Zombie Economics by Patrick McCormick
- What is the purpose of the Article?
Patrick McCormick wrote this article with the purpose of discussing the unspoken takes of zombies that began emerging in the 1970’s to 1990’s and how they reclaimed themselves as the kings of horrors. Through films and dramas, the idea of the living dead was adopted by millions of people and the ‘’zombie economies’’ theory became known all over the world. The author tries to depict how human beings have turned into mindless monsters, and he expresses his worst fears of what people are turning into; powerless and horrifying. Currently, in the 21st century, zombies are used to represent how the American dream is diminishing, for example, how powerless they became after the 9/11 terror attack. Also, McCormick wanted to highlight the return of these scary features in the new millennium, basically, the collapse of the global economies (McComick, 2012).
- How is the ‘Zombie metaphor’ used to relate to economic?
Zombie is metaphor commonly used in economics to refer to an action or an object that is not literally applicable. This article discusses collapse of economies and empires in fears of zombies which has grown to be a widespread economic concept. Also, over the years, the metaphor has entered into the economic space and gained cultural popularity to suggest how people are becoming disenchanted with the economy. It was during the great depression period that the zombie concept came into American consciousness and it has been evolving such the shifting economies. For example, in the 2000s, there was the emergence of ‘’zombie banks’’ to represent the financial systems of Japan (Montgomerie & Cain, 2020). Generally, the metaphor is used to signify people’s dissatisfaction with the economy.
- Why, in your opinion, do you think that zombies are a popular metaphor?
In my opinion, zombies are a common metaphor because of their scary physical appearance. In most films and dramas, these living dead creatures are depicted as rootless and bedraggled and they wander the street looking for something to eat. It is metaphor mostly represented unconsciously to generally signify dissatisfaction. Typically, it is a symbol of aesthetic horror. Film creators use zombies as a metaphor to represent globalism, communist, mass contagion, racial sublimation, and even social disintegration (Montgomerie & Cain, 2020).
- In the last paragraph of the article, the author offers a solution to the problems outlined in the article. What solution is presented, and do you think it is achievable?
Patrick McCormick suggests the solution to be, abandoning of the American imperialism that is bleeding the youth and economy dry. All people in the society must commit to educating the young, creating economic opportunities for each individual, and developing energy systems so as to prevent turning waterways and lands into wastelands. Without discrimination based on race or income level, each individual must be offered with equal economic opportunities with fairness. Simply, these walking dead creatures go beyond the depiction of zombies in films and dramas and its uses as economic metaphors, to remind people that they need to wake up and start caring about the living. In my opinion, the solutions are in detail because they are broken down; they are therefore achievable.
- How does this article contribute to your understanding of inequality, specifically, economic inequality?
There are several aspects of inequality that Patrick McCormick highlights in the article. First, inequality is rampant in America and due to economic inequalities, there are several challenges that Americans face in the new millennium such as violence due to race, decade-long war in Iraq and Afghanistan that is hurting America’s confidence, repeated threats of biological outbreaks, and terrorist attacks such as the September 11 terror tragedy. Secondly, economic and income inequalities have been on the rise since the 1970’s in developed countries that includes America. Thirdly, the housing bubble amplified economic inequality. This economic event stripped people off their jobs, made America one of the leading debtor, consequently denying people opportunities of owning homes and having a pension.
References
McComick, P. (2012). Zombie Economics: The Harrowing and Hungry Living Dead Serve as
Stand-Ins for the Unspoken Fears of an Uncertain Generation. . US Catholic 77(7).
Montgomerie, J., & Cain, R. (2020). Resisting the Zombie Economy: Finding the Right
Metaphor for Neoliberal Crisis. In Neoliberalism in Context (pp. 39-58). Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham.