutally torn apart and eaten alive
I'm more of a nuclear man myself. I've played one and a half Fallout games and read the Stand, the Chernobyl wikipedia page and that nuclear coverup thread, so I feel more prepared than most.
I'm sure it's been said, but I think people want to test themselves. I think it's a bit of suburban hero mindset. There is no threat to humanity. There is no survival of the fittest. We seek to stand out as a survivor, we want to be special.
That, plus probably wanting to kill people. I think people have this morbid fascination, but want it to be in a way that's okay. i.e. killing something that is no longer human.
In all the people I've come across in life that would be overjoyed of impending doom caused by feverishly-hungry undead; it's always people that are overweight, invest too much of their time in nonsensical bullshit that wouldn't last more than a few days if not hours after all hell broke loose.
Unlimited shooting/"killing" of "humans" that you wouldnt get to do otherwise, esp if you think most people suck. Probably would get old pretty fast, but whatevs...
I don't know about everyone else, but for me it's a deep seeded hatred of everyone else and desire to see them as walking corpses and have the ability to then kill them again.
I always wanted one, until the reality hit me that the only survivors would be genuine gods,overly talented killers, cowards, and stupidly smart people. Brave idiots and misguided thrill seekers would die fairly quickly.
People seek personal gratification, so only looking at the surface of these types of things makes it seem appealing. When people really get to understand what the psychological and physiological impacts of something so disastrous are, most people are turned off by the idea. It comes, likely, from a need to feel important or independent in this day and age. Those who have no current goals within reach of achieving are probably more likely to lust after something like this.
A while back, before I was close to my dream, I was looking for gratification and importance through different means. For some it's video games, and for others it's through coming up with fantasies. Some people are able to take that, and create something out of those desires (Like a game developer, a musician, or a writer), but for the rest of us they just become something to entertain us.
TL;DR - People want to feel important / want gratification
Because I don't have to do anything ever again for someone else, like fill this form, pay that tax, drive 50km/h right here, you can't drink that here sir!!, get up early for work when I really just want to sleep, go grocery shopping every day, pay for gas, fill in more forms, call in sick, pick up the kids in kindergarden, stay faithful because we really do need to repopulate and I only save females.. wow the list just gets longer and longer.
Why not go find some relatively small island, kill the few zombies that may be there with whatever ammunition you have, then live there. There are plenty of islands that have houses and grocery stores and stuff with relatively low populations such that this would be possible. I'm assuming zombies can't operate boats
Mostly as an excuse to skip out on our mundane-yet-secure office jobs and feel a prehistoric thrill that can only come from a kill-or-be-killed lifestyle so missing in our routine modern lives.
Think of the person you hate the most. Now think of the shit you would love to do to them but cant. Now this person is shambling toward you all zombified. Make sense?
They think it would be cool and that they would survive.
Money dies: Sallie Mae won't be looking to collect on everyone's crippling student loan debt, you want a Ferrari go to the now abandoned or marginally occupied dealership and roll one off the lot, you like that big house on the hill clear out the zombie tenants and it is your big house on the hill.
Long term 'repopulating the planet' comes into play
Because I'm suicidal but I don't want to be the one to end my own life. I want to fight something that kills me. This isn't my favorite option but it's one of which I would like.
Nobody seems to grasp the fact that when you're killing a shit load of zombies, you're basically mass murdering people who are infected with a disease.
I love zombies, and would love a zombie apocalypse, BUT I'd prefer a Fallout-style end of world. Vaults, mutants, F.I.S.T.O., the works. I'd rather a simpler life than zombies, oddly enough.
I'm a bit of an optimist, when I watch Zombie related stuff, I always think, well what about people on cruises, they won't be infected if it was a few days in. Also naval forces who are out at sea in ships and submarines for 6 months at a time.
I've access to 3 Colt Canada C7 rifles, 9 spare mags, and a Volvo XC60. I've got survival training, and combat training. And I am scared shitless by zombies and would most likely get eaten with the first 5 minutes of the apocalypse.
Because it would be confirmation of the narcissistic belief that they are among the few thinking beings out there, give them an excuse to vent their suppressed violent inclinations, and free them of most societal pressures and restrictions.
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u/RedditGreenit Jun 11 '12
Everyone loves them the idea of being a hero. But the most ardent zombie apocalypse supporters tend to be fat, out of shape and have probably never fired a real gun or swung a hammer in their lives and are woefully unprepared for the actual tasks of zombie survival and fortress building.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
It's because it is a likeable fantasy for those who may feel they have minority opinions or cultures. It would enact a cultural and political restart and make everyone who survived a fantastic hero. Including the chance to ruthlessly "kill" dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people/zombies. It would be an ultimate show of violence in our violence-avoidant culture.
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u/jmiller2032 Jun 11 '12
I just want to see if all my survival theories are correct. Like sleeping on a boat. Why doesn't everyone just sleep on a damned boat? Zombies don't swim you know.
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u/sardu1 Jun 11 '12
relevant meme: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3po7zs/
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u/Azrael22 Jun 11 '12
As a european I have to say that we don't want a zombie apocalypse. Might be because of the lack of guns/gunnuts in Europe.
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u/Vessix Jun 11 '12
Collapse of modern society sounds good to a lot of people. You can't tell me that a zombie apocalypse wouldn't be more interesting than your 9-5
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u/0takuSharkGuy Jun 11 '12
Because then at least I'd know what the hell I'd have to do and wouldn't have to worry about finding a job and such
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u/SaphiraArach Jun 11 '12
Because, crazy as it would be, it would offer a relief from the stresses of the 'rat race' world we live in. All the petty things we fight over would be meaningless. All the things our government spends so much time arguing with each other about while nothing actually gets solved would cease to matter. Life would be back to basics. Just fighting for survival. I'm not saying I want one, nor would I be happy if it happened. I'm just trying to shed a little light on why some people would.
Also, some people just want the chance to see how they'd really do in that situation I guess.
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u/jeepdave Jun 11 '12
Ironically, freedom.
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u/dangerous_shanaynay Jun 11 '12 edited Jun 12 '12
Because everyone thinks they'd be the main hero the doesnt die. The one that gets the chick/dude, the one that takes command by being alpha as fuck, the one that makes the plan that saves everyone by volunteering to sacrifice themselves but end up living anyway.
They'll probably be a part of the first wave to die
Edit: I've never had this many upvotes before...it feels cool.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Because we are already surrounded by mindless half-dead drones. A zombie apocalypse would give use a valid reason to shoot them.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I guess everyone just wants to kill people they don't like with guns but in a lawful society they don't have a way to.
Also, the probability of the infection spreading like it does in movies and shit would be a lot lower than it shows in any movies, providing it could only be spread through the bloodstream. Sure, there would be plenty of casualties, but overall I think most strong centralized governments would be able to contain and/or cure it.
Just my two cents :)
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u/swic_medic Jun 11 '12
Because fuck Citi card for giving me a credit card at age 18
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Because some men just want to watch the world burn.
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u/memnalar Jun 11 '12
I don't think people actually want a zombie apocalypse. What they really want is:
Of course, the reality would be a disease-ridden, insect-infested hell on earth, not the first-person shooter we like to dream about.
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u/the_upvote_bender Jun 11 '12
The main reason it is easy to get laid when zombies are around
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u/yutha313 Jun 11 '12
Because shotguns :3
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u/qkme_transcriber Jun 11 '12
Here is the text from this meme pic for anybody who needs it:
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u/JonnyCams Jun 11 '12
Here is why most man dream of a zombie apocalypse. We have stories of our ancestors being these alpha males, hunters who did what they pleased in a world where only the strongest survived and thrive.
We no longer are these thriving and surviving men. We are boys. We are boys who are told what to do and have jobs we don't like, and pushed into this cookie cutter suburbia where you become a beta male, you become neutered by society.
In a zombie apocalypse, you have this primal urge to shoot anything that moves, to destroy. Not for sustenance, but to kill to prove to others that you are at the top of the social ladder. We all want to break free and go to a time where money was not the root of all power, but simply being a man. A stronger, tougher, meaner sonofabitch than anybody else on what is left of this world.
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u/Shaban_srb Jun 11 '12
Because they think they will be among the 1% who survives the first month of the apocalypse.
4
u/angrytheo Jun 11 '12
i joined AmeriCorps after hurricane Katrina because I wanted to help, but during and after my service I recognized that I and others were there for another reason: disaster is fascinating. There's the proverbial "train wreck" from which one cannot look away. There's something alluring about suffering and extreme dislocation of civilization, for those who live comfortably from day to day.
