Zombies and peak oil

Not the most obvious combination of topics, but bear with me

I went to the cinema  with a couple of friends last night to catch Fido, the latest zom-com to hit the  screens. This seems to have had a pretty low-key release; I hadn’t heard of it at all until my friend suggested we go. It’s a kind of unofficial tribute/sequel to both George Romero’s films, and – in a way – to Shaun of the Dead… not to mention Lassie!

The setting is a bright, technicolour, America of the 50s or early 60s. The zombie wars have been won… to an an extent. The undead have been beaten back and humanity  saved; clean-cut, picture-perfect small-town America lives on, inside fenced communities. Beyond the defences lies the Wild Zone, where zombie  hordes still roam freely. A technological breakthrough  allows collars to be fitted to zombies, suppressing their cravings for flesh. This allows them to be used as cheap, untiring, workers in businesses and the home… always present, but never completely trusted.

I have to say, it’s very, very funny! So funny, in fact, that it would be easy to miss all of the social and political points being made. The racial point being made is clear enough, and there’s a lot being said about what “the authorities” will do to ‘protect’ the community… eternal vigilance is the price of… not having your flesh ripped from your bones!  It’s definitely a must-see

And peak oil? Well: we went to the Lido on Orchard Road to catch the film, and it was cold in there. I mean, really cold, even by the standards of Singaporean cinemas. I went prepared, with a hooded jacket, and I got through the film by keeping the hood up and hugging my chest to keep warm. My feet felt like blocks of ice, even though I was wearing boots. One of my friends, who was wearing flimsy slacks and sandals, was reduced to using the detachable waterproof shell from my backpack as a cover for her legs, feet pulled up on the chair.

I mean, come on! It’s absolutely ridiculous to have the temperature so low. It’s more than ridiculous, it’s unsustainable. As oil prices rise, this kind of wasteful energy usage will have to stop; it will just become too expensive to sustain. Unfortunately, it’s not just the cinemas here: shopping malls, offices, and lecture halls all consistently have their temperature set far too low. The joke goes that you can tell Singaporeans because they’re the ones who wear summer clothes outside and winter clothes inside – but there’s no way it can last. But now everyone is used to it, and expects it – how will people cope when the aircon goes?