Coming out in the DPSmocracy and something else other than upcoming LGBT pride.

Brace yourself, Sunday is coming. Lets hope it wont be remembered as the bloody Sunday. Tomorrow, for the first time, LGBT Pride Parade is about to take place in Podgorica – capital of Montenegro. You know - that cute, small country in the Balkans – South East of Europe.

What else is new globally? USA government shutdown , then it brought (sexy) back. The rest of the world cared more about their national things, Nobel Prize for peace was not given to Malala and Montenegro received report from Brussels on (non)progress we achieved in the process of joining EU.

Recently, all the media are full on various reports o LGBT pride, judgments, calls for quitting – like they did it in Serbia too. This is the time when our biggest test is coming – are we ready to  accept that someone is different than us and has right to be different ?

Montenegro. Country of democracy. Country on its way to join  European Union. Give me a break please. This is what democracy looks like:

1.       Same party has been governing (and pretty much same people) for last 20 years.

2.       Corruption in every social sphere and nepotism are two main issues in the country.

3.       Minorities, women and children of ordinary people (the mortals or the muggles) are being discriminated or face difficulties in every day situations

4.       Church is everywhere in the country and our “religious and spiritual leaders” call on hatred speeches , politics and business rather than focusing on ideas and spirit of true Christianity

5.       Montenegro supported possibility of military attack on Syria. Please forgive us!

6.       At the same time, we showed incapability to deal with our own issues and have been selling the best of our country to foreigners

7.       Do I even have to say how to voting system goes in here? Pure democracy

8.       Public administration and bureaucracy are in complete control of big number of state affairs, completely corrupted and lets be  honest – completely incapable of getting anything done

9.       Human rights respect, sexuality, women rights, freedom of the media – taboo.

10.   So much progress on paper, misery in real life.

Don’t worry, this democracy isn’t so bad. The country gets better and gets a lot of pinky promises before the election. I think they should be held every month, for the sake of citizens.

So, upcoming pride parade is way too mainstream now – people telling jokes, pejorative calling of LGBT population can be heard every day, curses, preparation for violence or support for the group… I am not going to discuss further on this, because in this country , being gay, being different  is abnormal. Good thing is we all have an opinion on this , but no one has opinion on 10 sad facts I mentioned before.

If you feel annoyed by people not reacting and being cool with the country`s sink, or say that in public – everyone consider you a SERB and a state enemy. NO. I am just a citizen who thinks with its own head, says its opinion, is not afraid to come out as responsible citizen and say – THIS COUNTRY NEEDS TO GET ITS SHIT TOGETHER, OR ALL OF US ARE GOING DOWN.

Yet, people care about more about parade and who is going to come out from the closet on Sunday. I say yes to the walk, because I don’t think any minority group should live in the closet, afraid and discriminated. This blog goes to all those cowards, closed minded people, hiding behind their parents, teachers, bosses back and afraid to come out and do something good for their own country.

I see all those barbarians and violence coming tomorrow. All the negative feedback on LGBT pride. Well, why don’t you just come out of your own closet, my dear citizens? Why don’t you accept that someone has right to be different and let them be?

Its easy to hate and curse, and hide behind the politics , church, mom and dad, anyone. This is the problem with this society – we judge those who came out as who they are and what they feel, and yet most of us are not able. Not able to say no to corruption, discrimination, nepotism, grey economy, DPSmocracy we live in here, nepotism, etc… And it makes me sad and angry.

John F. Kennedy once said – Ask yourself what can you do for your country, not only what your country does for you. Imagine, like John Lenon once sang – its easy if you try – if every citizen did something good for Montenegro, and its progress. Not judging others and looking at welfare for all.

I hope one day we will have a parade when all of us will come out as active citizens of Montenegro and EU. Till then, I say yes to those who had courage, for all those having opinion and mouth open but doing nothing and staying closed-minded… I feel sorry for you. May the force be with us, who are not cowards, poltroons, etc.. who are not afraid and who think.

