Vampire ethics.

[the_grynne]

An interesting article about our fascination with the "morality" of vampires at NPR (via):
A vampire's near-immortality is probably why I ended up reading 75 vampire novels. I'd been caring for a seriously ill loved one, and as a result, I had been spending a lot of time thinking deeply about issues of mortality. I had also occasionally

Comments

[orange_crushed]

Ah, I was going to send you this, but you've already seen it!

It's a very interesting piece. I find the morality and power aspect of supernatural stories more compelling than the sex aspect (though, of course, sex and power are intertwined.) And people do abuse their power with depressing regularity. For vampires, too, I like the idea of memory and history having something to do with it- what is their responsibility to the human race, formerly their own race and now a potential food source. Such a weird question.

But the "struggling to define a personal moral code" thing is already like catnip for me, vampire or human or robot or whatever. Show me a character who is existing outside of normal morality, but struggling not to fall off some internal ledge, and I will probably be hooked, and easily.

[the_grynne]

But the "struggling to define a personal moral code" thing is already like catnip for me, vampire or human or robot or whatever.

Yes!! I think that's the question lurking in the background of a lot of stories that I write. Lord knows, I don't do it personally for the porn...

I said to my good friend (calculare) recently that I've always felt like I have all of this White Guilt, without the benefit or simplicity of actually being white or Christian. So I go through day-to-day feeling the inadequacies of many ethical norms. It's very, very easy for me to sympathise with the robots, the vampires, the sociopaths.

[orange_crushed]

It's very, very easy for me to sympathise with the robots, the vampires, the sociopaths.

I suppose it's easier to sympathize with someone who matches you- so much more unusual is the thoughtful soul who can stretch their own understanding to make room for someone who doesn't quite fit. :)