The Problem With Twilight

[Giest4life]

Social attitudes around sexual promiscuity and restraint do not progress in one direction but rather cycle back and forth throughout history. Just look at the Romans.

Suggesting that the fall of Rome was not kind of a step backwards for society?

Well yes it was, but remember that most of the concept of patriarchy in European culture came from Roman ideals. In fact in ancient Rome the act of sex was regarded as an expression of a man's authority over his female, or other male, partner. So basically in Rome sex was about power (or money) not love.

It was the same in the classical cultures, Roman and Greek, and no, their fall wasn't a step back for humanity; the Greeks killed Socrates, and they nearly killed Aristotle. And the Romans had a class structure even more rigid and restrictive than the Greeks. So good riddance I say.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Is that it exists.

OT: Very nice look at Eclipse there, gave me many a laugh.

 

[potemkin.hr]

These films will corrupt today's youth.

 

[knight steel]

The Problem With Twilight

It's more than just bad moviemaking.

Read Full Article

I think you might be reading a little bit to deep into the franchise moviebob my old man. I doubt that any one else will see the book/movies like that and i doubt that there any real proof to what your saying...........although that's just my view.

As for the books i read them and they weren't bad, not good but readable at least and the movies well i hated the first two but i think that eclipse was ok.All in all twilight is just a corny romance novel giving girls their wish:the perfect guy nothing more nothing less.

 

[Sennz0r]

Great read. Now I have something to link people to when they ask me why I think Twilight is bad.

... I'm too lazy to type it again and again myself >.>

Here you go.

Wow, that was awesomely hilarious.

Also, be prepared to eat your computer

 

[Flankhard]

For the love of God, just stop it Bob. You are fighting a loosing battle. Twilight was never intended for pre-middleaged portly guyes like you an me. I relized that about 20 minutes into the first movie and left it at that. For us they made the Underworld series. Where the message is that unless you can literally rip a man in halv with your bare hands, you won't get to have it off with the hot girl (the typical male fantasy - and I love it).

So, even though you are right, you are also wrong. You are basically telling millions of young women that theyr fantasies are silly and that they are too stupid to even realize it. Just because something is technically bad from a movie-making or writing perspective, dosen't mean it can't be enjoyed. Judging by the popularity of this series it is obvious that no matter how wrong the subliminal message is, it taps into some female fantasy that us men don't relate to.

Personally I have fate in my female counter parts and I belive they are able to see through all the bollocks and still enjoy this. Rather then ripping on it I am going to let them endulge in it, because there is already plenty of stuff out there that will endulge my male fantasies (however rude, sordid and wrong they are).

Bottom line: At first glanze it might look like you are doing the noble thing and defend womens rights but in realty you are just enforcing the male view that women are too stupid to know whats good or not and need men to guide them and put them on the right track.

 

[Seatownstriker]

I'm just glad my girl doesn't like this series.

 

[droppingpenny]

Maybe all of what Moviebob wrote here is true, but at the same time in order of it to work, the target audience has to get the subliminal message, which it probably won't, and will forget this series as soon as the last movie is released.

 

[Necromancer1991]

Yeah I mean serious Bellah is pathetic, she's on suicide watch the entire series and frankly is just unlikeable, give me a headstrong independent female lead any day. As far as the message is concerned it's sort of lost in all the fan-girl stupidity and that "Team Jacob" vs "Team Edward" crap, I'm not saying the message is good, just pointless, once the next fan-girl rallying series raises it's ugly head twilight will hopefully be forgotten.

 

[Palademon]

I would've considered different, more obvious bad moral messages, but I really don't think it's the books/films that annoy people (apart from the sparkling and possible over-angsty bahaviour) but the shallow girls that only go to watch the films for the attractive men, weren't fans before then, and then they consider themselves 'fans of twilight'. That's not being a fan of Twilight and for some reason they find nothing wrong with them screaming at the film screen to their favourite actor as he takes his shirt off while their boyfriend is there with them, and they wouldn't care if their partner were to take his shirt off. But, they believe it's ok, because obviously if they had the choice would rather be with that guy they've never met.