I have a dream that one day, this country will be a true example of human rights respect, social progress and democracy. We have the potential in  us, it just needs to get out of the closet and not be afraid. We shouldn’t be afraid of the government, government – since not doing a good job should be afraid of the citizens. Looking forward to the change, if it ever happens. In the meantime, peace y`all !

Gender issues as taboo topic in Montenegro, and why advocating for that is like a Star Wars. Education and equality as a requirement to join EU family and some statics on discrimination.

Montenegro is currently on its way to Europe. All roads that we are on right now lead to Brussels, if we close successfully all negotiation chapters. If you turn on the TV or the news, you can hear about some amazing process we are achieving in becoming a member of European family.

Yet, if you take a walk around ministries, or streets, sit in a cafee or something, all you will hear is people COMPLAIN. Low income, corruption, nepotism, environmental issues - chapter by chapter what we need to do.

Country duty in the process is to engage a lot of money and human resources in the process. But a lot of people, instead being educated to be quality human resources just sit around and wait for EU to come, raise salaries and fix everything. Sometimes I wish our ministries and institutions were cool like Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter. And then I say to myself – I am just a muggle.

Aside all 50 shades of grey things we have in the society, gender equality is the darkest shade. I wonder how that is constantly being skipped and avoided, and on the other hand – advocated in a completely wrong way. As everything in this country, government has a super plan how to implement gender equality through institutions. When you ask them , they are like “Oh, yeah – we are totally advocating and doing all measures to reach equality” Why then women are discriminated in every area in this society? Here are some facts.

1. There are no official education on gender and equality in any school segment, and Universities in Montenegro have no department or offer no classes on gender, power and politcs. (Let me remind you that gender studies are amongst prosperous social science areas).
2. Illiteracy in the country is higher with women – especially in rural areas. (#SmashThePatriarchy)
3. Women in sport, disregarding their success, are not equal with men.
4. Huge discrimination of women on labor market. (Laws on labor are not being properly applied)
5. Women are more unemployed than men.
6. During job interviews women face sexism, comments and judging on their looks, marital and family status, which is not a case for men.
7. Men hold more leading social position than men.
8. There is a lack of women in political life and women as political leaders.
9. Health system is sensitive to gender discrimination – (from general checking to aborting issues)
10. VIOLENCE on WOMEN. Taboo topic in the country. Violence in family, physical, mental, sexual, etc – we all know it exists, and we all ignore it. For example – 85% of people will report noise in the building from party, but less than 12% will report domestic and violence on women.
11. Women do not participate equally in decision making processes in the country with men

If you compare the data, you notice one thing – it gets worse as you go north. Just like in Game of Thrones, winter is coming in the field of gender equality – many girls don’t even get secondary education. Also, there are no proper institutions to inform women and men on their rights, on equality, no school education. Nor did any governmental institution did any successful reform in the system.

Its really cool, as my professor said. But people must fight this. Both women and men should be included in the process of integration, education and fight for gender equality, education and empowerment of the girls and women. Beyonce said it and I agree – girls do run the world. Women are capable of running a family and business and a country at the same time.

Ofc, it is a star wars situation with this – war against discrimination. And I don’t think EU will play Jedi knights or master Yoda in the story – its up to us to do it.

If not, guess we can join all the Stan company countries (Pakistan, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan..) and face the darkest of fifty shades of grey. I am not calling for women domination or radical feminism, but desperate times like this require desperate measures. We must fight, advocate and implement equality to some level. If we ever change political figures, we may hope for woman president… Or just for better living standard.

Let the equality fights begin. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Times are hard for dreamers. How to crush 50 shades of grey economy and bad social well-fare. Why is important to volunteer and how they do it in UK/USA.

Last month I attended a seminar in Worcester, England, on the topic of personal development, employability and non formal learning and how it can improve and influence social welfare. Of course, there was a clear division with the perspective and of the participants from Balkan countries and EU people, but I discovered that a lot of EU countries face the same problems and attitudes toward the topic.

