50 Shades series fosters an open mind

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I’m a 20-year-old male who is actually excited for the movie release of “50 Shades of Grey.”

It would not be a surprise if I was one of a low percentage of my demographic who will say so. I’m not ignorant of that. In fact, I feel a bit of pride in that.

I’ve read all three books in the Fifty Shades series and enjoyed all three of them, from the 50 Shades of Grey original, all the way to 50 Shades Freed.

Why do I like it? It’s different. Erotic literature does not reach mainstream society very often. I like 50 Shades not because of the scenes of BDSM or any of the other graphic sex scenes in any of the three books, but because of the character development of recent college graduate Anastasia Steele and billionaire businessman Christian Grey, two very different people who connect romantically anyway. It’s a bunch of different things that I previously was not comfortable with — unusual types of sex, complex relationships and growing up.

50 Shades is not a series without its faults. It dives into some of the deeper and darker parts of abusive relationships, glorifying abusive relationships into something that both the abuser and the absusee can enjoy. Christian Grey’s different issues are due to his abusive past and feeds into his enjoyment of BDSM at the beginning.

It has gathered plenty of criticism for being unrealistic towards abusive violence, but Grey eventually rids himself of a total desire to dominate a submissive person. In that sense, the reader can continue to have a broadened mindset as the book goes along and Grey rejects his abusive past.

I think that’s why I like it the most — the book broadens my horizons like little else has. As much as I love sports, they can’t give me that. And I’m excited to see how it will translate on-screen.

Read the books, or don’t. Watch the movie this February, or don’t. Just don’t forget that an open mind can do wonders for someone, even if it makes them uncomfortable. And these topics make many people feel uncomfortable — imagine what my parents are going to say during our next phone conversation. It’ll be weird for them. I defended why 50 Shades is no less a part of reality than other forms of media so much that it’ll be like pressing rewind.

So each week, I’m going to write a column titled “50 Shades of Gray.” It only helps that my last name is a play on words in the title. But the real reason is because the book series continued to spread my open-mindedness toward things, and that’s what I will write about in this space on Thursdays for the rest of the school year. Because I believe an open mind is just about the best thing someone can have.

“Laters, baby.”

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