zombies

In late 1967, there was a notice in the then Pittsburgh Press for those interested in auditioning as extra’s for a new movie which would be produced in Pittsburgh by a local celebrity George Romero titled “Night of the Living Dead”.

The job of the extra would be that of a zombie!

Now in Pittsburgh, we all knew all about zombies since on any given Saturday night Chiller Theater hosted by Chilly Billy Cardilly played at least one zombie movie a night. But the zombie movies seen on Chiller Theater were more about people turned into zombies because they had voodoo spells placed on them and usually only lived some where in the Caribbean.

The audition article in the Pittsburgh Press added that the zombies for “Night of the Living Dead” would be a new kind of zombie a zombie who looked like your mother or father or next store neighbor.

Interesting, a new kind of zombie who could be someone in your family or your best friend!

All the kids living on our block of Denniston Avenue were really, really excited to head out to the Monroeville Mall, the location for the auditions. We all had at one time or other seen zombie movies on Chiller Theater and were certainly ready to act as a new kind of zombie, a more modern zombie, we supposed.

We begged and pleaded, we knew if we went to the Monroeville Mall the directors of the movie would surely choose the six kids from Denniston. The deal after great deliberation was struck that the big kids (the older siblings) could audition. Part one completed, now we had to approach Aunt Ruthie, the only neighborhood Mom who drove. She was usually amenable toward the task of schlepping the Denniston brood anywhere, but somehow this zombie thing bothered her. After another great debate about how we could become either rich or famous from this zombie extra thing, she agreed. Part two completed!

By the time we got to the Monroeville Mall we were about numbers 1010 and all they really needed were about 400 people. We never ever became zombies. We tried and cried but to no avail. In 1968 the movie “Night of the Living written and directed by George Romano premiered in Pittsburgh without anyone from Denniston Avenue.

“Night of the Living Dead” introduced to American pop culture a bolder, braver more brazen kind of zombie. It was a creature who looked just like you, minus a missing arm or bit of flesh or cheek, and who five minutes ago was eating dinner with you before eating you as dinner. This new kind of zombie became infected with some unknown disease perhaps radiation, scientific experiments, a meteor from space or the drinking water. This new kind of zombie has taken on iteration after iteration but each zombie film applied the concept that you might not be able to trust the most trusted people in your lives. Suddenly there was a soon to be zombie apocalypse.

The more recent zombie movies ask the question how does this happen why does it happen in America and when will the zombie plague strike again?

In 2010 in the United States of America, a plague struck the American voter. She/he wanted to vote the bums out and in their hurry to do so they came down with dumb, stupid fever a precursor to any zombie infection. As in most zombie movies little attention was paid to the abnormal behavior resulting from this action. Soon, some notice was taken as newly Republican elected state legislatures stopped worrying about jobs or employment or fair taxes and instead prioritized sex, sexual behavior, discrimination and hate. The more people noticed that their Federally elected crop of Republican/Tea Party candidates roamed the hallways of the Capital Building shouting he is a muslim, he is not a citizen of the United States his agenda is pro minority, pro poor some worry ensued. Was this a temporary ailment many pondered, and just like any plot to any zombie movie avoidance just provoked the virus to grow and encouraged the zombies to thrive.

Now in 2012, with the onset of the bigot, anti woman, homophobe, Christian Crusader, anti Muslim, anti poor, anti elderly end any safety net of Republican/Tea Party candidates running for president, America has finally (sadly not all of America however) realized something is very rotten, something is strange something IS very zombie like.

One Republican/Tea Party led state legislature after another forgoing the economy, jobs over reproductive rights, equal marriage rights, cutting education eliminating social security or job security are chewing off the body parts of heir contituents and infecting them with propaganda that what they do is done for Jesus. Proponents of small government are now running rampant with big government zombie fever insisting that bedrooms, genitals, and private lives are the at the purview of any government that wants to consider itself Christian. And the US is now on the verge of a possibility of a zombie take over leaving everyone infected with bias, bigotry and hate.

In most zombie movies beginning with “Night of the Living Dead” we see those with the insight of knowing something is not natural always being told shut up, you are imagining it or you are an elitist. We witness as people who we deem as normal become convinced that if any zombie come their way they will certainly be able to stop them in their tracks. (Only to find in the next scene those normal people have been eaten or infected). And in many zombie movies we find that the only survivor in that town is confronted by the military or police and shot, even after he/she has survived the original onslaught. And as the credits close we see the swarm of zombies waiting in the horizon.

We are watching as a portion of America is enthralled with demeaning, discriminating and dividing this nation into we vs they, God vs the Devil, good vs bad. We are watching as a group of people infected with hate and bogus chew away at the rational and reason of other psyches and plant seeds of dissent. We watch as zombies walk among us and seem to have no idea how bad this invasion is and may get. Why is it that some never seem to see a zombie when it lies to them in their face?

Me and the kids living on Denniston Avenue in Pittsburgh Pa, never had a chance to be in the movie “Night of the Living Dead” but somehow now we are playing a key part in a zombie movie called Election 2012, Year of Living Like You Are Dead”.

Help before it is toooooooooooooo late!!!!