Twilight has Spoiled Both our Kids' Brains and the Name of Cryptozoology

These days, I don't think there's a soul in the US who hasn't heard the word "Twilight". Kids (and some adults) of all ages have taken a liking to the book series; whether it be that they like it, love it, are obsessed with it, or have completely given their life to it, LITERALLY. Frankly, I can't even see why this book series has taken off so far. At first it seemed like just another book that a few people were reading, then it turned into this disaster. I'll admit it: I did start reading the first book, but I found it boring so I stopped(!), being the vivid reader I am. The movies are okay, but nothing to obsess over.

My first concern is what this is doing to our children's brains. A lot of my friends (at about 13) have completely given their life to the book. Their rooms are stuffed with Twilight posters and souvenirs (one even has an Edward cardboard cutout), they go to Twilight conventions, they dress in Twilight clothing and jewelry, constantly talk about Twilight, they have all the Twilight movies, the soundtracks from the movies, and the books themselves might as well be Olympic gold metals. As I read in another forum, some kids are going as far as permanently getting fangs placed in their mouths. What is this going to do to these kid's futures? If they plan on growing with only vampires on their minds, then we're going to have a problem. Think, bigger than the Star Wars controversy.

One time I was talking about Cryptozoology and one of my friends asked "What's Cryptozoology?" and I told them "The study of hidden animals such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster" and they replied "Oh, so like vampires and werewolves?". Which brings me to my other topic...

Twilight is ruining the name of Cryptozoology. The first thing that comes to mind when you tell a person the meaning of the word their brain automatically connect it to Twilight. I was once reading an article on Yahoo! about the Chupacabras and, sure enough, they compared Chupacabras to Edward Cullen ( article ). Even people on these forums have gone the whole 9 yards by reporting being they have been bitten by vampires. Thanks to Twilight, Cryptozoology cannot be taken seriously these days. As any good crypto-enthusiast will know, Cryptozoology is a very serious subject; it has nothing to do with fictional stories of pale people who sparkle.

[edit on 17-7-2010 by nicolee123nd]

It's just a phase, it will pass. Like Beatlemania in the 60s, Star Wars in the 70s, etc. At least the kids are reading books.

Twilight ruined literature and pretty much ALL vampire lore for at least 5 years to come.

Unfortunately Cryptozoology is the last thing I'm worried about as Twilight fever grips the nation. People will grow out of it however. Harry Potter used to get evangelicals all riled up about witchcraft but nobody cares anymore. It's just how it goes.

In the 80s/90s it was Once Bitten, The Lost Boys, etc;

Vampire flicks have been abundant since movies were created.

Source

I'd rather have a kid reading than watching the idiot box.

Peace

When I visited home my mother made me watch two movies from this series.

I had no idea why a 109 year old vampire was all worked up over a 16 year old confused girl. Talk about rocking the cradle. Not to mention why that werewolf had trouble keeping a shirt on.

I literally wanted to wash my eyeballs.

That or get bitten by a vampire and walk out into the light.

Though according to this movie I may not explode and just end up sparkling.

What a curse...for Vampire lore.



- Lee

reply to post by zroth

I'd rather have a kid reading than watching the idiot box.

Well, the movies do come with the Twilight package...

Twilight, Lady Gaga, and reality shows are turning the younger generations into one big orgasmic fail bomb. I know because I graduated high school last year and though I'm in college, getting my bachelor's in Secondary Education, half the girls that graduated with me are already pregnant, had a baby, are married, living off welfare, etc.

Then again, while they were watching Twilight, I was watching 30 Days of Night. Now THAT'S a vampire movie.

reply to post by nicolee123nd


It's just a phase, it will pass and soon be forgotten. Unlike Star Wars and the Beatles, Twilight has contributed nothing revolutionary or significant. Star Wars had great special effects, the Beatles had great music, Twilight has a following of teen girls who just want to see the actors shirtless. No one will care about this junk in five years.

Honestly, in 2 years, you won't hear anymore about it.
It's a lame phase in lame vampire flicks/books.

Do you not remember the Pokemon epidemic?
Now that was an infestation like no other.
I will never forget, walking down the halls in middle school, hearing kids doing the Pokemon noises

We need less Twilight and more Star Trek.

