Monday, October 10, 2016

Things that go Bump in the Night!



 By: Marcia King-Gamble
www.lovemarcia.com

Here I am celebrating Florida Romance Writers 30th Birthday  with fellow, Generista, Kristin Wallace and author, Carol  Stephenson !
  
I digress. This month’s topic is supposed to be why we read scary stories,  and watch movies making you want to cover your eyes and check under your bed.   

Honestly, I’m hardly a fan of scary movies or books. Ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night do nothing for me.  Give me a good comedy, drama or sweet romance.  Anything associated with the supernatural just makes me want to retch. Yes I am a scaredy cat. Living in today’s world is scary enough.



Scary to me is the absence of good manners. People who don’t have the decency to RSVP to a wedding,  or thank you for a gift. I abhor those with a sense of entitlement.



Upsetting and scary to me are millennials attitude toward marriage.  Beta marriage was not something promoted in my day. Marriage isn't something you try on for size,  and if  after two years it doesn’t fit, you dissolve minus paperwork. This Real Estate approach to marriage, with option to renegotiate terms every five years, is for the birds.

Equally scary is casual sex with multiple partners; not that that's anything new, except the stakes are much higher these  days. Today, getting under the covers with a stranger may result in the gift that keeps giving. The diseases making the rounds need more than penicillin to cure. 



Troubling and scary are innocent lives being taken by rogue cops who let power go to their heads. Rather than choosing the option to use a Taser, they simply shoot and then cover it up.

Scary are the number of mentally challenged walking the streets, abandoned by family,  and released by overcrowded institutions. These people harass  drivers at every stoplight, badgering you into giving them money rather than food. They need our help. 

What about the young men and women who are caught up in the illegal business of human trafficking? These are usually runaways used to perform domestic duties and the basest of sexual acts.



Scary are today's role models - barely articulate and tabloid fodder.  And not because they are do-gooders, but because the latest sex tape has been uncovered, and the size of their butts make enthusiastic cocktail party chatter.

Race relations are at their very worse. For me a child of the seventies, I find this very sad.

Addiction issues run rampant and rehab centers have huge waiting lists. Not all on that waiting list fit the sixteen to twenty-one age bracket. 





But scariest of all is the upcoming election, and where this country may be heading.  As citizens of the United States, it's up to us to vote responsibly, or there may be even scarier times ahead!

Every vote counts!

Like me on Facebook here: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS


 Marcia King-Gamble is a National Bestselling author. She has penned 34 books and 6 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling, and with her animal family.

5 comments:

Sarah Raplee said...

Marcia, you are so right that there are many very scary things going on in the world and in America. It is a privilege and a duty to investigate the facts and then vote!

One of the ways romance writers serve others is to give them a respite from the troubles of the world. This is necessary for mental health.

Another way we serve others is to shine lights on serious issues. inviting the reader to walk in a character's shoes as he or she experiences or works through an issue in our stories helps our readers to consider various points of view they might otherwise not. We help them understand people better.

When I get scared, I remind myself that most people are good. Some may not understand something or may be misinformed or inexperienced, but haters and criminals are the exceptions, not the rule. And we all have power to engage in respectful dialogue and change things for the better.

Marcia King-Gamble said...

Well said, Sarah. Every writer has it in them to effect change!

Judith Ashley said...

Great post, Marcia. Not only do I not read scary books or watch scary movies but there are days when I do not watch scary news on t.v. I acknowledge there are scary books and movies and there is scary news on t.v. but that doesn't mean I should read or watch any of it if it affects my own mental, emotional and physical health.

Diana McCollum said...

I don't watch scary movies as in: Nightmare on Elm St., or any Stephen King movie. But I do watch 'some' thrillers. Thrillers are so much more scary actually, because those movies could actually happen!

Pippa Jay said...

Honestly, the racism revealed by Brexit here in the UK is way more horrifying than anything Stephen King could write. I'm thoroughly ashamed of my own country and afraid for the US with the upcoming election. >_<