invisible vampires and the rest of us.

'VAMPIRES DON'T COME OUT AND BITE YOUR NECK ANY MORE. INSTEAD
THEY CAUSE SOMETHING DESTRUCTIVE TO HAPPEN. BLOOD WILL
SPILL AND THOSE INVISIBLE VAMPIRES WILL GET THEIR MEALS...'

- Peter Tosh



more and more, i begin to realize that there is an urge
being created in people's minds. it's the urge to feed
on people, to drain them of all that's good. ever hear
someone you know tell you about a work situation, or a
fight with a lover, or a quarrel with a family member?
isn't 'draining' a common word that links all of these
situations? and then you see part of the problem right
there in front of you.

the invisible vampires.

see, Peter Tosh was on the money in naming them. even
more so now, because society has always been overtaken
with its love of vampires. i mean, one of the most
popular TV shows out is 'True Blood', filled with all
sorts of vampires who carouse with blood and sex as
their main courses. young girls(and older women, let's
be real)got wrapped up in the 'Twilight' series over
the past few years. it's really nothing new; Dracula
has always remained a figure of constant examination
and lore, and Anne Rice wouldn't have been Anne Rice
without 'Interview With A Vampire'.

but when you really look at it...the symbolism is so
potent, and while it can be easily dismissed, it still
lies embedded in this society. the invisible vampires
are those who seek to steal. they're the agents of
chaos working to get over on all of us. i always felt
that the 'Twilight' series encouraged meekness and
submission, both emotional and sexual, from young women.
one of my fave TV shows, 'Community' dropped this line
in it's first season: 'You know what Twilight tells
us? Old men dig young flesh.' True, aint it? even
the series of Blade movies - okay, the first two more
than the epileptic joke of the last one - spoke to
humanity being at the mercy of vampires. cattle to be
bled out and fed on.

political and sociological tones aside, think about
some of the situations in your life. you may have
invisible vampires at your table and you don't even
know it. or you DO know it and think that they'll
leave once they've had their fill. no dice. they are
aware as you, in some moments more so. they're here
to feed on you because their internal misery desires
company, desires control to the point where they will
eliminate yours and bring you pain and confusion. they
can be very familiar. sometimes they can go away and
turn up again like one of those 'pre-approved loan'
letters from a random car dealership. sometimes they
don't even know they're working on behalf of more
ruthless agents of destruction. in any event, you
should realize they're out there. they're not gonna
look like a Bill, or an Edward. invisible vampires
take any form and use it for their gain. your spirit,
your essence being theirs. don't let 'em sit at the
table and get their meals.

until the next time...