Poll: Do you think there could ever be a zombie apocalypse?

Saucycarpdog

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After me and some friends went to World War Z, we got on the topic of our zombie apocalypse plans(cause everyone should have one, right?) Turns out they all put a lot of detail into their plans, much more than I did. Then one of my friends girlfriends said that such plans were stupid since it was never going to happen. Party pooper.

What do you guys think?
 

shrekfan246

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May 26, 2011
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I creep myself out with the thoughts of it every so often, but in practical terms no, I don't really feel like it could happen.

Unless some sort of magic were giving them untold amounts of strength (which I suppose wouldn't be impossible in the case of an actual zombie uprising, all things considered), zombies wouldn't really be all that much of a danger unless you literally got piled on by like, ten or more of them at once, and really, any corpse more than... what... a year old? (I don't know how long it takes for things to start decomposing...) wouldn't be any danger at all because there wouldn't be any strength behind them whatsoever. Hell, their bodies would probably crumble and fall apart as they walked. Newly-dead zombies would be the only ones you have to worry about, because they would have all of the strength of a living man without any of the fear of death or pain reflexes.

Now, if we expand "zombie" to also include the likes of 28 Days Later and Resident Evil where the outbreak is caused by some horrible experiments gone terribly wrong and they're not literally dead people who have risen again... then I think we'd have a problem on our hands. :D

As for a simple answer to the thread question, improbable, but maybe not impossible depending on how loosely you'll define "zombie apocalypse".
 

DoPo

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Jan 30, 2012
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shrekfan246 said:
As for a simple answer to the thread question, improbable, but maybe not impossible depending on how loosely you'll define "zombie apocalypse".
Yup, my thoughts exactly. Now, with the current scientific and otherwise undesrtanding of both how "the world" and "zombies" work, it's impossible. However, if any of these changes, as in "zombies" are not "dead corpses that walk"[footnote]the alternative is the voodoo version but I think we can agree to exclude them, as an outbreak of them is pretty highly unlikely[/footnote] or the world actually changing properties wherein magic operates, then yes, under those conditions a zombie apocalypse can happen.

HOWEVER, it should be noted that if any of these variable changes, you'll still be screwed, as it throws a wench in any plans you might have had - things won't be working the way you planned them to.
 

senordesol

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Oct 12, 2009
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If biting is the vector, then no. One of the thing the ZA relies on in media is the fact that you have to accept *that* it happened regardless of *how*.

Biting is an extremely inefficient way of spreading disease and even the most serious 'outbreak' would be tamped down in a matter of days.

Now if the spread were airborne, a la 'Walking Dead', wherein you become a zombie when you die regardless of the cause of death; then that might complicate matters. Yet, again, this would be identified and dealt with fairly quickly -it would just take longer.
 

Johnny Novgorod

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Well obviously not in the Romero sense of the word 'zombie' (aka "the living dead"). And as a "disease" it seems highly unlikely. Suppose you get maybe ONE person who through an intrincate mix of rabies and what-not turns into something resembling a zombie. Who's to say he or she would be infectious? And for that matter, transmitting a disease through biting isn't very practicaly isn't it?
 

Thaluikhain

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No. The basic premise does not make sense.

A disease which is always transmitted by a bite, and always fatal? No.

That always brings them back to life(ish), and makes them attack people? No.

That makes them stop attacking people before seriously damaging them so the victims are intact enough to get up again? No.

That makes them ignore thermodynamics and basic biology? Definitely not.

The zombies walk round using their muscles, right? So those muscles need fuel and air same as living ones, you need blood to transport that, air to oxygenate that, a heart to pump that...just like a living creature. You need them to eat things for fuel, drink to stay hydrated. Zombies don't do that.

But, ok, given all that, they still aren't much of a threat. Remember WW1, hordes of infantry armed with bayonets running at troops with machine guns and bolt action rifles, and how that doesn't really work?

Well, this time they don't have bayonets and they can't run or even think for themselves, and they don't have artillery or anything to soften them up first, and the enemies troops are much better equipped. Not going to work.

For zombies to be a threat, their opponents need to be utterly rubbish.

...

Now, there are some decent 40k zombies, where a dead soldier will come back able to use his/her weapons and work with other zombie soldiers, under the command of intelligent undead bound by the will of a mighty psychic monster, (or more traditional Necromunda zombies, which are a danger, but a minor one compared to everything else), but even that is being very generous.

Imagine soldiers who are even only slightly drunk, or stoned. That's really not going to help them. Having said that, there are various drugs which could prolong endurance, but their effects tend to be exaggerated by pop culture.
 

Dalek Caan

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Feb 12, 2011
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Probably not. If it's full on reincarnation, then no, that would never happen. If it's a rabies type disease then maybe, though the chances are 1 in billion. If it was to ever occur though the zombies would all be killed off quickly.