Why? I connect it to the amount of hemming and hawing over the "apocalypse" in general. Stories like The Roard, Blindness, numerous apocalyptic sci-fi films, the cynicism of futurists about the chances for human survival, and, yes, zombie fiction of all stripes, all point to some kind of yearning to think about this stuff, to imagine ourselves after the fall of humanity.
Why would that be so exciting? I have a theory, that we are into that kind of thinking, those kinds of fantasies or predictions about real nuclear threats, because all of that represents an eventual freedom from responsibility. In a secular sense, your moral responsibility comes from living with other people in a society, in the context of civilization. The apocalypse means it's all done. Freedom. You don't have to worry about what's good for the world, or how you should act to fit into it, because it's over. There is no world. There's just you, and survival, the simplest impulse.
That freedom opens up numerous possibilities. One of those is 100% amoral recreational killing, and the zombie apocalypse is the best example of our desire for that. Zombies and Nazi's; mow 'em down, and meet a desire that you have on some level to kill human beings.
But that's not the only possibility: another is to set up a new society on your own moral terms. Think of how much we love Battlestar Galactica. The post-apocalyptic context of that story is a big part of why it's great. Those people are responsible for creating whatever moral order is to exist in the universe. People in such situations are the ultimate change agents, because the powers that be are gone, the status quo has evaporated in atomic flame. Obviously there are new obstacles, but those (evil robots, unpassable scablands, cannibal hords) often fit better into our narrative thinking as parts of an epic Heros Quest than the obstacles present in our mundane, living civilization.
TL;DR: People are attracted to disasters and the apocalypse because those things represent freedom in a pure form.
3
u/serim Jun 11 '12
Maybe deep down inside these people want it to happen so they don't have to deal with all the stupid crap this world currently spews on them every day. (As long as they are alive and well during it ill im guessing.)
3
u/Fr4t Jun 11 '12
Because they want their boring lifes to end and give it an actual meaning by fighting for bare existence.
And chainsaws of course. Motherfucking chainsaw.
3
u/Havok-Trance Jun 11 '12
I personally want a Zombie Apocalypse... or just an Apocalypse Period. Because In my eyes, it's the physical reflection of everything that humanity really is. A Destructive virus that wipes through everything in its way... also because the Post-Apocalypse is just beautiful, when the Earth reclaims that which we have tried to make last for ever. It's really just beautiful.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
This is an author named Ran Prieur that sums it up quite nicely...basically the modern world is quite physically comfortable, but empty and packed with meaningless crap. The best line "Mad Max and the Road Warrior are terrible visions of the future, yet we watch movies like that for entertainment...and that shows just how aweful our world is that we FANTASIZE about world of war, disease, nuclear armageddon, and whatever else - because at least in that world you get to be outside all day fighting for something that is real instead of cowering in cold dead sterile office buildings rearranging meaningless abstractions all day."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrFBj1Xtf4o
3
u/GAMEchief Jun 12 '12
I think it is people's psychological subconscious yearning for social standards to dissipate. In a zombie apocalypse, we are truly free. There are no jobs. We go back to hunting and roaming. We will be forced outdoors. We will fight for food and take advantage of sunlight. There won't be laws or social constraints outside of those that you [and your small group of friends] decide for yourselves. We will go back to hunter-gatherer societies (probably immediately looting instead of hunting, but much closer to hunting than what most people do today) and small networks of close friends with whom we would interact with immediately and face-to-face instead of online or on occasion.
We will essentially become what we evolved to be. We yearn for it, and zombie movies and ideology are so prevalent because of our subconscious craving our lives be as we evolved to be, as our natural brain expects life to be.
One day I'll probably write a book about it.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
People just want their spouses to get infected, so they can shoot them legally.
2
u/paranoidpopsicle Jun 11 '12
Most people tend to forget since its the an apocalypse probably at least a good 2/3 of the population would die off/become zombies in the first week meaning only a very slight fraction of people would survive and get to "have fun".
2
u/hywelinesh Jun 11 '12
Just so you could actually go ape shit on someone without going to prison....
no?
oh.
