The Twilight Saga

Disclaimer: Before I go into detail, I want to make this clear.  I never read the twilight saga, I boycotted the movies (I make no apologies to disappointed ex's), and have no interest in attempting either.

Though I dislike Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling did prove to the literary world that a young adult fiction series can be entertaining, imaginative, well written, and above all else, appeal to a wide audience with sophistication   American author Stephanie Meyer then proved to the world that it was merely a radical exception to the rule.
Grant it, I have never read the series, however I do pay close attention to pop culture; I also have two sisters and used to have friends, through it I've gained what can loosely be considered a plot line, and frankly, I'm appalled.  The prestige of vampirism has now been twisted into some sort of sick joke and it's having a hard time of shaking it off.  Nosferatu started us off in 1922 was a bone chilling screen adaption to fantasy monster that has struck with fear.  Since then, countless of titles have been entertaining us.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fright Night, Salem's Lot, The Lost Boys, From Dusk 'Till Dawn, even the Underworld series, though all portraying slightly different qualities of vampires, all kept the "not to be fucked with" aspect.  Wesley Snipes worked damn hard to peak the badassery of vampires in the Blade series, and how was he repaid? (besides the prison sentence)  We now have vampires that "sparkle" in the daylight.  Need I say more.  The books, as well as the film series, started a cult following of socially awkward teenage girls not to mention the uprising of several poorly written TV shows of similar qualities (The Vampire Diaries).



I'd like to point out in the film versions of this series the lead role, character Bella (god I hate that name), was played by Kristen Stewart.  As audience members, we are suppose to believe that there are indeed two individuals out in the world that not only find this woman attractive, but hopelessly in love with her.  I understand in a fictitious work we're expected to run with unrealistic components, hence the vampires and werewolves, but this aspect truly tests the bounds of our imagination.  I don't mean to discriminate, but heroin addicts and people that look like heroin addicts have never been known to be attractive (to me at least).  Maybe that's just my personal bias.  I must be wrong, because she sure as hell didn't get the part for her acting capabilities (The Messengers, Zathura, Adventureland, she's had her chances).  I think the positive way to look at this is that Justin Long is no longer the most unfortunate looking, overrated actress.

A lot of people have a problem with the message/messages that these books and movies intentionally and unintentionally send.  However everyone seems to fail to recognize one of the most disturbing messages that can be interpreted from the series.
In the Twilight series, a vampire falls in love with a human.  Naturally this attraction develops into a relationship and not out of the ordinary, they end up having sex.  As we all know (or you're about to find out) sex can lead to pregnancy, as it does for the two in the series.  Now, I'm a very liberal individual; where many (religious nuts) have scoffed at the sexual relationship between two unwed teenagers, and others, the abusive nature of said relationship, I'm not one to question (I'm not saying I'm into S&M, just that some people are).  My problem deals with something a tad more tabooed.  Let me break this down:
Vampires eat humans, or at least drink their blood (fact), thus it can be considered that humans, in the eyes of vampires, are a food source.  Now to make this a little more dramatic, let's replace the role of the vampire with a human who happens to be a member of the NRA and the role of the human, with a cow (see where I'm going with this?)  Now as a member of the NRA it's pretty safe to assume that he eats, or is expected to eat, red meat.  Now in Twilight the vampire withholds his temptation of consuming the blood of humans, now replaced with cows.  Naturally in our example in order to appear...nonthreatening to the cow, he refuses his desire to consume red meat.  Now as the relationship between the NRA member, whom I'm naming Jeffery (a book deal is probably underway), and Cindy, a good name for a cow, develops, eventually it leads to a consummation of their love in the barn to which we're just going to pan away from (and I'm likely to get a letter from PETA).  Is it too much to jump to the conclusion that Twilight is somehow condoning bestiality?  Probably, but we don't live in a country that values being rational about things, so what are we suppose to believe?