What do I tell people who say Stephen King's are scary and (get this) morally filthy?

[Speedygi81]

After being away from the forums for quite awhile, I have decided to come back to my good friends here. I do miss you, guys, and love all of you.

A question that recently popped into my mind is a startling one, and is one I am not particularly fond of, but is something I care about deeply...

Why am I always branded odd for loving to read SK? I always hear people say that his books are "Moral Trash," are his books really supposed to be viewed as evil or bad influence ?

Please give you thoughts here and ideas on how to deal with such criticism too.

[kingricefan]

Well, for me anyway, at the core of any King novel stands love. They're always about love and the human condition. I don't get why people view his writings as evil. When someone says something negative about his works, I always tell them they don't know what they're talking about and/or missing.

[Speedygi81]

It's pretty hard to take a story like Duma Key or Pet Sematary and say it's about love though. It's such a stretch even I don't think I can justify convincingly.

[Sepia and Dust]

Why am I always branded odd for loving to read SK? I always hear people say that his books are "Moral Trash," are his books really supposed to be viewed as evil or bad influence ?

Please give you thoughts here and ideas on how to deal with such criticism too.

I'd say that you should start talking with a better class of people.

[Speedygi81]

I'd say that you should start talking with a better class of people.

Some who are open enough will be fine, they will know the nuances of these types of fiction. But most that I am referring to already have an adverse feeling towards fiction in general that there's just no point even discussing things of that nature to them.

[Sepia and Dust]

Some who are open enough will be fine, they will know the nuances of these types of fiction. But most that I am referring to already have an adverse feeling towards fiction in general that there's just no point even discussing things of that nature to them.

Exactly. There's no point in discussing it with them. Literary snobs aren't worth the paper their theses are written on.

[Kitten]

Stephen King writes about things that are sometimes hard to talk about. An English teacher once told me he went to a skarey movie. The person behind him was laughing. He couldn't understand why and it really started to bother him. He turned around to look at the person who was laughing. He had a very frightened look on his face. People react to things differently. Sometimes people find it difficult to talk about many of the topics Stephen talks about. I love Stephen's movies. Sometimes I dread watching them because I know I am going to be skared to no end. Well, that's why I cover my eyes in those skarey parts. :)

[charmed_one3]

That reminds me of a time when some woman asked me what I was reading, I showed her the book and said Stephen King. She then said to me that her niece liked SK and that her niece was "a little weird too". I simply told that woman that I'm happy to be a little weird. I've always been a bit eccentric, and I embrace it. If I'm weird for enjoying SK books, so be it. ;;D

Don't pay much mind to those who say such things. It's hard to tell what they read in the privacy of their own homes to begin with! There are so many things in reality that are scary and morally filthy, which they should take their time to complain about. Not Stephen King books!
To those who do find Stephen scary, I wish they would watch his interviews and lectures. They will find that he's completely opposite of that.

[mjs9153]

Well, for me anyway, at the core of any King novel stands love. They're always about love and the human condition. I don't get why people view his writings as evil. When someone says something negative about his works, I always tell them they don't know what they're talking about and/or missing.

EXACTLY what I was going to say,so..Ditto..
Also,where Pet Sematary is concerned,it is about love,love so hard you can't let go..and the epic fail of trying not too,resulting in disaster..and it is all human condition there too,who amongst us who have lost loved ones didn't wish they could cure them and bring them back?Things to think about for sure,SK does it more eloquently than anyone I've seen..

[Autumn Gust]

My husband's one of those who doesn't read Stephen King. It's not so much that he doesn't like his writing-- it's more like "life is short so I will only read books that I find most satisfying." He says the classics give him a bigger pay back for his time-- Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hemmingway, etc... I know he respects Mr. King even though he doesn't read his books. Also, he's a good sport listening to me go on about them all the time.

[blunthead]

My husband's one of those who doesn't read Stephen King. It's not so much that he doesn't like his writing-- it's more like "life is short so I will only read books that I find most satisfying." He says the classics give him a bigger pay back for his time-- Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hemmingway, etc... I know he respects Mr. King even though he doesn't read his books. Also, he's a good sport listening to me go on about them all the time.
Yer hubby is an exception to a rule, I think. It occurs to me that, with the exception of the literary elitist snobs, it's conceivable that 100% of people who criticize sK have never read a word he's written. They're just assuming something and don't know whereof they criticize. I think the smartest thing to say to his critics, including the snobs, is that the great artists are never truly appreciated in their own time.

[GNTLGNT]

It's pretty hard to take a story like Duma Key or Pet Sematary and say it's about love though. It's such a stretch even I don't think I can justify convincingly.

...oh Holy Hell yes, they're about love....for me, Duma is learning to love ones-self and others, while Semetary is about love so strong, one can't imagine losing or giving it up...people that cast about such crap, generally have never read one iota of anything King has written-and believe like sheeple, what others tell them, or base their specious judgements on seeing a film adaptation...in other words, tell em to go have intercourse with themselves and enjoy King guilt free...

[Todash]

It's pretty hard to take a story like Duma Key or Pet Sematary and say it's about love though. It's such a stretch even I don't think I can justify convincingly.
You think? I haven't yet read Pet Sematary (I KNOW GUYS, I KNOW), but Duma Key ... Duma Key is about nothing BUT love. There's so much love in that book. It's the prime motive for everything the good guys do. It's what makes their decisions so easy--and yet so hard. From front to back, that book is full of love. Heck, at its core, it's mostly about how love can complicate things, make things harder, and how sometimes you accidentally hurt people because you love them, and also how sometimes when you love people, you have to let them go if that's what they need, even when it hurts you beyond what you thought you could stand.

[cat in a bag]

I met a very nice older couple at the library when Craig Johnson was there a few months back. We got to talking about our favorite authors and books and when I told the lady my favorite was SK, she said she just "didn't see the point." I kind of laughed, and asked her if she'd seen The Green Mile or Shawshank...she had, and she knew they were SK stories, and she said she had enjoyed them very much, but she didn't understand the "scary" stuff. I encouraged her to give 11/22/63 a try...I told her a little about it, and said that it was a very beautiful love story at heart. She seemed interested, and wrote the title down. I don't know if she ever did give it a try, but I do hope she did!

