Zombie Economics Assignment: Exploring Economic Inequality in Society

This assignment analyzes Patrick McCormick's "Zombie Economics" article, exploring the metaphorical representation of economic issues through the zombie concept. The student answers questions about the article's purpose, which is to highlight the economic struggles and anxieties of the new millennium. The zombie metaphor symbolizes powerlessness, the decline of the American dream, and the fear of economic collapse, reflecting the impact of government actions and immigration on job markets. The assignment also examines why zombies are a popular metaphor, linking them to unexpressed fears of an uncertain future and the fear of losing individual identity in a competitive economy. The student evaluates the author's proposed solutions, such as creating economic opportunities and improving infrastructure, and discusses the article's contribution to understanding economic inequality and the fear of losing power, which drives the popularity of the zombie metaphor.

Running head: ZOMBIE ECONOMICS
ZOMBIE ECONOMICS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Question 1:
The purpose of this article is to highlight on the representation of the zombies in the new
millennium metaphorically. The American dream is rapidly disappearing with the collapse of the
economy (Harcourt, 2016). Zombie has become one of the most popular concepts in the movies
from the 90s classical era and this fame is not limited till the boundaries of movies but is also
increasingly popular in the genre of books and video games. This article has taken the fame of
zombies and turned it into a metaphorical message to depict the current scenario of the economy
and its impact upon the people.
Question 2:
The metaphor of zombie represented the people’s sense of powerlessness, their
diminishing of dreams and an increasing sense of horror due to the violence that was emitted
from the government. This metaphor that aroused from the popularity of the concept was
gradually related with economics in terms of collapsing of the contemporary economy. The
zombies’ powerlessness symbolizes the inability to sustain the American Dream and their armies
represent the countless strangers that people fear, are going to rob them of their belongings
(O'Kane, 2017). Zombies also represent the millions of jobless Americans who were ripped off
their livelihoods due to the arrival of millions of immigrants.
Question 3:
Zombies which are basically walking dead armies have become an icon of horror for the
generation. It gives an expression to all the unexpressed fears that every human carries within

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them for the uncertain future ahead and it is in fact frightening to know nothing about the
unknown. Zombies show people that, it is something that no one would aspire to be; every
person is afraid to be powerless just like those mindless monsters (McCormick, 2012). People do
not want to lose themselves in a herd just like the zombies; basically people are afraid o be
unable to find a job in a providing economy where they have to compete with millions of similar
others competing for the same thing.
Question 4:
The solution that is provided at the end of the article seems to be something believable
and something that can be achieved at the same time. American imperialism has been in the
country for a long time and abandoning it is not as easy as it looks on the paper. However, the
other solutions like creating economic opportunities for everyone, commitment towards repairing
of the infrastructure, providing education to the youth and more, are something that can be
achieved with proper actions and measures.
Question 5:
This article imparts a useful notion about economic inequality and the fear that this
inequality creates in the mind of the people. People fear to be like the army of the walking dead
or in simple terms, to be like everyone else equally without power as a consequence of the
collapsing economy (Arrow, Bowles & Durlauf, 2018). As a matter of fact, the popularity of the
metaphor of zombies rose due to this economic inequality; it seems that more than being a victim
of inequality, people are more afraid of losing power.

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References:
Arrow, K., Bowles, S., & Durlauf, S. N. (Eds.). (2018). Meritocracy and economic inequality.
Princeton University Press.
Harcourt, G. C. (2016). The crisis in mainstream economics. In Post-Keynesian Essays from
Down Under Volume IV: Essays on Theory (pp. 15-22). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
McCormick, P. (2012). Zombie Economics: The Harrowing and Hungry Living Dead Serve as
Stand-Ins for the Unspoken Fears of an Uncertain Generation. US Catholic, 77(7).
O'Kane, J. M. (2017). The crooked ladder: Gangsters, ethnicity and the American dream.
Routledge.