The Cult of Twilight?

In an interview on SiriusXM's The Morning Mash Up Wednesday, Miley Cyrus apparently referred to aficionados of the "Twilight" series as being like a cult. I think this is a bit strong; perhaps what she really should have used is the word "fad".

The word cult is often applied to groups who are devoted to a particular person, book, or idea, and it is indeed definition number five in my Merriam-Webster collegiate dictionary. However, the primary definitions have to do with religious beliefs and movements, and applying the term to something as transient as films and books really gives an aura of something dangerous to a phenomenon which is essentially harmless.

When I think of cults, I think of Jim Jones' People's Temple, and the Branch Davidians of Waco, among others. They tend to isolate their followers from the mainstream; indoctrinate them into a style of living which is often rigid and enforced by abuse; and use various methods of "brainwashing" to convince them that theirs is the only lifestyle which is true and right. Often, they have an "us against them" mentality, with "them" being everyone who does not belong to their group.

I know most parents accept their teens' obsessions with celebrities and movie stars as a passing phase. There was some consternation among conservative religious groups when the Harry Potter rage hit; they viewed it as a promotion of witchcraft and magic among the young. I'm sure some view the Twilight series as the same sort of threat; after all, it deals with vampires and werewolves.

What we're missing is that kids are perfectly aware of the difference between make believe and the real world. I don't think any Harry Potter fans have been searching the rail stations of the UK for Platform 13, or mixing potions in their basement in the hopes of conjuring up mixtures that will make them invisible. (Although, many was the time I can remember wishing that I had such a thing.) I certainly don't think that today's teens take the characters of Twilight all that seriously.

Teens, and female teens especially, do respond to books and movies that deal with the everyday challenges of adolescence; and they are forever drawn to romance. The characters of Jacob and Edward are both attractive and, in a way, unattainable; everyone is pining for someone else, and the movie seemed to be a giant morass of longing looks, teen angst, and "you just don't understand". Pity poor Bella, torn between two hunky young males who are fighting over her!

So, I don't think any harm will come of the Twilight fad. It will run its course, and something else will come along. Miley Cyrus should just loosen up and enjoy things while she can...because, one day, she'll no longer be a fad either.