50 shades of what?

SIR: The movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” was shown in Nigerian cinemas (Genesis deluxe cinemas and Silverbird cinemas across all their branches) precisely from Friday 13 to Thursday 19. The movie is based on the first installment of a trilogy by a British writer E.L. James, which has topped best-seller lists all over the world, including in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the series, wealthy, 27-year-old Christian Grey grooms naive 21 year-old Anastasia to engage in a sadistic sexual domination.

  The book “Fifty Shades”, tells the story of a young, attractive billionaire, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, the young woman he sexually dominates. 

  The new movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” is a direct assault on women, the family and on the moral life of the society.

  The story line is presented as a romance; however, the underlying theme is that bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism are normal and pleasurable; it features an erotic and sadomasochistic story line – about a young college student who agrees to become a sex slave to a business tycoon.

   It’s an offensive film, which is being promoted as a romantic story but rather is a graphic portrayal of a young woman agreeing to be abused and degraded in a sexual relationship, giving into uncommitted pleasure for the sake of a disordered exchange of possession and surrender.

    The story of a young woman being the target of a powerful, intimidating, older man adorns and legitimatizes violence against women. Not only does it promote promiscuity and marital infidelity, but also violent and degrading views of, and, sexual behaviour against women.

  “Fifty Shades of Grey” is far from romance as many claim it to be, it has a pornographically narrow focus and a dangerous message. 

  The immorality of pornography, is its objectification of both men and women and when that objectification is combined with masochism and other forms of violence in the sexual act, as in the case of this movie, the harm it does to women, and thus also to families and children, is immensely greater.

   Pornography in whatever shade is always a grave offence; it poses great danger to women and to relationships in general. It’s unhealthy in all ways –physically, emotionally and spiritually.

  Pornography cannot be considered acceptable, so why show “Fifty Shades of Grey” to the public?

   Valentine’s Day plans which do not typically include abuse of the family and the society, should not be a day to coat authentic human love with violence, to teach women that sexual abuse and being a victim is pleasurable, to exhort the objectification of men and women, to promote the pornography market.

 “Fifty Shades of Grey” can only contribute to society’s acceptance of violence against women, promoting the idea that mutual physical, emotional and psychological exploitation is acceptable, and the eroding of our authentic values with pornography on even public giant screens.

    The media should not celebrate the book and movie, as it shows irresponsibility and ignorance about how violence against women is perpetuated; how our authentic human values are being publicly attacked. The media should rather condemn the airing of this movie to the public.

   We must not be silent in the face of such threat to our cultural values.

• Ntube Vitus, 

Lagos