Why Twilight is 'sticky'

If there is one thing that is really starting to annoy me it is logging into youtube to see my sub box filled with Twilight saga videos from people who hate the series. If it is Nerimon moaning about Twilight chapter by chapter (which is so cliched I could cry) or just a vlogger I follow wanting something to moan about I am so bored of it. It is just so predictable.

The Twilight-hater phenomenon fascoinates me. People seem to be going to extreme lengths to hate something. It really is extraordinary. If I pick up a book or see a film I don't like I might moan about it for a while but after that I forget about it and move on. But Twilight seems to be 'sticky'.

There is a whole nation of haters out there who just can't find a new thing to hate. They are stuck on Twilight. And I for one am getting kind of tired of seeing the same old videos and tweets over and over:

"OMG these people are talking about Twilight. What losers!"
"Sparkly vampires? How lame. Get a shred of talent Mrs Meyer!"
"How can people waste their energy even turning the pages of the Twilight books"
"Going to see New Moon tonight. Erghhhhhhhhhh"

Now I have nothing against people hating Twilight. I am very much an 'each-to-her-own' kind of gal. For example, I personalyl didn't think the His Dark Materials trilogy was all that great (zebras on wheels? Really Pullman? REALLY?). But I do accept that some people love them. Everyone looks for something different in a book.

I like Twilight because it is ridiculous escapist nonsense that you can get lost in. No it isn't intellectual. No it isn't great story-telling. It is what it is - it is teenage drama with vampires and werewolves! Nothing more. Nothing less. Some people will hate that, some won't. Fair play, I say.

So here is my problem: I hate olives. I hate George W. Bush. I hate powdered mashed potato. I hate Van Wilder Party Liason. I hate The Godfather. I hate urban love songs. I hate Top Gear.

Yet how many times have I tweeted about each of those subjects in the last year? Not even once for each thing! So why is it that Twilight is so 'sticky'?

Now there are some haters I can relate to. People who have read the series. Like me these people aren't haters so much as 'people with senses of humour'. Twilight isn't a work of art. Bella is a terrible female role model. Edward may be hot but he is far from perfect. And Jacob is not much better. And of course there is Breaking Dawn... if you have read the fourth book then you already be hanging your head at the mention of it. Oh dear. But I can criticise all this stuff because I have read the series.

People who haven't are either going by the films which are - let's face it - tacky. Or by what other people are saying. And since when did the Nerdfighter community become about being a sheep?

It is funny because much of the hate comes from Harry Potter fans. It is almost as if they are scared of Twilight taking over HP as the biggest franchise, which they quite rightly don't think should happen. But HP fans here is a newsflash - it isn't going to. As long as you keep loving HP nothing is going to touch. Especially not a saga that stretches a one book story across four books.

What does bother me is that HP fans are those most used to defending their franchise. How many times has each HP fan had this conversation:

'Ergh, HP is rubbish?'

'Have you actually read it?'

'NO! I wouldn't want to - I know its rubbish'

'But how do you know if you haven't read it?'

'Er... You are SUCH a geek!'

And yet many HP fans are doing the exact same thing to Twilight fans but from the opposite view point. It is ok once in a while but it is just plain BORING now. Seriously. Get something new to hate.

(Now I do want to make something extremely clear at this point. I am not in ANY WAY comparing the two series. Harry Potter, without a shadow of a fraction of an atom of a doubt, is ten million times better. There is no question! I hate that I feel the need to point this out. But for some people not hating Twilight means you are automatically one of those girls who imagines herself being rescued by Robert PAttinson while putting glitter on their boyfriend. It is not the case.)

And... to continue my rant... even better is that people who do like the book now feel they have to try and excuse themselves:

"I saw the movie twice but but but only because two different friends wanted to go!"
"I read the book but ONLY because my friend forced me to!"
"I am Team Jacob but only becasue werewolves are always better than vampires"

Really? Aren't we a community that is all about embracing each others differences. Providing a place where people who have been ridiculed for liking certain things can feel safe. Apparently it is only true if you are a fellow Twilight-hater now.

I think people know they will get a reaction from it. If you are feeling lonely on twitter, or you are needing some more youtube comments - say soemthing Twilight related. It is easy to hate when every one is so willing. And by doing this you are only making the franchise bigger.

So in summary - I don't care whether people like or hate the books. What other people think has no effect whatsoever on how I feel about things. But stop going on about it. You talk about Twilight more than the fans.

It it just so... DULL!

Either stop talking about how much you hate the series. Get something new to hate. ORRRR talk about something you like. It will make you happy - it will make other people happy.

AND for the LOVE of god at least attempt to say something original! Erghhhhhhh!

Rant over for today :)

P.S. OMCB have you seen the Deathly Hallows trailer that was leaked? Let me know in the comments!!!