It's not exactly a new strategy for politicians to use pop-culture as a scapegoat for the nation's ills. The Simpsons got blamed in the '90s for the decline of the American family; musicians like Eminem and Marilyn Manson were blamed for the Columbine mass shootings in the '00s; violent video games are always being blamed for real-world violent acts; and now we can add horror-themed TV shows like The Walking Dead to the list of political targets.

Kentucky governor Matt Bevin (R) was recently doing an interview with Kentucky's conservative radio host Leland Conway, and during their discussion of the mass shootings that are occurring with disturbing frequency in America, Bevin was quick to place blame on The Walking Dead - which was (ironically) created by Lexington, Kentucky resident, Robert Kirkman:

“Seriously, what’s the most important topic that seems to be in every cable television network for example? Television shows are all about what? Zombies."

Almost seeming to sense how a lot of fans of The Walking Dead would react to such a statement, Bevin tried to head-off the backlash by trying to claim he knows the connection between mass shootings and zombie TV shows would be seen as "trite and simplistic," but that it's a valid connection nonetheless. According to Bevin, the constant exposure to horrific and violent content has a cumulative effect on impressionable minds:

"These are drips, drips, drips on the stones of the psyches of young generations that are growing up in a society that increasingly said this is normal and okay. And eventually, some of those young minds are not going to be able to handle it...

In a previous interview, he added the following:

"And then we’re shocked, for reasons that are beyond me, that children act out this way. And yes, it’s only a few. But my gracious, it only takes a few."

This isn't the first time that Bevin has pushed this line of logic in response to a mass shooting event, or propositions of gun control. This latest jab at The Walking Dead comes on the heels of Democrats winning back The House, with rumors that there could be renewed push for gun control registration.

For some people, Bevin's claims will stink of bias - another way to deflect conversation away from gun control and onto the culture war that seems to used as political fodder, whenever necessary. Other people might agree that shows like The Walking Dead represent a moral decline in society, which has in turn given rise to more violent crimes. What is ironic is that Bevin's thesis seems to apply to young people, yet some of the latest terroristic acts of mass violence in America (the pipe bomb threats, or Pittsburgh synagogue attack) were definitely committed by full-grown adults, who were not raised in the era of The Walking Dead TV, and somehow still came to commit atrocious acts of violence. Go figure.

How do you feel about the claim that The Walking Dead is a factor in mass shootings? Let us know in the comments!