Desperation and The Walking Dead - signs of a bad political climate?

Hello Friends and Neighbors, today we are talking about something truly frightening.  The Walking Dead and desperation.

 Do you watch The Walking Dead?  I am going to assume you do for this discussion... if you don't - do.

 As you know, Rick Grimes is the hero of this TV drama.  His journey from waking up in the hospital bed to leader of a band of survivors against a world of the living dead and often the living itself is harrowing.  One thing that has been relatively constant throughout this struggle is the desperation of his situation. 

 Every episode is ultimately about the desperate need for survival, but the desperation does not stop there.  Desperately seeking his family.  Desperately trying to hold the group together.  Desperately trying to hold his sanity together.  Rick Grimes is the most desperate character on TV, and that includes Alan Harper and the Trix Rabbit. 

 So why is this seemingly overdone tale of desperation so popular?  Generally the most superficial fans complain about a lack of nonstop action and zombie killing.  What makes The Walking Dead have such a following?  Simply put it is the reflection of us. 

 Horror has always been and always will be a reflection of our cultural anxieties put to images we can safely scare ourselves with and not feel bad.  This scaring helps us to deal with our issues.  So desperation... we are a desperate people.

 The economy is up and down, red states are pitted against blue, job prospects are not good.  This is the "real world" that we were warned about but somehow society has once again not learned the lesson.  College graduates are continually seeking degrees in fields which do not yield the jobs they desire.  Coupling this with generations of those who have been coddled into receiving praise and getting what they want, this "real world" becomes a nightmare.  The people are desperate for good paying jobs, desperate for the lifestyle they believe they are entitled to and most of all desperate for quick results. 

 So desperate people find catharsis in desperate situations on TV.  The Television climate entire has become schadenfreude.  From Survivor to the Jersey Shore, from Two Broke Girls to Honey Boo Boo- people want to see others fail and they want to feel better about their own life. 

 Economically we see a rise in desperation businesses.  People, often women, are targeted with get rich with little effort schemes such as selling Avon or other multilevel marketing scams.  The idea of making money and rising up seems like the American Dream, but these people are sold on scams that rarely if ever pan out - and the reason is desperation.  They are so tired of looking for their destined pot of gold that they are willing to try anything and often betray anybody to get it. 

 Sound familiar?

 Rick and the gang symbolize this entire situation as they grow more and more inhuman in their attempt to attain normalcy and some sense of stability in a desperately bleak world. 

 What is the solution?  I have my theories Friends and Neighbors, but I would rather open this up to you.  Think about it and get back to me.

 As always,

Be Excellent to Each Other!

~BAT

#Be2eO