Zombies and Humans: Two Conspicuous Consumers

With the release of George Romero's “Dawn of the Dead” in 1978, the figure of the zombie became forever linked with consumer culture. As Matthew Walker's article “When There's No More Room in Hell, The Dead Will Shop the Earth” illustrated, the film is filled with references to the zombie-like nature of the average consumer who is compelled to purchase goods that he or she may not need.

Because of Romero's film, it isn't hard to draw connections between human behavior, zombies, and the concept of “Conspicuous Consumption” as put forward by sociologist, economist, and Wisconsin native Thorstein Veblen in “The Theory of the Leisure Class.” Veblen's work outlines the purchasing patterns of people in modern society who spend money primarily to demonstrate their level of income to their friends, family and neighbors. While Veblen cites examples of consumption from the aristocracy, you don't need to look far to find it in our daily lives. Though a Dodge Neon may work just as well as a means of transportation, an individual who makes a larger income will likely feel the need to purchase a Mercedes or BWM to demonstrate their position in society.

Though the concept of conspicuous consumption is addressed through works like “Dawn of the Dead,” the zombie itself has another relation to the concept of consumption. As Scott pointed out in the class discussion board for “28 Days Later,” the zombie consumes in a way that is hard to understand. “I cannot imagine that zombies are able to digest food, so what is the driving force that directs a zombie to eat human flesh (or brains)? Is it jealousy? Or a hunger that cannot be satisfied? Or something else?”

The zombie's hunger itself is an example of conspicuous consumption. As the zombie is no longer alive and likely lacks the biological processes to digest the “food” it ingests, it is consuming something that it does not in fact need. The reason for this in a literal sense is difficult to understand, but symbolically, it is rather a clear and useful illustration of Veblen's concept of conspicuous consumption.