Amazingly Grey

When it comes to black and white issues, things that have obvious reasons-there’s a good side and a bad side. There are those in the black and those in the white. Leaving things that way though, with two highly opinionated sides shouting at each other across the invisible dividing line doesn’t do much of anything. Lots of things are better left unsaid but that’s only because there’s a certain way to say things. Too often our delivery of words gets screwed up, so people tend to just shut up. This isn’t two sides of the same coin; this is not black and white. This is 50 Shades of Grey.

First of all, the novel that sparked a trilogy is positively genius, evil genius. Second, the evil is genius because it is very hard to see. Third, the unseen elements are the most important.

If this book is really bad, then why is it so good? To the target audience, the twenty-something’s, let’s be honest, it’s hot. The attraction in various forms is what makes us say oh-my-Grey. Christian Grey is painted in a quite ravishing picture of mystery and money. The actor who plays him, Jamie Dornan, is ridiculously attractive with his fit but not over-the-top physique, and that clean-cut youthful appearance decked out in such class. Then of course the girl, Anastasia Steele, a beautiful blend of curiosity and innocence, played by Dakota Johnson who is so very pretty it’s as if her features are made of porcelain. Sex sells is not exactly a new concept. It’s like the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood with whips and chains-totally just corrupted that fairytale. Which is exactly the point-it’s a fairytale. The reality of people using a sex dungeon under contract is far from something that would be a good read. The reality of a place like the red room would be something on a Dateline special.

It’s so very easy to get wrapped up in it when he’s attractive and she’s attractive and everything looks lavish and Beyoncé is singing. For Erica a middle-aged mother of two teenage boys it is just fantasy, it’s all her fantasies wrapped up into one. Nowadays she’s better known as E.L. James the author of the book series. Her inspiration was Twilight, authored by another middle-aged mom who stumbled upon a thought and ran with it. As I said before it is genius and so very evil. Why’s it evil? The best kind of evil is the kind that looks as if it’s never heard such a word.

James’ novel is the catalyst behind a growing mountain of controversy. Psychologists are analyzing the psyche of both the characters in the novel and the minds of those who read about them. There’s also the debates on morality, truthfully though, the alleged lack of skill in the writing and the reported poor performances in the movie version might just be enough to skip the whole thing. Sex sells is not new but the smokescreens in shades of grey are, at least they’ve been adapted to appease my generation. Maybe we’re just so used to sex being everywhere and anywhere now that a little roughness hardly matters. Strip the glamour away and it’s much easier to read between the lines. The subliminal things that stick to the soul in the weirdest ways; lust instead of love, pain verses pleasure, control verses compassion.

When it comes to something like Fifty Shades of Grey although there is a black side and a white side, it’s easy to see how we wind up in the middle, how we wind up in the gray. Those who want to see it will see it, and those who don’t, won’t. Maybe it is just a fantasy like so many other books and movies out there and surely there are those who can keep the daydream of a debonair millionaire with freaky fetishes in a box. What about the ones who can’t? What about people who don’t have porn on their instant que and something like this isn’t rated X so how pornographic could it be when there’s a plot and dialogue dancing around the dirty business? Lust doesn’t stay where it starts. What about those who didn’t consider the sharp teeth since they were dressed up in such fine wool?

Feel free to see Fifty Shades of Grey, just remember there’s always more to the story. I should mention that I haven’t read the books because honestly, I don’t need to. It’s the same salacious story that has been told time and time again. I guess the real reason, is that it’s hard to act naïve and pet a sheep when you know for a fact you’ve heard it howl.

For those who dare, here are a few articles that bring the heat on Mr. Grey and all his shades.

S&M the why behind it all: http://www.megmeekermd.com/2015/02/a-psychiatrists-letter-to-young-people-about-fifty-shades-of-grey/

Lovey lies, what’s true and what isn’t: http://www.fightthenewdrug.org/five-things-fifty-shades-of-grey-teaches/?utm_content=bufferf797b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer#sthash.cMvF7Amf.dpbs

It’s not porn….is it?: http://www.carmendmiller.com/2015/01/lies-christian-women-will-believe-to.html?m=1