My Response To Critics On Everything Young Adult

Hey all. I know I haven’t been very active on the blog for quite some time but I’m so busy with university stuff that I can’t even read. I am completely swamped and it sucks, but I am taking some time out to address something that has been irritating me for a while.

I haven’t seen City of Bones yet since it only gets released in my country in September but I saw a lot of hate from the critics. I am not going to comment on the movie since I haven’t seen it yet but this post rather, is about all Young Adult stories, whether they are being made into movies or if it’s just books.

The first thing I want to talk about is how critics or people who don’t read the genre seem to refer to it as tweeny-bopper nonsense and how these stories/movies will only be enjoyable by tweens/teens and that literature has been dumbed down for them and there is no more quality writing.

 I am sorry but this very insulting to me. I am almost 23 years old and I know a lot of people in their 40s and even my grandmother who is 70 who enjoy these stories. We are quite far away from being teens. So i want the critics/general public to do some research into the fandoms before using insulting terminology and why insult tweens or teens saying that they are dumb and that's why they like this? Secondly the fact that it has been dumbed down? That is so rude to say. I have university degree and I’m busy adding to it and will probably do my Honours next year. I alone probably have more qualifications than somebody who writes hate for a blog, let alone all the other people out there who have degrees and jobs.

 The literature has not been dumbed down. They don’t know what the stories contain, they don’t know the issues that get addressed in it. Whether it’s being gay in a society that doesn’t accept or acknowledge it or a society who decides what you need to conform to or racial/species that are forbidden to be together because it is frowned upon, these Young Adult novels are rich with issues and different perspectives that helps us look at things from a different angle if we didn’t think that way in the beginning. It helps us, especially teenagers, to grow as a person and to not be so damn judgemental of everyone around us. I am reading ‘actual literature’ in English class at the moment and I couldn’t be more bored. The characters are boring and mostly annoying and have no real depth to me, also these books deal with issues of that specific time, how am I supposed to relate? Now these critics/general population would say, oh yes but these books are so much more relatable because they vividly remember finding out they were half angel or they remember when the world was plunged into a post-apocalyptic era. 

That is when I will call you childish. Just because these novels gives us a different sort of world to deal with, it doesn’t let go of the issues that we face today.

The second thing that I would like to rant over is the fact that they dare say that they are tired of ‘strong’ female protagonists in stories and that because it has a female protagonist that the story would automatically suck. Excuse you, but you don’t see me complaining that all these dumbass superhero movies get redone over and over again. I swear to God, Superman has probably been done since Hollywood existed, then we get the numerous Batmans and Spidermans(only superhero I actually like), but no of course this doesn’t get criticized as being redundant because it is a big strong man saving the day with his superior awesomeness.

 Good for you, but why can’t girls be strong and awesome as well? Why are girls not allowed to be heroes? Why do we have to be saved by guys all the time? It’s unfair and yes I will find you sexist if you think this way.  Just because a girl is the hero does not mean everything about the story/movie will be horrible. You are being prejudicial and your opinion then becomes invalid. You have no knowledge of the story/movie (that you have watched or isn’t even out yet) and now you want to try and have an opinion? I’m sorry but this is unprofessional, shoddy and immature work.

The third thing that irritates me immensely is the opinion going about that every Young Adult story out there is exactly the same.  Everything with a “love triangle” is seen as Twilight. Everything with love in, in general is seen as Twilight. Anything that consists of vampires or werewolves are obviously Twilight rip-offs or wannabe’s. Anything that has a supernatural character in it is seen as Twilight. Anything with a magical element in it is obviously Harry Potter. Mythology? Oh this is a copy of Percy Jackson because Greek mythology is the only mythology to exist in the entire world. Dystopian world? Yes this will be exactly the same as The Hunger Games. I swear that they will probably compare The Fault In Our Stars to Twilight in some way calling it a sadder version of Twilight without the paranormal elements. 

For the love of God, none of these books invented any of these elements, they do not own the rights. These elements have been around for centuries. People need to stop comparing everything to these four books, because in all honesty in all the times the stuff has been compared it could not be further from the truth.  You are proving to me the limits of the information you possess.

People need to stop hating on things other people love, calling us stupid for liking Young Adult and that we do not know good literature is insulting and not professional. If you do not enjoy the genre STOP WATCHING THE MOVIES!!!!!!! I find people incredibly sad who make their living on hating everything that is enjoyable and fun. If you want to critique the story/movie then do so professionally. DO NOT attack the author. DO NOT attack the fans. DO NOT attack the actors on their physical appearance and DO NOT attack a genre you know nothing about.

So this was my little rant, I’m sorry but I just had to say something. This can’t go on. We need to stand together as a Young Adult fandom and go watch every Young Adult movie that gets released just to shove it in their faces.