I also think you could absolutely argue that Pet Sematary is about love as well...the love we have for our families, and how far we would go for them.

[Todash]

There is so much heart in his work. I am really not into horror. I'm not. I read SK in spite of the genre that chose him, not because of it. (I am a big chicken.)

[fushingfeef]

I think Stephen King was unfairly branded with the "America's Literary Boogeyman" label early on in his career, and people who haven't read his stuff merely see him as that. I don't get too worked up about it: SK is one of the most popular authors in the world and he's still creating amazing stories for us all to enjoy. If others don't want to join the party, it's their loss. Heck, even the Beatles have their detractors.

[GNTLGNT]

(I am a big chicken.)

...no honey...THIS is a big chicken....

http://www.machineanimalcollages.com/Images/MainFSImages/InstallationImages/AttentionChickenImages/CloseUp.jpg

[Todash]

...no honey...THIS is a big chicken....



Why is that a thing? WHY??? That is not okay. It's just not.

[Todash]

I think Stephen King was unfairly branded with the "America's Literary Boogeyman" label early on in his career, and people who haven't read his stuff merely see him as that. I don't get too worked up about it: SK is one of the most popular authors in the world and he's still creating amazing stories for us all to enjoy. If others don't want to join the party, it's their loss. Heck, even the Beatles have their detractors.
This is true. He's doing all right for himself.

[blunthead]

...I told the lady my favorite was SK, she said she just "didn't see the point."...she didn't understand the "scary" stuff...To each his/her own, it takes all kinds, and all that jazz. Some people like mild salsa, physics, and the New York Yankees. I personally don't understand those people, though some are good friends. I accept that people have different tastes. What I know about myself is that I need the art of horror, I need the emotions of being creeped out, mortified, and even terrified. My nervous system needs the stimulation of that kind of chill. I'm a big movie buff and my favorite is Vertigo, which as far as I'm concerned is a horror movie, it's just so damn creepy. I don't know if I was born with this need or am only as fond of it as I am via the Saturday night horror movies they'd God bless them show at midnight when I was a kid. As an adult (cough), when I discovered Dean Koontz, who made a way for me to discover Stephen King, something awoke inside which had been silently slumbering (I think it has a name and I think the name is Cthulhu and I know I can't pronounce it and I think that's a good thing).

Some people don't see the point of crypts and spiderwebs and more shadows than normal, and grey and black and blood-red, and werewolves and the supernatural. And green things alive with intelligence. And alien thought. I need these things and more, and thank God for writers who need them as well and to write about them.

[Jojo87]

When I start to talk about SK and his work to my mom for example. She said immediately, how can you read that
scary stuff he write about. I try to explain to her that not every book is scary, but I don't think she believe me. We saw
couple of years ago Shawshank and Green Mile on TV and my mom liked them, even if they is based on SK stories. But I don't think
she ever will read any story by him. Some people just don't like to read his stories.

[mjs9153]

Now I like hot salsa,physics cause gym was my best class,and the Yankees..incidentally Mariano's swan song is this year,a class act,gentleman and the finest closer extant..

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.5055087225997343&pid=15.1

[KJ Norrbotten]

I think Stephen King was unfairly branded with the "America's Literary Boogeyman" label early on in his career, and people who haven't read his stuff merely see him as that.

I bet there are people who blame his work "too scary", for having seen Shining years ago, say 1982 and base their opinion on that. Besides, there's nothing wrong with scary fiction. Scary reality is another thing entirely.

[blunthead]

...Some people just don't like to read his stories.They're scared of him. I feel it's my mission, in terms of sK, to communicate to non-sK fans that he's not what they assume, that if they don't like scary stories, fine, that there are plenty of others, that he's perfect for people who already enjoy mystery and suspense because his imagination is so unpredictable, and that the truth is he's not himself evil, his stories are not evil, and they aren't even that grotesque.

[Seb Shaw]

It always fascinates me when people disregard King without reading his works.

At the end of the day, you should take the pleasure in the fact that you have so many friends on here, and that we can all share and talk about the great mans work. If the people in your life don't get it, then it really is their loss. They are missing out on extraordinary adventures!

[GNTLGNT]

Now I like hot salsa,physics cause gym was my best class,and the Yankees..incidentally Mariano's swan song is this year,a class act,gentleman and the finest closer extant..

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.5055087225997343&pid=15.1

...I like it man, just have no clue what it has to do with the thread...coz I'm toopid...

[Autumn Gust]

...no honey...THIS is a big chicken....

http://www.machineanimalcollages.com/Images/MainFSImages/InstallationImages/AttentionChickenImages/CloseUp.jpg

Just when the image of that nasty monkey was starting to fade from our minds... He does this to us!!

[blunthead]

...I like it man, just have no clue what it has to do with the thread...coz I'm toopid...It has to do with the thread because sK loves baseball, but loves the Sox, which causes internal angst amongst fans of his who are also Yankee fans, and his books sometimes cause angst as well, plus the Yankees are Boston's Eternal Nemesis and him photoed has caused much weeping and gnashing of teeth amongst sK as well as sK fans, so more angst, and he's poking a white sphere with red threads at sK fans as if to remind us what about Black 13 or something.

[GNTLGNT]

Just when the image of that nasty monkey was starting to fade from our minds... He does this to us!!

...I found it be an interesting bit of sand sculpture, and quite the definition of "sand stuck in the craw".....that, and I'm hopelessly nuts...

[blunthead]

Just when the image of that nasty monkey was starting to fade from our minds... He does this to us!!That's Cthulhu!!! No!!!

17048

[Shasta]

Tell them that they are right and that's why you love him. He inspires you to torture children in your basement. That should shut them up.

[blunthead]

Tell them that they are right and that's why you love him. He inspires you to torture children in your basement. That should shut them up.He inspired me to eat live chickens.

[Shasta]

He inspired me to eat live chickens.

See. What else could you ask for in an author?

