Category: Pop Culture

Derek Newman-Stille, a senior tutor at Ontario’s Trent University and M.A. graduate in Anthropology, has made monsters and werewolves the subject of his academic research for the past three years. “Studying something like this reveals a lot about how people of the past define themselves because monsters embody everything that is not human,” he said in a recent interview with the Peterborough Examiner. In an article posted on Trent University’s web site, he goes on to explain that people are simultaneously fascinated and repulsed by the idea of the werewolf (and not just its fearsome appearance) because the creature is a mixture of human and animal: “Werewolves are the perfect symbol for liminality – occupying a transitory state and not fixed as either human or wolf but able to fluctuate between the two states.”

I find it extremely encouraging that the pursuit of this sort of research is gaining credibility in the acedemic world. A subject as deeply woven into history and psychology as this ought not to be dismissed simply because it’s fantastic… or frightening.

“When people see monsters we are both repulsed by it and we find it really fascinating,” Newman-Stille tells the Examiner. “The fear response is the same as a pleasure response. People really like things that scare them.”

Today is Election Day in the United States. I’m Canadian, but my significant other is American, so I can still say that we voted for Barack Obama. Aside from being the best candidate for the job, Obama has established a clear pro-lycanthrope record. On the other hand, John McCain has gone out of his way to spite the werewolf community by choosing some kind of a vampire-harpy creature as a running mate.

Among Obama’s werewolf-centric initiatives:

• A minimum of one full moon every week.
• Private transformation booths to be installed at all national and city parks.
• An annual clothing expense rebate of up to $1,000 to cover the cost of clothing ripped, shredded or otherwise destroyed during a transformation. Receipts required.
• A ban on the import or sale of all silver artifacts, with the exception of wolfshead cane toppers.
• A reduction in wages and support infrastructure for dog catchers and animal control workers.

So remember, folks, a vote for Obama is a vote for Werewolf Rights. So get out there and vote!