TIMES ARE HARD FOR DREAMERS. This quote comes from one of my favorite movies, Amelie and is a very true statement. I am a dreamer with a lot of wishes, plans and ambitions not just for myself, but also for my country and also for this world. I believe we should all give our contribution to make this world a better place, and like a Miss Universe or something I want peace in the world and many things to get better. We might not reach perfection, but by gathering positive thinkers and starting some action we can prove the hope in and for humanity should not be lost J

What I encountered in England was a great culture of kind people, Beatles, beer, Harry Potter, royal baby, royal family, rainy days, green countryside and dull food. London was brilliant and I think “Please mind the gap between the train and the platform” got stuck in my head for 3-4 days. On seminar and in practice I learned a bit about education, economy and social state in the country and about community service standards. I was able to compare and contrast it to my living in the Balkans and United States. In UK it’s a standard to volunteer and help out in your community, in numerous ways. It is not just as a addition to CV, or college application but it’s a culture, non formal rule. All people do it, despite age and gender, when they have time – on weekdays and weekends. They enjoy it. Talking to local people in Worcester I saw how they see volunteering as a personal development and learning process, not just charity – because they get new skills, knowledge and experiences. That’s the point – not only do we enrich ourselves by volunteering , but we help our community, society and the world.

Community service in the United States is also well developed – students do it a lot and so do adults – they cherish non-profit world, build networks and strengthen their CVs and application.

Community service also allows those participating to reflect on the difference they are making in society. Some participants of a community service project may find themselves gaining a greater understanding of their roles in the community, as well as the impact of their contributions towards those in need of service. Because community service outlets vary, those who serve are exposed to many different kinds of people, environments, and situations. 

With each new community service project, some participants may gain insightful experience in a variety of areas. Participants may also internalize the information that they found personally insightful for future use. While simply performing community service is valuable to the recipients, those serving often find it beneficial to pause and reflect on how they are changing society for the better. Schools often take students on community service projects in order for them to gain a greater understanding of how their individual actions affect the well being of the public. Participants may find that the giving of themselves to the public good may result in a more solidified view of self and purpose. 

And then you come back to the Balkans, where often you are unaware how to volunteer and made laugh by the others for doing free work. ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY… And its not only Balkans problem.  I understand how different socio economics conditions took away volunteering possibilities for many people – working full time, trying to get by, support a family etc.. But I also believe a big education should be done in this field, especially for all those unemployed people, drinking coffee all day , every day in various coffee shops around the Balkans and wider. Young and old folks should learn all the ways to volunteer, why it is beneficial and how it helps, also how much do they gain from it. During college, we are required to get some skills and experience. Today, accent is often on the non formal learning and what we actually did as socially responsible individuals or young leaders, not only do we have a degree and from what school. People justify themselves how they don’t have time to do community service in the Balkans, because there is no money/time/results. But you have money, time and results in drinking coffee and playing gossip girls and boys all day, every day ?! GIVE ME A BREAK. All it takes to do good is a smile, positive energy, very little time and initiative and a lot of hope and courage. All over Europe people will consider you a fool if you work for free. Well, I say only those fools will be able to break 50 shades of grey economy and lead to changes and progress. Just look at this – Big depression and First Big Global economic crisis in the USA was beaten by volunteering. Also, Balkan people were world example – THEY BUILT AN ENTIRE COUNTRY AFTER THE WAR , WORKING TOGETHER AND VOLUNTEERING TOGETHER . So , if history repeats, why didn’t someone tried to copy Roosevelt`s New Deal, adjust it and find a way out of this crisis we live in ?

Main purpose of the story is confirmation of what I learned in the USA and UK – it is not about how much money you make, what school did you go to in CV or  in real life. It is about how much you are ready to give and work and to expect in return, and what do you believe in and how much you can improve through non formal seminars, trainings, community work, etc.. World did it several times, it just takes another perspective and motivation to happen again.