Is it just me, or do other people think SK just isn't all that scary? (Well, except for Duma Key and Pet Sematary. And the Shining. They all scared the bejesus out of me.)

But really, for the most part I just don't find the vast majority of his works as horrific as they are hyped up to be.

Brilliant? Yes. Entertaining? Yes. Wonderful? Yes. Scary and morally bereft? Not so much.

[blunthead]

See. What else could you ask for in an author?

Is it just me, or do other people think SK just isn't all that scary? (Well, except for Duma Key and Pet Sematary. And the Shining. They all scared the bejesus out of me.)

But really, for the most part I just don't find the vast majority of his works as horrific as they are hyped up to be.

Brilliant? Yes. Entertaining? Yes. Wonderful? Yes. Scary and morally bereft? Not so much.I find him far less Unadulterated Evil than many of his detractors--most of whom think "detractor" means the rusting thing in the backyard the kids pretend is a horse--believe him to be.

[Neesy]

After being away from the forums for quite awhile, I have decided to come back to my good friends here. I do miss you, guys, and love all of you.

A question that recently popped into my mind is a startling one, and is one I am not particularly fond of, but is something I care about deeply...

Why am I always branded odd for loving to read SK? I always hear people say that his books are "Moral Trash," are his books really supposed to be viewed as evil or bad influence ?

Please give you thoughts here and ideas on how to deal with such criticism too.

Tell them to "piss off"

But, seriously - I posed a similar question recently and I think it is a case of people just being ignorant. What I mean by that is that they have no idea how many books he has written and the many different types of stories he has dreamed up. He got a reputation as a horror writer back in the 70s and I guess it just stuck. People get an idea in their head and it is hard to convince them otherwise. I guess that expression is true: "First impressions are lasting". In this case they are going by outdated ideas and just cannot be bothered to look into his work any further. JMHO as they say :umm: I would try to explain this in a nicer way but tact and diplomacy are not always my strong suit! p.s. I agree with kingricefan - yes - many of his books are about love or even the triumph of good over evil. So there you go - tell them that!

[atomicinchworm]

I don't find him particularly scary.

But I am that person who laughs at horror films, not because I am reacting strangely to stress, but because I find them hilarious.

[Shasta]

--most of whom think "detractor" means the rusting thing in the backyard the kids pretend is a horse--

:rofl:

[GNTLGNT]

...detractor?.....dats what delittle fella from Fantasy Island mowed delawn wid...

http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/files/images/Herve%20Villachez.JPG

[king family fan]

Who cares what others say as long as you enjoy Kings works. It seems lots of people just want to push their opinions. I really enjoy Kings talent of writing. Its like having the characters in my everyday life.

[Cowboy]

"Quit being a.....kitty kat" That is usually a good way to win someone over.

[Cowboy]

I love that we have the edit function....I can now fix my misspellings!

[Sundrop]

I usually ask them why they feel that way...... and just as they begin to answer, I raise my hands to my head, and say "would all of you just shut up for a minute, I'm trying to talk to this nice person, and I can't listen to everyone at once".
That pretty much satisfies their curiosity.

[Lily Sawyer]

Why am I always branded odd for loving to read SK? I always hear people say that his books are "Moral Trash," are his books really supposed to be viewed as evil or bad influence?

I suspect the people who've branded you "odd" have never once cracked open an SK work. So give 'em something to really talk about: be seen in public reading The 120 Days of Sodom, or The Perfumed Garden, or worst of all, O.J. Simpson's work If I Did It.

[kingricefan]

It's pretty hard to take a story like Duma Key or Pet Sematary and say it's about love though. It's such a stretch even I don't think I can justify convincingly.

One man's love for his family? (Pet Semetary)

[kingricefan]

I love that we have the edit function....I can now fix my misspellings!

Where is the edit button?

[Cowboy]

Where is the edit button?

It is on your post for a certain amount of time. Once that time expires, you can no longer edit. Jordan explained it in another post somewhere.

[FlakeNoir]

People that look at other people sideways on hearing the name Stephen King being a favourite author are often embarrassed I think to admit to actually 'liking' literature that delves in the darker side of human nature. I really do think that some people believe if someone likes to read about that stuff... then oh my goodness, how many steps away is that from wanting to try some of that?! :laugh: Then again, some people are boring and just have no imagination.

*Disclaimer: for all of you out there looking at me sideways now.... BOO! :ghostface: :tongue: :biggrin2:

[AchtungBaby]

If people assume (ass outta u and me) King novels are "moral trash", that's their problem...not yours...

[Spideyman]

I have a neighbor down the road, known her for over 20 years- ours kids grew up together. She constantly tells me I'll rot in hell for reading SK books. Have given up explaining, and now just smile and continue reading each new book published. She knows not what she is missing!!

[blunthead]

It is on your post for a certain amount of time. Once that time expires, you can no longer edit. Jordan explained it in another post somewhere.
The Main Board now has an Edit feature, a button located to the left of the Reply | Reply With Quote buttons, which allows the person posting 30 minutes in which to edit their post before it becomes written in stone (or Deleted, if the post is naughty or otherwise breaks Board rules).

[blunthead]

I have a neighbor down the road, known her for over 20 years- ours kids grew up together. She constantly tells me I'll rot in hell for reading SK books. Have given up explaining, and now just smile and continue reading each new book published. She knows not what she is missing!!
Yer neighbor's mistaken. Nobody rots in hell. You rot when yer in compost.

[Shasta]

I have a neighbor down the road, known her for over 20 years- ours kids grew up together. She constantly tells me I'll rot in hell for reading SK books. Have given up explaining, and now just smile and continue reading each new book published. She knows not what she is missing!!

Her favorite movie is probably Shawshank.

[mjs9153]

...I like it man, just have no clue what it has to do with the thread...coz I'm toopid...

Ha GNT was responding to Blunt who was I think lefthandedly insulting us poor,misbegotten,downtrodden Yankee fans..shoulda hit the respond with quote button..but as Blunt is a gentleman,a baseball and SK fan,he is forgiven without reservation.. :grinning:

[mjs9153]

People that look at other people sideways on hearing the name Stephen King being a favourite author are often embarrassed I think to admit to actually 'liking' literature that delves in the darker side of human nature. I really do think that some people believe if someone likes to read about that stuff... then oh my goodness, how many steps away is that from wanting to try some of that?! :laugh: Then again, some people are boring and just have no imagination.

