The Walking Dead Research Paper

Words: 1009
Pages: 5

Cultural Dramas
Why is it that we hate seeing real news about a tragic bloody death, but enjoy viewing massacres and other people brutally attacking each other through dramas such as wrestling? Roland Barthes explains why people are so psyched about the display of wrestling in the “World of Wrestling.” This is a brutal sport that attracts hundreds of spectators. These people watch wrestlers viciously strike each other until one of them knocks out or gets seriously injured. Apart from wrestling, there is a famous television series, The Walking Dead, which enacts life during a zombie apocalypse. The main goal is to live and kill zombies but in an apocalypse even a friend can become an enemy. In this show, everyone is fighting to survive. Although Wrestling and The Walking Dead tell different stories, they are very similar and we don’t mind the killing, the pain, and the drama.
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Barthes explains how the audience doesn’t care if what they’re watching is fake; they are only interested in what is going on in the fight (Barthes). Wrestling creates drama and a battle between the good and bad guy. Wrestlers are given time to say some hurtful words to each other before they battle. Then the match continues with tackles and other special moves. The audience can tell when a match is coming to an end by watching for a wrestler’s signature move. In like manner, in The Walking Dead the actors follow what is written in the script. The viewers obviously know that it is acted out and not real but that doesn’t keep people from watching the show. It is the suspense, the connection, and the anticipation to know what happens in the next episode that keeps viewers interested. “Without these well-developed and deeply-connected characters, The Walking Dead would be little more than a well-written and enjoyably filmed horror flick”