I volunteered from elementary school- collected donations, cleaned, collected garbage, tutored, protested and did so many actions and will keep doing so, no matter what people say. Maybe I cannot change the world, but I can affect progress in someone`s life, create an example and make someone happy and smile. And then I think to myself, what a wonderful world. J

This is just my perspective and I truly hope it will inspire someone. As Mother Teresa said, “we ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

MEAN GIRLS goes from "You cant sit with us" to "You cant play with us, you dont have an Iphone" iliti moderna omladina i buducnost Crne Gore

I wasn’t planning to write a new blog so soon, but when inspiration comes, you just don’t question yourself.  And I am ready for new wave of hating I got from my last blog. It is quite normal when you write about the things that are wrong in our society.  Unlike the previous one, where certain people stated that if you have more money, its fine to be selfish, materialist,  buy the most expensive (not stylish or not fitting) brands, doesn’t matter they fit you or not, but you have money, and its cool.

I get it, some people have money, capitalism creates inequality, etc.. Just like Madonna sang “we are living in a material world”.. But I am NOT a material girl. Or simply to quote George Orwell , when he wrote in “Animal farm” –   “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

I am not going to track roots of inequality, give attitudes of philosophers and economists, such a Carl Marx (or papa Carl, as I call him). Yup, one doesn’t need to read Das Capital and try to understand papa Carl, or generations of thinkers before and after him, to see that we are not equal. But, what I witnessed today was a sad scene, as a result of current (LONG LASTING) state of being in our society.
In neighborhood I live in, there are too elementary schools. So, last two days I walked by tones of exciting kids, that struck my memories of first days of school. What I saw disappointed me.

Kids these days bring Iphones to schools, instead of school equipment and gear. OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE THEY CAN.  Again, I understand world have changed, technology improved  and all of that. But is it ok that kid , 7 years old brings an Iphone to school, brags about it, take pictures and show cool application. Yes, too cool for school, obviously. And I don’t care what people say, that’s not ok. Because they are just enrolling in school system, and they should gain more knowledge, not killing their creativity and time with phones and gadgets. And for all of those hypocrites stating how its natural way , because kids today have more opportunities, I have something to say : This is Montenegro. Not Japan, or some super developed country when kids actually don’t use pens, they write, read and learn on their gadgets. Kids here …. Just take picture, usually duckfacing….  Yes, 10 year old , with a  duckface and a pose, I see you becoming  a leader/president one day.. Totally.

What hit me the most was the scene I witnessed, passing by my old elementary school.  3 fancy dressed girls were playing with their Iphones, and a shy cute girl came along asked can she play with them, and that they should play a game.  Mini “mean girls” followed by mini Regina, turned to her and said “YOU DON’T HAVE AN I PHONE… NOT COOL, YOU CANT PLAY WITH US”. Shy girl walked away in tears. SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE HECK?!! You are kids, you should play, enjoy being in school, because truth be told life of adults is not that cool.

I felt so sorry for that girl, so I came up to her and talked a little, tried to cheer her up. Yes, this world is not fair, but I cant stand how the state in this country is corrupting some of most precious things in life.  Also, 9 years old is a little bit too early to have ANY TYPE of phone  and to judge and molest others for not having it.

And then someone dares to say that’s the case of progressive kids of today. Excuse me, not to be rude – but where the heck is progress there? Back in those days, I went to music school, read and loved HP (still goes on today) and went out and played with my friends..Like hide and seek, and those games, not freaking Angry Birds .. Since I am obsessed with that game nowadays, guess I went progressive with time.  J

Teachers and people in education should deal with this more, because they are shaping the minds of people who one day will lead this country. Or we can just drop it. Papa Carl made a division in capitalism in two classes, today is modification : people with and without I phones. And sink even more.

But that just me saying some things.  No hard feelings, people. Adios, till the next blog :))

