Sci Fi creatures in a social context

Earlier in the term we encountered the idea that science fiction monsters such as zombies represent the returned dead. The dead supposedly return when there has been a disruption of tradition.

Gail Collins from the New York Times recently put forward a new theory as to why zombies are suddenly so popular in pop culture. Her theory is that to liberals in the US zombies are a metaphor for Republican supporters, particularly those from the Tea Party. To her both zombies and Tea Party members are irrational, bloodthirsty, and are potentially infectious.

I would add to this that the very most paranoid conservatives in that country probably see it in reverse. A lot of the radical right wing rhetoric coming out of the US recently seems to describe conservatives as "every day men" who have been called upon to defend the fortress of traditional values from the roving masses of amoral liberals. Very Night of the Living Dead. To bring back the disruption of tradition metaphor, in Night of the Living Dead, a few rather socially repressed humans barricade themselves in a cottage as hoards of (liberal?) zombies slowly claw their way through.

Collins, G. (2010, November 19). The zombie jamboree. The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/opinion/20collins.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=zombies&st=cse