OF GILDED CAGES & SHREW RAGES (OR, "TWENTY-FIVE SHRUGS OF APATHY") - !!AN A.H. SCOTT RANT!!

Of Gilded Cages & Shrew Rages

(Or, “Twenty-Five Shrugs Of Apathy”)

!!An A.H. Scott Rant!!

What are little girls made of? Sugar, spice and – yeah, yadda, yadda, yadda. What are women made of? Strength, grit, charm, sass, sexiness and wit. Now, that’s what I’m talking about.

When you’re a little girl, the world can see you as that helpless sparrow without an ability to use your wings. When you become a woman, some still want to see your wings as invisible. Yet, they are there and quite usable.

To break free from that cage of lesser age and appreciate what maturing brings as the years rise is an aspect of finding womanhood.

What’s worse than a man who doesn’t see a female as a woman is another woman who tries to infantilize her into being some sort of mealy-mouth child to be patted upon the head in their own self-reflecting mirror of manipulation. Or, in this case - womanipulation.

The greatest enemy of equality is not of the opposite sex. The greatest enemy of equality is sometimes the same sex. A woman has a voice and doesn’t need anyone, including another woman to speak for her.

Use your intelligence and make your own decisions. Be it from choosing what to have for dinner or breakfast that next morning.  It is YOUR decision.

And, so with that; I get into what prompted this writing. The film “Fifty Shades Of Grey” is opening in theaters this week and the bark of boycotts are swirling around it.

The “Fifty Shades” phenomenon has passed me by. And, this comes from someone who owns all three parts of the trilogy. I shrug my shoulders and admit it’s just another book. Nothing extraordinary or earth-shattering.

People, it’s just a book. That’s all. Nothing more and nothing less.

E.L. James put a work of fiction into the market square, got that fortunate buzz of quicksilver, and made more than her share of millions from it. And, I applaud her for that result.

The lead up to this movie had my eyes roll many a time when seeing the commercial for it on television. No real reaction came from me when viewing the trailer. Not hot. Not cold. Just – eh.

But then, the sounds of the yapping dogs began to fill the air.

For me, an avid reader with a veracious thirst for the written word who had little thought about a movie adaptation of E.L. James’ book was suddenly drawn into an internal debate over being brow-beat by boycotters who think they know what’s best for entertainment or leisure.

Not every work of ‘fiction’ – and, yes, that is what the book and its’ adaptation is; has to be analyzed and over-analyzed by certain organizations which find they can get as much publicity as possible for their own pet projects and issues.

I think the backlash against “Fifty Shades of Grey” will have a boomerang backlash against it. 

People – no, I mean women, will go to see this film not because of some grand affection for “Fifty Shades” and the buzz around it. But, just for the fuck of it. Actions would truly speak louder than words when those shrews screeching for boycott find that not every female is locked in that fist-raised solidarity of sisterhood.

Moralists and screechers may get some people not to plunk down their cash for a movie ticket. But, that doesn’t mean their cash will be plunked down for their issues or organizations.

Women are wiser than other women think.

A movie is a movie. A book is a book.

For yours truly, I could give “Twenty-Five Shrugs of Apathy” about the film and book “Fifty Shades of Grey”. But, then again, down the road, maybe I’ll be the contrarian who sees the flick on cable or demand, just for flipping the bird to those who imply that I shouldn’t.

Now, that’s my shade of shruggin’.

A.H. Scott

2/14/15