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FlickrTwilight, again. Yes, really.
I'm going to do that annoying thing bloggers do, and say something we're all thinking. In response to these rumors ricocheting around the Internet (notably this io9 article) that Twilight fans are attacking people who express their dislike of the book...I'm calling half-truth, half-bullshit.
On the truth side, people really are that unstable. People get assaulted over sports games; it's not unreasonable to think books would get a similar treatment. People find some strange things to fill the vacuums in their lives, and really, who is more likely to feel empty and rudderless than teenagers, who make up the bulk of this book's target audience? I had serious temper problems in high school, and I personally know, off the top of my head, four people who self-injured on a pretty regular basis for a good chunk of their high school careers. It's not hard to believe that they might both find solace in a book and react violently to those who tell them their chosen anchor is somehow lacking.
On the bird-food side, though, we are talking about teenagers. Teenagers (really, a lot of people, but especially teenagers) deal with their feelings of confusion and chaos by seeking attention. There are plenty of ways to do this (professionals call it "acting out"), but when the Internet gives you a nice shield of anonymity, why not seek some attention via the good old-fashioned method of becoming a victim?
This is not to say that people, kids included, have not gotten punched or whacked with books or otherwise assaulted over this. But I suspect that less than half of the more extreme stories are actually true, or are only based on a true incident with far less dire consequences; I particularly find the signal rocket story to be a bit more than credible, if only because it sounds like a scene from Cliffhanger. If I'm wrong (and please tell me if you have actual corroboration on these events, other than io9 and the Twilight Sucks forums), I apologize, and my heart goes out to the kids who have gotten abused like this.
A note here, though: people getting assaulted over a book is not new. People on Yahoo Answers are getting that (first response to the OP, you are welcome for me rending my IQ by tracking that down for you). I'm not blaming teenagers for being upset about being attacked or exaggerating what happened to them—that kind of insanity is part of being sixteen—but I am blaming people who are acting like this is somehow worse or more newsworthy than any of the other beliefs people get burned, beaten, shot, etc. for on a regular basis. People will get violent over stupid things; Twilight is only unique in that enough people hate it to make the stupidity seem more evident.
And in case you were wondering, I don't hate Twilight. Hating something requires it be capable of raising an emotional reaction.
On the truth side, people really are that unstable. People get assaulted over sports games; it's not unreasonable to think books would get a similar treatment. People find some strange things to fill the vacuums in their lives, and really, who is more likely to feel empty and rudderless than teenagers, who make up the bulk of this book's target audience? I had serious temper problems in high school, and I personally know, off the top of my head, four people who self-injured on a pretty regular basis for a good chunk of their high school careers. It's not hard to believe that they might both find solace in a book and react violently to those who tell them their chosen anchor is somehow lacking.
On the bird-food side, though, we are talking about teenagers. Teenagers (really, a lot of people, but especially teenagers) deal with their feelings of confusion and chaos by seeking attention. There are plenty of ways to do this (professionals call it "acting out"), but when the Internet gives you a nice shield of anonymity, why not seek some attention via the good old-fashioned method of becoming a victim?
This is not to say that people, kids included, have not gotten punched or whacked with books or otherwise assaulted over this. But I suspect that less than half of the more extreme stories are actually true, or are only based on a true incident with far less dire consequences; I particularly find the signal rocket story to be a bit more than credible, if only because it sounds like a scene from Cliffhanger. If I'm wrong (and please tell me if you have actual corroboration on these events, other than io9 and the Twilight Sucks forums), I apologize, and my heart goes out to the kids who have gotten abused like this.
A note here, though: people getting assaulted over a book is not new. People on Yahoo Answers are getting that (first response to the OP, you are welcome for me rending my IQ by tracking that down for you). I'm not blaming teenagers for being upset about being attacked or exaggerating what happened to them—that kind of insanity is part of being sixteen—but I am blaming people who are acting like this is somehow worse or more newsworthy than any of the other beliefs people get burned, beaten, shot, etc. for on a regular basis. People will get violent over stupid things; Twilight is only unique in that enough people hate it to make the stupidity seem more evident.
And in case you were wondering, I don't hate Twilight. Hating something requires it be capable of raising an emotional reaction.
Labels: humans, the book world
posted by Tyler at
4:16 PM
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