LIBS 1520 - Analysis of Zombie Economics & Economic Inequality

This essay interprets Patrick McCormick's 'Zombie Economics,' focusing on the purpose of the article, the use of the zombie metaphor to explain economic issues, and the reasons for the metaphor's popularity. It further examines the author's proposed solution to economic problems, particularly addressing American imperialism and its impact on inequality. The analysis highlights how the influx of immigrants and the competition for resources contribute to economic inequality. The essay concludes by reflecting on the understanding of economic inequality gained from the article, emphasizing the role of competition in exacerbating disparities. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and past papers.

Running head: INTERPRETATION 1
Interpretation of Zombie Economy
Name
Institution

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Interpretation of Zombie Economy
Purpose of the Article
The purpose of this article is to illustrate the economic situation in America. The writer
uses the Zombies, which represent “the walking dead” to show how the economy is ruined. In
other words, examples tend to portray a good picture of understanding. Many learners would
clearly understand what the writer was talking about by the help of the example of Zombies. In
addition, the article educates the general public on the problems affecting American economy.
For instance, the writer explains how the immigrants are controlling the economy. The author
also explained the effects of the imperialism nature of American economy.
How is the Zombie Metaphor Used to relate to Economics?
The writer used Zombie example to show an example of o bad economy. The zombies
represented the walking dead who were feared by many people McCornick, 2012). In many
cases, people would not like to associate with anything that comes out of the grave. Ideally the
Zombie represented the immigrants who came from different places to control American
economy. On that note, the aspect of competition is depicted. In most economies, there are
always competitions of the available resources. For instance, the zombies competed for the
available resources on the land. However, the immigrants and the American citizens compete for
the scarce resources. In addition, the zombie metaphor explains how economic fear can exist in
the society.

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Why Zombies are a popular metaphor
In the contemporary world, technology has affected many sectors of the economy.
Specifically, the media has been dramatically influenced by the technology. In my opinion, the
Zombies have been clearly illustrated in different movies. The movies have made zombies very
popular that even the young population is aware of them. In addition, the horror movies tend to
instill fear to many people (Olsen and Korstanje, 2011). On that note, people would
automatically fear an economy run by zombies. Today, technology has also popularized
imaginary creatures which are available in different movie stores. As far as technology and
movies are concerned, zombies are a popular metaphor in the society.
Solution presented in the article.
The author suggested that eradicating American imperialism would help the economy.
Over the years, political dominance has been a big issue in America (Einzenberger and Schaffar,
2018). Both the democrats and the republicans fight for political power. In addition, the need to
become the world supper power also affects the American economy. The American government
engages in different strategic plans to make sure that America has control over other nations. In
my opinion, this idea of controlling other nations led to the rise of many immigrants in America.
These immigrants compete for the limited resources available in America. For instance some
American youth are not employed whereas some immigrants are employed. Therefore,
controlling the aspect of imperialism would solve some of the economic problems in America.
My understanding of economic inequality from the article
Many economists argue that inequality exists where there are different economic
problems (Cingano, 2014). These problems affect the supply and consumption of economic

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factors. According to this article, I have learned that existence of the immigrants has led to
competition of available resources hence causing inequality. As far as economics is concerned, I
think that competition can easily cause inequality since the winner takes it all.

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References
Cingano, F. (2014). Trends in income inequality and its impact on economic growth. OECD
publishing.
Einzenberger, R., & Schaffar, W. (2018). The political economy of new authoritarian in
southeast Asia. Australian journal of South-East-Asian Studies.
Olsen, D., & Korstanje, M. (2011). The discourse of risk in horror movie post 9/11: hospitality
and hostility in perspective. International journal of tourism anthropology.
McCornick, P. (2012). Zombie Economics. The harrowing and hungry living dead serve as
stand-ins for the unspoken fears of an uncertain generation. Gonzaga University:
Spokane, Washington.

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