Sunday, February 15, 2015

Fifty Shades of Wrong...

Last year, sometime, posts began to crop up on my FB page about this new book that had hit the stands...Fifty Shades of Grey...and at first, being an avid reader I thought, "Ohhhh wow! I'll have to check this out once the price goes down", until....the posts began to be a little more explanatory! At first I was getting, "OMG!! What a great read", or, "You have GOT to read this book...AMAZING!", or, "I just couldn't put it DOWN!". Then the giggles began and the comments that started coming forth were leading more toward it was this steamy romance novel...not my cup of tea! Pretty soon it was being described as pornographic, or at the edge of, yet it was still being followed with words that lent a person to believe this was still somehow a great read...I began to wonder about that! Then, over the course of the last few weeks, my page has been swamped again with postings about "the movie" and the excitement of going to the theaters (and paying good money!) to see this...the comments were not encouraging. Apparently it hit the theaters this weekend and, to be honest, I'm a little surprised at the number of my female friends who left their kids, left their husbands, left their homes to rush out and see this production. Now, I will say, that most of those females are young...30 and under, so perhaps age plays a part here in what you'll subject yourself too, but it's apparent that the world we are now living in is also playing a major part in what we'll subject ourselves to. The reason I say this, is because many of these self-same females are posting regularly about church, Jesus, prayer, and blessings...many of those postings are then followed later on with a "girls night out", or some new cocktail recipe they want to try, or a new bar they've found that makes great food....seriously?? Seriously!! What is wrong with this picture?

And I'm sure I'm going to be condemned as being OLD!! Like somehow, once you pass the age of 30, you have no life if booze or sex is not a part of it and therefore you become a prude, a fuddy-duddy, or just plain "don't get it"! You're right....I don't get it!! I'm sure I would also be labeled as "Far Right", a "Conservative", or better yet, one of those "Bible Thumpers"!! Well, yes I am!! BUT...I've also read my share of romance novels in the past and some of them could have been described as "steamy"...I was young...I hadn't lived long enough yet to realize what was really important in life, or I should say, what SHOULD have been important in my life, nor had I come to realize yet that what you expose yourself to has a tendency to skew your beliefs and views on things as well! But at the same time, who doesn't love a fantasy now and then? Whether it's just to escape the humdrum of everyday living to take a walk in the Shire, or to be at a murder scene and solve the crime, or yes, even to sigh over that knight in shining armor who swooped in to save the love of his life! But whatever happened to "leaving something to the imagination"?? Do we not have one anymore that we need things spelt out in graphic details of word pictures? And what is wrong with us that we are okay with that? More over, what is wrong with us that the graphic details cross the lines of a normal, healthy relationship into a dark, sick, and dominating one and we find that stimulating?? I wonder if these same young women had daughters who found themselves involved in a relationship that is being portrayed in the Shades books if we would still think this was such a great read...would we still giggle and call it okay? If so, then we are in BIG trouble!!

I have not read any of the three books involved in the trilogy and won't...I haven't seen the movie, nor do I intend to. Why? Because I have already heard enough about it to sicken me and turn me away. I'm not even the least bit curious as to whether there is a hidden story line there that comes clean in the end...I don't care if it does...what I've been told so far should not be promoted as a "good read" or recommended to friends, whether this couple triumphs or not. I don't care if the books were intended to warn women away from relationships just like the one portrayed in that book...if that was the case then it should of began and ended in ONE BOOK! And I'm pretty sure if that was the case I would be hearing something more on the lines of "OMG!! Every young woman out there needs to read this to be aware of the psychos and sickos who will and can prey on them"...I'm not hearing any of that! I'm hearing way too much praise for a story line that involves domination, bondage, and cruelty based on nothing but continual sex. Of  the ability of one man to take and destroy the confidence and self-assurance of a young and vulnerable woman...of her lack of understanding of just how wrong a relationship like that is and her inability to get out of it...of her seemingly misunderstanding that she should "help him to face his demons" and it's her job to do so....no, No, and NO!!!

And they're finding the character of Mr. Grey appealing??! Really?? That his feelings are somehow being seen as caring and concerned? That because he's extremely wealthy, good looking, buys her things, and basically orders her every waking movement computes into a loving and worthwhile relationship? Good LORD people...WAKE UP!!! Whether we have daughters or not...is this how you  want your sons to grow up...is this the example we want them to follow...no, No, and NO!!!

I've heard more than enough about this book to know it is not something I will ever read! Even putting all the sociopath-ness aside, I have to wonder at a world of readers who actually enjoy reading about the type of sex that is being portrayed in this book...and apparently page upon page of it! What I'm really concerned about is the circle of friends I have who are enjoying this read. I've always thought of "the world" as just that...it's out there, but I'm not a part of it...I had thought the majority of my friends, family, and even close acquaintances were not a part of it...and I'm finding out, a little too frankly...that I was wrong. It concerns me, in a big way, and perhaps I've always been a tad naive, but what the world does and what we do ought to be and should be two very different things! It also concerns me that we're okay in promoting Biblical quotes and teachings one day while posting this book and our enjoyment of it the next!

I am at a loss anymore to understand how our "freedom of speech" has so blatantly meta-morphed into this kind of thing. I'm at loss as to how at one time there was a moral majority which has now turned into the "immoral" majority...how we've slowly managed to turned wrong into right and fool ourselves into believing it's okay or that this doesn't harm anyone. Whether or not you have a religious background or believe in any higher power other than yourself, there is a consequence to uncontrolled thinking and/or behavior. You cannot be astounded at the increasing rate of crime, rape, child molesting, or murder and think that freedom to do as we please is going to end in a better society. What it will end in is called chaos! You don't need a Bible to show you this...pick up a history book and you'll find that more than one nation has been toppled because of uncontrolled debauchery and lewdness...when the powers that be who deemed themselves as un-reproachable, allowed their behavior to flow into a society that soon became reprehensible and out of control. If you think that sort of thing won't happen again because we are somehow more intelligent and enlightened than our predecessors...I suggest you think again! There is a reason they say "history has a way of repeating itself"...and if what we're doing today is not "repeating" then I don't know what is! If this is your idea of enjoyment? Better enjoy it while you can because it's not going to last long....



~Patti