Friday, March 13, 2009

Percolating

I may have to write something about zombies. I talk about them all the time. And Steve is, I think, just the slightest bit sick of hearing it (as are, I imagine, any of the people with whom I come into contact on any sort of regular basis). There are lots of folks talking about zombies right now. There's that new book about Elizabeth Bennett battling them. There's the neoconservatives' worst nightmare. There are discussions about higher education funding (disenfranchised bitches that they are) for zombies. And there are several zombie movies rumored to be in the works (which I can't remember right now because it's late and I am percolating but they were in Entertainment Weekly, if you'd like to check for yourself. Yes. I read Entertainment Weekly. You would too if you had this big a crush on Lisa Schwarzbaum).

Anyway. Something neat-o may or may not be going on here. All these bloodless copies, just sort of wandering around... lusting for replication, craving originary flesh, destructive in their longing. It's kinda intriguing, in a percolating sort of way. I hesitate to start seriously thinking about this project for a few reasons:
1) I am supposed to be writing something else with dear Jason. It is my foray into poli-comm--a consideration of Clintonian globalization and rhetorical tectonics, and he will murder me if I get any more distracted.
2) It would mean that I would be studying something that I love, and that makes me nervous. Sometimes, when I make what I love into work, it starts to suck. And what would I do without my "Dawn of the Dead" writer's block fallback?
3) Zombies are the term a la mode. And fads go fast.
4) There would be more talking about zombies, and I might lose friends.

On the other hand, there are also some reasons that this might be a good idea:
1) Dude. They're everywhere.
2) I mean, they might even be right BEHIND YOU.
3) Sorry. Settle down.
4) The bloodless copy, mythologized and pop culturized, rapidly replicating through book, movie, and website? Producing and living off of fear-of-fear/comedy-of-fear/fear-as-comedy/comedy-as-fear... It's almost like a virus, mutating and mutable and addictive... Um. I seem to recall some one or other talking about links between the fascination, the product, and the viral.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I thought that when something was a term du jour (or a la mode I love that too) that meant rhetoricians were supposed to study it. Nobody got fired for presenting all those x-files papers at NCA 1998. Go for it.

Anonymous said...

Check it: what about the self-promoting bastard monster?

james said...

Steve--stupid nca.
Joshie--you're adorable.