Zombie Walks vs Motorcycle Rallies, a Message to Grand Rapids
Maybe I’m being a bit oversensitive, but I still feel there needs to be some pushback on the notion that Zombie Walks are some sort of exceptional event rather than the Differently Animated embracing and exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Witness this newspaper piece on the controversy over whether Grand Rapids should allow a downtown motorcycle rally:
“Zombies are OK but motorcycles are not?”
That’s how one MLive commenter kicks off fun, fruitful debate about whether Grand Rapids should host a mid-July River City Bike Week.
In urging Grand Rapids to “invite this group with open arms,” commenter Cynical patriot notes that downtown embraces a Zombie Walk and other quirky gatherings by event planner Rob Bliss.
‘Cynical patriot’, while the ZRC has no opinion on this particular motorcycle event per se, your comment is in fact a blatantly false comparison of apples to oranges. Zombie Walks may be special occasions today, yes; but they shouldn’t have to be. Zombies, like anyone else in this nation of ours, have the right to walk the public streets and mingle and communicate with one another, as well as with members of the Living Community. That is a fundamental, Constitutionally guaranteed human liberty.
Motorcycles, fun and fuel efficient though they might be, are not a fundamental human liberty, one which is required as a bare minimum for meaningful participation in public life.
Let’s try to keep this in mind when we talk about Zombie Walks in the future, shall we? Sure, they are fun and informative events, but on some level, the day when we no longer need to declare a special event, but rather can see Zombies walk freely and openly amongst the Living?
That’s a far greater occasion than any ordinary Zombie Walk could ever be.
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