IMG_4728Families that prepare for the apocalypse together, stay together – and last longer

Ashley Cameron | Online Editor

Not only is the Zombie Apocalypse taking over the big screen, but it is also affecting the way some families do dinner. Senior English major Danielle Coleman could teach Brad Pitt a thing or two about real life zombie-hunting and survival. At weekly family dinners, the commuter student’s parents try to teach their four children the importance of Christian ideals, along with how crucial it is to be prepared for the end of the world.

 

Danielle Coleman grew up in a family that encouraged her to be independent. “We never really did anything together except forced family camping trips,” Danielle said. “Now that we are older we get together for family dinners and it is just insane.”

 

A common topic for discussion for the Colemans is the Zombie Apocalypse.

 

“We’ll talk about [how we are going to be prepared] at every family dinner,” Danielle said.

She attributes the family’s fascination with this potential catastrophe to her oldest brother, Jon. Though he normally discusses topics such as Obama’s gun control policy, various television shows regarding potential apocalypse scenarios have peaked his interest.

“I categorize him as a conspiracy theorist. He’d start talking about the end of the world and how it was coming and we have to be prepared for it,” Danielle said. “Thanks to the Discovery Channel, the whole family started getting into the Zombie Apocalypse shows and how you prepare for that.”

 

With their interest on the topic growing, they decided to educate themselves. Dan Coleman, the father, and Katie Coleman, the sister, attended a training class at REI called “Zombie Preparedness.” This course offered practical tips such as using machetes rather than guns due to the inevitability of running out of ammo.

 

Although the discussions started out as a joke, after the entire family got involved, it turned into a “well, it could happen” attitude. However, the conversation soon widened from just zombies to any sort of disaster.

 

“Zombies are something fun to play against in a videogame, but I don’t put much stock into an actual Zombie Apocalypse happening,” Danielle Coleman said. “ I don’t believe my family does either, but [members] use it as an allegory for being prepared for any situation that could happen, like a huge earthquake or something along those lines.”

 

Every member of the family has a role in survival if the time comes. Coleman’s knack for guns will help her protect the family, and her writing talents will help her record their survival story. Sister Katie’s nursing background will enable her to treat any injuries incurred during the catastrophe.

 

After “The Walking Dead” aired, Jon Coleman became even more enamored with the Zombie Apocalypse. Danielle Coleman said that this show portrays, perhaps, the most accurate representation of what the apocalypse would actually look like. She also believes that the “Warm Bodies” representation is accurate in depicting what zombies would look like: “diseased-ridden looking humans.”

 

Other post-apocalyptic topics that are of interest to the Coleman family also stem from television shows. When the show “Revolution” aired, Dan Coleman was quick to become a follower. The show illustrates what happens when every device is out of service and a worldwide blackout occurs. “My dad started researching it so now we have a couple of bins in our garage of non-perishables and big water jugs,” Danielle Coleman said. “Any time we watch a TV show, my family is really affected.”

 

Post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows such as WORLD WAR Z and “The Walking Dead” are in high demand. “Apocalypses are so popular right now because it’s something that people can fear, something so absolutely unknown that any portrayal of it and any chance of understanding it is jumped upon,” she said.

Along with bins in their garage, the Colemans each have a “Go Bag” ready for emergencies.

“When we were kids, you’d go to school and you’d have to bring in an earthquake preparedness backpack,” Danielle Coleman said. “Now we all have a backpack in our car in case something happens. … Mine has water, food, an emergency blanket, matches, a knife, all that kind of stuff.”

To ensure that their friends also have a working knowledge of the end of the world, Dan Coleman began a small group at their church that focuses on how to be prepared for disasters, including but not at all limited to a Zombie Apocalypse.

“[The Zombie Apocalypse] is more of an allegory to be prepared for earthquakes or wild fires that could hit somewhere near us. So in case something like that happened, we all know who to contact and where to meet up,” Danielle Coleman said. “Now at church the other families will say, ‘If you don’t know what to do, go to the Colemans. They know what to do during any type of apocalypse.’”

 

The Colemans are now closer as a family than they were in previous years.  Zombie Apocalypse or not, they have realized that family fun need not be reserved to only camping trips.


“I love how crazy we are,” she said. “It’s never boring.”