How Fifty Shades of Grey is Hurting BDSM

At first, I thought of "Fifty Shades of Grey" as a positive thing, despite its origin; Ideally, this would give the world of BDSM exposure, which could be wonderful... Right? Then I realized what this actually meant for kink.

The quality of writing aside, and the real reason for concern, is that the "Fifty Shades" series ruins it for the rest of us who are actually part of the kink community. As someone strongly tied to the community, I know how fragile it can be - in the sense that general public opinion on BDSM is touchy enough.

If "vanillas" or what-have-you read this and think this is what the BDSM community is about, then it paints a bad picture (of abuse, for one thing) of the lifestyle. We will then all be lumped in with that negative connotation.

I will admit, I have not read it. Given the reviews on it from people who also loathe the writing style that is Twilight-esque (as this was based off of Twilight fanfiction), I have trusted when they say "it's a poorly written story that masks an abusive relationship as 'BDSM'". I will gladly read the book if someone lends me a copy so I can see for myself and therefore maintain a valid argument.
But if - IF - the book does indeed follow this pattern as stated by said sources and images I've seen online, then I stand by my argument that it is a literary atrocity and will truly do damage to the real kink community.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, It's not just about public opinion. It's also about damage from within the community once the Fifty Shades of Garbage people come into it. Ignoring someone's safeword, making them experience or perform their hard limits and not practicing proper consent is not the true way of BDSM, and it's not how it should be introduced to newcomers. We've had more new people attend kink events who didn't know the general rules or etiquette of being a kinkster, which ultimately means more harassment. We don't want people to come into the community blinded by misinformation, or it wreaks hell on us. There are too many welcoming people who will be happy to teach the basics of BDSM to newcomers to let something like this happen. One can only hope that instead they will be educated and nurtured, so that they may enjoy their new curiosities with respect and knowledge.

The Power of Unplugging

I posted this to my Facebook on Saturday morning:

"While I have found some very enlightening things on Facebook, such as articles on going green and the beautiful video of Ellen Page coming out - Facebook has held me back. It's an addiction, apparently. I have been up for *three hours* and still haven't *eaten* because I've been sitting in front of my computer checking out Facebook. (Well... and paying some bills, but whatever.)

Facebook has become a drain on my IQ. Has blocked what little creative process I have. Has taken up time I could be cleaning, organizing, LEARNING, creating.

"'Liking' something cultured and thoughtful on Facebook is not the same as BEING cultured and thoughtful. 'Be the change you want to see in the world.' Go out and create. Enlighten yourself. Unplug and expand." - Me

I'm going to unplug from Facebook for a while in hopes to sort out my life, get things done and most importantly... create. If anyone else feels they need to do the same, I invite you to both share this (before logging off, hah) and join me."

Now I realize not all users of Facebook have this problem... But I know there are others like me who let it consume them. Who procrastinate and whittle down their worth by spending unnecessary time looking at LOL Cat pictures, repeated weather updates and other stupid anecdotes slapped on eCards. (And insert any other commonly seen Facebook nonsense.) There's a time and a place for mindless browsing, but we shouldn't allow it to use up all of our precious time. We're only on this Earth for so long. We were meant for much more than staring at a screen all day! (I say this as a gamer and avid internet user.) 

If you feel the same or know someone who could use this as motivation to unplug - please share!