 

[Fearzone]

Social attitudes around sexual promiscuity and restraint do not progress in one direction but rather cycle back and forth throughout history. Just look at the Romans.

Suggesting that the fall of Rome was not kind of a step backwards for society?

That's a complicated question for which I don't have a quick answer, but I don't think the fall of Rome had much to do with social values and much more to do with economic sustainability of military expansionism. The point is, throughout history attitudes on sex span the spectrum from society to society and I doubt anyone could convincingly show any linear "forward" or "backward" direction over time.

 

[KlausH]

The problem is:
- bad story
- bad actors
- bad... EVERYTHING!

 

[Flamezdudes]

You've made me more angry at Twilight, man i wish all the teenage girls in the world would not read and watch this crap. I even know a boy who likes Twilight too.... yeah i know.

 

[Spinozaad]

Interesting points, probably true, but way too over-analytical in my book. The tweens who say 'it's all about love' are as right as you are, in my eyes. It's their tween girl fantasy, and I doubt they'll be that influenced by the message of abstinence and obedience to their husband. Hell, if anything it helps to counter the 'bitches and hoes' attitude so prevalent in popular ""urban"" culture, no?

Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to watch an action movie in which the muscular macho beats up the bad guys, makes some explosions, drives a really awesome car and bangs a hot femme fatale whom he saved at least two times prior to the banging.

 

[bak00777]

i work as a cashier, and everytime i hear some, teenage girl or their middle age mothers(the latter is more common) talk about team edward, team jacob, or other twilight garbage it makes me a lil sick. One time they were talking about the "teams" and i chimed in, "Im on Team Van Helsing" they were not amused.

 

[KingPiccolOwned]

Social attitudes around sexual promiscuity and restraint do not progress in one direction but rather cycle back and forth throughout history. Just look at the Romans.

Suggesting that the fall of Rome was not kind of a step backwards for society?

Well yes it was, but remember that most of the concept of patriarchy in European culture came from Roman ideals. In fact in ancient Rome the act of sex was regarded as an expression of a man's authority over his female, or other male, partner. So basically in Rome sex was about power (or money) not love.

It was the same in the classical cultures, Roman and Greek, and no, their fall wasn't a step back for humanity; the Greeks killed Socrates, and they nearly killed Aristotle. And the Romans had a class structure even more rigid and restrictive than the Greeks. So good riddance I say.

Uhh... Are you talking culturaly or in the sense of living standards? Because those are two very different things. I am talking more in the sense of living standards, and it was a step back culturally in some ways, at least in Rome a good portion of people were educated, which a hell of a lot more than the Franks could ever claim. But yeah things in terms of sex relations didn't really change any from Rome and afterwards. And the Romans still liked killing a lot, which is actually part of why I like them, as opposed to my squeemish-ass American culture that has to try and censor any god-damn-thing that has people being bonked on the head... That we didn't make that is.

 

[Twinmill5000]

Teams eh? Fuck, those Burger King commercials are kinda sad with the old men being harassed but at least taking it with some humor.

This is a real team [http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/winds-of-plague/products/winds-of-plague-team-plague-shirt].

lol deathmetalsavesthedayagain

EDIT: Ironically, two of the heaviest hitters in my character library are vampires, but that's become a secret that's maybe hinted a couple times to the reader in my stories. Case in point: They're emphasized on being other things before the word vampire gets slipped out.

 

[KingPiccolOwned]

i work as a cashier, and everytime i hear some, teenage girl or their middle age mothers(the latter is more common) talk about team edward, team jacob, or other twilight garbage it makes me a lil sick. One time they were talking about the "teams" and i chimed in, "Im on Team Van Helsing" they were not amused.

And my reply in the same situation would be "I'm on team Alucard and he will kill their *****-asses!"