Twilight!

[Rapscallion]

Half the girls I know read that crap and now they are fixated on this unrealistic idea of a boyfriend.

You do realise that many girls wonders why she's expected to conform to airbrushed model standards?

Rapscallion

[Kalli]

Substitute girls for the nephew in previous paragraph, that when a guy stops you doing things to "protect" you, when he stops you seeing people to "protect" you that that's just what a good boyfriend does rather than what a controlling abusive person does.

Yeah, it's nice when you can pick and choose what aspects of a book you wish to portray. How about mentioning the part where Bella completely rejects Edward's "protection" and saw whoever the hell she wanted anyway, and the part where Edward admitted wrongdoing with that behaviour?

Besides, it's NOT a normal situation. Their life is very different to a teenage human relationship, societal rules aren't even relevant. If they were all human teenagers and Edward forbid Bella from seeing her friends, then yeah, he's a controlling jerk. But that's not the situation.

Besides THAT, the point is its a fucking FICTIONAL STORY. It doesn't HAVE to display perfect moral standing. Most movies DON'T. Most movies involve far worse shit, and nobody says boo because they haven't got an agenda to promote. Even if you think Edward IS a controlling jerk, that doesn't mean the books should be condemned. The vast majority of books contain characters that are far from perfect, and glorifies them.

[Nyoibo]

Where? Show me an example.

I believe the OP mentioned their nephew not seeing any thing wrong with Edwards behavior, behaviour which in any other circumstance would be considered domineering and abusive.

Oh, come off it. How many movies make women out to be stick-thin, smoking hot with a perfect personality and mad sharpshooting skills or some shit? Pop culture has been fucking with people's expectations and societal perceptions for ever. This is nothing new. Get over it.

Substitute girls for the nephew in previous paragraph, that when a guy stops you doing things to "protect" you, when he stops you seeing people to "protect" you that that's just what a good boyfriend does rather than what a controlling abusive person does.

[Kalli]

As long as the kid doesn't think they apply to reality, I don't care what people watch. But people are taking Twilight and making it apply to reality, which is absurd.

Where? Show me an example. If you're talking about the "You're not sparkly enough for me" or "I'm just waiting for my Edward" t-shirts, don't be fucking ridiculous. The fans KNOW those shirts are unrealistic and fantastical. Just the same way that "I go to HOGWARTS!" and other such pop culture based t-shirts are unrealistic. People don't actually think they go to Hogwarts. People don't actually think sexy vampires or werewolves are their destiny. It's NOT application to reality, it's just fandom.

It is being shoved down our throats, thus we have a right to voice our gripes. Why would I not gripe about this crap?

Where did I say you shouldn't voice your gripes? I think it's perfectly acceptable for you to voice your gripes without being shot down. I also think it's perfectly acceptable for fans to voice their appreciation without being shot down. My point was that often people think its unacceptable for fans to crap on about how much they love Twilight, but it's perfectly OK for them to crap on about how much they hate it.

Not to mention the fact that voicing something positive is a completely different thing to voicing something negative. People have happiness to gain by conversing about something they like. What do you have to gain by telling those people they shouldn't like what they do?

Besides which, you are griping at fans for something which is actually not their fault. Which brings me to...

I'd like to find good bumper stickers for my friends, but it's tough when 8/9 per page are about Twilight.

Yes, this is annoying. It's also not new. There's always some hot thing that is flooding the merchandise market. However, that's corporate marketing, sales and capitalism shoving Twilight down your throat, not fans. You may make the point that fans perpetuate the flood of Twilight product, but the fact still remains that you are misplacing your blame here. It's a third party shoving that shit down ALL of our throats.

Half the girls I know read that crap and now they are fixated on this unrealistic idea of a boyfriend.

Oh, come off it. How many movies make women out to be stick-thin, smoking hot with a perfect personality and mad sharpshooting skills or some shit? Pop culture has been fucking with people's expectations and societal perceptions for ever. This is nothing new. Get over it.

