Let me tell you something about myself you may not know. For a nature loving, gardening, yoga and surf loving woman, you might not expect that I freaking love zombies. It doesn't make sense - I don't even like horror films and if I'm forced to watch them, I'm using hiding in my husband's armpit. It's okay - he smells like fennel seeds so it's a nice place to hide.
My first introduction to the genre was really about twenty years ago when both of us watched Dawn of the Dead followed in quick succession by Sean of the Dead. All of a sudden I got the world of zombies and why this genre even existed. They weren't just there for the shock and horror - they were there to talk to us about ourselves, and the way that humans face these really big things that threaten their existance, and how we deal with that. More on this later, but first, who cannot love this scene from Sean of the Dead where they're arguing which vinyl to throw at the zombies? Bloody genius.
Of course, zombies aren't always meant to be funny, and the genre is usually more despairing that than as humanity faced the apocalypse. Although I did find myself tapping my foot to this opening of Dawn of the Dead, where they recap the end of the world to Johnny Cash. Such a perfect song choice.
The whirlwood is certainly in the thorn trees as we're a minute from midnight as a species now. It feels like any day the world can be exactly like this, whether it's zombies or storms or tidal waves or nuclear destruction. I'd like to think that all those years of watching zombie flicks would prepare me somewhat. I've chosen my weopons years ago and we have a bug out bag packed. I mean, you think of these things when you think of zombies. I think that's another reason I like them - it makes me think about what choices I'd make, and how I'd survive in an apocalpyse. Plus I like the idea of this fucked up carbon capitalism version of our world to unravel and restitch itself in a different form.
And so, I know to aim for the head, to be quiet, and to watch my scent. I know where they might be lurking, and I know to get out of the cities, and I know a lot more besides. You kinda want to be on my team if the undead rise.
I'm not going to just lay down and become a zombie. I can't help but think of the Whisperers in 'The Walking Dead' who don the flesh and masks of the undead to walk amongst them, barely living themselves amongst the horror. I remember this short story I read once in a collection of zombie fiction I have - yes, there's some good zombie fiction - zomlit? - and that was the premise. Something about that it's easy to pretend to be one of the dead when you have felt like that all along.
Iggy Pop as a zombie in 'The Dead Don't Die'
The Z genre thus explores the problems in our world, from racism, nuclear war, communism, plague, consumerism, climate change and many more. Each new decade brings a fresh take on the genre - it will never end as long as humanity doesn't end. Some even get really philosophical. I loved Arden Bell's novel 'The Reapers are the Angels', where a young girl grows up in a zombie apocalypse and can't help seeing beauty in them too - they are creatures of the world just as a butterfly is, or a flower.
In many films, we're taught not to trust anyone - that there are worst people around that zombies. People will always throw you under the bus - or into the zombie horde - to save themselves, such is our survival instinct. I like to think we'd be better than that, and in a disaster, we'd help each other out more than fuck each other over. I'd like to think I'd be one of the people helping people out and helping starting over with the skills I have for the new world. It seems to me the end of the world is more of an opportunity to do better than to give up.
In fact, it seems like an opportunity to really live, rather than to die.
Thus, when 
With Love,
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