Parents: Get With the Program

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Most of you are in your teens to twenties and probably live with strict parents. Especially if you’re an only child or a younger sibling, things tend to seem unfair. Some parents fall back relentlessly on ideals from the 50s (if not older) and never seem to let them go. Tonight, I’m going to dispel some of these ridiculous myths that you may have heard throughout your lifetime.

1.”If you hang out with nothing but men, you’re a whore.” – FALSE. Ladies, guess what? We can have nothing but guys as friends and it’s okay. Why? Because they’re human just like us and maybe you prefer to do things with them as opposed to women. It’s perfectly okay and by no means are you a whore. Rather, you just have awesome friends you like to do things with.

2.”Everyone is out to get you.” – FALSE. For starters, this is something you shouldn’t tell someone with anxiety or paranoia because it only makes it worse. Regardless, yes, the world is comprised of wonderful people and terrible people. Not everyone is out to get you because they are too focused on their lives to even care about you. However, it is still good to be cautious when venturing out in the world – just don’t overdo it.

3.”You need a man to do things and go places with.” – FALSE.  I’m pretty sure that most of us can handle ourselves in this world. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with the buddy system and hanging out with friends is fun. Yet there are some days when we want to have some ‘me’ time and do things we want to without anyone’s company. We don’t need an escort or a chaperone. We can do it all ourselves.

4. “You can’t drive alone at night because it’s dangerous.” – FALSE. Want to know the difference between day time driving and night time driving? Headlights. There’s also a fewer amount of cars on the road as well as people, but as long as you know where you’re going, stay awake, and keep your doors locked, you should be fine.

5. “You shouldn’t wear boys’ clothes because you’ll look like a lesbian.” – FALSE. Why not dress in boys’ clothes? For the record, I am incredibly girly – I will wear pink frilly dresses until I’m deceased, but I love wearing big shirts and men’s sweatpants because they are comfortable. Am I a lesbian? No, I am a heterosexual, but I do believe homosexuals have an equal right to marry, to wear whatever they want, and to be treated as a normal person.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are some things your parents say that drive you insane?

The Thing That Wouldn't Leave

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today’s entry is a bit of anger induced speculation as to why the topic in question is even happening.

The “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise is getting a sequel series entitled “Grey” and it will be from Christian Grey’s point of view.  It will be released as a paperback and ebook on June 18^th, 2015 – Christian Grey’s birthday.

Some of you may be rejoicing, others may be cringing and asking yourselves: why of all things, why. To be frank, I honestly do not know why, but it’s evident EL James isn’t done writing.

I honestly wonder if she will use this new venture in an attempt to justify for Grey’s abuse and how he treated Anna. It was already revealed in the first book that he did those things to her because he had a horrible encounter with a rapist. Instead of seeking professional help, he decided to become an obsessed BDSM sex addict. This does not atone for everything he did to Anna.

I also wonder if this new series will show any hopeful sign that James’ writing has improved. While I doubt it, a grammar girl like me can only hope that supposedly one of the best sellers of our generation can actually write well. As a writer myself, I understand that writers’ styles can change with experience and/or experimentation. But given what James has presented to the world so far, I doubt her writing style will change. I say this because if readers enjoyed her writing style, then she'll make certain to repeat it again just to please them.

James also failed to inform people how many books the “Grey” series will be. However, she did say that her idea behind this continuing series is that for every relationship there are always two sides to the story.

It’s not just for a relationship though, that concept applies to almost every single event that happens in life. A cashier and a customer get into a fight?  There’s two sides to that story. A crime scene? There’s two sides (if not more) to that story. There are tons of situations in life that have that ‘two sides to every story’ concept. Why should “Grey” or relationships in general be any different? If she chose not to pursue “Grey”, the Fifty Shades books could easily stand on their own.

James is also trying to utilize this new “Grey” series to lure in more of a male audience because apparently only 20% of men read “Fifty Shades of Grey”.  I’m not sure what the result will be of that venture, but we can only wait and see.

Regardless, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were more merchandise and movies to follow this series. So expect to once more see Christian Grey and “Fifty Shades of Grey” merchandise on store shelves in the future.

Thank you for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on this new “Grey” series?