The New Moon Lunacy

The Twilight Series very clearly demonstrates how susceptible we are - and in particular young women - to narcissism. Bella is pursued by a vampire from a wealthy family. In essence, he's a blood sucking parasite, but don't worry he has two ultimately redeeming qualities:
- he's rich
- he's good looking

Oh he's not a blood sucker you say? He's a vegetarian? That's what I mean by lying to ourselves. He's from a vampire family, which is the same as from a family of reformed gangsters, or reformed serial killers. The fact that he's vegetarian doesn't change the fact that he lusts for her blood, that she is like a walking line of heroine to an addict fresh out of rehab. Who is kidding who here?

Now you would think that mother's of daughters would warn about men like this? I mean, a vampire is literally a health hazard. But since Edward is sooooooooo in love with Bella, no harm can possibly come to her? Really? A papercut puts her in mortal danger, if she is not perpetually in mortal danger anyway.

The werewolf mythos is more sensible, although it is based on a hedonism, a pack mentality that shows men struggling to control their instincts. Is that any better than a vampire struggling to control his addiction to human blood? And the reason women adore this story is because in either case, they are the centre of the addiction, I mean attention - whether this attention is depraved, seems not to matter to them. There really is very little difference between Edward's obsessiveness and a stalker. The difference is a stalker is unwelcome and his attention seen to be more than is welcome. You'd think that someone showing such a lack of discipline [Edward says: "I owe my very existence to you"] would present a case of Stalker Jitters. But somehow, coming from a wealthy family is enough to allay such foolish ideas.

The inconsistencies are also laughable. Edward declares he will always love her and never leave her, and then, immediately does this. He says he will always protect her, but by leaving her side he puts her in danger, and by being with her, he does the same [in terms of the werewolf threat]. So you have to suspend reality in order to buy this story - something audiences seem very willing, and able to do.

Another analogy is possibly pornstars who feel that attention - no matter what the brand, the context - is justified. Because the porn industry is a similar blood sucking, parasitic industry. It mocks, it does not make. It preys on the innocent. It creates addictions. It cannibalises healthy drives, turning them into insatiable appetites that need more and more to satisfy them.

In essence then, New Moon demonstrates the extremes to which we now need to go to feel good about ourselves. In order to feel adequate about themselves, they now want wealthy slaves to worship and adore them. And for these slaves, these mythical men, women need offer no more than loyalty and a high school diploma. Dream on.