Monday 13 October 2014

The politics of The Walking Dead



So here we finally are.

Ever wondered what The Walking Dead is actually about? Because it's not about zombies, I can tell you that much. There is a pretty clear political analogy being drawn throughout the series, by both Kirkman and AMC, to contemporary USAan society, and once you realise that, the comics and show actually become a stinging political critique.

There is of course a lot more to talk about here. Even though this video is a full 10 minutes long (apologies, but it does contain the core of my theory on how to read the show), I still haven't covered every aspect of how the show intersects with modern American life. Suffice it (at this point) to say that I believe there is a reading on almost everything: from feminism to race politics in the States.

And the show remains pretty solidly scathing, at its core. The Walking Dead is a critique of modern America. And somehow it has managed to fly completely under the radar of the vast majority of the people who watch it - delivering this critique to record breaking numbers of people for five years now.

I can't help but love and admire that kind of subversive political artwork.

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