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"Everyday Armageddon" -- this is fairly long, but I hope for your input


ibclare

Queen Bee
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I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. I apologize for the length of it and I will try to slash & burn as I go. We'll see. :rolleyes:

I have been wondering about the surge of interest in zombies, destruction of world order, survival of the fittest, and rending apart of human flesh & dignity. Ok . . .

Once upon a time, The Night of the Living Dead was a cult film enjoyed by the young, angsty, sci fi fan, and horror buff. You watched, talked, left it behind. Not so today.

PSGer's make up a fair cross-section of the Western World but also represent world population at large, if not as greatly so. From my POV, we are enveloped in cynicism, anger, and insecurity; a loss of freedom and safety. Here are some of the factors I recognize:
  • World Economy. Post WWII we expected to prosper: healthcare, education, housing, adequate food, water, and employment. Not to mention the time for leisure.
  • Betrayal by Our Leaders who support corporate greed and thievery. Corporations who look solely at the bottom line, somehow ignoring the bloodbath and poverty this creates. Amazing, preposterous, horrifying.
  • Reactionary Religious and Racial trends often leading to National and International Terrorism. The blind refusal of either side to negotiate, resorting instead to violence.
  • The Rise to Power of countries seen as godless, who steal and enslave, has enraged the spiritually devoted creating fanaticism.
  • The High Speed Flow of Information, international chatting & blogging, etc., all the uses of the internet cannot be ignored.
  • In movies, in Photoshop, in gaming, in our advanced computer software, Virtual Reality allows us to create fantasies like no other time period has ever known. We add the silicon of our computing to our vision of humans, cyborg creations. We put our personal nightmares into visual media and make our hidden monsters come alive.
The concept of Armageddon as personal outlook is not so difficult to grasp. Newsweek Magazine ran an article in the wake of Hurricane Sandy (USA East Coast recently) by David Cay Johnston, Everyday Armageddon. He addresses our lack of preparedness for disaster and the perpetrators of such. If we don't look at it, it doesn't exist.

Excuse my ponderous postulations. If you have gotten this far, I hope you'll add your thoughts to this thread. I really want to learn about this.
 

Jessicayla

Hoopy Frood
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I'm not sure why the interest in zombies specifically has surged in recent times, but I know some contributing factors include zombie video games and movies. I know personally the end of society is appealing to me because I see it as a chance to prove myself worthy of surviving and all of the people who were not prepared will die off. It's a brutal honesty, but hopefully you'll understand what I mean. I would love to see the banking elite who are controlling this country crumble and I approve of an upcoming civil war and hope for it. This might be slightly off topic here! But, my theory is that a lot of people are waking up to the corruption of our government and realizing this brings about a sense of anger (and hopelessness at times) at the people who control it all and so the idea of it all falling apart is very appealing. We do need a change and one way to go about it is to see society collapse.

I do have my own theory about all of the end of the world movies that have been coming out. Put on your tin foil hat for this one, but basically, I think that these movies focus on desensitizing us to a Police State and the creators try to make government agencies look like the heroes - so that in a real life situation, the population is obedient and will not uprise against these organizations. They also try to stigmatize journalists and "conspiracy theorists" in these movies who are not following the government blindly. But in the age of the internet and such vast information at our fingertips, more and more people are waking up to this propaganda and for that I am glad.

Back on the zombie topic, I believe a lot of people are getting tired of every day life and the thought of killing zombies is refreshing and takes them out of their usual comfort zone and the prospect of a zombie virus is not as far fetched as some other sci-fi fictional antagonists, so people can visualize themselves in this zombie killing role a lot easier.

I'll probably add to this thread later with some more thoughts, but that's enough for now.
 
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Jessicayla

Hoopy Frood
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Just wanted to update again because I talked about this with my boyfriend and he had a lot more logical response than I did, lol. Here's the basics of what he said.

