The Twilight Epidemic: The Fine Line Between Fantasy and Reality

By Ella Sivertsen and Olivia Baker, M&M TIPsters

There seems to be only one question on the minds of countless teenage girls these days: “Team Edward, or Team Jacob?”

You can always find a Twilight t-shirt at Wal-Mart, thousands of fans rush to the movie theaters at six-o’-clock in the morning to catch the first midnight showing of the latest addition to the saga, and Taylor Lautner probably appears shirtless on the walls of giggling girls more frequently than he would ever care to find out, ever.

But while fans are debating whether Pattinson or Lautner is hotter, there is often something more going on in the minds of true Twilight fans. Thoughts swim around about the definition of love and of protection, the boundary between teenage romance and a darker side to Edward and Bella, and why the knight in shining armor/vampire in shining Volvo can’t come for every girl.

So when does fiction wander too far into the real world?

“[It’s] really annoying [all the attention it’s received]; it’s kinda ruined it for me,” a local Athens teen says. Twilight books have sold around 5.3 million copies, and that’s just in the U.S. The movies have grossed approximately $1.5 billion worldwide! There is now Twilight Saga bedding, clothing, jewelry, makeup, perfume, Barbies, lunch boxes, mugs, board games, and key chains. Someone even prints Twilight toilet paper.

Twilight has become very widely known. Hundreds of thousands of screaming “Twilighters” line up for movie premieres and book signings just to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. While “Twi-hards” take their fan base and posters very seriously, many simply find the craze to be hilarious, and others still have more opinionated, solemn responses to the “epidemic.”

“A lot of the girls who are reading it are really young, like, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, and that’s a REALLY impressionable age,” says Rose Dasher, a young, working woman in Athens. Miss Dasher has personally read the Twilight Saga and is, to put it kindly, not a big fan. It’s not because fans have ruined her experience or because she doesn’t like the casting for the movie; she opposes the messages portrayed to Twilight’s young readers. “[It] presents some rather skewed messages to younger girls… It’s like there’s a lot of messages I disagree with about love and relationships and about women’s roles in relation to men.”

For all of you who don’t know, Bella is extremely dependent on Edward, Jacob, and all the Cullens. Dasher also says that if this relationship was real, it would be “something for the feds to handle.” Regarding things from female dependency to pre-marital sex, Twilight is highly debated the world over. People don’t sparkle; taking the books too realistically can blur the line between reality and fantasy.

Don’t worry too much about those Twi-hards, though. Most find that, like the Backstreet Boys, Twilight is a passing trend.

“There’s always something teenagers will love,” says an Athens resident, “if it’s Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, or Twilight.”

As for the future, like all other fads, Twilight will be eclipsed by something new, with a breaking dawn to a new era. Pun intended.

Ella Sivertsen, 14, is a ninth grader at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, GA.

Olivia Baker, 15, is a tenth grader at the University School of Jackson in Jackson, TN.

Local Music Review

By Kathy Garner, M&M TIPster

In general, I find local music scenes enjoyable. Locals are often very attached to bands hailing from the area, and Athens, Ga., is no exception.

In particular, the Athens music scene has been described as being successful despite a sleepy atmosphere. One of the reasons the scene is so successful may very well be because it is “easy to get [your band] out there,” as said by 16-year-old Alex Blankenship, a participant in Camp Amped. Camp Amped is a camp for local teenage musicians to get their band together and participate in music making. (PICTURE: Alex Blankenship, 16 (left) and Isik Benson, 15 (right), participants in Camp Amped)


With encouragement to musicians such as this, it makes sense that many Athenian bands are successful. Here are three bands that are representative of the Athens area music scene, and in particular, it’s rock heritage:

ham1, “I Wave Back,” The Underground Stream EP: Consisting of Jim Willingham, Eric Harris, Jacob Morris, Jeff Fox, and Charlie Estes, ham1 is classified in the genre of indie-pop. Their song “I Wave Back” fits this description. The lead singer’s a tad monotone, but the rest of the band’s solid instrumentals make up for this fact. It also has decent lyrical content. While it is a catchy song, it won’t be stuck in your head for ages. Definitely worth giving a listen.

Now It’s Overhead, “Walls,” Day light Daybreak: Classified as a melodic-pop band, Now It’s Overhead claims Andy LeMaster, Clay Leverett, Orenda Frink, and Maria Taylor as members. However, melodic wouldn’t be my first choice to describe the bands song “Walls.” It’s closer to a pop-rock blend, with few vocal melodies. The song sounds synthesized together, and is strangely addictive, despite being of average quality. It isn’t really my thing, but if I knew someone I thought would like it, I would recommend it to them.

The Empties, “Don’t Be a Bad Child,” The Empties: A self described rock ‘n’ roll band, Matthew Knutson, Benjamin Wills, Chris Giddens, and Ben Keller make up The Empties. The song “Don’t Be a Bad Child” gives off a feeling of a band from the 60s or 70s, such as earlier Beatles. It’s one of the ones that I’d recommend to random people I barely know, so I choose to give it my thumbs up.

Kathy Garner, 15, is a sophomore at Ursuline Academy in Dallas, Texas.

Girls Rock!

By Kathy Garner, M&M TIPster

Athens has an amazing music scene. With bands such as REM and the B52s hailing from this area, doesn’t it make sense that it is also home to a camp for musicians?

The Girls Rock camp is a non-profit organization, dedicated to empowering girls ages 9-15 through learning how to play guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, or sing. Currently, it is only a summer program. However, they are looking to extend it to an after-school, weekend, and winter vacation program, as well as a separate camp for older campers (the main program lists having these or a variation on their website, but the local program does not).

Originally started in Portland, Oregon, the Girls Rock camp alliance’s main goal is to empower young women regardless of race, neighborhood, ethnicity, or socio-economic background. While girls are encouraged to bring their own instruments, they keep a cost-free rental program for their instruments, as many are beginners. They also keep drum kits and amplifiers on site, though these are not for rent. The camp also has a string of core values, including respect, positive approaches to fighting sexism, and diversity.

Kathy Garner, 15, is a sophomore at Ursuline Academy in Dallas, Texas.