Skip to main content

The Conservative Dead



In a recent episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, that mega-popular series about surving during a zombie apocalypse, the Governor of Woodbury ordered the firearms confiscated from his town's citizens. This was seen by some as a furthering of what they consider to be a conservative agenda fostered by the program. Others disagree, simply citing it as a storytelling tactic.

Regardless of the gun confiscation issue, the argument can be made that The Walking Dead is somewhat conservative in nature. This is neither praise nor a rebuke of the program, simply a (subjective) observation. Of course, I'm conflating conservatism with how it manifests itself within modern day America and, also, within the Republican Party. That in and of itself could be cause for an argument.

But consider certain aspects of The Walking Dead TV series. Many of the characters are religious, and not just religious, but Judeo-Christian. Bible-quoting, even. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But many programs don't even touch upon religion. There's also a rather obvious theme of male dominance within the series. The men are the hunters/gatherers, while the women tend more to the things at home, such as cooking and looking after the kids.

Probably the single biggest issue I have with The Walking Dead -- and another notch on its conservative belt -- is the lack of any gay or lesbian characters. Apparently, we didn't survive the initial stages of the zombie apocalypse. How else to interpret the lack of presence? Seriously: We've seen white, black, Asian, young, old, well-educated and hillbilly types, but no gay people? For shame.

Honestly, I don't know if The Walking Dead has a conservative agenda. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. But the frequent-enough Bible references, the lack of people from other religious denominations, the male/female divide, and the lack of LGBT folk makes for a rather homogenous character arrangement. I guess it depends on why you watch the program. Granted, I tune-in for some zombie scares and tension, yet the lack of diversity has not gone unnoticed.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yesterday's Restaurants

The local newspaper has a feature from one of Champaign-Urbana's most legendary restaurateur's, John Katsinas, on what his favorite area restaurants were that have now since closed (or will soon be closing).  It's a nice little read, and has made me stop and think about the restaurants that have come and gone that have left an indelible (and edible) impression on me throughout the years. Here we go....
Post a Comment
Read more

31 Days of Horror Movies: Thir13en Ghosts

While not a scholar or even a purist, I am somewhat of a film snob. Not a big fan of remakes, specifically when the originals don't need updating. It is therefore an unusual position I find myself in, preferring a remake to an original, and by leaps and bounds. Let's take a look at today's feature...
Post a Comment
Read more

31 Days of Horror Movies: The Woman In Black

Yesterday, we had a lady in white, and today we have.... The Woman In Black Just as Nosferatu was our oldest horror film to be reviewed this month, The Woman In Black is our most recent. Released earlier this year, the film stars Daniel Radcliffe in a more adult role than previously seen in his Harry Potter career. He plays a young lawyer whose wife died in childbirth, so he has been raising their son (mostly) on his own. With money tight, and his job on the line, the young attorney takes an assignment in a remote village, much to his dismay. The small, closed community Radcliffe's character finds himself in is apparently haunted by a woman dressed in all black. When she is seen, a child dies. She is seen quite a lot during the course of the film. The locals get edgy with the attorney, making him feel most unwelcome. And when he is doing his work, sorting through the papers of a deceased elderly woman, he discovers the secret of the woman in black. It doesn't
Post a Comment
Read more