What's terrifying about "The Walking Dead" and the Zombie Apocalypse

As Season 4 of The Walking Dead approaches, I've realized a few things. Zombies are pretty cool. As far as monsters are concerned, they are obviously the easiest ones to dispatch. Assuming they aren't the Usain Bolt / 28 Days Later zombies. Everybody loves seeing Daryl being super badass.

Everybody thinks: "Yup, that's gonna be me. Everybody else is dead, but I'm going to live in the forest (even though I don't have any survival skills, and I live in Burbank), I'm going to have an awesome weapon that I will be able to use expertly (even though I never train with it), and I'm going to be the leader of a group (even though my friends are even more inept than I). No, you're dead. Your friends are dead. I'm probably going to be dead (unless my doomsday prepper friends save me. Seriously). But death isn't what's scary about the Zombie Apocalypse. What's scary about the "ZA" is the fact that so many people are fascinated by it.

By openly admitting your enthusiasm about the ZA, you are acknowledging the fact that you are, essentially, a "caveman." You want life to be as basic as possible where you only have to worry about food, shelter, and defending yourself. No credit cards, no electric bill, no mortgage. When I want something, I take it. I want a Chipotle quesorito (if you don't know what it is, ask for it next time... you're welcome), I will smash the front door open, walk behind the counter and take it. Do you need supplies? Guess what, go to Home Depot and take it. Is there another group of survivors that has food and clean water? Let's go over there like a troop of chimps, smash them with clubs, and take it.

Yep. That's you. That's me. That's all of us. Whether you know it or not, when you see somebody with a cool car, nice shoes, or an attractive significant other, there is a little part of your brain that tells you to take a brick, smash the person's skull, and take it. We as humans/animals have been doing this for thousands of years. It's only been the last 400-500 years that we've been suppressing this instinct.

The Zombie Apocalypse is terrifying. Not because we might be eaten alive by the undead, but instead because it allows us to embrace this horrible monster inside of us. If you think hacking zombies to pieces is cool, then that means the next time you are standing in line amongst mindless idiots at the DMV, whether you know it or not, you really want to take out a samurai sword and start chopping off heads. Thankfully, we don't do that. We empathize with one another, we share ethical beliefs that taking a life is one of the most vile things a person could do. With zombies, however, there is no life to take. I can embrace my bloodlust without remorse. This visage of a human has no family, has no emotion, and therefore, I can blow it's head off without worry of reprisal from other humans or even whatever God I believe in.

I'm not condemning ZA fans or Walking Dead groupies. I think Walking Dead is awesome. I think Resident Evil is great. I too am a fan of the ZA concept, the only difference... I know why.