Time to get real about gender position and social things in Podgorica/Montenegro

Ever since I got back from USA, I catch myself often thinking -What is wrong with people in my hometown? How they can be happy with the mentality of standing in one place for more than 20 years? And if they are not happy, why they are not doing anything to make a change? I get it.. We, Montenegrins are very proud of our national history, getting independence etc. Yet, it is not good living in the past. We need to move forward. I see it way too often through Podgorica, just walking around or even talking to people, how they are not happy with current state of affairs, yet they don’t want to do anything. Just sit and complain. Complain how everything is mom`s fault, teacher`s fault, government`s fault, ultimately America is guilty.. That song is way too overplayed and still it is kind of evergreen – we all know it and repeat it day by day. The biggest excuse I hear from people is that this is small country and small town.. Monaco is small, and look where Monaco is (on the world map and social development map). One of the precious things I learnt in the USA is that your actions and aspiration can reach a goal and change something. And ever since I got back, I tried empowering people, shared my stories and experience, hoping to affect someone to join me and make something better. And everyone get enthusiastic, but when it comes to action they all stand aside and criticize. This is not small environment problem. It’s a first, second and third world problem for Montenegro.  I am used to getting a lot of hatred and conspiracy theories about my love for America. And what I want to say is that country has great examples of self initiative and value of community service. I believe that’s the model we should try applying here. And what Montenegro really needs is some serious gender and politics attention, and girls and women empowerment.

Its easy to complain how bad we are on social ladder. We could be Pakistan, Kazakhstan or any of the "stan company countries" that suffer poverty, war, lack of female inclusion and lack of natural and human resources. We have all the good things and advantages which we like to sell to mostly Russians, but to anyone who offers a good price. And where is women rights and national pride in all of that. Yes, we are ecological,beautiful country. But lets get real - Podgorica and Montenegro are full of hypocrisy , false representation , nepotism , cell phones and Chinese copies of various brands. Its time that someone , I mean all of us say ITS ENOUGH.

With all due respect to female NGO sector in Montenegro, we need serious empowerment and education of female members, not just performances that include foreign and domestic politics issues, goats, blood and similar stupidity. I mean, I can totally take a goat in government building, make a fool out of myself and cause NO POSITIVE change. Similar to Martin Luther King, I have a dream that my beautiful country and hometown will become a great, developed place, where young people can use their potentials and where there is some sort of future and opportunities. I want nepotism and corruption to be put to minimum. And I am ready to devote myself to that dream, but not to be taken for granted or just like MLK , to be shot, killed or something.

Starting from the family law of Montenegro, to every day situation girls and women lack legal protection, respect and recognition. But most of all they lack education, aspiration and empowerment. Shift from communism to democracy allowed negative impact such as materialization of everything, especially values, self confidence and way of thinking. What can you expect from one society where most of the girls only cares about how will they look, do they have Louis Vuiton , fancy make up, how to copy celebrity styles.. Walking around my hometown I see all sorts of Blair Waldorf wanna-be, Jelena-Karlesa wanna-be and its sad.. Why no one looks up to Ellenor Roosevelt, Indira Ghandi and bunch of other great exemples… And as long as outfit, I wish they heard Macklemore singing “50dollars for a T shirt, that’s just some ignorant sh*t”..  I know we all want to look well and live well, but golddigging and putting yourself way too much may help you get a rich husband, but if you raise kids to do the same way, its social decline for another 50years.

I am not suggesting some puritan Scarlet Letter methods, where girls should wear scarlet “A” for adultery and moral sins (I believe scarlet would be the trendiest color of the season in that case) but just calling for implementation of some morals, girls and women turning to how they behave, how to be lady like, how to get more knowledge and become more social activists, not just gossip, try to look like a celebrity and try to have hair and style like Rihanna, Katty Perry or something.

WHY DO WE NEED TO FIX THIS? Because it is just wrong to see females older than 40 trying to dress up and look like they are 20… Simply because they are not 20 anymore. Or girls who choose money over education, golddigging instead of hard working and empowerment and , picking guys just because of the cars, bank accounts , etc..

