Bernice Afriyie | Arts Editor
Featured image: The Walking Dead is in its seventh season of production and is the most viewed television show ever. | Courtesy of AMC
Survival in the 21st century has proven to be hard for humanity in AMC’s hit drama series The Walking Dead. In its seventh season, the show is heavily based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.
Having woken up in an empty hospital after being in a coma for weeks, main character Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, exemplifies immense courage and determination in the face of danger, as he makes it his prerogative to continue to live an ideal and normal life—minus the multitude of walkers that feast on human flesh, of course.
With a grand source material spanning 161 issues, The Walking Dead shows no sign of slowing down. Throughout the plot twists, character development, tribulations and death, one thing remains uncomfortably consistent: despite their chances to start anew, humanity clings to its sexist, racist and classist vices.
As fun and gruesome it is to see a group of survivors fight off zombies and their own personal demons, it is hard to stomach the discriminatory attitudes carried by several characters. The first season’s introduction of Merle Dixon, played by Michael Rooker, as a stereotypical Southern redneck with an aggressive and racist personality, is an example that comes to mind. Merle’s racism is challenged when he spews the n-word and Rick takes action into his own hands.
While seemingly progressive of Rick, the show as a whole contradicts itself. Seasons one and two had only one actor, Steven Yeun, of colour in its main cast; season three saw the addition of Danai Gurira to a predominately white and male cast.
The majority of the first season took place in Atlanta, Georgia, a city known as a “black mecca” for being a hub of black wealth, political and social power, education and culture. In 2010, 54% of Atlanta’s population was self-identifying as black. However, we still see a gross underrepresentation in the cast.
Despite the horrifying narrative of zombie invasions around every corner, an apocalypse of this magnitude gives humanity an opportunity to start their values and beliefs from scratch. They have been given a chance to correct the racist, sexist and classist errors their ancestors have made, and yet continue to perpetuate the same ideologies. All seven seasons of The Walking Dead are premised on a white man assuming power and authority over others.
In light of the show’s casting flaws, it does a phenomenal job of highlighting how addicted humans are to creating artificial classes and barriers. The zombies are not the real threat, but it is the survivors and their inability to move past societal stereotypes that are the enemy. Race and gender roles presented as a necessity for survival, as opposed to manmade constructs, are far more terrifying than any CGI zombie.
You’re incorrect about Steven Yeun being the only person of colour for the first two seasons. T dog, played by Robert “IronE” Singleton, was the only black character until season 3 when he died and they introduced Danai Gurira as Michonne, the only black female character for a short time. Then later in season 3, three more black characters were introduced, Sasha, her brother Ty, and Bob.