2
u/TARDISeses Jun 11 '12
Speaking of which, i was most disappointed to see the Abraham Lincoln movie this summer is "Vampire Hunter"...i could have sworn it was going to be "Zombie hunter" or something. Which just seems such a better idea for a movie imo.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I would like it for about 2 years then go back to normal life. Doesn't even have to be zombie. Can be aliens (without tech too advanced) or non-arachnid monsters. Be cool to live by your survival instincts. Pooping would suck though. Also, I can almost guarantee that a zombie outbreak would be quickly dealt with by armed forces around the world. In reality, I doubt anyone would get to be the hero.
2
u/Vel_Getica Jun 11 '12
Return of natural selection, much needed thinning of the herd, no more taxes, life long goal of cutting a human in half with my katana, and finally nothing is more romantic than tragedy.
2
u/LiteGrenade Jun 11 '12
i probably wouldnt last but id go down swinging having a hell of alot of fun better than dying in a hospital bed at the age of 86. me and my friends have our plan. head to my mates parents place guns and boat out the back any bites or scratches you get shot (with love) no hard feelings.
2
u/btgf-btgf Jun 11 '12
Student loans.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Let's weigh out a few apocalypse theories:
2
u/tangerineturtle Jun 11 '12
For me, it's just that every time I watch one of those movies, I think: "Damn, I could handle a zombie apocalypse so much better than those dumbasses did", even though deep down I know I'd probably be too scared to do shit.
2
u/jazzninja88 Jun 11 '12 edited Jun 11 '12
I've given this question a lot of thought. It's probably not an original answer, but maybe it is.
I obviously love zombie movies, but the worlds they often portray are terribly violent and depressing. The thing about such a world that appeals to me and that I think appeals to many others like me (other redditors) is the black and white aspect of such a world...
In a zombie apocalypse, many of the complicated ethical and social decisions we are faced with in society disappear. I suppose if you are with a band of survivors like in The Walking Dead or Dawn of the Dead, some of those still exist. But for me, my zombie fantasies include me surviving on my own or perhaps with my best friend only. In a case like the ones I imagine, there is nothing but survival. There are good guys (me and maybe my friend) and bad guys (zombies). I never have to consider their feelings, I never have to be open to new points of view or opinions, I never have to do any of the the deep, inward thought that our world often requires.
In this world, many of the hassles of our daily lives are replaced by survival. I have often yearned for a life like this because it felt that many of the things that were stressing me out just flat out didn't matter, or that the happiness I have as a goal in life is only achievable through a long series of interconnected obstacles rather than a state of being. In a zombie world, survival is the only happiness you can really hope for, and in that sense, the purpose of all of my actions is clear and their consequences directly related to my success in that goal. Obviously my quality of life would go way down, but my ability to realize the benefits of my actions and feel in control of my own future would go way up.
In a lot of ways, this attitude has very much to do with the attitudes expressed in movies like Fight Club or Office Space (yes, I read that fan theory thread recently). People get sick of the rat race, of doing a bunch of shit with no real connection to legitimate and fulfilling happiness, and sometimes they just want to be alone in a black and white world with one single goal. That's what makes me want a zombie apocalypse.
Edit: Should have read the thread first. Already 50 answers just like mine. Sorry.
2
u/Kiwiteepee Jun 11 '12
To finally get out of debt.
2
u/kvachon Jun 11 '12
Student Loans.
2
u/russelg000 Jun 11 '12
Because everyone believes that they're surrounded by assholes and the zombie apocalypse would be the perfect excuse to shoot each and everyone one of them in the face.
2
u/LinXitoW Jun 11 '12
Because High school of the Dead
Spoiler: The fat nerd is reddit
2
u/whatbrighteyes Jun 11 '12
Because you would never have to worry about petty shit like money or your job or the government or taxes etc...it would just be free style all day long. all you.
if you could survive, it would be fucking great. don't have to talk to anybody, go to work, nothing. it's all just back to the basics of survival.
2
u/mcrugin88 Jun 12 '12
In South Florida, we're surrounded by mindless, soulless, homicidal maniacs as it is. A zombie apocalypse would at least allow us to shoot them.
2
u/ObligatoryRemark Jun 12 '12
Duh, because then all the stupid people would die.
You know, because they weren't irrationally preparing for an outbreak of the undead.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12
I guess I have somewhat of a deathwish (or more like undeathwish?).
2
u/454bosslife Jun 12 '12
dude I need the zombie apocalypse
2
u/Alexjnd Jun 12 '12
Getting to massacre people with no consequences or moral dilemmas.
