45: Fifty Shades of Grey June 5th, 2020
Lily: I liked Fifty Shades of Grey.
Simon: I've heard it romanticizes abuse.
Lily: It does. That's the beauty of it.
Simon: But the author denies that, and some readers emulate the book and end up in toxic relationships BECAUSE of it.
Lily: I think a story is just a story. Some people take it the wrong way, but most people can tell fantasy from reality.
Simon: It's not about FANTASY and REALITY, it's about existing in a culture that NORMALIZES this stuff so people don't RECOGNIZE when they're being ABUSED. And it kind of sounds like you're BLAMING them for it.
Lily: I would never blame ANYONE for that. But I don't blame the BOOK for it either, and I don't think LIKING it makes me a monster.
Simon: There's nothing wrong with LIKING it. I'm just saying a lot of people would be better off if it didn't exist.
Lily: Okay, yeah. And some people are better off BECAUSE of it too.
High-res printable file - $3 a month on Patreon gets you access to all pages.
I have no idea how people are going to react to this one. In retrospect, maybe it should have been five pages later, and just been titled "Shades of Grey."