Marx's Ideal Participant in his Society: The Zombie.

I figure better late then never. In Karl Marx's "The Fetishism of the Commodity," Marx describes how commodities and their value manipulate social relationships that ultimately destroy the peer to peer relationship, but rather a relationship between two people, and creates relationships between people and objects; one would assume that a relationship would be between, but Marx states an opposite opinion. The power of a commodity relies on its own exchange value, instead of its practical use. As a result, people will sell themselves for labor to achieve more wealth and increase one's surplus of commodities. When one sells themselves, they become a tool; a tool for the producer to use to create more products, which will inevitably become commodities. As this "dance" between consumer and producer progresses, Marx argues that their perception changes and they begin to see only commodities, not the people behind the commodity,
A brilliant example of this relationship can be found in "The Magic Island." The zombies represent how a human being becomes a tool for the producer to use. The property owners in the story no longer see the zombies as peoplel, but rather as a tool that they can use.
The figure of the zombie can symbolize a positive aspect of Marx's argument, but it can also represent a much more negativ and realistic side of Marx's argument. In most aspects, the zombie figure represents the ideal participant in a Marxist society. The zombie will not question or think, they do not place exchange value on any goods, an they sacrifice everything for a specific purpose. This is a key aspect of Marxism; the idea that everyone will work for what's best for the government and their society. However, this system of goverment seems to advocate the destruction of one's drive to better their situation and settle into the role of a 'slave'.
Once again by looking at "The Magic Island," one notices right away that this is a form of slavery because the zombies work with no opportunity to better themselves or their situation. This can also be true for a marxist society. Marx advocates that one throw away their obsession with material wealth and social advancement for what is best for the community. So in fact, a person will work and work for their society, but ultimately never better their social class.
I think it is also important to notice that in Marx's articl, Marx explains that people are no longer able to recognize each other as human begins, but more as tools. This transformation and complete lack of value on a person also reflects the transformation that occurs when a non-zombie sees a zombie.
In "Night of the Living Dead," after a person becomes a zombie, they are no longer seen as a humanbeing and become an entirely different entity. To the observer, a zombie provides no function or use; even though they were once human and had a function. This interaction mimics the Marx's description of how social relationships have changed in a capitalist society.