What happen to us?

via Rotten Morgue — You were phenobarbidoll

It seems every one I work with is reading Fifty Shades of Grey, as if it’s some tour de force of literary prowess. It’s not even a decent erotic novel. It’s smut for people who don’t know anything about smut. It makes the cliché pornographic movie look like The Social Network. Yet, somehow, it has hit bestseller lists, wowed critics, caused controversy, and invaded libraries across the country. Like anyone, it piqued my interest. Never before has a book dealing with this subject been in the spotlight, let alone mentioned without a slight blush or in hushed tones.

So what is it about this book that’s got people salivating at the mouth like Pavlov’s dog. Is it hype? Because it can’t be its literary worth. Not even the style. The writing is atrocious, and a joke to the erotic community. Well, at least, it should be.

So what happened to us? When did illiterate drivel become literary masterpieces?

And it’s not just Fifty Shades of Grey. And it’s not just books. It’s everything. Everything has been dumb-down. The Paranormal Activity franchised proved you can bore an audience for three-quarters of a movie and still get them back for two more sequels.

Hordes of homosexuals flocked to Lady Gaga because of the so-called messages in her songs. However, those messages only appeared after her rise to fame – thanks to the homosexual population. Her concept of “born this way” is moneymaking. The more she appeals to the disenfranchised, the more records she sells. It’s not about caring, no. She found her market and she’ll milk it for all its worth. All those fighting for equal rights. All those rallies. The moment they drop her for the next big thing, they’ll fade away into memory.

So why is it that we’ve lost the ability to think for ourselves? Is the next step in our evolution? Are we headed toward the grim future promised to us by Mike Judge? When has the number of sells define the worth of a motion picture, a book, a musical artist? We must reinvent the wheel, as they say. We must start by actually making sound opinions on our own.

Added Bonus

The following is a list of books that are 50x better than Fifty Shades of Grey: