Why Should We Study Zombie Attacks?

But whether real or imagined, a zombie attack is a potent metaphor.
Think of the undead not as klutzy cannibals but as the X factor, the
Rumsfeldian "unknown unknown," the totally unexpected menace that
suddenly confronts us. (The Canadian researchers' mathematical modeling
of zombie attacks maybe seem like an elaborate joke, but in actuality
it was led by a mathematician whose expertise is in studying the spread
of actual epidemics such as malaria and West Nile Virus, and its
underlying purpose was to demonstrate the progression of a rapidly
spreading, unfamiliar public health threat.) In recent experience we've
been confronted increasingly with such X factors, ranging from AIDS to
terrorism to climate change. And time and again, we've been exposed as
dangerously unprepared to deal with such paradigm-shattering threats.
I'm not talking about stocking up on bottled water and Spam, having a
battery-powered radio, a shotgun and the ingredients for Molotov
cocktails. I'm talking about our societal tendency to do exactly what
most of the characters in the Romero movies do when confronted with a
zombie attack - i.e., to become hysterical and fight among themselves
for control of the group, which ultimately leads to them squandering
resources and opportunities for survival, and undermining each others'
efforts. I think we need to find a way to tone down the cable TV
news-induced histrionics and learn to cooperate towards a common
objective, before some real menace arrives to do us in.