Apocalyptic Narratives and Popular Culture

Note: This isn't a blog post about literature, I just found it very interesting to write about! 

According to Bendle (2005) ‘popular culture is awash with apocalyptic imagery and narratives’ , so for this posting I shall examine why apocalyptic scenarios are so prevalent within popular culture, and what this reveals about contemporary attitudes. In the archetypal apocalypse movie, the human race is presented from a misanthropic perspective, and everyday life is portrayed as dull, repetitive and tedious. The apocalypse then ensues, sometimes from a zombie plague which sweeps the world- this could be a suggestion that the way in which contemporary society which involves following a conventional lifestyle of perpetual consumerism has, or is deadening our capacity for independent thought. As stated by Marxist theorist Theodor Adorno, ‘Capitalist production hems them in so tightly, in body and soul, that they unresistingly succumb to whatever is proffered to them’^[1]. Therefore, it can be argued that the zombies are a metaphor for our lack of autonomy which is a part of mass culture, or perhaps, a reflection of how the masses are viewed by the economically elite. This can be further supported by the fact that many zombie movies such as Synder’s Dawn of the Dead[2] are set in an American shopping mall, which is the central hub of consumerism in America. 

In other cases, the apocalypse occurs when technology overrides humanity, for example in the Terminator franchise, which revolves around the battle against synthetic intelligence which threatens to wipe out the human race. This could reflect a fear of the way in which as a society we have become almost wholly dependent on technology. While this type of apocalypse is secular, or promethean in nature, as they were caused and therefore can be ended by humans, the Terminator franchise does draw on biblical themes. Firstly, through the naming of the films ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’[3] which directly refers to the apocalyptic judgement day in the Bible ‘I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak’ (Matthew 12:36). Also the fact that the apocalypse is a result of humankind delving too far into technology, therefore having too much knowledge can be viewed as an allegory to Adam and Eve who eat from the tree of knowledge, so are banished from the garden of Eden ‘So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden’ (Genesis 3:22).

The popularity of apocalypse movies within today’s society does draw on a religious fear of the Judgement Day which is detailed in the Bible, but they also act as a commentary on our contemporary lifestyles. Therefore, their prevalence could be due to the fact that the audience identifies with this scenario, reflecting our contemporary anxieties.

 Dawn of the Dead. (2004). [DVD] Hollywood: Zack Snyder.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day. (1991). [DVD] United States of America: James Cameron.

Secondary sources:

Horkheimer, M and Adorno, T. (2006). 4 The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In: Durham, M G and Media Cultural Studies. Revised edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Feel free to comment below, I would be interested to hear your take on the subject!

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[1] Horkheimer, M and Adorno, T. (2006). 4 The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In: Durham, M G and Media Cultural Studies. Revised edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.  p. 94

[2] Dawn of the Dead. (2004). [DVD] Hollywood: Zack Snyder.

[3] Terminator 2: Judgement Day. (1991). [DVD] United States of America: James Cameron.