Art Money

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"abortion is genocide" ??

Limited Vision

Censorship

Luxury/ Material Goods (?)

Raise a Ruckus!

Skate Life, Don't Hate Life

I would like to see more intelligent movies and books become popular

Maybe it's not the greatest to start with an "anti" or negative image but this is currently what's on my mind. I was hearing a lot about the book Twilight (both good and bad) and decided that I would read at least the first book so I could form my own opinion. It was HORRIBLE. On so many different levels. All those concerned parents who are worried about their children playing with Barbie and developing poor body images, should be protesting this book. I have heard it compared to Harry Potter series in that it is a "coming of age" book that happens alongside the supernatural, but for girls. This is not the case. The main girl, Bella, is a teenager in high school and she falls in love with a vampire (who *sparkles* in the sun rather than burn or do whatever vampires have traditionally done in popular narratives) and then decides to devote her life to him. How is this coming of age? Yes there are teenage romances that at the time those involved feel it is forever, but very rarely is this the case. She is fine with the fact that Edward stalks her and watches her sleep. She is also happy that she is the one shopping for the food and preparing each meal along with doing laundry for her dad. Then in the second book when Edward leaves "for her own good" she spends the majority of the book trying to kill herself, as does he. I'm not completely comfortable presenting this idea to children that it is a natural reaction to kill yourself when your high school romance ends. And then he shows up and they are all happy again. Am I the only one who has a problem with this? I have tried to make it through the third book but it's disgusting as he places her under house arrest when he leaves so she cannot see her guy friend. Add to this the horrible writing - "he was absurdly handsome" (what?) - and as happy as parents are that their children are reading, there has to be something better to read than this. The churches had problems with the supernatural in Harry Potter, but surprise! they like this book because becoming a vampire is actually representative of sex, and Edward refuses to do this until they are married (yay for abstinence only teaching...).
Anyways, I do understand how difficult it is to get some children (and adults) to read but it is deeply disturbing how many young girls are falling in love with the Edward character who is nothing more than a controlling and stalking jerk.