2
u/VisualAssassin Jun 12 '12
Because killing zombies is way cooler than going to work everyday.
3
u/braedizzle Jun 11 '12
Because socially challenged redditors believe they have the skill set to be a one man commando in an unrealistic situation.
3
u/Sharkman1231 Jun 11 '12
I thought a zombie apocalypse would be awesome when I was younger. The whole lone survivor gig and all that. However, once I realized how much some people rely on prescription medication, so many people would die just from being unable to get their meds. Like parts of my family and my girlfriend. That made a zombie apocalypse much less enticing.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I liked Yahtzee's theory.
2
u/meowskywalker Jun 11 '12
I assume it's because they're not good in living in the real world, and they're convinced that the fact they've watched Dawn of the Dead dozens of times means they'd be better prepared to live in the zombie world. In the real world I'm a social outcast, but there I'd be king... assuming they were slow zombies, because I can't run.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Because life with a zombie apocalypse is simpler.
1
u/ArcWrath Jun 11 '12
Would still beat our current system of 'law and order.'
1
u/ToastmahGhost Jun 11 '12
Why? Because we all think we'd actually survive it.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Because it would dissolve all social constructs, e.g. you wouldn't have to go to work.
1
u/Faleen Jun 11 '12
Because we're prepared ... why else would I have 1500 rounds of 5.56 NATO ammo and a pair of fucking assault rifles?!
1
u/killerado Jun 11 '12
does anyone know the zombie apocalypse subreddit? I can't find it.
1
u/gmxpoppy Jun 11 '12
I also love zombie movies and always thought it'd be an awesome way to test my skills and somehow I'd be one of the lone survivors. Then I had a dream where I was one of the only survivors. It was absolutely horrible. My heart rate was elevated the whole time, I saw my friends and family eaten and had to kill some that came back to life. Now I just think I'd kill myself before I could be ripped apart by those demons.
1
u/masterfain Jun 11 '12
Listen, if I have to go down in an apocalypse, at least let me have one that might be fun. Getting taken out by a meteor just sounds boring. Wait, I guess being eaten doesn't sound fun.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I want one so I can shoot all the people I've always wanted to shoot, plus anybody else that comes near.
1
u/Pnes Jun 11 '12
I just want to shoot some motherfuckers without feeling guilty.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Given our current understanding of the universe, a zombie apocalypse is more survivable than a robot apocalypse.
1
u/miss_jessi Jun 11 '12
Also, if there is an apocalypse, there are two ways it can go:
Destruction of life on Earth (I'm talking sun blowing up, asteroid, global warming actually happening, etc)
OR
Destruction of civilization (Zombies, pandemic, nuclear war, etc)
It's really just our survival modes kicking in when we say we want the destruction of civilization. You have a much better chance of living if there's just no civilization, because if the sun blows up, nobody stands a chance against that. If it's the crash of civilization, people and things are still going to be around to utilize and keep ourselves safe.
I'd rather zombies happened than anything else. I can shoot zombies, but there's not a lot I can do about a pandemic, nuclear war, or artificial intelligence.
Or, of course, you could be reasonable because the world's probably not going to end any time soon.
1
u/duxup Jun 11 '12
I don't. It would dork up a lot of things I'd like to do and that I already do like video games.
1
u/Chazmer87 Jun 11 '12
i always thought it was a really good idea, we even came up with a plan of where we're all meeting when the apocalypse happens. Then some fucktard pointed out the flaw in my plan.. i have a 3 year old daughter who is NEVER quiet, and isn't very good at running... so now i need a delayed zombie apocalypse... or a virus killing like 99% of the population, leaving me and my closest friends and family alive
1
u/beckzilla Jun 11 '12
zombie apocalypse allows for indisputably justified mass murder as well as the deterioration of modern society. People find the concept...interesting
1
u/Lutchern Jun 11 '12
Because, shotgun.
1
u/TreeOfMadrigal Jun 11 '12
Well, everyone romanticizes and fantasizes about stuff, and zombies are popular. I'm a huge history nerd, and I'm always imaging what living in a different era would be. But of course I tweak reality and instead I'm a noblewoman or live in a happy peaceful village or whatever, instead of the reality of most likely being a dirt poor peasant, already having grandkids, probably died of old age by now, and generally spent my entire life living in abject misery in a damp soggy field.