*Disclaimer: for all of you out there looking at me sideways now.... BOO! :ghostface: :tongue: :biggrin2:

That one deserves a ****in' A Like.. sorry for the obscenity,but geez people who don't get stephen,are like,Flat Earthers in the supermarket in The Mist ,which is fine,people don't like everything,but SK has human nature down so well,and crafts his stories around them..well, watch the cardaschiens or whatever if that is that you like, but for me,it is the man who anointed us Constant Reader..been there,done that,since 1978 or so,and probably will til I kick the proverbial bucket..

[Shasta]

I really do think that some people believe if someone likes to read about that stuff... then oh my goodness, how many steps away is that from wanting to try some of that?! :laugh:

Is that NOT what it means? Oops.

[kingricefan]

The Main Board now has an Edit feature, a button located to the left of the Reply | Reply With Quote buttons, which allows the person posting 30 minutes in which to edit their post before it becomes written in stone (or Deleted, if the post is naughty or otherwise breaks Board rules).

There's absolutely no 'edit' button when I post or reply with quote........

[kingricefan]

There's absolutely no 'edit' button when I post or reply with quote........

I take that back, I see it now!!!

[Shoesalesman]

Well, for me anyway, at the core of any King novel stands love. They're always about love and the human condition.

Having just finished Pet Sematary, I cannot concur more. Well said.

[jchanic]

I really get tired of people who have never read the works criticizing them. If they had some valid criticisms, that's one thing, but to say that they are "morally deficient" but have never read them just shows their ignorance. The same thing happens with the Harry Potter books--"they are corrupting because they are about witches and wizards". Ridiculous!

John

[MadamMack]

After being away from the forums for quite awhile, I have decided to come back to my good friends here. I do miss you, guys, and love all of you.

A question that recently popped into my mind is a startling one, and is one I am not particularly fond of, but is something I care about deeply...

Why am I always branded odd for loving to read SK? I always hear people say that his books are "Moral Trash," are his books really supposed to be viewed as evil or bad influence ?

Please give you thoughts here and ideas on how to deal with such criticism too.

I no longer worry about what others think. I've been criticized for being a fan of Stephen's in more ways than one . . . If I worried about what other folks thought . . . I'd be one sad azz.

Missed you . . . glad you're back.

[michal]

"Moral Trash"? Worst case scenario we are talking about the "literary equivalent of big mac and fries" ;-D, and even that if you ask me is far from being accurate. But seriously, arguing about reading preference is like arguing about food - to each his own and no one is "right" or "wrong" as far as what he personally likes. I hate Harry Potter. Some people think that this makes me a despicable creature that shouldn't be allowed in public. Others understand that being a fictional character he won't take it to heart and Miz R. has certainly sold enough books without my purchase. The only real question to me is: What do you care what other people think? Read what makes you happy. No?

[Haunted]

I have a neighbor down the road, known her for over 20 years- ours kids grew up together. She constantly tells me I'll rot in hell for reading SK books. Have given up explaining, and now just smile and continue reading each new book published. She knows not what she is missing!!


She constantly tells me I'll rot in hell for reading SK books.


Mr. King's writings are morally filthy?

Reading through this thread all I can do is shake my head in absolute amazement! The above statements especially are uneducated blather. People say they don't read his books because they are filthy; if they don't read them how do they know they are filthy? That's what I mean by uneducated and there is no way you can change their minds.

[Out of Order]

My daughter was always under the impression that King's works were nothing but horror/scare fests............

And then I had her read The Green Mile.

She cried over Mr. Jingles as I'm sure many of us did.

She intends to read 11/22/63 at some point soon........;-D

[jacobtlong]

I have no problem reading anything in public. And I mean quite literally just about anything.

Even something in such insanely bad taste as this:

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm122225672/genital-grinder-ryan-harding-paperback-cover-art.jpg

But if someone ever says to me that Stephen King is morally filthy (no one that I know has said it) then I'd bring out one of my special books (among which the book behind the spoiler is one) from my collection and just look at the priceless look on their face. And I'd say, "Stephen king ain't looking so morally filthy now, now is he?":biggrin:

[blunthead]

Say this...

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

...then say...

Bite me. - Me

[Walter Oobleck]

alternate the theories you hold about all things.
--Padgett Powell...The Imperative Mood

Me, I figure that means you put on a sheet and start
hollering at the house.

[SleepingWarrior]

The next time it happens may I suggest saying " It quiets the voices in my head when I read King's work". You won't be asked again for awhile.

[Tim D.]

I've had people, both friends and strangers, tell me that Stephen King's writing is trash and morally corrupt and that reading his books will warp my mind. I simply explain to them what a ridiculous notion that is, and that reading King's books for many years has had no negative effect on me at all. Then I ask them if they'd like to come down to my basement and look at my collection of chains and syringes.

[Roland17]

I definitely think the issue is mis-perception. People just link SK to grisly horror etc etc I don't even see his stories as being scary or gross etc I am about as logical as it is possible to be and don't believe in anything superntural at all...

I just love a bloody good story! and SK has tons of them

[GNTLGNT]

...I laughed out loud last night at work, when a colleague said..."I think if King hadn't been a writer, he've been a serial killer---he just looks nuts!"....

[blunthead]

I definitely think the issue is mis-perception. People just link SK to grisly horror etc etc I don't even see his stories as being scary or gross etc I am about as logical as it is possible to be and don't believe in anything superntural at all...

I just love a bloody good story! and SK has tons of themI think this says volumes. Not even a horror fan yet an sK fan.

[blunthead]

...I laughed out loud last night at work, when a colleague said..."I think if King hadn't been a writer, he've been a serial killer---he just looks nuts!"....Did they ever find that Pushaw Lake Killer? Just sayin'.

[GNTLGNT]

Did they ever find that Pushaw Lake Killer? Just sayin'.

