Welcome to Zombie Survival, Group Dynamics, and Not Being a Dumbass 101 folks. Ok, here’s how this is gonna work. I’m going to give you a hypothetical situation. Then, you tell me what you would do. By the way, this little exercise is based on a scenario faced by Rick Grimes in episodes two and three of The Walking Dead. Got it? Ok, here we go…
It’s the Zombie Apocalypse. You wake up in a hospital, barely survive, find that your wife and son are gone, and set off in search of them. You make your way to Atlanta. You get swarmed in the streets, but you meet a small group of survivors who save your life. As you get to know your new comrades, you hear gunshots on the roof. Your first introduction to Merle is seeing him shooting off rounds, wasting valuable ammo, and drawing the zombies to your location. Then the obnoxious coked up redneck starts throwing around racial slurs and attacks another member of the group. When you try to break it up, he jacks your jaw too. He then proceeds to put a gun in the face of the guy he’s assaulting and then wave it around at everyone else in the group demanding that he be put in charge. You manage to get the drop on him and handcuff him to a pipe. He threatens you, telling you that you’d “better pray” if he gets loose. After a harrowing escape from the building, you find out that the guy you gave the handcuff key to dropped it and that Merle is still there. You get back to camp, and miraculously you find your family. You meet Merle’s brother, who is also violent and extremely proficient with a crossbow. He asks about Merle. What do you do?
- Tell him that his brother died fighting the zombies, make sure your story is straight with the others, and move on.
- Tell him what happened. When he inevitably attacks you, kill him in self-defense. The group goes on without the two douchebags no one liked anyway.
- Tell him what happened. Subdue him. Hope he doesn’t decide to avenge his brother some day when your back is turned.
- Tell him what happened, and then plan a rescue mission back into the zombie infested city, risking four lives to save a man who is a danger to the group’s survival?
I’m sure most of you said A. That’s what I would do; therefore it’s the correct answer. I’d leave Merle up there to die. To tell you the truth I probably would have tossed him off of the roof into the zombie infested streets before I left. A few of you might have said B or C. A case can be made for those answers, so I’ll accept those too. I can’t imagine that any of you said D, but if you did, you have failed this class. Congratulations, you have poor decision making skills and are probably going to get everyone eaten. Don’t feel too bad though, that’s what Rick Grimes did.
There is absolutely no logical excuse for going back to save Merle. He was attacking and threatening at gunpoint members of your group. He was violently racist. When your survival depends on the unity of your group, that’s not going to fly. The group is better off without him, as his recklessness would most likely get you all killed. What the hell do you think is going to happen the second you get the handcuffs off? You knocked him out and took his spot as alpha male of the group, threw his stash off the building, and left him to die. He’s going to kill you, or at least try. His brother is going to side with him too. Doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.
On top of that, it involves going back into Zombie infested Atlanta. I live 20 miles from Atlanta, it’s not even zombie infested yet, and I only go there when I absolutely have to. Movie screenings, concerts, you know; that kind of life or death stuff. To save a man who wants to kill me that no one but three others had to know was still there in the first place? Hell no! They would have gone with the “the zombies got him” story. Besides, you just found your wife and son. That’s one in a million. The very next day you want to go risk your life and the lives of three others to save a prick like Merle? She’s begging you not to go. Your son is begging you not to go. Your best friend is begging you not to go. The whole group is glad to be rid of Merle. What the hell are you thinking? Your little ideas about it being “dishonorable and inhuman” to leave him mean precisely diddly crap in this situation. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, especially if that few is Merle. Screw Merle. Besides, he’s played by Michael Rooker. Have you seen Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer? That dude’s scary. Let him rot on the rooftop.
2 comments:
I have to agree with Nate on this one. In those circumstances I probably would have put one in the back of his head and cut my losses. One less arrogant prick mouth to feed. I have to deal with his brother when we get back? Suits me fine. He can have his choice. Be civil or die as well. He'd probably end up catching a bullet as well.
But then again you have to realise that you ARE the newest member of said group and probably have to fly some dignified colours. I'd rather have people respect me than fear me.
The going back and getting him part? Not a fuckin' chance. The only thing that made that segment correct was that there was a satchel of guns and ammo to be had. This may be worth the gamble.
As far as being the new guy, it seemed to me that everyone except his brother was glad to be rid of him and, on that rooftop, Rick literally had to save the rest of the group from Merle. I doubt they'd hold it against you.
I agree that going back for the guns was the only thing there that made sense. That would have been a get in, grab the bag, and get the hell out mission though. I wouldn't have even gone near that building.
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