What do 50 Shades of Grey and Starving Children Have in Common?

Oh, that's right...nothing.

But we're sure ranting about it like it's of the same importance, aren't we?

Does it bother me that really young girls can easily read this before they've even had a chance to learn about what good sex really is? Sure. But that's just the world we live in, like it or not.

But here's the thing--we also live in a world where sex trafficking is rampant, where people die because they don't have clean water, where people are being held hostage and slaughtered in the name of terror, and where people get to a point of feeling such hopelessness that they choose to actually end their own life.

Buuuut yeah, let's complain about a book. 

We're really good at picking popular things we disagree with and standing up wholeheartedly against them. But why do we pick such shallow things (in the grand scheme of things) to stand up against?

I'll say this: If you feel in your heart that you need to speak out against something like this, then I applaud you. Good for you for listening to your gut. But as far as everyone just jumping on board with issues that seem to be trending on twitter--who did you help? 

All of this--the posts, the hashtags, the boycotting--reminds me of the yoga pants rants that went around last year. Who did you really help by ranting about the immodesty of yoga pants? Who are you really helping by ranting about this book and movie?

If you think wearing yoga pants is wrong, don't wear them. If you disagree with this movie, don't pay money to see it. If you feel like you need to say why, then speak into the lives of people close to you, who you've earned the right to talk to.

But goodness gracious, stop complaining about it.

When I was little and didn't want to finish my food, my dad would always say, "There are starving kids in Africa, and you want to complain about how your food tastes?" 

With the recent overflow of opinions on these things, I can't help but hear a similar voice in my head as I scroll through countless blogs and tweets and posts and opinions. "There are starving kids in Africa, and you want to complain about a book?" 

You only get one life, and you only get a certain amount of things to say. At the end of your days, you will have stood up for ________ number of things. You're the one who gets to decide what that number is, and you're the one who gets to decide how many elements of that number actually helped and made a difference.

At this point, everyone knows what 50 Shades of Grey is about. It's highly unlikely that someone is going to wander into a theatre or pick up a book thinking they're about to see a unicorn love story, only to be shocked by what it is. So maybe it's time to stop "warning people" about this, and start using your voice for bigger issues?

In the time you have been discussing the dangers of seeing this movie, you could have been loving on someone who feels unloved, looking into how you can help empower young women who come from nothing, sending a check to help provide a family with clean water, volunteering to hang out with underprivileged kids who may not even get dinner tonight, and countless other things that would actually make a difference.

Or, you can ignore those issues, stay comfortable, and keep complaining about a book.