Anonymous #1 14w

In horror movies bad people do bad things, in dark romance books bad people do bad things. If grown ass men can enjoy watching a serial killer like dismember someone graphically then I can enjoy a book that has incredibly dark and fucked up themes.

18

Anonymous OP 14w

I don't understand why you specified men there are plenty of women that enjoy horror movies lol

3

Anonymous #1 14w

I know, but a lot of the talking points of anti dark romance readers is basically “I’m a feminist, but I think women are idiot babies who need the content they consume policed by people with better morals.” And that almost never happens with content consumed by primarily men.

9

Anonymous OP 14w

Don't you think it helps your point more to say women can handle horror so of course they can handle dark romance?

0

Anonymous #1 14w

That’s kinda my point, people don’t have an issue with horror when it’s a male dominated hobby, but dark romance books are primarily read by women and that’s the only time people have an issue with it.

7

Anonymous OP 14w

I see your point and totally agree

7

Anonymous OP 14w

I agree with all your points except the idea that it almost never happens with content consumed primarily by men. Because that’s the whole talking point behind “video games are making young boys violent and causing shootings.”

11

Anonymous #7 14w

So should we ban horror films because of the increase in desensitization to intense violent themes?

5

Anonymous #8 14w

I never said anything about banning, I think that particular framing of the comparison is holding you up. You can dislike something and even believe others didn’t partake in it while not “banning” it.

10

Anonymous #7 14w

True, I apologize, I’m used to talking to people who do genuinely believe we should ban erotica because they find it offensive. I’m sorry, I don’t totally understand your comment, you lobby the same criticism against horror novels then?

2

Anonymous #9 14w

If you wanted an explanation, there are a vocal bunch of people who think that erotica books and romance with smut are ruining the minds of women and shouldn’t exist. For erotica specifically, a lot of “dark romance” books feature things like bully romances and mafia romances and bdsm in a kink universe (where in-universe it isn’t necessarily play but real, which if it were real would be abuse and assault)

3

Anonymous #8 14w

People say these dark romances are corrupting women and normalizing SA and toxic relationships as if women can’t think for themselves and differentiate a kink universe from real life (these critics are also usually pretty silent about clean romances that nonetheless feature (and arguably romanticize) toxic relationships)

3

Anonymous #8 14w

OP is saying that the people who gripe and moan about sex in books typically have no problem with graphic horror in books (it reminds me of King talking about the infamous It scene that essentially says “people are so upset of depictions of children having sex, but seem to be fine with children being brutally murdered”)

5

Anonymous #8 14w

Sorry I’ll be less flippant. That criticism described is misogynistic. I don’t think comparisons with horror films help. For lots of Horror films you experiencing a tense situation on behalf of the victim. Wanting things to work out but believing that they won’t. In these books you are experiencing a problematic experience from the abused perspective and the eroticism comes from fantasying yourself in that situation. conditioning yourself for abuse but that not true.

2

Anonymous #8 14w

I get it but I think horror is a detour. I think reading these books is such a safe way to explore a dangerous fantasy. I think these fantasies are from cultural conditioning so you go into the book with the interest. Since you already have an interest in it, what safer way to explore it then by yourself, reading a book.

3

Anonymous #8 14w

Yeah I’d say the same sort of thing for both. Theres things like harmless sex scenes and mild horror that I think is totally fine, and there’s very twisted content that with enough consumption can warp your brain. With that there’s some undefined gray area, and everyone will have their own line. I will say though I do think the negative consequences of erotica/porn/smut is more obvious and harmful than horror content

6

Anonymous #7 14w

I might disagree. I think horror is a sort of wide spectrum. There two things one was anyone harmed during the filming. Such as coerced to do things they didn’t want to do. The other is does it glorify violence. I think action films where the hero performs horrific acts on “bad people” is more guilty of glorifying violence than horror. I’m sure some of it does because it’s sort of our culture that glorifies violence and so our art feeds this back to us.

1

Anonymous #1 14w

the point is there is a misogynistic double standard

1

Anonymous #6 14w

do you have a recent example of this claim? this is a very early 00s way of speaking

1

Anonymous #4 14w

I haven’t read Haunting Adeline but I agree that the problem is the romanticization of SA. I’ve seen people online react to abuse and assault in romance stories as if it’s romantic. I’ve also seen stuff where the author doesn’t seem to realize it’s SA :/

3

Anonymous #10 14w

there’s not much media about it but it’s def ingrained in a lot of people

3

Anonymous #10 14w

I mean trump made the claim in 2019. Here’s an article talking about it https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1039411 Other people have too but not as many big political figures

1