...the one that gutted helpless pies with a filleting knife?....

[Todash]

...I laughed out loud last night at work, when a colleague said..."I think if King hadn't been a writer, he've been a serial killer---he just looks nuts!"....

LOL ... No way! He looks ... Well. He looks goofy. I mean, he looks like a writer (a lot of them seem to have an air of spaciness about them, like their heads are somewhere else half the time, which I suppose is the case) ... but the layer on top of that is just "plainspoken, good-humored, blunt-when-he-needs-to-be, little bit goofy regular Joe." Or so it seems to me.

Maybe it's the writer part. They all do look a little bit nuts. As he said in Danse Macabre, it's something in their eyes. But it's not the "body in the basement" kind of nuts. It's the "I'm not quite 100% grownup" kind of nuts.

[GNTLGNT]

...he can get that crazed gleam in his eye for sure...but you shoulda seen her face, when I told her, he kept the heart of a small boy on his desk....

[KJ Norrbotten]

Maybe it's the writer part. They all do look a little bit nuts. As he said in Danse Macabre, it's something in their eyes. But it's not the "body in the basement" kind of nuts. It's the "I'm not quite 100% grownup" kind of nuts.
Without glasses, anyone who's myopic looks more or less nuts. I'm still afraid to look in the mirror without my glasses, after 30 years.

[not_nadine]

Poor Poor Tabby. Got to look at that before sleep :smile2:

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4544355538306056&pid=15.1

[not_nadine]

Goofy is good.

[AchtungBaby]

Poor Poor Tabby. Got to look at that before sleep :smile2:

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4544355538306056&pid=15.1
His beard kills me...but those pictures are nothing - the photo on the back of the Hardcover of Misery is my all-time favorite.

[mjs9153]

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4844139916559933&pid=15.1 Every time I see this State Farm commercial,the guy reminds me of Stephen.. :laugh:

[FlakeNoir]

I'm really kinda hoping this isn't one of the threads he pops in to have a squizz at.... :a11:

[GNTLGNT]

I'm really kinda hoping this isn't one of the threads he pops in to have a squizz at.... :a11:

...yep, we'd look like a buncha damn goofballs....and he'd be right about some(present company included)...

[FlakeNoir]

...yep, we'd look like a buncha damn goofballs....and he'd be right about some(present company included)...

Aww, we all get a bit carried away sometimes. :love: I was just worried that talk had turned to his physical appearance and concerned that it might hurt feelings--we can't change the way we look. (What we write is a whole other story! ;;D ;-) )

[Spideyman]

Physical appearance is on the outside-- perceived by sight. Written words come from an internal source of the author-- the reader in turn determines, makes up their own mind how it affects them.

[Walter Oobleck]

...and well, sheesh...I guess you could point out that there are a number of tales in the Bible wherein even those considered...top-of-the-line...committed
some feelthy feelthy acts. King David. Or, consider that when Jesus' disciples saw him...they thought he was a ghost. If the good book is willing to credit
ghosts, seems fair to speculate that we, too, can wonder about the world in which we've been placed.

[staropeace]

I actually like his looks.

[mjs9153]

Gosh hope the one I posted isn't the one having people concerned..it was the guy being sneaky and sly,as a french model on the net,and showing up with a clearly fake "Bonjour!!" had me laughin at the idea of SK doing that,along with the glasses..that's all..:wink2:

[FlakeNoir]

Gosh hope the one I posted isn't the one having people concerned..it was the guy being sneaky and sly,as a french model on the net,and showing up with a clearly fake "Bonjour!!" had me laughin at the idea of SK doing that,along with the glasses..that's all..:wink2:

All good... :smile2:

[GNTLGNT]

I actually like his looks.

...yep, he be a good lookin' feller...fer a Northener....;-D

[Sepia and Dust]

Peter Straub was speaking in an online Auditorium. The way that worked, you could read what the speaker was saying, and you could read what the other ten or fifteen people in your Row were saying. One guy in my Row was on a rip. An exact quote, remembered after all these years: "He gets his power from Satan."

I asked, "What power? He's just a dadgummed writer."

The reply: "The power to corrupt minds so he can continue his lascivious lifestyle!"


Evidently, Mr. Straub lives a rockstar life. Who knew?

[Lily Sawyer]

Peter Straub..."gets his power from Satan....the power to corrupt minds so he can continue his lascivious lifestyle!"
Evidently, Mr. Straub lives a rockstar life. Who knew?

So Messrs. King & Straub are apparently both a couple of degenerates. *sigh* If only people would actually read their collaborative works.

[Moderator]

Or refrain from making comments/assumptions about their personal lives when they have no personal knowledge about them. :glare:

[blunthead]

Or refrain from making comments/assumptions about their personal lives when they have no personal knowledge about them. :glare:Or refrain from giving the human race more of a bad name.

[jchanic]

It'is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're a fool than open it and prove it.

John

[Ragan]

If someone was to come up to me and say "Stephen King's books are scary and morally filthy" I would have to nod and agree. Yep. They sure are. That's why they are wonderful. They show life without the polish and pretense of ideal life. The stuff he's describing isn't always scary-because-an-evil-clown-threatens-children, it's scary-because-it's-emotional-and-sometimes-uncomfortable. There's life in his pages because of that. Reading Stephen King is not the same as watching a synthetic world embraced in a 50's sitcom. Scary books work because everyone's had a monster under their bed, or a thing in the closet, or a noise in the night. Personally, I don't enjoy being scared. I don't watch movies that I consider scary. But I read everything of Stephen King's, because it doesn't scare me. It intrigues me. It puts you through dark things, and gets you through them, maybe a bit worse for wear though. There's a truth in that, too.

There was a lecture Stephen King gave called "Banned Books and Other Concerns" some time ago. He recounts an interesting conversation there:


A lady who was about sixty-five going on eight hundred stood up and said: "Well you know, I like that story, but I didn't like all the foul language. And I don't know any reason for anyone to tell a good story with all that foul language in it."

And I replied, "Well think of it this way: Think of the way guys talk in the barbershop on Saturday morning."