[Greenday]

To the OP: would you be opposed to your nephew watching movies where people get killed or do drugs without consequences?

I think you're sticking your nose into your nephews' interests unasked, and trying to justify doing that by using standards you don't apply to other movies.

As long as the kid doesn't think they apply to reality, I don't care what people watch. But people are taking Twilight and making it apply to reality, which is absurd.

I also think it's interesting that the ant-twilight mob's main gripe is that the fans' opinion of the series is being "shoved in their face", yet they behave remarkably forcefully when it comes to sharing THEIR opinion on the series. Hate it if you want, the fans don't care if you hate it. Just hate it quietly.

It is being shoved down our throats, thus we have a right to voice our gripes. I'd like to find good bumper stickers for my friends, but it's tough when 8/9 per page are about Twilight. Half the girls I know read that crap and now they are fixated on this unrealistic idea of a boyfriend. Why would I not gripe about this crap?

[Kalli]

To the OP: would you be opposed to your nephew watching movies where people get killed or do drugs without consequences?

I think you're sticking your nose into your nephews' interests unasked, and trying to justify doing that by using standards you don't apply to other movies.

I also think it's interesting that the ant-twilight mob's main gripe is that the fans' opinion of the series is being "shoved in their face", yet they behave remarkably forcefully when it comes to sharing THEIR opinion on the series. Hate it if you want, the fans don't care if you hate it. Just hate it quietly.

[Kalli]

To me, being on Team Anyone is kinda too far. I mean, there was none of that Team Harry or Team Ron for Harry Potter.

Harry and Ron were friends without any conflicting interests. Edward and Jacob are polar opposite mortal enemies who are both in love with the same person. It's perfectly acceptable to take sides in such a story.

[Greenday]

To me, being on Team Anyone is kinda too far. I mean, there was none of that Team Harry or Team Ron for Harry Potter. Then again, Harry Potter wasn't PG erotica...

[blas87]

K, so how many of you have I lost as friends because I have Edward as my computer background and am on Team Edward?

[LadyBarbossa]

I'll admit that was probably out of line of me, though I do find it irritating that he will make fun of guys who are dancers, figure skaters, homosexuals, men who wear makeup, etc and refuses to watch movies with singing or romance. And yet he'll pay money to watch two people gush over one another and try to kill themselves when they break up, so long as there's 'action' to be seen.

[Ree]

Ree, see my previous post. I would be just as embarrassed if he were a girl. Perhaps my original words weren't the best choices. It isn't so much the 'girly' aspect of the series, it's the fact that I thought he was more intelligent and classy than to get sucked into this craze.

Fair enough, but you did say, in the OP

At least if they went, it'd look like the sister dragged them to it. I'd like to clock him nice and hard with a clue-by-four for telling me "It takes a real man to admit he likes Twilight" when I told him he should check his manhood in at the theater door.

To me, that was saying more than the fact that you considered Twilight to be crap.

[LadyBarbossa]

Ree, see my previous post. I would be just as embarrassed if he were a girl. Perhaps my original words weren't the best choices. It isn't so much the 'girly' aspect of the series, it's the fact that I thought he was more intelligent and classy than to get sucked into this craze.

I've known grown, intelligent people with college education and brilliant minds to get sucked into this thing, and I swear, they get dumber and dumber all the time. There are fans who will put "Edward can break my headboard and bruise my body anyday!" on t-shirts and wear them with a giggle and a grin.

People need to read or view Twilight before judging or defending it. It truly is appalling.

[kiwi]

She doesn't believe in vampires... thats fair.

I don't believe in gravity or logic or mathematics. They are made up thing we are told to believe in, they have almost everyone convinced but NOT ME!!!

[Ree]

I should probably state now for the record that I like Miley Cyrus.

I like her too, for the record.

I just don't think, because someone is a celebrity, that the press should see them as the voice for everyone.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, I hate it. I cringe when I hear the word "vampire."

But that's kind of a dumb thing to say. Of course, she doesn't believe in vampires. I don't either.

I should probably state now for the record that I like Miley Cyrus.