The want for isolation and end of the world, apocalyptic settings is because of the pampered society that we live in, along with the growing amount of interconnectedness with social media. Basically, it comes down to, we are given everything we could possibly want in the current society. And we have tons of ways to connect to people, mostly through the internet - facebook, twitter, etc. This causes people to want to separate themselves a little more from people. If you think about it, the surge in the infatuation with apocalyptic settings correlates to the rise in social media and technology. It makes sense. Societies in the 1700s, 1800s, etc. did not have such an infatuation with this because they weren't connected to people in the way that we are today. They probably yearned for more ways to connect with people, and in today's society, we now have that, and want less of it.

And as far as the zombie appeal, my boyfriend said it stems from the inherent urge we have as humans/animals for conflict. The thing with zombies is that people wouldn't feel (as) bad about killing them because they are mindless - so they can now take out their need for conflict on this thing that has no feelings. Zombies are unlike any other being because of the mindlessness.

So, there's another view point for you, and his makes more sense than mine, lol. He said he has philosophized on this years ago.
 

chitkaran

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I used to wonder on this subject too some time ago, why people have interest in something like zombies, destruction of world, Law n order.. Well, I say that these things are the Outcomes based on the current state of the world.


Every country is trying to emerge as a nuclear power, we all know that, you open a newspaper and there is a Fight going on in atleast one part of the world. Why ??
Is this because of the building tensions and pressure on the minds of a human being which ultimately leads to Anger and hence result in Killing !!!


What is a zombie ? Something that is dead but wants you Dead too.. Isnt this a pictorial dipiction of someone who wants to show their power and superiority even after they are dead. This could have been one of the reasons why the Zombie thing came into existance.


Destruction of world order and survival of the fittest is again related to anger filled people who are tames by the politicians and filll their own pockets at the name of the country. This is not limited to just one country, but is a global insect. Every individual is pissed off by the politician of his country, but they can't do anything about it... so the nd result is the interest in destruction of complete law n order
 

IamSam

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This conversation doesn't matter anyway..................we all only have 16 days to live anyway! Tick Tock!;)
 

chitkaran

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Nothing i going to happen buddy... we would all be editing pics, answering queries, Playing Avatar Wars or just pulling each other's leg..
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
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Don't mind him. It's just another i-am-sam moment after all! :rofl:

He's already at the end of his world. Straight-Jacketed Unite! Rise up all ye Crazies. We bring you tidings of Insanity and Joy!

Free the People!!!

Thanks everyone for your input to date.

I see that a lot of my thoughts correlate to others, even if expressed differently. But I have heard other ideas from your reflections as well. And I don't find your POV illogical in the least Jessicayla. In fact, it is another very valid response to the chaos and one that I have seen evolving for 30 some years. Good luck with that. I'll yell PSG guru if I get close to your encampment so you don't shoot! And I'll bring my own food and water, lol.
 

IamSam

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Wow!

Since it's really hard to type in a straight jacket, I'll keep this brief.

Jessica's boyfriend is on the right track when he stated:
Jessica's Boyfriend said:
And as far as the zombie appeal, my boyfriend said it stems from the inherent urge we have as humans/animals for conflict. The thing with zombies is that people wouldn't feel (as) bad about killing them because they are mindless - so they can now take out their need for conflict on this thing that has no feelings. Zombies are unlike any other being because of the mindlessness.
People just want to kill other people. A Zombie is a human (facsimile) proxy that can be killed without guilt or remorse. An outlet or a modern interpretation of a punching bag. What bothers me is that there a some people who seriously believe that Zombies actually exist!

I'm choosing to steer clear of the rest of this conversation!
 

Paul

Former Member
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Zombies are the soldiers/police of the world, conflicts happen anywhere all the time especially of late.
The world as this in built desire to destruct and belittle any other to gain the upper hand, add to this the belief of 'the dark side' of life, what i mean is using scare tactics of old say via religious indoctrination (ask for help forgiveness or be sent to hell), the modern equivalent would be using a movie or ancient beliefs with a modern spin on them (keeping it hip).

