I don't think so. Human history has shown that as a species we have a strong tendency toward intolerance of the different. As a species we have partaken in ethnic cleansing; mass genocide based on ethnicity, religion, orientation; we have enslaved and made chattel of human beings for no better excuse than the color of their skin. The only kind of "modern world" where there would be tolerance of werewolves would be in comic-book land where Superman doesn't go to federal prison for vigilantism and obstruction of justice (because in the real actual world, that's what would happen, or we would kill him).
In the real world, Superman would be unstoppable until we got his hands on a girlfriend or something >.> True, humans are rather speciesist, but we don't tell stories of people making a difference or read history of how we changed our ways eventually because all we ever do is try to eliminate other races. We do it rather often but there are heroes and times we do pick the right choice so it's not implausible that another race or whatever would automatically have been eradicated. Let's say werewolves were around since cavemen and dinosaurs (Yes, I know the two aren't chronologically accurate) we as a race would have probably fought thousands of times on a wide scale (Whether werewolves hunt humans or not) but over time it would cease more and more just like we eventually stopped over real history little by little. Yes, we still fight, but it's nowhere near as bad or bloody as it once had been or quite as often. If werewolves could have been organized well enough to fight back and survive and carve out territory, eventually, some sort of peace would be established. Even humans or the most violent animals want to be left well-enough alone in the long run. Or there would have been turning points in history where there would be sympathizers as there had been for every issue the world had against something or another and things would improve. The idea that humans will no matter what destroy any other life is rather pessimistic and not in the good way. We might be a cruel parasite on the face of the planet but we're not slaves to our nature or we'd still be burning witches and watching slaves ships mozy on by.
Nope. That's a pretty thought, but we're not like that. The Middle East. South East Asia. South America. Rwanda. The list goes on. No, no, no. Now you've stretched what I have said too far. Clearly we have not destroyed all other life that is different from our own. What I am saying is that we're pretty crappy to other humans who are just regular plain old humans who look a little different, speak a different language, or read from a different book of devotion. Were there to be humans with the power to turn into werewolves, a creature that is in fact rather dangerous, we would not tolerate that amongst us. We wouldn't.
I know there is still loads of fighting but those are old places that fought too long to just stop because they're tired of it. The new world, and little of the old one, are rather peaceful for the better part, no? It's not a coincidence. We just have been given little reason to fight compared to places thousands of years old with a long feuding history. We are crappy to other humans but we get better with time. We always hunted someone down for some random reason whether real or fictional, usually the latter, but things do get better. Witches, savages, shifters, gays, commies, and so much more but we never managed to eradicate them and we learned that we were in the wrong, no? Also, I doubt it'd be as simple as killing all the werewolves. If they are superior, they'd easily defend themselves and most likely survive. They might not thrive for a long time but killing them outright for the possibility they'd eat us in our sleep is highly unlikely to be the case for forever. I'd be shocked if there was no fighting because of fear but eventually it would stop.
It would not. And just to refocus the conversation, look back at the OP's original question. He/she is asking about werewolves living with us, amongst us, in a modern world. We're not talking about them being isolated on some island or something. Amongst us. Even now, in the real actual world we don't allow people who are proven to be a danger to society to walk the streets. We lock them up. We put them in prison. And when they really prove to us how dangerous they are, we execute them. And these are plain old homo sapiens. You, me, anybody. And honestly, we do posses the capacity to extinguish a species in the technical sense. We can do it. We've done it over and over again. The ability is there.
There are criminals walking out of jail every day from over saturation in prison or a faulty legal battle/system. We don't go out with stakes and torches to lynch them. And I am talking about living as neighbors in the same city. The idea isn't completely far fetched if it was a very very gradual process. If they were plopped then of course they'd be attacked on sight or any "unnatural" being that came to live by us. What I'm saying is that humans learned to tolerate many things over their history and werewolves could easily be one of them just as anything else.
Since werewolves aren't real and we can do whatever we want with them -- and considering what's already been done with them in fiction -- I think I'd steer clear of the clichés. Or I'd use the cliché in a tongue-in-cheek way, like many writers do nowadays with vampires.
I think in this case we have to look at the meta-werewolf, and understand what the audience is willing to accept as far as the archetype is concerned. Shoehorning a werewolf into the secretariat might work for a particular character, but OP didn't ask "What kind of character am I writing?" She asked, She isn't asking for character profiles, she is asking for the meta-werewolf. JEM points out that a werewolf might be a good animal trainer. Or a terrible one. Depending on whether they want to kow animals with their superior predator...ness; or whisper the animals with their empathic connection. Either way they'd be good in the circus. Secret service would also be good, they could use their heightened and their fierce loyalty to protect the president.
