What's with Zombies???

[HoosierQ]

Mods, if I am out of line here please do as you see fit.

What is all this jazz about Zombies??? Zombie this, Zombie gun, Zombie knife...Zombie Zombie Zombie. What in the world is all this about? As far as I know, a Zombie is some sort of supernatural concept within Caribbean religious belief (Voodoo)...and the subject of some bad old movies. Is "Dawn of the Dead" like the defining film for a generation or something?

This forum and the knife forum in which I participate have a lot of zombie talk. What gives?

Maybe I am just too old for the Internet.

Commies! Now there's a threat for my generation to worry about!

 

[SuperNaut]

It is a convenient and fun way to talk about a very serious subject. If you catch my drift.

 

[TexasRifleman]

It's a sort of gun political correctness thing.

There are some topics that are legitimate, but can put gun owners in a bad light if taken out of context. Let's be real honest, in a self defense type situation with a firearm we really are talking about shooting another human being. That's an awful,awful thing to think about, but it's a reality of owning a firearm for defensive purposes.

So, the "zombie" is a term for a generic bad guy and it takes away the human element somewhat. Allows for the conversation to be sort of "detached" so that methods and means can be discussed apart from the more unpleasant side of the conversation. Not always a good thing mind you, there is a real need for some serious self reflection on the part of every gun owner to think about the consequences of using that gun for self defense.

From there it sort of took on a Hollywood angle and now there are "zombie shoots" and talk of the "zombie apocalypse" etc.

But it originally started in the gun community as just another term for bad guy.

Jeff Cooper used the term "goblin" for the same reason.

And I hate to do it but this one is asked, answered, and closed. Sorry.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Just wanted to add this.

While I think there are some people who are using zombies in the way TR suggests, I also think these days there are a great number of people who literally mean zombies because they think it is a fun fantasy. I think the sheer number and popularity of zombie survival games alone supports this theory fairly well.