we had a fascinating conversation in class last week about the cultural messages in vampires and zombies--forbidden sexuality tied to a notion of eternal youth and power but forbidden and with a price for vampires and girls and kickbutt being able to challenge the chaos of an evil unpredictable world with zombies for boys.
Summarize your thoughts here and let's look further at these symbols in modern pop culture.
maybe think about how these views of power are the next step in the child views of POWER we have begun discussing.
And I want to know what your plan is for the zombie apocalypse...what is a zombie apocalypse anyway?
Like I stated earlier in class, as a child I saw Vampires and considered them part of the monster group of horror. I never really got into them as a kid because of how they were portrayed as monsters or people with strong ablilities. Where as now, in modern day, Vampires are percieved as being erotic, sexual people who have power in lust and seduction and can be young forever. A complete 180 in terms of how I remembered vampires. Zombies have been booming in pop culture for decades. Recently, with Land of the Dead and mutliple ways of media depicting zombies; show them as a fierceful enemy. One that cannot be talked or consolted with. Something that must just simply be fought. Something truly evil. Perhaps this is why some love zombies, but I appreciate zombies films for the question it brings: What would you do to survive? And the zombie apoclypse is considered when the zombies overtake, and destroy society or people. I dont nesscessarily have a "plan" but it is a topic my friends joke about from time to time.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved vampires and vampire stories, and I believe I always will. It's very evident that the idea of the vampire has evolved drastically from the original Dracula, but that doesn't make them any less interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat fascinates me most about them is their eternal life and amazing power. Of course, this is commonly shown as having a price, that price being one of many things. In many stories, vampires cannot walk in daylight. It's also common that they have an uncontrollable urge to feed on people. The facts between vampires vary from story to story outside of those two things. Despite these prices though, I've always found myself desiring or admiring of such a life. There is so much to do and so much to learn in the world, and I want to know what the world will have in store after my own lifetime. I don't see the need to feed as such a detriment, because it's really no different than the natural food chain as it exists in reality.
For the Zombie Apocalypse, that is, when the world is overrun by zombies, I'll be taking shelter with a couple buddies of mine in Duluth. They live out in the country where the zombie population is thin, and they have a large collection of medieval weaponry for us to defend ourselves with when a straggler comes along. They also have great food and know how to play Pinochle.
Vampires have been directed toward girls in the past few years especially with the Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries. Vampires have taken a turn from being the scary figures into sex symbols. To be honest, if I met a vampire like Edward Cullen, I would fall in love like Bella. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't believe in the whole Zombie Apocalypse. Stereotypically, I think that is a guy's fantasy. To me, I just don't get the whole zombie thing.
My earliest memory of vampires as a child was probably that of Dracula. He slept during the day and fed on the blood from the neck's of his victims at night. He was a character that I believe appealed to more of the males than the females. As I have gotten older, vampire movies and television shows are making more of comeback. There have numerous shows on television and the Twlight saga is finding a lot of success. While my initial idea of vampires is that of death, television shows are portraying vampires in a whole new light. I draw my opinions from the only vampire show I have seen, and that is True Blood. In this town people are well aware that vampires are living in the town and they are still feared. They are thought of as dangerous and you're better off being their friend than you are to be out walking by yourself at night. However, there are a few who befriend the vampires and they almost seem human. Then there are those in the town that fantasize being with vampire just so they can be bitten during a sexual escapade. The thrill is exciting and mysterious. Yes, they still can not be outside during the day, and they must sleep in the ground, but I feel that other than that difference, they have been given much more human qualities. While I have never seen any of the Twlight movies, all of the Edward Cullen fans seem to be pretty enthralled.
ReplyDeleteThese views of power that are being portrayed in vampire programs are none of which I believe children should be viewing. These children that are allowed to watch these shows are being told that being considered evil and going around biting people is okay. The Twlight series does nothing to object this message of power because all of the vampires and werewolves in the movie are portrayed as sex symbols. Girls want to be with them and feel protected. As shown with Bella and Edward, everything will work out like it is supposed to.
As for the zombie apocalypse, I do not think that it will ever happen. While these shows seem very real to a lot of the viewers, that is what is meant. Instead of vampires simply appealing to the male fan base, females just may be overtaking this category. Guys are hooked for the sex appeal that vampires bring and so are the ladies. A vampire apocalypse would add 100x more chaos to our world than a regular Twlight movie premiere, and that thought to me is terrifing!
My earliest memories of vampires was that of something to be feared. Vampires were evil, and scary to me as a child. Today vampires are portrayed much differently. Vampires are now sex symbols and although they are still powerful, they are powerful in a much different way then in earlier views. The power now is not evil, and scary, but is more about having power of sex appeal. When I watch movies such as twilight, I am not fearful as I was when I was younger. It is more a romantic film, rather then horror. I find that when I was younger, vampires were more interesting to the male audience, whereas today it is the complete opposite, with women being more interested.
ReplyDeleteI have always been freaked out by zombies. I feel like their physical appearance has not really changed, they have always been creepy, dirty and ugly. I feel like men have and are the major population interested in zombies. In the video game Call of Duty, there is a section where you can actually kill zombies. I feel like zombies are a way for men to feel strong and be able to have power, to feel like they can protect us from the walking dead.
The first memories that I can recall involving vampires were from movies like Dracula, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and sadly, My Little Vampire. All those movies made vampires seem dark and evil, but since the Twilight Saga, True Blood and Vampire Diaries, vampires have taken a surprising twist and are now seen in a sexual way. They are seen as sensual, slow and mysterious. When they hunt their prey, it is done very romantically and careful. The power has definitely shifted over from being a physical threat, but now as a powerful sexual desire. I agree with Mataya that vampires used to be more geared towards men, but it seems like recently with the change to sex driven vampires, it is more geared towards women. Now men have moved on to zombies. Zombies have always been very gross to me. They are mindless, blood thirsty and ugly beings that slowly take over the population and what are even worse are the creepy fast moving ones from movies like 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead. Zombies are not supposed to move quicky, they are supposed to me brainless monsters, but somehow in those movies, they are quick, very smart and powerful. They find their power in large numbers and that is how they succeed in these movies.The only zombie movie that I have liked is Zombieland because it was funny and actually had a story line as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe the zombie apocalypse with actually happen. I believe in such parasites having an affecting humans such as mad cow disease, but I do not think it could actually happen. At least not in our life time. If it does happen, I'd be the weakest link.