We are "The Walking Dead"

The Walking Dead is coming back with its season premiere this Sunday. This is my favorite show on television right now and I cannot wait to end my Sunday nights with the fear of being haunted by a pack of zombies.

The Walking Dead is based on the comic books written by Robert Kirkman. The show follows the interactions of an ordinary group of people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. These people come from different races, sexes, and ages. Besides their physical differences, they also have differences in beliefs and values. Sometimes their differences create conflicts among them. However, if they want to survive they have to figure out ways of resolving their conflicts.

In the episode Guts of season 1, Rick (who later becomes the “leader” of the group) runs into a group of survivors who are hiding inside of a department store. The department store is a reference to the movie Dawn of the Dead by George Romero which is set in a shopping mall, which symbolizes corporate capitalism. The Walking Dead follows Dawn of the Dead’s critique of structures of power in American society. The show criticizes our acceptance of these structures. By not challenging them we are reinforcing the ideals of capitalism and consumerism. We as society are becoming more alienated. We are turning into zombies. We are “the walking dead” which symbolically represents our full acceptance of capitalism and our role as consumers.

Taciani D.