She said, "Well I've been in the barbershop on Saturday morning, and they don't talk that way."

I replied, "Madam, I am writing about the Saturday mornings you didn't come."

He then goes on to say:


In other words, what I'm talking about is telling the truth...I think that the real truth of fiction is that fiction is the truth; moral fiction is the truth inside the lie. And if you lie in your fiction, you are immoral and have no business writing at all.

It's worth reading that whole lecture if you can find it, along with other things Stephen King has written on the topic of offensive material in literature.

Literature itself is filled with inappropriate material. The King Arthur legends (pertaining a man who cheats on his wife with his own sister and has an illegitimate son, along with endless murders and violence. At one point, a honorable knight kills a woman, and as his punishment, is forced to ride into town with her head tied around his neck. Then he's off the hook.) , the fairy tales (those not sanitized by Disney, that is), Shakespeare. In fact, Shakespeare is often considered the greatest writer of all time, and his works contain forms of profanity.

So of course, I would say all of this is scary and morally filthy. Because life is scary and morally filthy. In how you handle fiction is how you handle reality when it comes. Maybe, when the monsters are tired of living under the bed and come out for a midnight snack, we'll be a little more ready for them, and a little less petrified, because we've already seen fear. Seen it, felt it, and overcame it. And one of the most important things you can learn from the works of Stephen King is that even if someone talks differently, is cruder than you, makes obscene jokes or has behaviors you would never be caught doing, you can still care for them. That's a powerful thing, and a hard thing to learn. It is the great lesson of literature...to understand another person's mind.

[GNTLGNT]

Or refrain from making comments/assumptions about their personal lives when they have no personal knowledge about them. :glare:

....that sadly, is the rule now-rather than the exception for a myriad of things....even reality TV can't help.....:angry:

[Moderator]

....that sadly, is the rule now-rather than the exception for a myriad of things....even reality TV can't help.....:angry:

It's probably made it worse. I just don't understand the whole voyeurism mentality of reality shows in general. Are people's lives really so lacking that they have to either live vicariously through these people or does it somehow make them feel better about themselves by comparing and thinking maybe things aren't so bad after all? :dunno: I truly don't get it.

[Lily Sawyer]

It's probably made it worse. I just don't understand the whole voyeurism mentality of reality shows in general. Are people's lives really so lacking that they have to either live vicariously through these people or does it somehow make them feel better about themselves by comparing and thinking maybe things aren't so bad after all? :dunno: I truly don't get it.

The only reality shows that have made sense to me have been contest shows involving either cooking (Food Network, Cooking Channel) or travel - The Amazing Race. There are many people who physically wouldn't be able to do some of the challenges on the Race, not to mention afford getting to some of the countries that are visited, so I don't blame them for being sucked in to each episode. It's fun to be an Armchair Traveler and see a little bit of countries you've only dreamed of visiting, but it's also interesting to see how the teams face cultural, language, and physical challenges, and overcome fear or personal aspects of xenophobia.

[Haunted]

It's probably made it worse. I just don't understand the whole voyeurism mentality of reality shows in general. Are people's lives really so lacking that they have to either live vicariously through these people or does it somehow make them feel better about themselves by comparing and thinking maybe things aren't so bad after all? :dunno: I truly don't get it.

Hear, hear!!

[GNTLGNT]

It's probably made it worse. I just don't understand the whole voyeurism mentality of reality shows in general. Are people's lives really so lacking that they have to either live vicariously through these people or does it somehow make them feel better about themselves by comparing and thinking maybe things aren't so bad after all? :dunno: I truly don't get it.

....yeah, my post had the sarcasm layed on with a shovel about "reality" TV...I fully agree with what you statedf...it has certainly contributed to the further dumbing down of a segment of our populace...

[GNTLGNT]

The only reality shows that have made sense to me have been contest shows involving either cooking (Food Network, Cooking Channel) or travel - The Amazing Race. There are many people who physically wouldn't be able to do some of the challenges on the Race, not to mention afford getting to some of the countries that are visited, so I don't blame them for being sucked in to each episode. It's fun to be an Armchair Traveler and see a little bit of countries you've only dreamed of visiting, but it's also interesting to see how the teams face cultural, language, and physical challenges, and overcome fear or personal aspects of xenophobia.

...I agree with that honey, those based on building things like cars and such I think are cool, but like this new "Splash" coming out?...REALLY?...people diving in water???...who gives a damn?...

[Moderator]

The only reality shows that have made sense to me have been contest shows involving either cooking (Food Network, Cooking Channel) or travel - The Amazing Race. There are many people who physically wouldn't be able to do some of the challenges on the Race, not to mention afford getting to some of the countries that are visited, so I don't blame them for being sucked in to each episode. It's fun to be an Armchair Traveler and see a little bit of countries you've only dreamed of visiting, but it's also interesting to see how the teams face cultural, language, and physical challenges, and overcome fear or personal aspects of xenophobia.

I'd agree with that--don't really put those into the same category. I was thinking more of the Kardashian/Jersey Shore etc. "reality" shows.

[Lily Sawyer]

I was thinking more of the Kardashian/Jersey Shore etc. "reality" shows.

*gag* The same people who think Mr. King's work is immoral and scary apparently can tolerate Snookie, though. It defies logic.

[kingricefan]

Y'all need to REDNECKANIZE, baby!!!!!!!!!! :hahahahaha: I absolutely despise 'reality' shows! I won't hold it against you if you like them, but they sure ain't my cup o' tea. I got better things to do with my time (like read a good book).

[Speedygi81]

*gag* The same people who think Mr. King's work is immoral and scary apparently can tolerate Snookie, though. It defies logic.

Thankfully I have no qualms about liking both, and I do like both (to a lesser and different degree for Snooki). So there you go, haters...

[FlakeNoir]

I don't even know what a "Snookie" is! :biggrin2: As far as the reality T.V goes... I like to watch the cooking and travel shows. (especially the Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor motorbike adventure type shows)
My one guilty pleasure reality show has been Survivor. (Except I've missed almost the entire current series.)