Most youngsters have grown up with game stations that kill anything moving (with your help), all this does is further brainwash and ingrain the beliefs of old.
The constant barrage of good V evil via TV in what ever form as made humans so caught up in the whole life as two passages you choose which one.

The one is a normal day to day life how you make it, the other is a fantasy mirrored existence walking the shadows looking in on reality, simply because you fear normality.
 

Remote-Medic

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Great subject Clareby, and one that I must say crosses my mind 'at least' once a day and I am being serious when I say that.

I, as you know am very much into the Zombie Genre, love um and everything about them as it seems is society in general too. The most obvious reason for wanting a Zombie Apocalypse by the masses is it's potentially survivable among the many Life ending, End of Days/Life as we know it type scenarios. More so than Nuclear, Chemical or Biological attack (although I admit perhaps Zombies and Biological weapons could be one and the same).

We want a fresh start with no over powered Governments telling us what we can and cannot do, the thought of a dog eat dog world sounds appealing - On The Surface!

In a real SHTF scenario however, we have so much at stake. Our families, our friends and everything we have come to know during mankind's short time on this earth.

The thought of head shotting a Zombie at a 1000 yards is appealing on the face of it, BUT the person doing the shooting may also want what you have, your supplies, food and maybe even members of your family for whatever reason! This is where the reality of an Apocalypse starts to sink in. The tables would be turning on everything we know (or thought we knew) it would be a life and death way of life.

I have to admit at this point during my creation of a wall of text for you lovelies I would like for their to be an Apocalyptic type event, I feel it would be the kick up the arse this world needs right now, in times of austerity we come together, we help each other and we stop looking out and start looking in, closer to home and things that mean the difference of if we survive or perish.

I am an Emergency Medical Technician, I have studied trauma care for quite a few years and can relate the stuff I have learned to being of use in the 'New Era' a time when we need to knowledge of others to get through each day. There would be no hospitals or Ambulances to rely on, the doctors would soon be swallowed up by what ever remained of the governments so the general populous would be left needing medical/trauma carers, those that at a push could be an asset to society or whatever was left of it. I hate the world we live in, we are dependant on technology to the point of addiction. We cannot managed a day without reaching for our tech and contacting someone, even if it's to tell someone you have a head ache. I am surrounded by technology, in my home, my work place and pretty much in everything I do. Would be nice to have to 'do without' it. I hate that it cost's me so much to feed my family, sometimes to the point where I almost can't, I hate that it cost's me as much to fill my car up with fuel today as it did to actually buy a car 20 years ago!.

Would I welcome a Zombie Apocalypse, hell yeah I would, but I would also worry about my family and those I care for in my life. I do think though, that something such a an Apocalypse is what mankind needs in order to survive because at the rate things are going in the world, if a Zombie Apocalypse doesn't kill us, we will kill ourselves!

Do I like the thought of having to fight for my families survival on a daily basis - No, would I fight for my family on a daily basis - You bet you arse I would. Do I want an Apocalyptic event, Yes I do because as I have said above, it's what we need in order to realise what we have (or had)

I don't wish pain and suffering on anyone but sometimes we have to bleed in order to heal, sometimes bleeding relieves the pressure and prevents an aneurysm.

In the meantime, I have my DVD collection to watch and remind me of all the possibilities,

Do you see a pattern within my DVD collection:


dvd.jpg

:eek:
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
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Hope I haven't killed this thread :eek:

WHAT, what'd you do?!! :rofl:

LOL, you should have written the thread. But now that it's dead, succumbed to a Zombie invasion, it's a moot point . . .

I'm not laughing at you, btw. I'm finding, after broaching this subject, that correlating these thoughts into the current events of my life makes me want to look the other way and run. So I guess laughter -- rather than screaming -- is part of my denial process.