The Werewolf Bodyguard The other bodyguards don't trust him, the senate doesn't trust him, and the nation doesn't trust him. The President gave him a chance, seeing the good in him. He does his best to put werewolves in the best light. A dark secret from his past puts everything in jeopardy when soon he wonders if he can trust himself with the presidents life in his hands... .... I claim copyright to this genius idea!!!!!! lol, jk.
Well, shoehorning would probably never work. 'Cause it's shoehorning. That's like saying "sometimes info dumping works." I really don't see how you're doing this right and I'm not but, frankly, I don't really care if something I've posted has actually helped the OP. All I'm saying, it's possible to think outside the box when one is wondering how the werewolves would live in our world if we knew about them, etc. so, for example: Make shitloads of money by designing supernatural games from his/her home, giving him/her a lot of free-time to go wolfy every now and then. Possibly start a werewolf fight club on the side -- werebears and shapeshifters are invited too. Depends on when they got bitten. If it'd hinder their studies, they might have to work minimal wage jobs... Or become UFC fighters! No, probably not, if Dana White knew they were werewolves... It might be considered a form of doping or something. Whatever you want, as long as you take into consideration that they howl at the full moon every few weeks and might or might not have a bad temper.
That raises the important question: Is Lance Armstrong a werewolf? Also questions Can you become a werewolf by injecting yourself with werewolf saliva? Is there a black market demand for werewolf saliva? Do you have to kill the werewolf to get it?
I definitely agree with this statement. It's just the way of the world, sadly. I think it's why stories like X-Men ring so true. Humanity has a tendency to hate and fear what's different, because they're "threatened" by it. And if a person of charm and intelligence is able to manipulate that unease someone fells about the "other", it could cause that unease to fester into fear and that fear to fester into hate.
My dog's wee kills the grass on my lawn, and then he digs up huge patches of turf just so he can eat dirt and track mud into the house. If a werewolf gardener can sort that out, I'd pay good money...
Yeah in my story people have known that werewolves exist for a while. There's a long history concerning their relationship with humans. For example, I'm thinking that there were probably cults that worshipped them a long time ago, but the development and power of monotheistic religion deemed their practices "evil", hence a history of persecution. Of course, since werewolves can create more of their kind by biting humans, they killed a lot of people to keep their numbers up during this time. During the time period my story is set in, these violent conflicts have been somewhat resolved, but of course there are a lot of strict regulations in place to maintain peace, though unfortunately the only ones benefiting are humans. I would think the government wouldn't completely eradicate them, since they could learn a lot about them and even use their cells for scientific studies and such (since werewolves heal so quickly, I suspect someone would try to use their cells to see if they can use them to cure ailments and diseases). People wouldn't want a werewolf teaching their children, nor would they be enthusiastic about seeing a werewolf doctor. So I know that their occupation choices are limited. But I can also see some people having a werewolf "fetish" and may visit restaurants with werewolf staff. And I would think that they would be useful in the military or police. However, I was thinking that there would be an individual organization specially meant to train werewolves to do police-like work, mostly enforcing the strict laws amongst their own kind. Since my protagonist is only 19, she wouldn't have a full-blown career of any sort, but I also need an occupation that is plausible for a werewolf character and would pay enough for her to at least afford to rent an apartment.
Well I can't claim to understand your character, but I think a werewolf stripper/grafitti artist would be a compelling read
Strictly this is not true. But it is true that dogs do not see in black and white as some have thought in the past. Dogs, in common with many predator species have some colour vision, but they are only able to see blues and yellows. So they are red colour blind. It has been suggested that the ability to detect red arose in fruit eating species such as primates to allow them to detect ripe fruit visually. This has never been important for predators. On this visual capabilities digression I am surprised no one has taken something like the ability of Sparrow Hawks to see partially into the UV end of the spectrum - which they use to detect mouse urine which emits brightly at this wavelength, as a plot device. Surely some monster transformation might give this ability.
Werewolves in a modern world. If you think minorities have it bad, I can imagine how much harder a minority that shape changes into a dangerous beast would have it? Curfews, registration, microchip injections for tracking purposes, segregation from "normal" people, separate water fountains to prevent the spread of Lycanthropy and werewolves have to have "lycanthropy insurance" to pay for any damages...all in the name of "security" for normal humans.
No night shifts. Religious extremists, probably Christian, would treat them badly. The government would off them work as "super mercenaries"
If they're a persecuted minority, then the most likely way for a 19 year-old to get work is within the werewolf community itself. I imagine they'd have their own areas in cities (or are they more into living in small towns, given their rural nature), and hire other werewolves to work in their businesses. Of course, broadminded non-werewolf employers (which may include government agencies, depending on the status of civil rights in your fictional world) would employ them, but they'd be more likely to encounter discrimination and abuse working alongside non-lycanthropes. If you're going for the traditional idea that they're immune to permanent harm from anything non-silver, why not make up a new job that's impossible for humans to perform.
