Uhm, what?: Negativity edition

I don't like Fifty Shades of Grey. I think the books are badly written, the sex in them is incredibly tedious, the main characters are stupid (Ana) and borderline evil (Christian) and instead of portraying BDSM they portray an abusive relationship.

Now, whenever I voice this opinion online, I get a lot of people telling me to shut up. That's not weird. It's the internet. Plus, a lot of people really like those books. What does strike me as weird is the reason some people think I should shut up. Apparently, I am being 'negative' when I say that I don't like something.

Well, yeah, but why is that a bad thing?

If I am about to buy a book I often check the reviews for it. Reviews are fantastic preparation because (positive or negative) they usually give me an idea of whether I'll like the book or not. E.g. if the positive reviews rave about how the main character is super special and awesome and beautiful and everyone loves him or her, I'll probably not be buying that book. I'm not overly fond of those kind of characters. I like my characters to have flaws. Perfection is boring. Negative reviews are very handy in this regard, because a lot of them tell you exactly what is wrong with a book. Criticism is useful.

Furthermore, in the case of Fifty Shades of Grey, where a pretty disturbing relationship and a pretty awful man are portrayed as wonderful and ideal, I find it very important to speak out about certain aspects of the novels. Sometimes saying 'this is not normal; this is not okay' is necessary if only to present a different viewpoint.

Some people have a tendency to attempt to dismiss negative opinions. There is a lot of 'don't like it, don't read it' and 'get a life' and 'you must be really pathetic/crazy to be spending so much time on something you hate' going around. Now, on the one hand, I kind of understand this attitude. After all, if you don't enjoy something, why spend time on it?

However, we're not talking about reading the books. No amount of money could get me to slog through them again. I'm giving 'Grey' a miss.

Dissecting Fifty Shades of Grey gives me joy, though. I like connecting with other people who share my dislike for the series and hearing their opinions. I write Fifty Shades of Grey fanfiction too (I'm bookjunk on fanfiction.net) because if ever a series needed improving it's that one.

Finally, I think that E.L. James is a hack and I'd like people to know that she is a hack. Not because of the abuse or because of the misrepresentation of BDSM or because both of her heroes are extremely unlikeable or because the sex is unsexy. It is not the horrible story that makes me think that she is a shitty writer: it is her writing. Her characterisation is barely there. She tells instead of shows constantly. Her characters are supposed to be American, but they use British idiom all the time. There is no sense of time or place.

Even if the story wasn't highly objectionable, the writing would still be abysmal. I think James should either let her editor do his or her job or seriously hone her writing skills. I want people to read books that are good. And by "good" I don't mean Hemingway (because I loathe him). I mean, I want people to read books that are decently written whether that be erotica, sci-fi, fantasy, detective etc.

What is up with this strange anti-negativity movement? Are people not allowed to dislike things anymore? Or should I just do that in silence for fear of offending anyone who does like the thing that I don't like? It does not affect my enjoyment one iota if someone expresses a negative opinion about something I like. Instead of demanding that the "haters" shrug and move on, I shrug and move on.