Friday: What is

a weekly series defining cultural acute dysfunction

What is a ZOMBIE.
George A Romero is probably the father of the zombie. The Haitians and Creole cultures lived with a form of the living dead for decades, as part of their faith. turns out that was mostly the effect of tetradotoxin, a very harmful chemical that was really really bad for you. Those zombies were real. But the zombie as a cultural icon stems from the 1969 film "Night of the Living Dead". There were earlier examples of this kind of character in film and popular culture ("Nosferatu" from the 30s being one of the earliet examples) but none mesmerized American culture like the zombies who stormed the house from the cemetery, while the little girl ate her mom's brains.
It's been said in interviews that "Night of the Living Dead" was an indictment of America's institutionalized racism. Remember how the only survivor from the dramatic finale was african-american and the sherriff shot him dead? If, like me and you were 6 years old trying not to shit yourself, you might not have noticed the subtlety.
After "Night", Romero made "Dawn of the Dead" in 1978. Oddly enough, "Dawn" was made 4 years after the seminal classic "OJ: Juice on the Loose" about the killer/football player. I guess at the time it wasn't a horror movie. "Dawn of the Dead" contained a clearer message for his audience. "Dawn" took place almost entirely in a shopping mall. The undead were not as aggressive as those in "Night of the Living Dead" and subsequent films in the series. Instead these zombies wandered around the mall, shopping. They emotionlessly pawed through sales racks, holding clothes up to their chests in mirrors, stumbling and drooling. This was an obvious commentary on the consumerist nature of the so-called "me decade".
1985's "Day of the Dead" feataured aggressive, angry zombies tearing their way up to street level from a underground nuclear bunker. For those of us old enough to remember the mid 1980's, we clearly remember the nuclear cloud and the degree of fear was palpable. In my middle school we had nuclear war drills, like hiding under your fucking desk is going to stop your eye from melting down your cheek. The russian Enola Gay is flying over Cleveland and we're all rushing to stand under the doorway. It was fun though because we didn't have to read "The Tempest" so fast. What 11 year old understands the line "For I must now to Overon"? I mean really.
"Land of the Dead". 2005. Bam. It was just as corny as it was in 1969, but this was by far Romero's most political film. "Land" was about capitalism, the effects of unregulated greed. It featured homeless zombies this time. There have been hundreds of zombie movies before and after 1969's "Night of the Living Dead" with some very notable high points, but Romero is the James Brown, the Godfather of the zombie genre.
That's todays Friday