Humanity V. Zombies World Outbreak

I absolutely agree with Pro that humanity would survive against a slow slow zombie outbreak. Definition of "Zombie"Unfortunately, "zombie" isn't really clearly defined. Classical zombies, such as the one's depicted in George Romero movies or Max Brook’s books (World War Z is by far the greatest zombie book ever, by the way. If you haven't read it, chances are you're a n00b) aren't at all the gold standard for what a zombie is. Movies such as Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and 28 Weeks Later all feature fast zombies. The videos that Pro cites hardly offer compelling evidence that slow zombies are more likely then fast zombies. The first video merely shows various authors describing their personal idea of what a zombie is and what it acts like. The second video merely shows Max Brook demeaning fast zombies as being gay. In Pro's opening round, Pro advanced an argument that humanity would vanquish a zombie outbreak and I completely agree. That is, if that zombie outbreak were of the slow zombie variety. In this debate however, Pro left the definition of zombie undefined. Therefore I will be arguing that society would not survive if these were fast zombies. So why fast zombies? It is entirely more likely that any sort of zombie outbreak would be the result of a virus or parasitic organism taking over the brain, rather then deteriorating brain functions so that only primitive brain functions are still capable. Examples of real life voodoo zombies, in which the victim's brain is damaged [1], reveal docile and manageable zombies rather then hungry and violent zombies as depicted in The Walking Dead series. Also, "slow" zombies as depicted by Max Brooks and George Romero require zombies that do not require circulatory systems [2]. However, it's questionable how such a creature could even move since the circulatory system and nervous system are highly dependant on each other. Consequently, the idea of a fast zombie, that is, a human being whose mind has been "hijacked" by a parasite or virus makes much more sense then the idea of a slow zombie, which is a decaying human body that somehow is still able to walk around. As we can see in biology, there are many examples of creatures being influenced by a virus or parasite, such as the bee parasite listed in Round 1. Another example is in this Youtube video. Also, a sort of "mental psychosis" brought on by a parasite or makes sense in light of recent stories in which a deranged man actually attacked a homeless person and ate a large portion of his face off [3]. Witnesses reported it taking about 6 to 7 shots to take down the attacker [4]. One witness, a female cyclist, reported the man actually growling at her with pieces of flesh in his mouth [5]. The question of whether this was the result of an actual virus is irrelevant. The point is that this man was clearly not a brain damaged walking zombie, but rather, a mentally altered person. Pro's argument about rabies is irrelevant. Ignoring the fact that he did not cite a source for his claim of rabies causing problems with coordination, it does not follow that because one mind-altering virus causes problems with coordination, all mind-altering virus's will cause problems with coordination. So what could Fast Zombies do? What's the danger in a fast zombie? Well, the fast zombies as described in 28 Days Later are extremely problematic. Not only are they impervious to pain, but they have increased stamina and agility as their ability to feel and respond to pain is virtually non-existent. Also, they have some sense of awareness and are able to coordinate routes to their victims. 28 Days Later zombies have been shown to be more interested in infecting a human being then actually eating them [6]. This makes sense since the rage virus clearly wants to find as many hosts as possible to further propagate itself. A scene in 28 Weeks Later shows one of the infected biting a women and then releasing her after she is shot and killed. So what does this mean? This means that fast zombies are the pinnacle of virus spreading mechanisms. It only takes a few minutes for transformation to take place. Why? Because the virus doesn't need to transform the body, merely take over the brain. This means that the virus merely needs to enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain. Furthermore, fast zombies further spread the rage virus by puking blood onto the faces of potential infected. Even the tiniest bit of this virus laden blood enters into the victim’s blood stream, that victim is doomed. So imagine this scenario: Los Angeles, Population, 3,792,621 [7]. Crazed caffeine addicts pushing for a spot in line at Starbucks, teenagers dramatically texting their every thought onto tiny keyboards and rows upon rows of diabolically similar looking houses. One man gets the virus and infects another. Those two infected lose interest in each other and infect two more, and so on. In the dense population of Los Angeles, the infection would spread faster then Wildfire. So what happens next? People start to panic and run for their lives. Suddenly LA's population of 3,792,621 decides that living in LA isn't all that great anymore. So what do we get with the spontaneous unanimous decision to move out of LA? Massive, traffic jam. That's right, folks. You think your commute is bad? Imagine trying to get out of LA when the zombie apocalypse hits. Now we have hundreds of thousands of people trapped in cars, just waiting for the infected to overrun them. But wait, no one wants that, right? So let's get out of the cars! Yes, a massive pilgrimage. The problem though is with the army of infected running towards that immovable traffic jam, keeping in mind that these infected are not only capable of running but really don't care whether they're getting the cramps or not, these people don't stand a chance. So how about getting overseas? Well, all it takes is a slow burn. Whether it's a person with a great initial tolerance to the virus, a typhoid Mary, or a person who's got infected material on his skin that took a while to get it into his blood stream, infection being spread to other countries is inevitable. ConclusionWe're doomed. Fast zombies are out to get you. They are your worst nightmare. They are the human beings who take 6 to 7 shots to take down. They don't care if you break their bones, because they can't feel the pain. They don't care if you run, because not only can they also run, but they can run longer then you. If you get bit, you'll probably turn into a fast zombie before you sum up the courage to kill yourself. All in all, it is unlikely that mankind would survive from the initial shock and panic of a fast zombie outbreak, much less organize an actual offense. [1] . http://www.sciencemag.org...[2] . http://www.fvza.org...[3] . http://www.dailymail.co.uk...[4] See reference 3. [5] See reference 3. [6] . http://28dayslater.wikia.com...[7] . http://www.google.com...http://www.youtube.com...