Zombie Cliche Lookout: Mutual Distrust
The thing about meeting strangers in the zombie apocalypse is that, if they’re smart, they’re going to be just as afraid of you as you are of them. Just as you can assume all sorts of horrible things about them, they can assume the exact same thing about you. They don’t know if you’re armed, if you’re infected, or if you’re hostile. That means you have to prove yourselves to them just as much as they’re trying to do with you.
Oh, and if you happen to be disarmed and at their mercy, getting them to prove their lack of hostility is going to be a challenge. I don’t get who you are; if someone holds you against your will, you’re going to think poorly of them. It doesn’t matter how logically you usually look at situations, you’ll be out of sorts and ascribing any number of hostile machinations to them, at least until they demonstrate that they’re not outwardly hostile.
About this Episode:
I want to leave a bit of ambiguity to these characters. They might just be fellow survivors trying to get by, or they might be hostiles looking for for their next victims.
Other News:
Monday is the Memorial Day holiday here in the US, so there will be no comic. We’ll start back up with reviews on Tuesday and a new episode on Wednesday. As always, thanks for your understanding.
Discussion Question: Trust Games
Continuing the theme of meeting strangers, how would you both prove your own trustworthiness, and figure out whether you could trust a stranger in the zombie apocalypse? How would this be complicated by one side surprising the other, or disarming them? Could you come to trust someone who took away your means to defend yourself? Could you expect someone else to do the same?
Zombie Cliche Lookout, first paragraph, last sentence: “prove themselves to them” themselves–>yourselves maybe “yourself” if singular is implied here.
Same section, second paragraph, second sentence get–>care
I’ve been wondering; are you a (English) teacher irl Brickvoid?
Or is this just a hobby?
Niether, I’m just somebody who has a reasonably good grasp of the English language. Although, it seems even how that is structured is changing! 😀
*Neither, sorry – I think it may soon be new keyboard time – or maybe I’ll get a laptop or a tablet – if I can find one in my price range! 😀
You can delete the ‘reasonably’ imo. 🙂 Your knowledge is impressive to me.
Speaking of typos I just found another one in the last sentence of the first paragraph of the zombie cliche lookout: are–>as 😀
Got this one too.
Fixed!
Sorry about the late response. My internet was down for all day Friday, then I was going for the weekend.
No worries, been through something similar myself, because of some physical cable having been broken on the weekend, didn’t get any internet until next Monday anyway.
Wow, it’s really going around, isn’t it? Frustrating when you work online all day.
“We’re just making sure you don’t hurt try to hurt us with your little machete. You know, since we’re so poorly armed with our AK and Beretta here…”
Hah; he could always throw it.
If I found someone I would disarm them of their ranged weaponry but not melee weapons so they think i can trust them ,but as long as i don’t get to close, they cant hurt me.
Melee weapons within 50 feet are as dangerous as ranged, as a general rule. Think about it. A gun can require a certain amount of skill and training. A club just requires a few quick steps and a good solid swing.
Yes indeed.
Yeah, I someone could still surprise you with a knife or something.
I guess it depends on the situation you get to meet others survivors. I/them entering my/their shelter ? If I’m the one entering their camp/safe place I should be the one to show I’m trustworthy by respecting their rules (or leave if they let me to of course…)
Also depends on who have the upper hand (number, ammo,…).
Anyway, misjudging by one way or another could be a lot of trouble…
Misjudging people could indeed lead to loads of trouble.
Whether it is the zeds everywhere or current life, meeting new people the trick not whether you can trust them. There are lots of people who I don’t trust but have to work with. The real trick is compatible goals.
Walking Dead second season showed this pretty clear. Rick and Shane trusted each other for a long time. Once their goals changed, things went south fast. They even used the trust they had in each other against each other.
Rick and Hershel had a similar problem. Hershel had a secret in the barn that he would not share and this prevented him from trusting Rick and group. It wasn’t until their goals finally meshed that trust could develop.
I never thought of it this way. Reading this and thinking about how people interact around me (mainly at work 😉 ) I agree. Very insightful!
Yes indeed.
Wow, very good thoughts here, Rattraveller. A real world example might be Germany and the USSR at the beginning of World War II.
May I be excused if I recall the scene from “The Frisco Kid,” where Gene Wilder is chasing the prairie chicken and shouting “I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to make you Kosher!”
Hah. I haven’t seen that one in ages. God Gene Wilder was incredible.