“[A note about my terminology–“living vampire” means both what is also called a “real vampire” as well as the state of existing as a vampire.]
Question 1: Is the term ‘vampire’ still wholly valid and applicable to the wider subculture?
Lately we have been discussing whether we are living in a post-vampire world. Whoever we are and whatever we do as a subculture, “vampire” is a loaded word. It would be difficult to find someone (at least someone who’s been living with other human beings) who didn’t have at least a small reaction or a slight preconceived notion upon hearing the term. In the thirty-some years I have been an active participant in the subculture, I have seen it grow and flourish as more individuals have discovered their own vampire natures. However, I’ve seen little acceptance of new meanings outside of the subculture. To put it another way, living vampires are a hard sell.
Some will say this doesn’t matter. Non-vampires cannot possibly understand the truth anyway, so we shouldn’t concern ourselves. But we don’t exist in a vacuum. Even vampires have to share the planet. We can’t expect people to grasp that what we mean by “vampire” is probably very different from what they might be imagining. On this point we need to make a choice. We can either proceed calling ourselves vampires or be aware of the baggage the word carries, or we can seek out a new term that maybe better embraces us.
I’m a firm believer that the use of a word ultimately defines its meaning. As an example, this is how we are able to identify with the term “vampire” without meaning a crabby revenant craving blood and mayhem from a Saturday horror matinee. But what do we really mean by vampire? Who are “we” anyway? Is there enough room for multiple interpretations?
The subculture has never been so much an ideological whole as it has been a union of independents and individuals. To try and affirm that “vampire” has one definition universally accepted by the subculture is its own kind of dark humor. I know what I mean by vampire, and I know better than to presume it’s shared with anyone else (even if technically I’m aware that others have adopted it for their own use). Absolutes in the vampire subculture is a notion that makes me nervous, but one absolute I can embrace is that there is no one correct, proper, and true definition of the term we all embrace.
Circling back, I believe that the validity and application of “vampire” is dependent upon how its meaning can be adapted to use. I realize that this doesn’t sit well with a significant portion of the subculture who would rather there be one accepted corrected definition–preferably theirs. The irony of supporting independent thought and denotation is that I also recognize the right of participants to adhere to a more restricted interpretation.
For my part, I don’t think this is the way we keep “vampire” alive. Not only should we be open to the different ideas that we read or see or hear, we need to keep our own minds fresh and curious, always receptive to new suggestions and information. If we can allow use to define meaning, “vampire” will stay relevant both today and in the future.
Question 2: What is the best methodology for the subculture to move forward in the 21st century?
My bright-eyed and enduring optimism might be speaking here, but…
The vampire subculture of 2017 now has several decades of success to its credit. We need to step back and appreciate this for the accomplishment it is. We’ve grown, we’ve flourished, we’ve created. We’ve had problems and we’ve bounced back. We’ve suffered losses and internal disputes and yet we continue. Perhaps the greatest strength of the vampire subculture is in its resilient nature. In any event, through endless work and dedication we’ve created a subculture that now has a considerable history. Examining that history gives us ideas of how to chart our continued progress in the future.
In my view the greatest leap forward has been a new interest in scientific and medical research. The idea that the living vampire has physiological components is too important to avoid. I know many in the subculture for whom living vampire is a physical, biological condition. My own experience with pernicious anaemia and the subsequent functional need for blood not my own (usually by transfusion, although I have a monogamous donor who’s helped me through the rough times, even long before I had a diagnosis) has brought me into the science-aware medical sanguinarian community–I cannot stress enough what a tremendous help it’s been. For a successful future, we need to encourage this scientific approach. Maybe it destroys the “romanticism” of the vampire, but in practical terms for many living vampires, it’s an affliction that needs to be assuaged at the same time it is embraced.
Many of us who have publicly identified ourselves with the subculture have been contacted by seekers wondering if we have been “turned” or if we would be willing to “turn” them. Naturally we know turning is the stuff of overheated fiction. What we need to keep in mind is that a seeker may be completely sincere in approaching us, in feeling somehow out of step with the world. They simply may not know of any other way to put what they are asking. In every instance when a seeker reaches out to us there may be a true living vampire. It’s always been my policy to at least find out the depth of interest before writing anyone off as delusional or a role player–and in most cases, I’ve found it worth my time. It would be a great development if the subculture had the patience to give seekers a chance, even if they ask about turning. We were all novices once…right?
Speaking of, there’s plenty of room for improvement in how we treat each other. I’ve been part of many discussions on the subject, and the only conclusion I’ve reached is that there’s no ready solution. A lot of vampires don’t want any part of a social convention or code of politesse. As I also understand that the living vampire inherently defies rules and regulations (that is, those impressed upon them–there’s always the hope of common sense and courtesy) I can’t in good conscience disagree. How to have etiquette without anyone feeling bound by etiquette? It’s something to consider.
Something I’ve always believed but apparently isn’t universally accepted is that living vampires are equals. I see it as a means of survival. After all, we’re one subculture in a world that, in a sense, is not ours. We have far more in common than we have separating us. Speaking as the former head of a vampire order and the impetus of several other subculture enterprises, I think we are exiting the age of houses, orders, and formal groups. The nature of the living vampire cannot be contained. We can have unions of individuals, but hierarchies will only serve those who somehow find themselves on top. I honestly mean no offense to “leaders” of the subculture. I also know that those who have become movers in the subculture through work, patience, service, sacrifice, generosity of spirit, and dedication will understand what I mean.
Another area in which I’m qualified to comment is the living vampire subculture as it exists in the physical world. There have been attempts at determining just how many living vampires exist. From what I’ve read, the number of living vampires in the world is many times greater than what is represented in the online community. Considering the living vampires I know in my own area and how few of us are active online, I’d have to agree with this assessment. How reflective of the physical living vampire culture, then, is the online community? It’s much easier to argue endlessly with someone who (in many cases) is nothing but electrical impulses on a computer screen. It takes less courage to sling gossip and slander and insult in the relative anonymity of the online world. To this end, the online community would benefit from more face-to-face encounters with living vampires in the real world. When the flesh is made real, the emotions may follow.
My last point addresses a personal mission of mine, one that many real vampires may feel no obligation to entertain. None of us live in a vacuum. Like it or not, we share the planet with other people, and most of those people hold very different views. In a perfect world, people would understand what’s printed about our subculture as a cross section of a population with endless variety and variations. The problem is that much of what has been presented is fundamentally misleading. It won’t hoodwink long time vampires who know what’s going on, but it might very well have a biased sway over the general reading population–and worse, over the readily-influenced “new to vampirism” crowd. If we’re going to co-exist, we need to tell the straight facts about living vampirism. We shouldn’t get bogged down in ridiculous metaphysical prose. To exist in peace with
the mainstream, we need to write for the mainstream.”
