Cultural Learnings of a Yankee to Make Better Understanding of Florida

I recently ran a half marathon (ING Miami) in and around the city of Miami. Between miles four and eight, the course ran through the famed Miami Beach area. As I ran on to Ocean Drive, a sudden realization came to me. I was running past Lummus Park, the beach being just beyond; I turned off my iPod and listened to the subtle sound of crashing waves. The faintest scent of salt and sea hung in the air, quickly dissipated by the light breeze. I turned my iPod back on to keep my motivation going. As Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" thumped in my ears, I took notice of my surroundings: A group of men and women, faces showing signs of being hung over, still in their previous nights clubbing attire, held up a sign stating, "Run like you stole something!!!"

Clever.

I flashed a grin and waved. They enthusiastically waved back, creating a domino effect of cheers from the other runners behind me. I also started noticing the varying architecture: pseudo-white washed buildings, open air bars and restaurants, beach front hotels that maintained an air of sophistication and Miami-poshness, despite their age. I had seen similar architecture in Goa, India. Somehow, the buildings in Goa felt like they actually meant what they professed on oceanside living. These buildings in Miami projected a shadow of that attitude.

As expected, I did pass by the occasional Bentley Continental or convertible sports car, both testaments to the wealth and ostentatious nature of Miami. But somehow, none of that bothered me as it would have before. I could blame my disregard on the taxing event I was partaking in. I would like to think that I actually gained some respect for the area. Maybe the attitudes of Miami aren't solely based on a New York City mentality of dog-eat-dog. Maybe, as I have long suspected, living in the sun and on the beach dulls the senses and causes care free attitudes to permeate the local society; enjoyment of life, even at the cost of over-consumption and blatant materialism, is valued over everything else.

I rounded a corner and found myself on the straight away that is the Venetian Causeway. Ah, here is the face of Miami that I always imagine in my mind: Million dollar homes, yachts, private beach access. Although this was nothing like the atrocities (1/4 mile long homes) I had witnessed while driving on the A1A in the Palm Beaches, I half expected a man in a gilded chariot drawn by white horses, chatting obnoxiously on his Bluetooth headset about some business deal or other, to roll past me as I toiled toward the finish line.

No such luck.

The next few miles were unremarkable; more homes and a high school that looked like some new age temple or spaceport. From the vantage point of this particular area, I saw the greater Miami area. The skyline, made of glass, steel and reflected sun light, was impressive.

I crossed the finish line in about three hours, covered in sweat, pain and proverbial tears. I collapsed on a hill in Bayfront park, sipping a recovery shake; the grass and shade enveloped me in a cocoon of coolness and calm. I thought back to my earlier drive (when I first moved to South Florida) in downtown Fort Lauderdale, casually cruising on the A1A, taking in the beach and sights. That is when I came to the conclusion that Miami wasn't as bad as I had previously thought. Sure, it represented the opposite of my minimalist tendencies, but the ethnic culture, in what I would say is struggling to stay relevant, could negate the uber-materialism and superficiality.

Miam(me)i has a fake-it-till-you-make-it type of mentality. Do everything in your power to enjoy life to the fullest extent, even if you come off as a egotistical, materialistic, over-consuming social parasite. It is all about deriving maximum amount of pleasure and enjoyment. I can't argue with that. Fort Lauderdale is the type of city where you get what you see. Sure, it has it's mix of ocean front bars, restaurants and towering monoliths that were built to worship monetary success, but all of that pales to the relaxed atmosphere when compared to Miami. To me, Fort Lauderdale says, "When you come here, enjoy yourself. Don't worry about schedules, bills, work, etc. Have a drink, eat some delicious food and let your worries wash away in the warm Atlantic." For those that are permanent residents, strolling the palm tree lined streets and looking out to the ocean is a calming culmination to the work day.

Did I just give Miami a chance and is it growing on me? Yes and yes.

What have I done?!

Zombies and You

In 1968, George A. Romero burst on to the scene with a groundbreaking movie. Night of the Living Dead, the first of what would span a whole genre of stories across books, television and cinema, was released to the public; it was met with horror, disgust and intrigue. Drawing inspiration from the novel I Am Legend, George A. Romero's movie would go on to earn between 12 and 15 million dollars over a ten year period. Night of the Living Dead was translated in to 25 languages and released across most of the world, provoking fascination and repulsion.

When we examine the current state of the zombie or undead genre, there is some exciting and innovative ideas present. Films such as Zombieland and 28 Days Later take the undead genre to new and interesting heights. Most recently, cable television network AMC, has forged the latest addition to zombie lore with The Walking Dead, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name.

As a fan of zombie movies and stories, I face much ridicule. I get looks of surprise, disgust and even questioning of my sanity when I mention my penchant for tales of the undead. If we examine the stories themselves, there are some interesting themes involved. George A. Romero tackled the many ideologies prevalent in the 1960s; racism, feminism, faltering of the nuclear family and conformity to mainstream culture.

The zombie genre illustrates philosophical ideas of human extinction. If somehow, humans were no longer the apex organism in our ecological system, it would reap mayhem, mass hysteria and outrage. To say the least, walking corpses would produce chaos and panic.

Zombies themselves are reflections of our need to belong. In the 1960s, being part of the homogeneous society afforded a person access to good jobs, homes and family life. The undead represented a perversion of that ideal. Moreover, their constant consumption (of human flesh) can be commentary on people's constant rate of consumption of material goods and unrelenting quest for more money. Zombie lore states that zombies do not consume resources such as oxygen or food, nor have emotions or feelings of any kind. Their only goal is to seek out living humans and eat them. This lack of emotion and constant consumption is again a reflection of materialism of the 1960s.

In every story about an undead plague, society crumbles and is realigned. Skills such as hunting, building and survivalism become more important than being able to balance a checkbook, use a computer or sell a script for a movie. Max Brooks, author of World War Z, depicts this to a degree when comparing immigrant families and their knack to make things last by repairing broken items and limiting consumption due to the lack of resources. Max Brooks wants to highlight that a "throw away" society such as ours, the skills and definitions of success are vastly warped. In general, people are very worried about being competitive in the material sense: Drive a BMW, live in a posh neighborhood, go on vacations in the Caribbean and also make $100K or more per year. This is what society has defined as being successful. In a hypothetical disaster, such as a zombie apocalypse, all of those things are null and irrelevant.

Being a celebrity seems to have overtaken the need to do something worthwhile in one's life.

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy movies, music and entertainment, but beyond that, I do not care about the lives of celebrities. They do their job and get paid (too much) for it. Our celebrity centric culture works very much to our detriment. How does this relate to zombies? It just might be that worshipping an actor or celebrity makes you a zombie, constantly consuming their content without regard.

The zombie genre is a warning against over-consumption, materialism and general hive mind behavior. It is important to not only have some individuality, but more importantly, it is important to be mindful of our exhaustion of both natural and man-made resources.

Further reading for fun and education:

The Zombie Survival Guide

Zombie Squad

Zombiepedia