Fifty Shades of Gray

[deadmanshand]

I don't normally do things like this but I have had so many women shove this book in my face and talk about how dreamy stalker-abuser Christian Gray is that I am forced to. The earliest reviews of the movie are in and critics consensus is - drum roll - that is the Worst Movie They Have Ever Seen! God that feels good to type! Now I know that the movie will make money based off of the legions of people who can't differentiate between abuse and love and think that BDSM means owning another person but it's something at least.

[Inkidu]

I get the distinct feeling that the book is not popular here on E for a myriad of reasons, ranging from the quality of the prose, the abusive relationship, and the misrepresentation of the BDSM and or S&M community.

Though sometimes preachin' to the choir can be cathartic and enjoyable. :3

[deadmanshand]

Oh I figured it would not be popular here. The book is despised by people with an actual interest or active participation in the lifestyle.

[Lilias]

We had a first round of fun (complete with priceless links) here.

Let Round 2 begin! *dingdingding*

[gaggedLouise]

I just heard it dubbed a "raunchy movie" by an anchor on BBC News (who likely had not seen it)...  ;)

I figure most people in the BDSM community feel it misrepresents and distorts what their lifestyle and their desires are about; just about everyone I have talked to personally or read online who is "in the scene" keep making those points.

[la dame en noir]

Note: 50 Shades of Grey was originally a Twilight Fanfiction
Now its a book for housewives that need unoriginal fantasies.

Not something to get irritated at.

[Inkidu]

Note: 50 Shades of Grey was originally a Twilight Fanfiction
Now its a book for housewives that need unoriginal fantasies.

Not something to get irritated at.

As someone whose proximity to the lifestyle of BDSM and or S&M results in here on E I'm more irritated that it has done so well in the market. :P

Yes, that basically puts the bar firmly in the mud so anyone can just sail right over it with whatever they want to publish, but still... is that a world worth writing for? XD

[deadmanshand]

Note: 50 Shades of Grey was originally a Twilight Fanfiction
Now its a book for housewives that need unoriginal fantasies.

Not something to get irritated at.

It is absolutely something to get irritated at when you constantly have people shoving it in your face and telling you how amazing it is. I work next to a book store and most of the customers know I'm a heavy reader. People love to tell me about what they're reading and most days that's awesome. But the 50 Shades of Gray fans are fucking irritating. They won't take an answer of "It's not really my style". They want to know why you don't absolutely fucking love it and why you don't think Christian Gray isn't the perfect man - and they really hate the old "I used to help out at a woman's shelter" reason for hating him either.

My greatest question is why they would assume the straight male with neither an inclination for "romance" novels nor BDSM would find Christian Gray to be the perfect anything. That seems like odd.

[Lux12]

As far as the book is concerned, tell me when there's a better written femdom version that doesn't perpetuate myths. The only thing I like that came of this is the ominous re-recording of Crazy In Love. Seriously, it's as if Beyonce started listening to industrial music somewhere along the way and the results are damned awesome.

[Thesunmaid]

Like twilight...which apprently I am supposed to be all over because I own a uterus and there's nothing creepy about a woman in her 30's or 40's lusting after a 17 year old boy...I was told"Try reading 50 shades of grey! Its sooooooooooo gooooood."

This was told to me by someone who I went to high school with and I think to myself...why the hell did I listen when they said I should read anything? The person was my high school best freind but...looking back she just sort of never left high school behind..

But i was like fine...I should not hate a book or movie with out trying to read or watch it....the first twilight movie..I watched with my freind mike and we made fun of it all the way through and that was about the only way I was able to stomach it...i said ok...maybe the books...they have more detail and tend to be better than the movies..Oh how wrong I was..

Now with 50 shades of grey..I tried to read the first book...I got about half way through before I realized wow...I have read std pamphlets better written than this..as well as I wanted to yell at it"YOU ARE FUCKING DOING IT WRONG!"

