I know I’m a little late with this topic (DELAY!!) but I have had strong feelings about this for quite a while now and thought it was time to put them out there.
It seems that everyone is talking about the new “must read” trilogy, 50 Shades of Grey. Now, I haven’t read them myself so if you think that means I have no right to an opinion, please leave now, because you’re not going to like what I have to say!
From what I’ve heard, from everyone who’s read them (which is just about everyone I come into contact with!) it seems that they are poorly written. I can’t say either way, because as I’ve said, I haven’t read them. They’re not my kind of thing. Aside from them being amateurish in writing style, it seems that they have no literary value. The story is said to be lacking and a phrase I have heard on more than one occasion is, “It’s basically housewife porn”.
Now forgive me for my opinions here but I can’t help but think that if a man walked around with a porno magazine in his hands, telling anyone who’ll listen how much he’s enjoying it and especially likes the bondage parts, he’d be arrested! I think it’s just the same.
I worked, in my last job, with a lady (I use the term very loosely) who was easily in her late 50s, maybe even early 60s, and she would not shut up about it. Comments she actually said were, “I had to sit on a towel because [I’m not going to type it – use your imagination]” and “I was getting myself all worked up reading it at lunchtime, I had to put it down”. Now, I’m sorry if I’m a prude but this kind of discussion is not acceptable in the workplace. How unprofessional!
I have actually caused a massive family fallout because my “auntie” (Another term I use loosely – Uncle’s second wife) had put on her Facebook status that she was looking forward to “going to bed with Mr Grey”. I commented, in a totally innocent and humourous way, with, “It’s filth!” – I assumed she knew me well enough to laugh it off. She said that I must have read it, to know that. Fair enough. I responded with, “Nah, I just work with a bunch of old pervs. Who knew so many people in England can read?!” My rationale for the first part of the comment should be obvious from the previous paragraph and the second part – well, it does seem that you never see anyone reading around here unless it’s the next big thing (Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter). I am genuinely saddened that the written word is slowly being phased out.
Anyway, she reacted almost instantly, saying that I had offended her and a lot of other people. Promptly removing and blocking me on Facebook. She didn’t even give me chance to explain! Talk about immature… I mean, remove my comment if it offends you, but there’s simply no need to block me! I put something on my status about people who aren’t even family, they just married into the family, and how they need to earn respect, it isn’t just given to them. Probably shouldn’t have said it in hindsight but I needed to rant (and I’m 20 years younger than her!) but it caused a massive problem, the uncle has fallen out with me too and my Mum (his sister) has been shunned by the looks of it. I apologised for my status afterwards but it hasn’t changed anything. I won’t apologise for my comment as it obviously wasn’t aimed at her and it was obviously a joke!
No skin off my nose, they were hardly family anyway, they never made an effort and we very rarely see them.
So yes, I’m not a fan of the 50 Shades of Grey books. They’re just not my cup of tea and I don’t think the world needs another poor excuse for literature! Why don’t people look to the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bret Easton Ellis, J.D. Salinger, or even the classics like Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Mark Twain, and what about good old Shakespeare, and William Blake, and Tennyson?!
I will stop ranting eventually, I promise!
For future reference, I will soon be posting about the Olympics, niobium, intelligence, typos, and feminism! Keep checking back!
~R&R
Ribbons and Ropes 