Alright man look, I’m not going to sit here and have an argument with someone who is being this pedantic.
Yes, traditionally a zombie is someone who is undead. Traditionally speaking, a zombie also doesn’t eat flesh. You can look this up in Haitian folklore.
That being said, what we refer to as a zombie is a humanoid who attacks other humans and eats flesh with little to no higher functioning, as in below any living animal. Traditionally speaking, the mind-altered state is part of what makes a zombie a zombie, not just the undead part.
This is a cannibal with higher functioning. This is not a zombie because he had this higher functioning.
“Sick person” doesn’t remove a label given to someone based on disease/infection. For instance, someone who has leprosy is called a Leper. A leper doesn’t have to be someone affected with leprosy, as it can also be used in a social context. Likewise, a zombie does not have to be someone who is undead and eats flesh, the term is just used to describe something that seems like this.
Have you never heard the phrases “you look like a zombie” “I feel zombified”? Those are used in context for a lack of higher functioning and looking like shit.
So you want to intentionally ignore the meaning of zombie and replace it with your own. We’re talking about zombies here, not wannabe facsimilies and nicknames based on association with zombies.
Everything you listed is derivative of the core concept of zombie but you want to act like they stand on their own merit.
There’s no such thing as “realistic zombies” lol
I didn’t say realistic, but since you want to go there…
Cordyceps and rabies would be likely candidates for potential real world zombies.
Dead ligaments move so fast…
Ah yes, they absolutely have to be undead zombies. We definitely do not have any real world examples of zombies that are infact not undead.
Zombie literally means risen dead. Parasitic control and virus driven dementia aren’t zombification.
You know what they call a zombie that isn’t dead? A sick person.
Alright man look, I’m not going to sit here and have an argument with someone who is being this pedantic.
Yes, traditionally a zombie is someone who is undead. Traditionally speaking, a zombie also doesn’t eat flesh. You can look this up in Haitian folklore.
That being said, what we refer to as a zombie is a humanoid who attacks other humans and eats flesh with little to no higher functioning, as in below any living animal. Traditionally speaking, the mind-altered state is part of what makes a zombie a zombie, not just the undead part.
That’s canabalism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer
This is a cannibal with higher functioning. This is not a zombie because he had this higher functioning.
“Sick person” doesn’t remove a label given to someone based on disease/infection. For instance, someone who has leprosy is called a Leper. A leper doesn’t have to be someone affected with leprosy, as it can also be used in a social context. Likewise, a zombie does not have to be someone who is undead and eats flesh, the term is just used to describe something that seems like this.
Have you never heard the phrases “you look like a zombie” “I feel zombified”? Those are used in context for a lack of higher functioning and looking like shit.
So you want to intentionally ignore the meaning of zombie and replace it with your own. We’re talking about zombies here, not wannabe facsimilies and nicknames based on association with zombies.
Everything you listed is derivative of the core concept of zombie but you want to act like they stand on their own merit.