But also I have rp's that I have "done it wrong." purposely because while in real time my partner and I did it right(talked about limits,made sure we were both comfortable and knew that it would stop at any time one of us felt weird.)they wanted to RP a 50 shades sort of setting at times. So all in all I would rate this book series even though I could not get through even the first book as harmless smut so long as people are not taking it as the how to guide of BDSM(and yes I know there are people out there that will but they are adults and have the right to be a moron and not bother researching anything) and its sort of up there with the bodice ripper romance novels with Fabio on the cover.

Since I would not make it through even one book I think i will stick to netflix for horribifuckas movies like Nazis at the center of the earth and Mongolian death worm.(yes these are actually movies found in the horror and thriller section) At least that gives me something other than bad movies for the 7 bucks i would pay and I don't have to leave my house and go into the horrible season that is winter.

My personal guilty pleasure for smut with plot is Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series. There is werewolves and vampires and fairies oh my!

[RedPhoenix]

Note: 50 Shades of Grey was originally a Twilight Fanfiction
Now its a book for housewives that need unoriginal fantasies.

Not something to get irritated at.

Bad Twilight fanfiction about generic schlubs can get you millions and a movie deal.

Good writing with compelling characters may earn enough to live on it if you're really lucky.

I'm irritated.

[la dame en noir]

Its bad smut, probably something I would've written when I was 13. I am also someone who has been very active in the kink community and has seen abuse from people that don't understand it. I have also seen master/slave relationships of this caliber as well. I don't let it effect me because it is just a book, it does not reflect the BDSM relationships I've been in and certainly doesn't speak for a majority of very beautiful ones.

Its fanfiction for horny women that know nothing and honestly when I read the book - I was in love with Christian despite him being twisted. I mean we're on a roleplaying site where people will play out their most horrific fantasies. Sure their might be abuse, but I honestly don't get the hate. Do not see the movie if you're against it, its not going to do that well in the box office anyway lol.

I only plan on seeing it because I'm bored and don't do much else.

[Iniquitous]

News Anchors review of 50SoG.

Absolutely hilarious.

[Nico]

What can we expect of a plot that could have been written by a ten year old? (not the theme per se, but the shabby dialogue, the almost complete lack of plot, etc.)

[deadmanshand]

Its bad smut, probably something I would've written when I was 13. I am also someone who has been very active in the kink community and has seen abuse from people that don't understand it. I have also seen master/slave relationships of this caliber as well. I don't let it effect me because it is just a book, it does not reflect the BDSM relationships I've been in and certainly doesn't speak for a majority of very beautiful ones.

Its fanfiction for horny women that know nothing and honestly when I read the book - I was in love with Christian despite him being twisted. I mean we're on a roleplaying site where people will play out their most horrific fantasies. Sure their might be abuse, but I honestly don't get the hate. Do not see the movie if you're against it, its not going to do that well in the box office anyway lol.

I only plan on seeing it because I'm bored and don't do much else.

I think you misunderstand the nature of the hatred. It's not that it's abuse. It's abuse labeled as love and portrayed romantically. Any abuse stories here are openly that. They don't pretend to be anything else. They are also stories on a private site in a community that by and large know the difference between fiction & reality. These books/movies are mainstream public romanticizations of abuse and manipulation. It's worlds of difference.

[la dame en noir]

And yet movies that are supposed to be historical fiction like 300 depicts rape in a glorious fashion. This is a book written by a woman who was writing out her desires. And it just so happens that a lot of other women also enjoyed these desires and bought of her books. The media took attention to it and now its mainstream and in the movie scene. I highly doubt the woman had any prior knowledge to BDSM and was just doing what she wanted in her sexual life. There are lots of things people won't admit to liking and find that a few people in the community are blowing it out of proportion because it doesn't represent what they know.

