Generation of Vampire Lovers

[happa]

Buffy the vampire slayer, True Blood, Vampire Diaries and Twilight are a few top media titles related to vampires, werewolves and other mythical creatures. They have been enormous hits among the youth of our culture. However interesting it may be, I question if it is the best influence on the coming generation. At first, I did not think too much of it and thought that it was just another phase but it has not left and has been going on for quite a while. Due to this increased fascination with blood-sucking creatures, there have been weird reports coming in more frequently, telling shocking stories of humans engaged in strange activities concerning the drinking of blood, even cannibalism.
Now those are extreme situations, but how is this affecting our culture mentally, emotionally and even spiritually?
I do not have answers. I am asking this to challenge others to question whether this obsession with vampires is healthy and whether it might be affecting the youth of today in a very negative manner.

[Neo_Sephiroth]

I think it's just the very few who goes into such obsession as to copy such acts. Other than that, it's all good. I ain't a fan of Twilight though...I can never get into that.

[OrphanPip]

There have always been people engaging in cannibalism, and I don't think many of them were big fans of Anne Rice.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

On the scale of things affecting our youth, potentially gory books are at the bottom of the list. Most kids who even read books regularly and voluntarily are on a better bath than those who don't. I think the biggest concern right now should be social media and the prevalence of technology, now silly books. I'm just glad some kids are reading. I think it's a much healthier activity than most other things kids do, no matter what they're reading (to an extent, of course).

In any case, I think the fads mentioned above are starting to die out and be replaced with a different fad--dystopian sci-fi with love triangles, i.e., The Hunger Games. I was talking to someone who mentioned another trilogy--the first two books are out with the third oncoming--that sounds like the next big series following Hunger Games (the popularity of which will last until all movies are completed) . . . a dystopian future with a love triangle. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember the title. I hope this is the case. Even with the horribly cliched love stories, I think dystopian novels have a much better chance of having deeper themes and stories.

[happa]

To Neo Sephiroth, Yes, I did mention that some are on the extreme end, thankfully. What I am really wondering is how it is affecting our society psychologically, if you know what I mean.

To Ophan Pip, Yes there has always been cannibalism and there is no way to really prove that this particular vampire theme is causing increased strange violence among young people. But who knows what really happens in their minds as they commit the acts or what has influenced them to do so.

To Mutantis- Mutandis, yes social media has by far a greater influence than books now. However, where I am at currently, the vampire scene has all but lost its momentum. Kids are always talking about the latest episodes on Vampire diaries or other related media. But it might be just in my area and it's totally possible that your area has not lost its interest.
Oh and I really liked "The Hunger Games" movie but I have yet to read the series. Even those who claimed they hated reading said they couldn't put the book down. I enjoy reading those, hopefully in the summer. :D

[JuniperWoolf]

Yeah, the attraction to vampires has always been dangerous abandonment to lust. Even with Dracula, you've got the female vampires that Jonathan falls in with, he describes their mouthes and I swear you could replace the word "lips" with "pussy" and it works - until you get to the fangs, which of course is the "danger" part. I loved Lucy, she just ran with it, she was practically a sexual hunter already.

Anyway, yeah, the attraction to vampires has more to do with sex and less to do with cannibalism. I don't think you'd even be able to find many people who, if asked to describe everything they know about vampires, would even use the word "cannibal," but I betcha they'd mention "sex."

Oh yeah, also, people have always been obsessed with vampires. Dracula of course, then one of the very first films was Nosferatu followed by almost a hundred years of thousands more vampire films, hundreds of thousands of books, they've really always been very popular. If anything, "modern" vampires have been softened, they're less brutal and they're less like symbols of raw sex and violence (read: twilight), so if the violence of the stories is decreasing it doesn't make sense that it would cause an increase in real world violence.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

You hit on the reason why vampires are so liked, especially by women I think. The vampire is a very sexual and intimate "bad guy." The sexual innuendo from being penetrated by a fang alone shows this. I wonder how many women realize this is why they like vampires? Of course, casting guys who most women find attractive doesn't hurt, either.

The best vampire within the last thirty years is Blade. That movie kicks ***!

[JuniperWoolf]

You hit on the reason why vampires are so liked, especially by women I think. The vampire is a very sexual and intimate "bad guy." The sexual innuendo from being penetrated by a fang alone shows this. I wonder how many women realize this is why they like vampires? Of course, casting guys who most women find attractive doesn't hurt, either.

Yep, that's exactly ture, vampires are girl porn. Some men like vampire ladies, but the whole "soft cushiony 'lips' *cough* lined with razor sharp teeth" and "a woman who could break your spine" sexuality only appeals to a certain kind of guy I think.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

A woman with razor sharp teeth has never struck me as appealing . . . quite unsettling, actually.

[Neo_Sephiroth]

True, it does have a lot to do with sex if anything psychological. Of course, it's probably those with fetishes...Like to be dominated and whatnot.

[OrphanPip]

It really doesn't take much to bring out the vampire google ads does it?

And now I'm reminded of Mark's gay vampire character from Kids in the Hall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uBbPuI9B0U&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNAXQ0fi8MM

[JuniperWoolf]

Hahaha, I just saw the one where he rescues Dave Foley in the subway a few days ago.
"Maybe you're a fag!"
"Oh Puh-leeeease!"

[Helga]

Vampires are mysterious and dangerous, but like history shows us (mainly recent history maybe) some women can 'tame' them.

I don't know True Blood or Twilight but I am a Buffy fan but it doesn't have a lot to do with vampires, most of Whedons stuff is awesome (I mean who else can think of the scariest demon ever, someone who makes you sing and dance, it doesn't get creepier than that). That being said, Spike is very hot, he is my kind of vampire.


But what about Interview with a vampire, now that was a good movie!

[happa]

YES! Several of you hit the spot. I knew I was missing something. The vampire IS very sexual. I do admit the cannibalism was the very extreme but I still wonder about the psychological effects because the vampire that used to be clearly evil has started to become an idolized monster. Hollywood has turned our image of vampires to be tamable, changeable and sexual where as they used to be plain evil, not as changeable at all and obviously the clear enemy. Now I do not know what my final thought about this whole theme is, but when something is switched from being evil to good, when it is clearly a monster and commits strange unwholesome, murderous acts toward other human beings, I question whether it right.

[Lokasenna]

Yeah, the attraction to vampires has always been dangerous abandonment to lust. Even with Dracula, you've got the female vampires that Jonathan falls in with, he describes their mouthes and I swear you could replace the word "lips" with "pussy" and it works - until you get to the fangs, which of course is the "danger" part. I loved Lucy, she just ran with it, she was practically a sexual hunter already.

Speaking as a folklorist, there's the old idea of vagina dentata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagina_dentata)...

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Speaking as a folklorist, there's the old idea of vagina dentata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagina_dentata)...

Even more disconcerting than a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, definitely.

[Helga]

Speaking as a folklorist, there's the old idea of vagina dentata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagina_dentata)...

yeah, that is disgusting

[Neo_Sephiroth]

Speaking as a folklorist, there's the old idea of vagina dentata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagina_dentata)...

Ewww...I remember reading about that...Good grief, that's...Uhhh...Unnatural...Nevermind, that's just nasty.

[JCamilo]

Oh, the vagina dentada...

Vampires are not always sexual, only related to blood much later, not always with fangs. Until more or less Carmilla, Vampires are second rate zoombies, related to diseases. It was gothic literature who moved they role - they adapted from Devil's traditional stories (where the young lady defeating vampire came from) and faery tales, with the old wrathful, lord from old could enchant people own his own.

There still plenty of vampires who are not fancy (Dracula himself is disgusting, not appealing) around there, like Richard Matheson vampires who are very popular and are more about living with a familiar monster that steal our health, than victorian sexual prevention.

[Helga]

this man is trying to save today's vampire reputation and get back to the core (if you can call it that) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvTCr5Z-0lA



(if you don't want to see the part about the fight go to 1:30 or so)