Or we can just leave things like they are, and see our lovely county sinks in Chinese copies of fashion brands, stupidity and girls falling on heels, trying to make a wrong impression. Indeed I have a dream that all of this will change.. But I am not ready to die to change this. Stupidity goes to infinity and beyond. And to all of fellows who agree with me and want to change something, I can only say : MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US. 

education - remembering the facts vs. problem solving and critical thinking

"Too often we give children answers to remember, rather than problems to solve".  
Education is the one of the most important processes in society, it enables progress and development to people and can rise the quality of living to a very high level. This fact is certain, yet not every type of education can serve the purpose. Education and the way knowledge is created and transferred varies from country to country , from society to society. One of the big issues with that is that too often education focuses on constant remembering of facts and their repetition. Not on development of creativity , critical thinking and problem-solving attitude. When you are child in school, sure you are eager for learning as much as possible. Yet, what you learn is supposed to prepare you for "real life" - one day, as an adult with a certain profession you will use what you learnt in school. But how can you do that, if only thing your learn in school is to repeat what your teacher says and remember what's in the textbook. That problem is followed by other great injustice- the grading system. Too often , children awarded with good grades and encouraged by teachers are exactly the ones who listen what is told and remember, but they don't think with their own heads - they don't learn to solve the problems. No matter how educational systems around the globe are diverse, this is something most of them have in common. Growing up, I was witnessing this problem. All that was important was remembering a lot of facts , and repeating teacher's words. If you dared to show your own understanding, often you would come across misunderstanding from the teachers. You would even be consider stupid , not creative. Yet, I tried not to get down too much. If the school didn't understand my way of thinking , which was more creative and deeper, I should find an alternative. So , I turned to reading. I remember Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Wizard of Oz, Pipi LongSocking and all other characters being my idols from books- and example how they coped with problems, often without suggestions or help of the adults- only by themselves. Going to college in the USA last year was what I was waiting for. First time , I met teachers who inspired me to think creatively and critically, not to remember answers, but to ask questions, recognize problems and find strategies to solve them. I don't want people to get me wrong- I had teachers who were just like in my elementary school. And it's not that I am praising USA, but in their college system practical knowledge and asking questions , solving problems is much more common then where I come from. This fall, I am graduating, and will be seeking for Masters. After, I hope I will get a PhD and become a professor of International Relations. There is nothing more I want to do in life than teach others. But I want to bring change- I don't want to be only person talking. I want my future students to ask questions, examine and research, seek and solve problems. I believe by that , productive and useful knowledge is created. "Children have to be educated, but they also have to be left to educate themselves." In today's world, with all the technologies, information are wide spread, available to everyone and in every minute. So, there is no need for remembering and repeating the facts. It is more important to influence people to think big, recognize problems and learn how to deal with them in every-day life situation. We are leaving the world to young generations, so its our task to make sure they get quality education. Education applied to all the people, disregarding the gender or the age. Education that can lead to improvement. Problem solving should take away the spotlight to remembering the facts. That's what we should invest in. Because "investment in knowledge pays the best interest", just as B. Franklin said it. The future lies in our hands. In that situation, I call for Nelson Mandela and his words of wisdom- "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use the change the world." So, lets make it powerful, progressive and moving forward, not dull, boring and repetitive.

50 reasons why not to read 50 shades of gray

   

I remember that time last August, when I came to USA, and heard about its national best seller – 50 shades of grey trilogy. For those of you not informed, it had become a best seller, bigger than the Bible or Harry Potter. Which I think its UNACCEPTABLE. Why it was such a huge hit? Because it is an erotic, controversial book. Now, lets make this thing clear. I am not against this book because it is erotic, or whatever. I consider myself extremely open-minded person and someone who loves to read. First, I was judging this trilogy by its cover and reviews. Then I read it, and judged it even harder. I am not going to push it too far and say who is targeted by this book, I am keeping that humble opinion to myself. But I will push it far enough and say that you cannot read this book and say it’s a masterpiece. Or that you know contemporary literature, and only thing you have ever read is 50 Shades of grey and Cosmopolitan advices how to get over facebook break-up and make your hair look like Rihanna. Stopping hypocrisy right here

While all of you enjoy reading this trilogy, and all of you wondering should you read it or not, let me give you 50 reasons why not to read 50 shades of grey.

1) It started as Twilight fan fiction. Yes, really. For the record, this should never, ever be the inspiration for a book. “I ate a really good sandwich” would be better. Even “I was so moved by the collected works of the cast of The Jersey Shore I decided to put in it words” is more acceptable. “I read Twilight and wanted to make an erotic version of it” is not.
2) “Oh my” is a too cheesy and way to often mentioned in the book.
3) The author doesn’t know what “subconscious” means.
4) There are tones of better books to read.
5)  I don’t get it: is she is employee or his girlfriend?