But how do we know exactly what a good BDSM relationship is? Maybe the author wanted a girl that was stupid in certain ways and made her vulnerable while there was a stereotypical alpha male with problems. When I read this book, I don't take it seriously...I know its fantasy....i know its fiction and knowing that its based off another girls Twilight Fanfiction of an Alternate Universe...it makes me even goofier.

[Inkidu]

Audiences get the books they deserve I suppose.

[SinXAzgard21]

And yet movies that are supposed to be historical fiction like 300 depicts rape in a glorious fashion. This is a book written by a woman who was writing out her desires. And it just so happens that a lot of other women also enjoyed these desires and bought of her books. The media took attention to it and now its mainstream and in the movie scene. I highly doubt the woman had any prior knowledge to BDSM and was just doing what she wanted in her sexual life. There are lots of things people won't admit to liking and find that a few people in the community are blowing it out of proportion because it doesn't represent what they know.

But how do we know exactly what a good BDSM relationship is? Maybe the author wanted a girl that was stupid in certain ways and made her vulnerable while there was a stereotypical alpha male with problems. When I read this book, I don't take it seriously...I know its fantasy....i know its fiction and knowing that its based off another girls Twilight Fanfiction of an Alternate Universe...it makes me even goofier.

My marriage is nearly 100% BDSM based.  This garbage she wrote is a horrible attempt to portray what an actual relationship based on BDSM is.  Not to mention she did little to no research on what the actual lifestyle is.

[la dame en noir]

Once again this is a middle aged woman who wrote this originally as twilight fan fiction and then changed it. A publishing house published it - you can't get mad at her. A lot of people write shit they don't know anything about, but a lot of people don't say anything about it either.

But shows like Spartacus and GoT's are okay and movies like 300 are acceptable. No one says shit, but the moment this comes out on the scene all hell breaks loose.

I'm a little more liberal when it comes to stuff like this and I know many of you might think I'm advocating abuse, but i'm not. I just see it for what it really is. I had to get out of a mentally abusive BDSM relationship when I was 20. I have seen relationships that I thought were abusive, but i knew better than to think thats what it truly was.

But can I point out people have kinks like raceplay and nazi uniform fetishes? Does this represent BDSM and Kink as a whole? No - but no one is telling them otherwise.

[deadmanshand]

@la dame en noir - There are so many things wrong with what you said... I'm just gonna let it go. I didn't start this thread to argue with anyone.

[la dame en noir]

I'm not arguing and if there is something wrong with what I said than point it out. I'm simply giving my opinion on this whole charade. We have roleplays where people desire the non-consent turning into consent or the Stockholm syndrome or abuse turning into love. These are just fantasies, things that society would find immoral.

But like I said - I knew I would look like the devil's advocate.

[deadmanshand]

Your entire argument is flawed. From beginning to end. And you are arguing. Playing Devil's Advocate is arguing. I don't feel like going through with the debate with another person who enjoys the series. If you like it go like it. Have fun. But don't pretend we don't have valid reasons for hating it and don't pretend that what people may do on here in any way limits there ability to criticize mainstream depictations of things.

That is my last reply to you on the topic. I don't feel like really arguing this.

[la dame en noir]

It really isn't though. I'm just letting people know that it's nothing to lose sleep over. I never said enjoyed the series, btw. I just don't think you understand where I'm coming from and what i'm getting at. But of course if someone disagrees, that makes them wrong on all accounts - am i right?

Anyways thank you for this thread and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

[Inkidu]

It really isn't though. I'm just letting people know that it's nothing to lose sleep over. I never said enjoyed the series, btw. I just don't think you understand where I'm coming from and what i'm getting at. But of course if someone disagrees, that makes them wrong on all accounts - am i right?

Anyways thank you for this thread and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making people think he didn't exist. :P

You can't really argue what you're arguing while simultaneously telling people what they should and shouldn't get upset over.

[deadmanshand]

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making people think he didn't exist. :P

You can't really argue what you're arguing while simultaneously telling people what they should and shouldn't get upset over.

Logic.