At Least They’re Reading
‘ve been seeing a lot of posts across Facebook and Tumblr and the like about how writers in particular should be happy that people are reading, even if they are reading the likes of Twilight and Fifty Shades of Twilight… (I refuse to call it it’s proper name), and in a way yes, it’s great that people are reading, but let’s just for one moment ignore the horrible way in which the books are written themselves and consider the horrible message they’re sending. I mean that’s the issue here. Sure they aren’t well written, but hell I don’t necessarily think John Grisham is the best of writers, but as long as he isn’t writing a novel which basically tells teenaged girls it’s okay if your boyfriend is mentally and verbally abusive to you, as long as he’s gorgeous, and in the case of Fifty Shades of Twilight, physically abusive as well, because that isn’t how BDSM even remotely works folks. I mean are these really the lessons we want to be teaching people?
Granted in the case of Fifty Shades of Twilight, it’s older married mothers reading this, but I don’t believe for a second that teenaged girls and twenty somethings aren’t reading this, when their parents aren’t looking cause they’re too busy reading that book like there’s no tomorrow.
Whether we like it or not, we have to understand, books leave a lasting impact on the reader, sometimes we don’t think about it, because it’s not as obvious as maybe it would be with television or movies, but they most certainly have a lasting impact, and if we continuously say this is okay, we don’t care that we’re sending this horrible and frankly extremely sexist message, then we have to prepare to deal with the consequences of our actions. I’m happy people are reading, but if you need tawdry sex read Jackie Collins for goddess sake, or Danielle Steele (touche E.L. James) or even actual Twilight fanfiction that doesn’t suck (good luck there). But please… please for the love of all that sparkles (I borrowed that from Reasoning With Vampires), STOP THE INSANITY!
54 weeks on the best seller list are you joking?!
PS: And just in case you think I’m being unfair to Ms. James, I have quite a bit to say about The Casual Vacancy, but I think I’m saving that for Racewood Radio.
