# What's deal with zombies lately? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 1, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103 "2014-09-01T02:46:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/21 "2014-09-01T22:23:41Z")
> [@Verbum\_Sapienti](#): > > This “Zombie” craze is not unlike the “Godzilla” craze in that it reflects a commonly held fear. Godzilla, a metaphor for nuclear weapons. Zombies, a metaphor for Xenophobia. What is dangerous about Zombies is that it promotes us against them, that they are not human like us thinking. It is the same thinking that historically proceeds war (including civil) and genocides. :eek: Are you sure you’re in the right thread? Unless you’ve been lurking here for awhile, I’m going to assume a Google search brought you here. To explain, a “zombie” is what we call a thread which has lain dormant for a period of time, sometimes for years, then suddenly someone will reply to it and it will rise like a zombie from the grave. Sometimes someone doing a search will bump it, not noticing its age. Sometimes a spammer will revive it. Sometimes a poster will have an update for an old thread. Sometimes it’s raised for shits and grins. No matter what the reason, we call those suddenly-revived threads zombies. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/22 "2014-09-01T22:27:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Are you sure you’re in the right thread? Unless you’ve been lurking here for awhile, I’m going to assume a Google search brought you here. > > To explain, a “zombie” is what we call a thread which has lain dormant for a period of time, sometimes for years, then suddenly someone will reply to it and it will rise like a zombie from the grave. Sometimes someone doing a search will bump it, not noticing its age. Sometimes a spammer will revive it. Sometimes a poster will have an update for an old thread. Sometimes it’s raised for shits and grins. No matter what the reason, we call those suddenly-revived threads zombies. I think you just dun got wooshed, son. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/23 "2014-09-01T22:41:13Z")
> [@Verbum\_Sapienti](#): > > This “Zombie” craze is not unlike the “Godzilla” craze in that it reflects a commonly held fear. Godzilla, a metaphor for nuclear weapons. Zombies, a metaphor for Xenophobia. What is dangerous about Zombies is that it promotes us against them, that they are not human like us thinking. It is the same thinking that historically proceeds war (including civil) and genocides. :eek: In this case, your word to the wise was _insufficient_ Zombie threads on this board have nothing to do with Xenophobia. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/24 "2014-09-01T22:59:48Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I haven’t noticed any uptick in the number of zombies in GQ. But they are very well dressed. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/25 "2014-09-01T23:12:43Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I think you just dun got wooshed, son. I don’t think so. :dubious: Did you notice the Sept. 2014 join date? ---
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/26 "2014-09-02T19:46:29Z")
[Google updated its search algorithms recently.](http://www.business2community.com/seo/google-pigeon-latest-algorithm-update-0990628#!bOEWtO) Pure speculation, but I wonder if the new search is more effective at digging up old threads? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/27 "2014-09-04T10:42:56Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Zombie threads on this board have nothing to do with Xenophobia. Xenophobia, huh? New one on me. Scary. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103/28 "2014-09-04T13:17:52Z")
I’m not a spammer, I’m a very naughty boy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-deal-with-zombies-lately/697103.md?page=1)