Promet A

Introduction

The article to be summarized is ‘Our Zombies, ourselves’ which is written by James Parker. In this article, Parker discusses the historical backdrop of zombies and talks on where they started from. Additionally, parker raises remarkably interesting points on the notorious zombies with their short timeline. Parker also highlights various kinds of popular cultures incorporating zombies and are utilized like White Zombie, the movies Night of the Living Dead and the TV series The Walking Dead. Through utilization of such reference’s parker demonstrates how zombies appear ceaselessly drawing our interest. The article also educates the reader about the origin of zombies and the favorite movies which genuinely made the zombies what they are today. Besides, Parker discusses the development and role of zombies together with talking about how the peak point of zombies has not been reached.

Thesis statement: The supernatural theme remains a part of today’s life and the time has come where we should acknowledge that the experiences and beliefs are not doomed to extinction. The society has to find an explanation to supernatural themes meaning that they shall remain popular in our community.

Why Is the Supernatural Theme So Popular in Today’s Society?

Cause 1: Supernatural Themes Serve an Important Social Function

The reason why supernatural themes are favorite is that they serve essential social functions. Supernatural practices and beliefs persist since they serve important social purposes. The views offer an explanation for unexplained or frightening events, assists people in coping with trauma, instills the mundane with mystery, establishes social bonds between like-minded people as well as providing a platform for the development of self-identities. Moreover, as various chapters of the book illustrate, supernatural experiences and beliefs are deeply entangled within power relationships, they can be invoked as the means of exploiting disadvantaged populations or may be used as empowerment in the face of social problems or personal troubles.

Cause 2: Increased Importance and Volume

The increased importance and volume have led to supernatural themes being popular in our today’s society because of the practices, identities, and beliefs being taken as collective processes of making sense which must be understood in their socio-historical and sociocultural contexts. Therefore, it is a social position that the supernatural location is actual since believing in supernatural has shaped human history and continues informing people’s actions, interpretations and daily identities. For instance, the supernatural theme in America has increased both in volume and importance in the last few years instead of diminishing. Given the rise of science and technology over the same period, it is surprising and intriguing as all expectations are for logic and rationalism in the 20^th century to crushing the careful and mystical ways of the past. Nevertheless, the supernatural theme is running on a parallel course with science and technology, the two appearing to feed each other. Therefore, the more humans are going down the scientific and technological way the more the supernatural power is needed meaning that the primitiveness and universality of the metaphysical satisfy some primary human drive. Since it is inherently timeless and cross-cultural, the supernatural might emerge again as a dominant religion.

Cause 3:  The Society Sees the Need of Creating A Reasonable Explanation for Things

The reason as to why the supernatural themes are still prevalent in our world today is because the society is feeling the need of creating a reasonable explanation for things so that they can protect what they have including the children and way of life. For instance, if people could unanimously resolve to believe in the supernatural making it be a public fact-life in public, then everything could change. Despite our way of life being different to that of the historical periods, there could be the creation of similar feelings and atmosphere which is something almost in tandem to the Dark Ages. For instance, in the movie Rise of the Guardians, the characters Pitch Black indicates the Dark Ages were times of great fear. Therefore, people trusted in ‘the Boogie Man’ where the dark was seen as a constant source of distress. The fear of things which go ‘bump’ at night was portrayed through various literary forms.

Cause 4: Supernatural Themes Have Been Used Throughout History

The supernatural in literature has been utilized throughout history in conveying of thoughts as well as beliefs on how life works in association with the human mind. Through the many variations over time, the supernatural has been existing within the literature as means of the whole society to convey beliefs regarding good and evil within and beyond life. In the past writing has been a layout for the chance of the future where the community can express ideas and thoughts of living together with paranormal dimensions.

How Supernatural Themes Affects Culture

The supernatural manifestations in popular culture are proper scholarly attention due to their symbolic significance. The themes represent humans’ worst fears in the age of global warming, terrorism as well as large scale changes threatening in destabilizing or destroying life as we know it.  Nevertheless, in an era in which interactive media and reality television shows are blurring the line between real life and fantasy, the media representations are also fueling the organizational growth and identities which are rooted in fictional or dramatized portrayals of supernatural phenomena. Nowadays the supernatural experiences renaissance. Not only is the media representation nearly ubiquitous but increases in reported personal experiences and beliefs indicate the supernatural has even colonized everyday life.

Conclusion

The supernatural is today an established genre within our modern culture that is not merely a means of causing shock in an audience but a motive which can be deployed in messages of positivity. Regardless of the descriptions of supernatural experiences, the frequency of them indicates that our secret obsession is strong than before.