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Of Course Craig Mazin Likened Ted Cruz To A Zombie

by Andi O'Rourke

In keeping with the current cultural fascination with the undead, screenwriter Craig Mazin once compared Ted Cruz to a zombie on Twitter, and it unleashed a contagious viral meme that probably isn't going to die out anytime soon. Mazin and Cruz were freshman roommates at Princeton University during the 1988-89 school year, and to hear Mazin tell it, they didn't exactly get on well. Sometimes, people just don't click, but from what Mazin has said, it seems like Cruz couldn't find his groove anywhere. From allegedly creeping out female fellow students while donning a paisley robe to generally being an insufferable person, it seems like Cruz was just full of fail from freshman orientation 'til move-out day. Cruz has not publicly commented on Mazin's statements. The Hangover series scribe hasn't been one to hold back about his former roommate — this comment below is a pretty good summary of how Mazin feels about Cruz.

Back in October of 2013, Twitter user Dan Swerdlin replied to a tweet that Mazin had sent about a prank to illustrate to Cruz how "krazy" an overactive alarm clock can be, asking, "Did he get worse during your time together, or was he a fully-formed assclown upon arrival?" What Mazin ended up tweeting back was equal parts stomach-turning, thought-provoking, and relatively funny.

Besides comparing the unchanging, enduring nature of the walking personality disorder from Texas to zombies and mold, Mazin clearly isn't afraid to speak his mind about his former roommate, often hashtagging the word "weasel" to describe Cruz.

Mazin seems to relish his minor comedic role in the election cycle. He regularly interacts with the public through social media and has given interviews to larger news outlets as well. From the look of things on social media, users have been incredibly inspired by Mazin's comments.

Some may conceivably question the propriety of airing personal dirty laundry in such a fashion during a presidential race. Yet humor, used effectively, can be a powerful tool against people in power who are not acting in good faith. Cruz's statements about climate change, a woman's right to choose, and money in politics are incredibly hard to rationally defend outside of the confines of GOP ideology. Mazin's statement is a fitting epithet for a proponent of zombie lies.