[Agincourt Concierge]

Tell these poo-pooers and naysayers .... "why don't you pick up one of his books and read it .... then we'll talk" I have a feeling these people have never read one of his books ......

[GNTLGNT]

I don't even know what a "Snookie" is!


...it's what you see when you're below a girl in a short skirt on the steps...s'nookie....

[Shasta]

I don't even know what a "Snookie" is! :biggrin2: As far as the reality T.V goes... I like to watch the cooking and travel shows. (especially the Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor motorbike adventure type shows)
My one guilty pleasure reality show has been Survivor. (Except I've missed almost the entire current series.)

Believe me, you don't want to know.

[Tim D.]

I don't even know what a "Snookie" is! :biggrin2:

It's a scientific term meaning a petri dish for syphilis.

[blunthead]

Believe me, you don't want to know.Well, now I've got to know!

[Shasta]

It's a scientific term meaning a petri dish for syphilis.

:rofl:

[Shasta]

Well, now I've got to know!

You know who Snooki is!!!

[FlakeNoir]

...it's what you see when you're below a girl in a short skirt on the steps...s'nookie....


Believe me, you don't want to know.


It's a scientific term meaning a petri dish for syphilis.
:eek2:

:a11:

:a13:

[doowopgirl]

There are people who haven't read any SK since Carrie. Also, as mentioned above there are a lot of literary snobs out there. I have recommended SK books like Blaze and FDNS to people and while I may not have converted any to actual fandom I did succeed in changing opinions. If people don't want to know what they're missing, there's nothing you can do.

[moonbeam66]

After being away from the forums for quite awhile, I have decided to come back to my good friends here. I do miss you, guys, and love all of you.

A question that recently popped into my mind is a startling one, and is one I am not particularly fond of, but is something I care about deeply...

Why am I always branded odd for loving to read SK? I always hear people say that his books are "Moral Trash," are his books really supposed to be viewed as evil or bad influence ?

Please give you thoughts here and ideas on how to deal with such criticism too.

Anyone who thinks Stephen King's books are "moral trash" clearly has never UNDERSTOOD any of them so why would it matter what they have to say.

Also, most times people who are prejudiced this way against SK have only ever seen a few movies.

Asking them "what about The Green Mile" is always a hoot.

[GNTLGNT]

....I hereby present "Snooki"...

http://guidosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/funny-guido-pictures-snooki-bobbleheads.jpg

[Shasta]

....I hereby present "Snooki"...

http://guidosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/funny-guido-pictures-snooki-bobbleheads.jpg

You may win the most "dislikes," simply because of your horrifying picture habit!

[Chuggs]

It's pretty hard to take a story like Duma Key or Pet Sematary and say it's about love though. It's such a stretch even I don't think I can justify convincingly.
I think its easy to say that they are both about love. Love drives these characters (the main ones), but it does not always lead to the correct answers/actions/whatever. But there is definately love in them.

[Chuggs]

I think that horror in general gets a bad bad wrap. I was in my local large chain book store the other day and was looking at the rather large Sai King selection they have, and I could feel the eyes of the other patrons drilling holes into my head. Maybe it was my somewhat overactive imagination, but it was odd.

[GNTLGNT]

You may win the most "dislikes," simply because of your horrifying picture habit!

...and you are single-handedly going to make it happen...

[GNTLGNT]

...and you are single-handedly going to make it happen...

...s'ok though...I still love you(r cookies).....:love2:

[Shasta]

...s'ok though...I still love you(r cookies).....:love2:

If you stop posting disturbing things I'll make more!!!

[GNTLGNT]

If you stop posting disturbing things I'll make more!!!

...sounds like a plan...but I need a complete manifesto of what you consider disturbing, coz we WAY on different pages on dat!....:wink:

[Chuggs]

...and you are single-handedly going to make it happen...
I happen to like those pictures, thank you very much

[not_nadine]

sorry was in wrong thread. Fingers fly when you can post right away, and thankee for edit.

[hairyfairy]

I don`t understand how his books can be "morally filthy", the things that feature in his stories are mostly all about human nature.

[blunthead]

What do I tell people who say Stephen King's are scary and (get this) morally filthy?I ask them, "What do you expect from someone who's morbid of razors?".

[TheGooch8494]

Don't listen to those tools who think his work is trash, they don't understand and acknowledge the artwork behind his craft. When they taunt his genius, point over their should and scream as loud as you can. When they look, run away.

[Shasta]

Tell them to read the masturbation scene in Double Feature.

[nygene40]

I always just look them in the eye with my best lunatic glare and say, "I'm beginning to question your commitment to Sparkle Motion!"

[kingricefan]

I always just look them in the eye with my best lunatic glare and say, "I'm beginning to question your commitment to Sparkle Motion!"

Oooo, Donnie Darko!! Did you know that the original song they wanted to use for that dance routine was 'West End Girls' by The Pet Shop Boys?? PSB's wanted too much money for the rights.

[nygene40]

I love Donnie Darko! "I'm beginning to question your commitment to Sparkle Motion" is one of my favorite things to say to people whenever they balk at doing something I want then to do, or ask me something I'd rather not answer.

The look on their faces, of how I relish that look!

[mustangclaire]

I love Donnie Darko! "I'm beginning to question your commitment to Sparkle Motion" is one of my favorite things to say to people whenever they balk at doing something I want then to do, or ask me something I'd rather not answer.

The look on their faces, of how I relish that look!

This was one of my first films I bought when I decided a while ago I wanted to start collecting my all time favourite films on DVD. I love it.

[Dave Hinchberger]

Maybe this will help.

Stephen King has written fiction in a wide variety of genres and this is reflected in his works of "The Body" (filmed version is Stand By Me ), "The Dead Zone" - more of a suspense / thriller (and one of my favorites), "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" (filmed as The Shawshank Redemption ). If they've only watched his films then you can direct them there. Many people who don't know Stephen King, don't even realize that "The Green Mile" and "Shawshank" films are based on his work. Try it sometime. Ask someone if they knew Stephen King wrote those stories. You'll be surprised how many times people are astonished at this realization. Some will even debate you that it can't be Stephen King because "he only writes horror."