[link]http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly.html[/link]
 

DudeistBelieve

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Sep 9, 2010
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Assume we get to the point where we have computer chips in our head. Maybe the Zombie virus will be a computer virus controlling cyborgs. Or prehaps a foriegn aggressor from the stars.
 

BlazeRaider

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Preparing for a zombie apocalypse would actually be quite healthy as far as hobbies go, at least if you're serious about it (as in serious apocalypse preparation, not ACTUALLY thinking zombies will invade). My friends and I were thinking about what we'd do to survive a zombie apocalypse and it would require dozens of ancillary skills: wilderness survival, gardening, canning and cooking your own food and various other crafts. One of my friends wants to learn metalworking because of it and has developed an interest in mechanics, another wants to learn martial arts, all of us want to get fit and more athletic. Seriously considering making "zombie apocalypse preparation" my hobby, if only because it would lead to dozens of others hobbies :p

There's a whole group actually called the "Zombie Squad" that operates under the "if your ready for a zombie apocalypse your ready for anything" sort of mentality and is a fun and creative way to prepare for disasters. Zombie apocalypses don't happen, but floods do, so do earthquakes, storms, and blackouts.
 

Doclector

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Okay, getting the scientific complaints out the way, the biggest problem is ignorance. As in world war z (the book) it is likely that many would be complacent about the threat. The idea of the dead coming back to life would provoke a knee jerk reaction of "quit wasting my time" from major authorities. Then people ignore it. And ignore it. And ignore it. Until it's crashing through their windows.

By this point, the zombies have gained their biggest advantage: Numbers. From the point where they nearly equal our numbers, things would get bad, possibly worse if not handled right.

But can it happen? I think the possibility is worth thinking about. It may be extremely unlikely, but if it does happen and we dismiss it...shit's gonna hit the fan.
 

Maxtro

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The closet thing to zombies I've seen that's remotely plausible is the infected from the Last of Us.

I haven't finished the game yet, but from what I understand there is a type of fungus that releases spores that upon inhalation actually take over the host which is still alive. Such a thing actually happens in the world with ants.

But a fungus that can turn a creature violent and seeks to kill everything else? Not a chance.

Anything that actually reanimates the dead is impossible unless we are talking about magic.
 

Amir Kondori

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Well if you are talking about real, risen from the dead zombies, then no. The only people who believe in that are voodoo doctors and Christians.
If you are talking about "virus" type zombies, or "infected", then I think it would be possible but unlikely. Even if there were some sort of pathogen that caused people to behave erratically and aggressively the only way it could really spread very quickly like in movies is if it was air born.
 

Reaper195

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Having seen a bunch of zombie films and games and TV series and comics, and also no longer being fifteen...fuck anyone that thinks it'd be a cool idea to actually have one. I would not want any of my friends to be pinned down by a bunch of undead fucks as they are torn apart and eaten alive. Not to mention I have a friend who is super OCD and a bunch of other things. And fuck ever see her try to survive during one.
 

Bat Vader

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No, I can't see a zombie apocalypse happening. Even if it somehow could happen I think most people these days know from video games and films how to best kill a zombie/survive an outbreak. Plus, I really can't see any modern military ever getting beaten or pushed back by a zombie horde.
 

Tanakh

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Classic zombie outbreaks are impossible. However tell that girl that they are exercises in lateral thinking and improvisation, same as learning to to calculus for most people it just works to exercise the brain.
 

Arnoxthe1

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Dec 25, 2010
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Doclector said:
Okay, getting the scientific complaints out the way, the biggest problem is ignorance. As in world war z (the book) it is likely that many would be complacent about the threat. The idea of the dead coming back to life would provoke a knee jerk reaction of "quit wasting my time" from major authorities. Then people ignore it. And ignore it. And ignore it. Until it's crashing through their windows.
Just like how we ignored that guy who was eating someones face off in Florida? People were ALL OVER THAT. And look how far it got before he was owned by the police. One guy. That's it. Just ONE GUY.
 

Aabglov

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Well the real question is, what KIND of zombie apocalypse are we talking here? Are they fast zombies like 28 days or slow like Dawn of the Dead or REALLY slow like Sean of the Dead? Do they eat flesh or strictly brains? And can animal flesh suffice? Also, do they rot on their own over time (I believe Resident Evil employed this in some games) or do they live forever until destroyed? Once disassembled do the individual pieces continue to live, does only the head live or does removing the brain from the body kill the zombie? The list goes on.

I think a version of a zombie outbreak could happen, but I doubt it would be an apocalypse. Sean of the Dead zombies seem the most realistic in my book, but I really don't know much about zombies or human biology.