Pass the Kool-Aid, I’ll Drink It!
By ifellhard
I recently read an article on the News Blog by an author who has decided to have her attorney prepare a cease and desist order for brainwashing our daughters. Yes, folks, she is suing Stephenie Meyer for BRAINWASHING young girls. The author has made clear her political and religious stance in her article. I shall do my best to keep my own political and religious leanings out of here and rely on good, ol’ common sense.
The author states:
“Breaking Dawn is the culmination of what can only be described as conservative Christian sexual propaganda and misinformation. Enough has been written about the fact that Meyers is a Mormon, but she could just as easily worked for either of the Bush Administrations in the Department of Ed’s sexual misinformation program.”
So…Are we to believe that Stephenie Meyer was a covert agent of the conservative right who was working with the Bush Administration? Was it some sort of program for stay-at-home moms who can’t find anything else to do besides shuttle their kids around, volunteer at school, and attend church functions (which we know that she must be doing because we do know that she is a Mormon)? In return for writing such propaganda, was she guaranteed that millions of people would purchase these books, there would be a movie deal, and she would be wealthy beyond her wildest dreams?
The author continues:
“Meyers continues this miseducation of our youth by having her teen heroine, Bella (yes,, the heroine’s name is Bella and she’s beautiful) wait till she’s married to have sex. Of course, Bella wants to have sex before she marries her vampire boyfriend Edward, BUT sex with her vampire boyfriend will KILL her since he’s so super powerful and she’s just a weak, delicate flower. When the two are finally married, right after her high school graduation, they do have sex before she’s a vampire and it very nearly does killer her (there’s a lot of bruising and a down pillow torn to shreds by Edward in an effort not to rip her head off). Then (SPOILER ALERT) Bella becomes pregnant (have sex even onces and…) and the baby is going to KILL her since it’s not fully human.
Abortion? No, never. She insists on having the baby no matter what. Oy vey. Could it get worse? Yes, because in the end, the baby is born, she dies and then is brought back to life, well, not life, but undeadness, as a vampire, the child, a girl, is perfect in every way and all who see her fall madly in love, and the “problem” of teen pregnancy, potentially deadly sexual acts, and marrying across class and species lines goes away.”
First things first – her last name is Meyer, not Meyers. Second, Stephenie Meyer has been attacked time and time again by various feminist groups and individuals claiming that the books are anti-feminist. I find it interesting that a young girl who knows what she wants and goes after it cannot be considered a feminist. Never once does Bella submit to the will of anyone else. She is a free-thinking, stubborn girl who often does the opposite of what her boyfriend has asked her to do. I am tired of hearing people trash Stephenie Meyer for having Bella keep the baby. If feminists such as this author are, in fact, pro-choice, why are they tearing down someone for making a choice for life when there were characters in the book who were trying to get Bella to terminate the pregnancy? It’s not like the other side of the argument wasn’t present in the book. To be honest, young women and girls do need a reminder that unprotected sex (even once) can result in pregnancy. It is possible! Guess what else…pregnancy and childbirth (even for a wholly human baby) can be deadly for the mother. Despite all of the advances of modern medicine, women all over the world die every day from pregnancy complications and giving birth. What have things come to when women tear down other women just because their choices do not fall in line with someone else’s political views?
The author then alleges that Stephenie Meyer has stolen “the sexual and emotional health of a generation of young women.” Forget the fact that she has raised the standards for what young women expect from young men. Oh, forbid that they should be expected to have manners, hold doors open for us, offer to take our coat, or save a young woman from a group of thugs intent on gang-raping her! Forget the fact that her writings have inspired girls to go back and read the classics – Austen, Bronte, Shakespeare, and have turned girls (who never picked up a book before) on to reading in general. Let’s bear in mind that there are countries today where women are not even allowed to read or be taught to read!
Ms. Essig also draws attention to the “bizarro pedophilia” imprinting with Jacob and calls attention to the “the crazy Christian messages about sex and pregnancy permeating the series”. While imprinting does tend to freak out many readers, Ms. Meyer made it abundantly clear in the books that imprinting is not about marriage, romance, or sex. The character of Jacob is there to be whatever Renesmee wants him to be in her life – friend, brother, babysitter, or tennis partner. She was not betrothed to him. Did Ms. Essig miss the part where Bella attempted to rip out Jacob’s throat upon learning of the imprint?
After reading the article, it appears to me that the author is more interested in censorship because Stephenie Meyer’s work does not fall in line with her political or spiritual leanings. I’ve heard time and time again that those who preach tolerance are often the least tolerant. Ms. Essig doesn’t like the message that she has inferred from the books, so she’s going to ask the courts to censor it? The very right that gives her freedom of the press also extends to Stephenie Meyer and her works.
Perhaps I should argue that another generation of women have been brainwashed the other way – thinking that promiscuity, sexting, and sex tapes being leaked on the Internet are a good thing and that allowing men to treat women like crap should be the norm. Who can I sue for that?! In a society where the top news stories include a rap artist beating up his R&B singer girlfriend and he gets a slap on the wrist after a public apology, WHY is a story where a chivalrous teenage boy wants to wait for marriage to have sex with his all-too-willing girlfriend such a bad thing?
What do you think?