-6)  If she was really smart, she’d have asked for stock.

-7) Explain to me how someone’s eyes can be “smoldering embers”. Without sounding stupid.
-8)  Apparently one book ends and the other  just starts and there’s no real transition between them.
-9) The female protagonist says “Holy cow!” 84 times throughout the trilogy. Which, you know, is an expression 20-somethings often use. (Also, this Amazon review has compiled other phrases that are overused in the book. It is delightful.)
-10)  I bet not even this Christian Grey fellow can get into the secret room above Tavern Law.
- 11) I have to do laundry.
- 12) I’m worried it will make me regret being literate.
- 13) No self-respecting tech mogul in Seattle would buy a woman an Apple computer.
- 14) On that note, why is she a college student without a computer? How does that even happen?
-15) Stupid stories stay with me far longer than good ones. I’m afraid that this book will haunt my dreams.
16) Because when you think about it, life is really short. Way to short for this book/
-17) Where do they find the time to have all this sex (and not-sex)? It’s been my personal

belief that entrepreneurs are really busy.
-18) I’m really, really sick of female protagonists who are virgins, waiting to give it up to the perfect guy. Way to cheesy.

19) The book actually aspires submission of women. Its like… HELLO, where is feminism?

20)Someone’s mouth cannot “quirk up”. That is not a thing.
-21) I don’t think loving a person means you should want to change them.
-22) Twilight-author Stephanie Meyer has refused to read it. And it’s not like that woman is a literary snob.
-23)Billionaires aren’t in their 20s. And if they are, they aren’t single. Or drop-dead gorgeous. Instead, they’re stressed-out and sleep-deprived and have terrible diets. Wait, was this fiction, or fantasy?
-24) It actually contains this line: “My inner goddess is doing the dance of the seven veils.” In the author’s defense, that is comedic gold. Unfortunately, the book is not supposed to be comedic.
-25) The book is set in both Seattle and Vancouver. The author has never been to Seattle. Or Vancouver.  What happened with the gold rule – write about something you actually know about? New rule: you have to visit this town at least once before setting a novel her
26) I’d be way more interested if he was the submissive. #NONOTACTUALLY
-27)  He says she can’t snack between meals? DEALBREAKER. You can't simultaneously love someone and tell them they can't have snacks.

28)  I cannot imagine his board of directors would be cool with any of his behavior.
29) Why does preferring a BDSM lifestyle automatically necessitate that you had to have a fucked-up childhood? Again, way to cheesy.
30) Game of Thrones is a way better book. Ask the entire world.

31)  I’m scared I might like it a little. Wait, no. Not really.

32) If you have nothing else the read think of the Harry Potter. Or Lord of the Rings. Or just watch movies.

33) If you actually want to read erotic novels, I am pretty sure you can find better ones.

34) This book is meant to desperate 40+ housewives with no sex life. #thereisaidit

35) RED ROOM OF PAIN. Enough said.

36) I could actually watch some cooking show and learn how to cook.

37) Women submission? No way.

38) Ellen DeGeneres hates the book. Do you even doubt Ellen?

39) Do not try at home anything written in the book :D
40) Judge it by the covers and dont buy it.- 

41) This book is not deep. Actually, that depends on the context.

42) Even if your passion lies with erotic literature, I am sure you can find way less cheesy one.

43) If you are feeling lonely, dont warm yourself with this book. Get a pet.

44) Go out. Take a walk. Exercise and stay fit.

45) Because readers deserve better. Even if they are 40+ no sex life housewives.

46) Because Seattle deserves better.

47) Because America deserves better.

48) Because the world and literature deserve better.
49)Because erotic fiction really deserves better.
50) Because if I really want a good love story about an adorably disheveled Seattle CEO and the absolute mess of a woman that he loves, I need look no further than my own life. You just need to swap out the whips and chains and ball gags and violent sex for cupcakes and cuddling on the couch. Long live the romance and Jane Austen.