Impressive collection of DVDs. :mrgreen:
 

Jessicayla

Hoopy Frood
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Hey R-M, have you ever seen Fire In The Sky? If you like sci-fi, you'll love it. Seems we like a lot of the same movies! Some of my favorites are in that picture including Shaun of the Dead, Saving Private Ryan, The Pianist, I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, Signs... awesome!
 

Remote-Medic

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Hey R-M, have you ever seen Fire In The Sky? If you like sci-fi, you'll love it. Seems we like a lot of the same movies! Some of my favorites are in that picture including Shaun of the Dead, Saving Private Ryan, The Pianist, I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, Signs... awesome!

hey Jess,

Have I seen 'Fire In The Sky' - Is the Pope religious hehe :lol: :rofl:

Hell Yer I have, awesome too. There's just something about settling down to a movie where the world almost ends, also I guess they could be looked upon as training video too lmao. I see some of the stuff in these movie and think, damn! I never thought of that :eek: :cry:

Gutted I now have to wait until February to catch the next episode of The Walking Dead and only just realised that Revolution is in Mid Season break too :(
 

Jessicayla

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I liked The Walking Dead for a while, but then I got sick of all the drama. I heard a certain someone is going to die/already died(?) that I don't like at all on the show, so.. that's redeeming for the series. I just wish they focused more on zombies and less on stupid bad dialogue drama. My favorite character was definitely Daryl :D I only watched the first two seasons.

My favorite movie of all time is Children of Men.. I'm guessing you've seen that one too? It's amazing.
 

Remote-Medic

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No I haven't Jess but looks like that could be my next movie hehe

I like The Walking Dead because it not just about the blood and gore, it also goes into the dilemmas we could face should we ever find ourselves in that sort of situation.

Right, now where's that Children of Men :lol:
 

besmirched

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If you take the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse seriously like I do then you must read "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks.

10 points from the book....


1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don't need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.”
 
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inkpad.t

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Not quite so sure on my take on this subject of Zombies and Armageddon..

But what i did read some where is that we are all being prepared for what will eventually become reality by our Governments and by media especially on the Armageddon side.. There are documentaries all over TV and the internet about natural disasters that have happen or possibly going to happen or will eventually happen like super volcano's and mega earth quakes.

As science moves forward we find out more things that bring forward and bring out our human nature to be more inquisitive. Then more documentaries and films are made on what we find and put out to the masses , The article i read suggested we are being groomed to understand what will eventually become reality.

More earth quakes, more mega/super tsunami, more intense storms and weather conditions, more flooding with ice caps melting, The threat now become a reality that some day an asteroid will hit, and to add to that many others and the talk of another world war.

A lot of things in society is doom and gloom... and most people react to that, we are creatures of habit, we as humans in the main want to be part of what the masses believe or that one big trend at that time, unfortunately in our time now it is mainly war and greed.

So for me i think the main reason for us being in an Every day Armageddon world is the times we live in.

As far as the fascination with Zombies go's i don't know... They are not real... they do not exist... i think this go's back deep into religion and cult beliefs.. the reason i say not real is this.. but would be better off asking remote medic about it than me... If a persons brain no longer functions and has lost its life they are DEAD.. simple fact.. if a person walks and moves in a way that we would call that person a Zombie then that that person would be DISEASED and Not Dead.. the brain would be functioning in order to walk and attack another person...

on the other hand some one was the first to make a movie about it and it caught on in peoples imagination and the masses to where it is today. And just having some great fun with it. People enjoy killing things its in our nature and evolution to do so, Everything feeds of something to survive.

I could go on forever on this subject and find it fascinating. It opens doors to other questions, it makes you think about whats happening around you instead of being buried in a movie,game or TV documentary ( may be THAT'S where we are going wrong.. we are fast becoming ( in my thoughts ) nations of individuals hell bent on greed ... but that's another debate ..
 

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