The Few, The Proud, The Dead

As a kid, maybe between the ages of 10 and 13, I was constantly trying to figure out a way to get into the Guinness Book of World Records but always fell short. I couldn’t eat 3 ½ gallons of ice cream in half an hour (I never even made it through a half gallon of chocolate chip), I knew my mom wouldn’t let me sit in a rocking chair for 78 days straight, and I was far too lazy to try something like jumping rope for weeks on end or setting up millions of dominos. Today I understand that I was not alone in this dream, and if I wanted to be clever I could dust off my copy of Bourdieu’s Distinction to talk about this seemingly organic desire being a product of the social position of certain groups of children. That said, knowing that my tastes and interests are the product of larger structures of power does not change the fact that I still think it would be totally cool to be listed along side the world’s biggest twins riding their mini-bikes and the world’s smallest book, and this Sunday I have a chance to live the dream as part of The Monroeville Mall World Record Attempt Zombie Walk. What’s a zombie walk? From the zombie walk attempt website:

“A zombie walk is an organized public gathering of two or more people who dress up in zombie costumes and make up. Usually taking place in an urban centre, the participants make their way around the city streets and through shopping malls in a somewhat orderly fashion and often limping and gnawing their way towards a local cemetery (or movie theater).

During the event participants are encouraged to remain in character as zombies and to communicate only in a manner consistent with zombies (such as grunts, groans and slurred moans calling for “brains”.)”

The video is from a zombie on Pittsburgh’s South Side in September of this year. It looks like it’ll be fun because while the mall knows that the zombies are coming, the regular shoppers won’t have any idea. It’s also kind of exciting because the mall is where the mall scenes from the first Dawn of the Dead were filmed and I’m all about visiting historical places.

I don’t really have any zombie outfit planned out and will have to go to the CVS to get make-up, but I think the biggest barrier will be not wanting to leave the house Sunday morning when it’s cold out. I feel like I should motivate myself to go, especially since my goal for the next few weeks (I’m off work until Nov. 13) is do something other than stay in the house. And it would be fun to be part of a big zombie mob. I’ll post pictures if I go.