Horror Is Good For Kids (Part Five)

Reason #5: SHARING SCARY STORIES BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER

How many times have I seen a group of kids discover to their excessive delight that they have all read and loved the same Goosebumps book? A LOT. The first thing they do is compare and rank the scariest parts and laugh at how they jumped out of their bed when the cat came for a pat on the head, or stayed up all night staring at the half open closet. Like vets having shared a battle, they are brought together in something far more essential and primordial than a mere soccer game or a surprise math test. And looking back myself, I cannot recall having more fun in a movie theater or at home with illicit late night cable tv, than when I was watching a scary movie with my friends. The shared experience, the screams and adrenaline-induced laughter that always follow are some of the best and least fraught times in childhood. And going through it together means we aren’t alone anymore. Not really.

Greg Ruth, author of this article, has been working in comics since 1993 and has published work for The New York Times, DC Comics, Paradox Press, Fantagraphics Books, Caliber Comics, Dark Horse Comics and The Matrix. He has shown his paintings in New York, Houston, and Baltimore, and he also exhibited a series of murals at New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2002.

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Horror In The Fashion Industry

Why do I like writing horror? It’s like holding a mirror up to life’s darkness and screaming at people to wake up from the facade. So many are caught up in the pursuit of material things; surrounding themselves with luxuries and superfluities in a vain attempt to build a fortress against the lurking darkness. But eventually it finds us no matter what our status. My writing certainly strives to tear away the veil of the status quo to reveal the monsters poised and hungering for our demise. Sure, the monsters in my stories are fantastical but maybe they serve as a gateway for readers to take note of the real horrors of modern society.

For example have you ever wondered how Old Navy and The Gap can sell clothing so cheap? I never gave this issue any consideration until my wife recommended I watch The True Cost documentary about how fashion is not only destroying our ecosystem but is also extracting the ultimate cost; human life.

I was shocked at the amount of lives that have been sacrificed all in the name of profit. Factory workers have been exploited to the point that entire communities surrounding toxic textile plants have high rates of deformities and mental handicaps.

But it’s not only affecting humans. The earth suffers too. Fashion factories are the second highest causes of pollution. The realities of a consumer based economy, where we are taught consumption at all cost, is taking its toll and the fashion industry needs to stand up and claim a good portion of blame. Fashion moguls have blood on their hands and it’s time for them to answer.

The documentary is streaming on Netflix and other sources of viewing can be found at the website: http://truecostmovie.com/

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