Yeah....but she made 9.9 Million!

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Ok ok....so this was not the post I was going to publish today, but after some debate in the newspaper over the weekend I just felt like I needed to put it out there.  Yes, the Fifty Shades Trilogy Debate.  Or Controversy...or whatever you call it.

So, it seems like if you haven't read this series you are now in the minority.  More than 27 Million copies have sold worldwide and that doesn't include the e-book sales. Erica Leonard (aka E. L James) is now an overnight sensation and crowds are queuing at book signings and she is raking it in....Universal Productions have bought film rights for the mere sum of 5 million dollars.  Not bad hey!

I was surprised the other night when having a chat with my husband and two of his mates, when one of them mentioned Fifty Shades. I was surprised....(and perhaps blushing at the thought of having an impromptu book club about it!)  Yep...the blokes are talking about it too!!!  

I have to laugh about all the negative comments going on though....I mean sure....it's not everyone's cup of tea...but really...there are those out there really slamming it and "hating it" or "I didn't read past page eight!"  Sure you can rant on about the repetition or the writing style and the hatred Christian has towards women and naivety of Ana (and I admit to screaming at her a few times!!).   Why are people so compelled to completely and utterly diminish it?  The article in the paper from a reader's perspective, whilst it had elements I agree with, it all just seemed a bit sad to rant negatively on someones new success.  What ever happened to "It's not my taste, by hey good on you!"  Is it just another version of the Tall Poppy Syndrome.  Some nobody becomes successful yet there will always be those that need to put them down, disagree with how they did it or that it isn't that good..but you know what...

After all is said and done....regardless what we think....

It's made 9.9 million to date...and its still going.  I'd like to see her critics try doing that!

What do you think about those that make extreme success suddenly or even in a less than conventional way?

I don't like all this liking

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Something has been slowly getting on my nerves of late and it's really starting to bother me. Like really. Have you noticed, that we are becoming LIKE addicted???

It's like you cannot do anything these days without the phase LIKE coming into the conversation or even action. Facebook is the biggest culprit and I have not been on Facebook for years now (and have officially deleted my account!!!!!).  But it's spreading....like the plague....it's everywhere.....

All the LIKE this and LIKE that is enough to drive someone like freaking crazy. I can't even read an email from humble spotlight offering me a chance to win a voucher without the punch line being "just LIKE us on FB" - urgh! You lost me...delete!!

I do imagine a lot of people trying to be really cooky, funny, quirky and original with their comments or photos to obtain the most likes, and then refreshing their page to see the response as if that is the ultimate status.   I think my like dislike really dawned on me when a few followers on my Instagram liked EVERY SINGLE PHOTO I have on there to date in one go.  What you like all of them?  Your not even going to be selective?  Is that just lazy, or you can't be bothered commenting?  I admit....I will occasionally like a photo on Instagram....but I don't like what I'm doing!  I'd rather comment.  I don't like conformity.  I don't want to be like everyone else....that's half the reason I abandoned FB for the world of blogging I think.   Here I can be me...you can be you and we write what we want to write and set it out in a way we want to.   All those blue pages....all the same...all dictating how you do things on there....limiting how many characters you use on Twitter....things like that....I don't like.

 All this liking is diluting all the goodness.

While were on the subject of liking....how do you like something that is not so good?  And so I ponder over someones instagram photo of their child crying, and I'm like.... "I don't LIKE that...". Your child is crying...or you just lost all your stitches on your knitting needles....you're stuck in traffic or there is no milk left. I'm not LIKING that!!!! And why like??? Is love too strong??? How about OK? Too casual???  Pinterest, I noticed have a like button, but really it's so unnecessary, cos if you like something you usually re-pin it yourself no?

 I just feel so high-school-ish and all we are doing is passing around the same note on it asking each other - Do you like me? People are on constant "performance mode"  - If you aren't on FB, your on twitter.  If your not on twitter...you're instagram-ing.....your liking other peoples comments, or photos, or updates.  I wonder at the pressure of going along your normal day and worrying about checking in to all this social media.  Where has the down time gone?  The alone time when your not "on show"....

Do we really need to pat each other on the back at every single moment?
Anyone sick of the LIKE hype??

xx