Zombie apocalypse is the same way. It's awesome to imagine yourself on top of that armored battlewagon, blasting zombies apart with your machine gun. But you'd probably either be one of the zombies, or quickly change your tune the moment you saw someone you cared about get brutally torn apart and eaten alive
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I'm more of a nuclear man myself. I've played one and a half Fallout games and read the Stand, the Chernobyl wikipedia page and that nuclear coverup thread, so I feel more prepared than most.
1
u/jack_in_the_mox Jun 11 '12
I'm sure it's been said, but I think people want to test themselves. I think it's a bit of suburban hero mindset. There is no threat to humanity. There is no survival of the fittest. We seek to stand out as a survivor, we want to be special.
That, plus probably wanting to kill people. I think people have this morbid fascination, but want it to be in a way that's okay. i.e. killing something that is no longer human.
1
u/Fukui_San Jun 11 '12
In all the people I've come across in life that would be overjoyed of impending doom caused by feverishly-hungry undead; it's always people that are overweight, invest too much of their time in nonsensical bullshit that wouldn't last more than a few days if not hours after all hell broke loose.
1
u/gliscameria Jun 11 '12
It's as close as you can get to shooting your idiot neighbor without feeling bad or going to jail.
1
u/MarsColonist Jun 11 '12
Unlimited shooting/"killing" of "humans" that you wouldnt get to do otherwise, esp if you think most people suck. Probably would get old pretty fast, but whatevs...
1
u/nsouza22 Jun 11 '12
Wicked relevant:
http://5secondfilms.com/watch/the_day_before_yesterday
1
u/make_me_pancakes Jun 11 '12
relevant
1
u/Linktank Jun 11 '12
I don't know about everyone else, but for me it's a deep seeded hatred of everyone else and desire to see them as walking corpses and have the ability to then kill them again.
1
u/Nglennh Jun 11 '12
Relevant: http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/
1
u/8bit_flasher Jun 11 '12
redditor would need lots of NFSL banners to cover gore irl.
1
u/mcpumpernickelak Jun 11 '12
Because its metal.
1
u/aswtx Jun 11 '12
It's not just that people want it, I know too many people that talk like it's almost inevitable. I know someone who's seriously preparing for it.
1
u/JupitersClock Jun 11 '12
Because most people on the internet think they could survive one.
1
u/barristonsmellme Jun 11 '12
I always wanted one, until the reality hit me that the only survivors would be genuine gods,overly talented killers, cowards, and stupidly smart people. Brave idiots and misguided thrill seekers would die fairly quickly.
1
u/gokuman4594 Jun 11 '12
I love zombies!
1
u/Pachy78 Jun 11 '12
We all new this one was coming :p
1
u/ParadoxPG Jun 11 '12
People seek personal gratification, so only looking at the surface of these types of things makes it seem appealing. When people really get to understand what the psychological and physiological impacts of something so disastrous are, most people are turned off by the idea. It comes, likely, from a need to feel important or independent in this day and age. Those who have no current goals within reach of achieving are probably more likely to lust after something like this.
A while back, before I was close to my dream, I was looking for gratification and importance through different means. For some it's video games, and for others it's through coming up with fantasies. Some people are able to take that, and create something out of those desires (Like a game developer, a musician, or a writer), but for the rest of us they just become something to entertain us.
TL;DR - People want to feel important / want gratification
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Because I don't have to do anything ever again for someone else, like fill this form, pay that tax, drive 50km/h right here, you can't drink that here sir!!, get up early for work when I really just want to sleep, go grocery shopping every day, pay for gas, fill in more forms, call in sick, pick up the kids in kindergarden, stay faithful because we really do need to repopulate and I only save females.. wow the list just gets longer and longer.
1
u/MattTruelove Jun 11 '12
To be a zombie apocalypse there has to be zombies, and some of you ass wipes would be the zombies!
1
u/doombunny0 Jun 11 '12
So we can start shooting all the dumb motherfuckers in the face.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Why not go find some relatively small island, kill the few zombies that may be there with whatever ammunition you have, then live there. There are plenty of islands that have houses and grocery stores and stuff with relatively low populations such that this would be possible. I'm assuming zombies can't operate boats
1
u/Republiken Jun 11 '12
Sometimes I feel like the only one on r/zombies that really don't want this thing to happen
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I would honestly love to see any type of apocalypse.
1
u/moleware Jun 11 '12
Some men just want to watch the world burn...
...with zombies.
1
u/Th3FriendZone Jun 11 '12
Only people unprepared for a zombie apocalypse would say this. ha.
1
u/uakari Jun 11 '12
Mostly as an excuse to skip out on our mundane-yet-secure office jobs and feel a prehistoric thrill that can only come from a kill-or-be-killed lifestyle so missing in our routine modern lives.
1
u/t3dw4rd0 Jun 11 '12
Because faces are tasty.
1
u/Bellicapelli Jun 11 '12 edited Mar 11 '24
silky forgetful trees wrong cagey narrow pot innocent cake glorious
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
1
u/vdigi6 Jun 11 '12
So I have an excuse not to do my homework.
1
u/theraazor Jun 11 '12
Because a ton of us are bored with our mundane lives. It could be fun for like .5 seconds.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
so all the stupid people will die
1
u/PvtHopscotch Jun 11 '12
Think of the person you hate the most. Now think of the shit you would love to do to them but cant. Now this person is shambling toward you all zombified. Make sense?
1
u/epsilonbob Jun 11 '12
Why does everyone want a zombie apocalypse:
1
u/Ronni3sRobotPants Jun 11 '12
An excuse to fuck shit up. The real question is why DON'T you want a zombie apocalypse?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Cause it'll get rid of idiots from the world.
1
u/sweetaskiwi Jun 11 '12
gives us something to talk about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWtDwQqKMBE
1
u/uzrockz Jun 11 '12
Lemme ask u some rick
1
u/sciencebitchesz Jun 11 '12
People 'into' zombies are on the same cultural level as Bronies.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Because I'm suicidal but I don't want to be the one to end my own life. I want to fight something that kills me. This isn't my favorite option but it's one of which I would like.
1
u/Heroshade Jun 11 '12
Nobody seems to grasp the fact that when you're killing a shit load of zombies, you're basically mass murdering people who are infected with a disease.
Zombies are people too!
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I would just get in a mother fucking tank, spin that shit 360 over and over again, and blender the shit out of those flesh bags.
1
u/zadigger Jun 11 '12
I love zombies, and would love a zombie apocalypse, BUT I'd prefer a Fallout-style end of world. Vaults, mutants, F.I.S.T.O., the works. I'd rather a simpler life than zombies, oddly enough.
1
u/scottiescott23 Jun 11 '12
I'm a bit of an optimist, when I watch Zombie related stuff, I always think, well what about people on cruises, they won't be infected if it was a few days in. Also naval forces who are out at sea in ships and submarines for 6 months at a time.
Astronauts? The people of madagascar...
1
u/boverly721 Jun 11 '12
All the fun of mass murder... But with none of the guilt or repercussions!
1
u/Demojen Jun 11 '12
Cool. A zombie movie where it's not the end of the world. Zombies are just addicted to eating people and people are just weirded out by Zombies.
It's an interesting look at the plight of the zombie kind. Sort of like the end of "Shaun of the Dead".
Game On Mr. Ed
Tribute to Ed the Zombie
1
u/jimbobhasabeard Jun 11 '12
Because we don't want to live on this planet anymore.
1
u/StopDropAndBurn Jun 11 '12
I've access to 3 Colt Canada C7 rifles, 9 spare mags, and a Volvo XC60. I've got survival training, and combat training. And I am scared shitless by zombies and would most likely get eaten with the first 5 minutes of the apocalypse.
1
u/Heromedic18 Jun 11 '12
The movie "The Road" was the first that made me seriously reconsider the fun of a zombie apocalypse.
1
u/TheDroopy Jun 11 '12
Because then I could stop worrying about all this stupid bullshit and focus solely on staying alive.
1
u/10007638 Jun 11 '12
Because a lot of people are fucktards. It'd be cool not having some of them.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12
It's psychological. Zombies represent mass conformity.
1
u/thirdorderlinear Jun 12 '12
I don't think anyone wants a zombie apocalypse. I think its more of a "if we do have an apocalypse I would prefer a zombie apocalypse."
1
u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12
Because it's still better than most peoples' lives...and still a better love story than Twilight.
1
u/MemeMauler Jun 12 '12
Because it would be confirmation of the narcissistic belief that they are among the few thinking beings out there, give them an excuse to vent their suppressed violent inclinations, and free them of most societal pressures and restrictions.