Mr. King has never applied the horror genre to himself, but rather it has been applied to him over the years. It's understandable because he has written horror, but he is not limited to that genre, and some of the popular films have also been popular horror as well.

On the moral issue: One of the reasons that Stephen King's writing is attractive to so many is that us, as a reader - a person, can relate to the situations he relays to us in his fiction. Sometimes he gets too close to what humanity does feel on a whole, but we don't act on these immoral thoughts. However some of his characters do. Unfortunately so do some people in real life. He's just reflecting on what some of the evil in the world there is. He didn't create it, but simply offers an alternative version of what is already out there. Sometimes to the extreme, but thankfully it's fiction. He gives us an opportunity to think about these situations, and take a look inside a darker world, that hopefully isn't our own. Some people don't want to look, and I can understand that too. However I don't feel they should judge if they haven't read his work. If they don't like it, that's okay, but I would give it a try first.

I hope that will help.

Dave Hinchberger

[Walter Oobleck]

Didn't the man himself make that argument to someone...and she told him he was wrong, that he didn't write those!

[kingricefan]

This was one of my first films I bought when I decided a while ago I wanted to start collecting my all time favourite films on DVD. I love it.

One of my favs also! I like movies that don't spoon feed you the entire plot. David Lynch's 'Mulholland Drive' is my all time fav- that one really messes with your head!

[Shoesalesman]

"I'm beginning to question your commitment to Sparkle Motion!"

Great saying! :y:

[Speedygi81]

My view on this is that sometimes Stephen King does go overboard with his sometimes heavy projection of immorality, and that makes readers feel overly depressed, or worse, make them actually want to do these horrible things. Things like Rage, the Bachman book, come to mind.

[FlakeNoir]

My view on this is that sometimes Stephen King does go overboard with his sometimes heavy projection of immorality, and that makes readers feel overly depressed, or worse, make them actually want to do these horrible things. Things like Rage, the Bachman book, come to mind.

Stephen's writing has been popular for such a long time now that I would be fairly surprised if people didn't know what kind of material he covers before they read his first book. My point is, we all have free choice in what we read and if I were susceptible (in the way you've described) to being influenced by what I read, then chances are, I would make choices to prevent that from happening.

Stephen isn't responsible (in the least) for how people interpret his work. If mental illness is an issue in the individual, then IMO it is the responsibility of family members, health professionals and friends to keep things in check.

[Speedygi81]

I would go through the whole "Where there's smoke, there's fire thing. " But you guys probably already know that.

[Julia Evseeva]

Moral Trash... People, who say such things, usually don't read his books.
Scary... yes, his stories are really scary in some moments.

[dsurrett]

Here's the perspective of a theologically conservative Christian.
As a former member of the Legion of Decency (a reference from On Writing, not the Legion of Decency from It), I used to say people shouldn't read or watch horror or things that could evoke fear, including SK's books. If people say the same things I used to, I say I understand where they're coming from but don't agree with that hard line anymore. If they press me I'll ask them to list every TV show they watch and what radio stations they listen to, in which case I can probably say "why are you watching those shows or listening to secular (non-Christian) radio then?"
If someone holds those views, I'd tell them they probably shouldn't read King if they feel that the Lord is telling them not to. If they tell me I shouldn't, I tell them I respect their right to believe whatever they want to, then might remind them the only people Jesus ever blasted were those who were the most religious people of His time.
Some of the most godly people I know don't and won't read King, but also some of the most godly people I know do read King as well.
It's similar to the argument I used to hear saying that Christians shouldn't read Harry Potter (you haven't hear that one?), and I never read the series until a friend who is a minister showed me some websites giving a defense of the Potter books from a Christian perspective.
I'd advise against getting in arguments with people over what they think is or isn't proper reading material, be it King, Koontz, Anne Rice's vampire books, etc. There's nothing wrong with agreeing to disagree agreeably, and walking away.

[Ebdim9th]

I had to run through my bible while reading Under the Dome... never seen so much scripture quoted in one novel in... well... quite awhile. And that even includes the kind of fiction writers you find most often in Christian book stores... I like the questions the book posed... Is there a God out there bigger than those terrible extraterrestrial oppressors who are so advanced even their children play around with the fates of entire other civilizations...

[FlakeNoir]

I would take issue with any religion that told me what I could and couldn't read/listen to/watch. Being instructed to close your eyes or ears to learning and education sounds pretty dangerous to me and has the potential to cause much harm.

[mjs9153]

Dsurrett, I have a sister and brother in law,who refused to read the Harry Potter books when they came out,or allow their children to..I tried telling her it is pretty innocuous stuff,and I thought it was well crafted by Ms Rowling,funny,etc..but they are devout Christians and I think they were advised by the church not to entertain those books at all..she wouldn't listen,and it was just not worth getting in a dispute over,so that was that. Here's the kicker..they and the kids are big Lord of the Rings fans..ha,I guess there was no sorcery or evil beings in those books!:dunno: Just makes me sad when people let other people influence their minds to that point,in the name of God..:sad:

[Lina]

I have also heard people say phrases like that, that authors like Stephen King have bad influence on us. Should I say that I do not agree?:wink:

Anyway, I do not think that one needs to listen to others in these issues. As they say, tastes differ. Some people (like my aunt for example=D) cannot bear watching or reading horror, they have nightmares after this, they are scared. Others use such books or movies to escape from the reality, they have a special world of their own in this. It is pure psychology. I spoke with one person who know psychology very well, and he was asked this question: why some people watch horror movies, what do they get from it? His answer was clear, that these very horror stories can give us answers to what is happening in the life, they help realizing some things. And I am sure it is correct. Nothing can make us think about important life questions like horror stories, because in them there are a lot of deeply hidden issues and secrets.

As for me, I have never been telling anyone who is not close what I am reading, watching, or listening to. That is my private life, and everybody does not need to know everything about me. This way allows me not to hear too many bad things about things I love. If I want to discuss something from Stephen King, for instance, I come here, or talk to my friend who also thinks that SK is cool, but not to the people that do not care :smile: