Why I Had To Stop Reading Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

I had to put down One Few Over The Cuckoo’s Nest yesterday because of the off-putting way Kesey refers to women and the black characters in his story. Calling the black guys in the book, “the black boys,” and portraying them as these hellish perpetrators of despicable things to helpless patients, using sodomy as a violent act to subdue and torture was appalling. Not only that, but the way the head nurse is described as a “ball cutter,” basically representing a wily feminine force whose only job was to dehumanize and demasculinize every man she came across. It made me wonder about his past and what kind of message he thought he was spreading when he wrote this book. Then it made me think of other authors and whether or not their past or beliefs should weigh heavily on whether or not people appreciate their works. Personally, I usually don’t mind reading books I know unapologetic racists write, because, well, that’s the nature of this damn American Literature canon. A lot of the writers whose prose I respect and admire were downright degenerates and heathens, slaveholders and misogynists but what they wrote was beautiful and devoid of overt tones of bigotry. However, if that shit does decide to pop up and become an unavoidable recurring theme, that’s where I draw the line. 

I have a threshold for bigotry, though it really should be incredibly unacceptable, but I love words. I really do. I love the way writers use words, divorced of their messed up beliefs, in spite of their unsavory lifestyles. I try not to judge people in general so why judge the writers I like, because in the end, you never really know anyone. All you know is what is written about them or what they say fleetingly in an interview or heresy. I get that. But I will be damned if I’m going to sit there and read about a set of “charcoal black boys… shining onyx”  or whatever. I can almost here how much he hates the skin color of my race and it makes my skin crawl. It makes me nauseous to think that this book is taught with such vigor and he’s held in such high regard. It makes me angry, because I actually like the book. I really wanted to read it, but the physical illness and fury that welled up inside of me as I read was something I just could not ignore. So, ef you Kesey. I will not fall into your clutches. Maybe I’ll watch the movie… I do love Jackie.

Instead, I will read Hunter S. Thompson a drunk man I can get behind…. for now.

ceedling:

orangeis:

#muffled screaming

FAV

My least favorite part of Orange Is The New Black. Their love makes no sense. Sorry not sorry.

As I get older I’m becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that I am completely clueless when it comes to the whole “dating game” thingy. I should probably start collecting cats now.

Shut Up, Chris Brown.

Seriously, if I read one more tabloid headline about him spewing his word vomit onto the innocent ears of clubbers and scantily clad teenagers on insatgram I am going to explode. It’s not entirely his fault though, and I guess I am unintentionally helping him spread his dumb talk by even writing about it, but people need to stop defending him and letting his actions go unpunished. He reminds me of a giant toddler, constantly throwing tantrums about being reprimanded, except I wouldn’t want to insult toddlers, because they actually learn from their mistakes and for the most part become functioning members of society. 

He’s said a number of hair-raising teeth-grinding things, but his most recent disregard for human decency at a night club prompted this post. The more I hear reports about him the more he sounds like a paranoid psychotic, rambling on about hallucinations that he’s “the shit,” or him somehow crazily gathering that he’s a decent person and that it was a proper career choice to record a song with Busta Rhymes, haha like they will ever be of the same caliber.

Chris Brown, you have somehow infiltrated the hearts of young girls who either refuse to see that your warped views about relationships and women are beyond distasteful, dipping into the dark pools of misogyny, or other girls who plainly don’t care, which is utterly sad and hopeless. It doesn’t matter which category these mind boggling girls/women belong to because for some reason you seem to be some sort of idealistic representation of the kind of boy they deserve which is horrifying to say the least considering your respect for women teeters between indifference and ferocious disdain. You need to tell women you are the opposite of what they should want. You need to tell them that they don’t need anyone suggesting that their privates are property for anyone to own. You need to tell them that it was deplorable that you beat a woman and nothing happened to you. You need to stop acting like an entitled simpleton. You for sure need to leave Frank Ocean alone, because he runs circles around your smoldering career. When was the last time you ruffled the music world with… anything? Exactly. Now, shut up and stop saying stupid stuff. No more ciroq or crystal or hypnotic or whatever insanely expensive drinks you pour down that disappointing muzzle of yours that encouraged you to go on that silly tirade.

Yours truly- just kidding, no one should ever use that valediction for you-

-Me

Ugh, I can’t. Image: Ewmusicmix.files.wordpress.com