Star Trek put the seeds into the inventors minds for Beepers, Cell phones, Personal computers, Laptops, electronic books, ATM cards, etc etc

The inventions to come from the Twilight series are......???

We need less Twilight and more Star Trek.

Star Trek put the seeds into the inventors minds for Beepers, Cell phones, Personal computers, Laptops, electronic books, ATM cards, etc etc

The inventions to come from the Twilight series are......???

We need less Twilight and more Star Trek.

Star Trek put the seeds into the inventors minds for Beepers, Cell phones, Personal computers, Laptops, electronic books, ATM cards, etc etc

The inventions to come from the Twilight series are......???

Originally posted by lee anoma
I had no idea why a 109 year old vampire was all worked up over a 16 year old confused girl. Talk about rocking the cradle. Not to mention why that werewolf had trouble keeping a shirt on.

Or why the werewolf *imprints on the vampire and confused girl's child - I think that is revealed in the fourth book? It's a strange and unoriginal sort of fiction and the reason I stopped reading half-way through the first book. The first movie was bland, but the sequels look more interesting; however, I have not seen them.

I prefer the Vampire Hunter D series.

Vampire Hunter D

*

After the birth of Renesmee, Bella and Edward's daughter, Jacob almost immediately "imprints"— an involuntary response in which a shape-shifter finds his soul mate— on Renesmee. Jacob Black

reply to post by zroth


I'd rather a kid be eating their own toenails than reading dreck like Twilight. Seriously, reading an idiot book and watching an idiot TV program are no different, except wit hthe book, your ocular muscles are getting a little more exercise. They don't need it, though, so who cares?

reply to post by ohsnaptruth


Yes. 30 Days of Night... I picked it out of my store's bargain bin for three bucks. I'd heard about it, thought the premise was silly, but what the hell, three bucks for a laugh, why not?

Easily the best vampire movie I've seen in a long time. Brutal, bloody, and with genuine tension. And unlike most horror nowadays, the protagonists were actually sympathetic characters.

Thats because vampirism has always been a methaphor for the aspects of humanty that will rear its ugly head once confronted with immortality.

no one realizes this yet... its only subconcious for now. soon though.....

I haven't read these books or seen them movies, etc., but I've become aware of the stirr that the whole "twilight phenomenon" is causing. I'm guessing it can be explained because it seems to speak to something common in adolescent female psychology.

Young women, like all humans, experience conflicting drives. On one hand, they are often drawn to the dangerous, the dark, the allure of the risky, etc. (Consider the age-old female infatuation with the dangerous "bad boy" in all his manifestations.) What could be darker and more dangerous than a vampire? On the other hand, they often want to be protected by a powerful, loving masculne force that watches over and cares for them. This storyline seems to be a glib way of intertwining these ancient themes in a contemporary guise.

There is also a very primordial and mysterious female fascination with "blood mysticism" in many guises...this topic in itself could be a whole thread...from the blood association of India's Mother Kali and the esoteric Dakini spirits of tantra to the medieval mystic Catherine of Siena's rhapsodizing over the Blood of Christ, the very topic of "blood" itself is often central to female mystic and spiritual schema. A bit of pondering on the topic will probably give you some possible reasons why this might be so, but the mystery is very profound and something I (as a male) have never fully been able to wrap my head around. General infatuation with Vampiric themes probably plays into this female spiritual constellation of blood mysticism in some way but to be honest as a male I feel somehow locked out of an intuitive understanding of all this (fascinating as it seems to me).

reply to post by ..5..


Actually we need more reading, IE learning, than another stupid fade, just remember that things like this is what keeps us dumbed down, and sheep! i did read about 20 pages of Twilight and was like what is the point?? Why are grown women reading this crap? I would rather read my hard thinking books then read this crap. It makes you more dumb downed then before you picked it up. Just a thought.

reply to post by nicolee123nd


shut the hell up about Twilight, sick of hearing about it, its not destroying kids brains, its just a fad, a craze that will soon blow over, jesus christ. Stop whining.

When will folks realize that it has nothing to do with the label...

Twilight is just the name this thing has taken, this time around.

A few years ago it was "Harry Potter"

Before that, we had "Pokemon"

What happened to "Yu-Gi-Oh"? The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"?

The problem is not the label. IF there is a problem, it is with the people.

(I say, no problem. People like what they like, sometimes it is what I don't like.)

Or, in this case, loathe.