Zombies as protesters, survivalists and illiquidity

Cody Delistraty in MSNBC Entertainment writes: “Vampires vs. zombies: Who would win?” about the current monster culture of HBO’s “True Blood”, AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” the soon to be released movie “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and in production Brad Pitt movie version of the book “World War Z”. Delistraty claims “Vampires and zombies will be forever pitted against one another.”

Comparing Lincoln to Vampires he writes:

Like the blood-sucking creatures, he’s smart and charismatic, debonair and independent. He leads with adroit aplomb and destroys evil beings with sexy smoothness — his well-worn top hat earns him fashion points while the axe he so gracefully wields creates macabre destruction that’s pleasing to the aesthetically-discriminating eye.

But, of zombies:

This is not to underestimate the zombies of our society. While our presidents and philanthropists are more vampire than zombie, the world’s movers and shakers are often groups with a common mission: take Occupy Wall Street, for example, or that group of angry moms who want yet another stop sign in the neighborhood. These “zombies” achieve their missions in large groups, taking down mere individuals who stand in their way.

And:

Lincoln may be a vampire but perhaps the real power lies in the masses — groups that have a common goal, a common faith or a common enemy.

I think I disagree with Delistraty’s claim that the “the dichotomy [between vampires and zombies] is only becoming clearer.” It seems to me like the metaphors are mixing somewhat (see for example GM/GMAC case) But I do definitely agree that #Occupy and PTA-moms are both great examples of zombie culture.

Meanwhile, Angela Haupt in USNews recommends a “Zombie Survival Course” in New Jersey in “Summer Camps for Adults“: “To prepare for the apocalypse, sign up for this weekend training course.”

And Jake Zamansky, Forbes contributor and securities attorney, warns: “Investors, Watch Out For Zombies Before Diving Into Hedges” where “zombie” means “illiquid hedge funds”:

Given the extreme risk of hedge fund blowups like Goldman Sachs’s Alpha Fund and frauds such as Bernie Madoff, investors should look to see if there is water in the pool before they dive. After all, one careless leap could wind up turning their capital into a zombie.

It’s funny to note that “hedges” is also a word for a type of plant – plants and zombies? Both vegetables?

Finally, apocalypse = cute: