Would the social order still exist?

[Grey Wolf]

This has been a thought floating around in my head for a long while. The idea being…

Will certain social norms like Class which dictates social status, especially in older cultures where these norms are still a major part of the society still apply?

Example: To spite defending a small village from an incoming horde of the dead. You’re still  “just “ a fisherman…

[Dodom]

I think there would be an even steeper social order than normal, but that it wouldn't obligatorily be the same as before.

Who cares if you had ten billions in a bank when banks no longer exists? If your only skill is to buy and sell stock, you won't be mister popular.
Some of the poor would be better off: minimum wage guy who has experience with every manual job ever would have the most immediately valuable knowledge, and by the time more people learn those skills, his place in the food chain is secure. Those who are poor due to psychosocial problems (mental illness, timidity, social inadaptation, etc.) would be even poorer, regardless of what they can actually contribute. Being capable is one thing, convincing others that you are is another.
For the "middle class", the value of each job will depend on supply and demand, as it does now, and even more so; in a regular village a doctor would be very valuable, but if the village was hosting a medicine convention at the moment of the apocalypse and you have 50 doctors, they might not be viewed as that precious.

[Fiveofclubs]

I don't think it would be much different than throughout human history.  Peasants will be peasants and those willing and able to organize, manipulate, subjugate, and/or lead them will rise to the top to the social order.

[Jetraymongoose]

I feel like it could be more reversed, almost like they talk about it in World War Z, where the people who were "peasants" before, are now the higher ups because they have the skills that people need.

Sure, in let's say a small village, a doctor is still really high up, but so is let's say a carpenter, or workmen who know how to lay bricks and do stuff like that. I think social order would still be there, but for the most part it will be different than it is now.

[DubstepDisciple]

Well we also have to factor in the possibility that the richest of the rich may have private security or any number of insurance policies like underground bunkers etc etc. But other then that money will become pointless as the best system we will have will be a barter system and that's based solely on the fact that people will honour their trade and not strongarm their business partners at a later date.

As for the traditional low, middle and upper class system it will largely collapse and then the new system wil be whoever has the most abled bodied individuals that it can use to establish whatever rules it wants if it wants to settle an area. What comes to mind is similar to what we saw in The Book of Eli and that town, run by a single man and his private militia of illiterates. Now maybe not to that extreme but we saw the whole town turn on him as his private army was whittled away to one man with a shotgun.

Travelling alone has benefits but it makes you the most vulnerable as a traveller.

[Stan]

I would suddenly be freinds with the dude who stashed the most cheese strings...

[Dethklok]

Zombies are all equal.

[Stan]

Zombies is good eatin.