Jim Straub wrote:
> My own experience is that leftists hate on kinky BDSM sex ALL the time,
maybe even more than honkie america. I've gotten in so many arguments >
about this with radicals over the years. It's so strange. Why do so > many
leftos have mean things to say about BDSM? Can someone on this > list make
whatever argument there is to make, about BDSM being bad or > fundamentally
oppressive or whatever? I just can't imagine what > intellectual content
there could be to any such assertion.
Amen! The hostility that lefties have towards kinky sex, including many on this list, is just so disappointing. The odd thing is that people on this list will tiptoe around queer issues, but bring up BDSM or kinky sex and the inner leftist prude comes out.
Chuck
^^^^^
CB: I know I myself don't have especially strong feelings about BDSM. What I have is more a skeptical grin on my face combined with some indifference.
I get the feeling that my non-BDSM's understanding of what it is may be inaccurate. That is, the common usage of "sadist" outside of the sexual context would be somebody who enjoy's inflicting pain on someone else. _In general_, this is considered not a good mentality to have. ( I realize that Marat de Sade is the source of "Sadism" , and he was involved in special sex, but still the common usage _now_ is not tied to the sexual context)
But from the defenses of BDSM on this list in particular over the years, I'm thinking that the "pain" inflicted in BDSM must be more along the lines of "pain that's close to pleasure", of paradoxical psychological legend, and even common experience, as perhaps in "tears of joy". Or something like that.
As to criticism of BDSM, I think you two ignore the fact that there is a big problem of domestic violence against women in the world, certainly in the US. A big _left_ project is to get men to stop being "sadistic" toward women. So, it might help if you explained in detail how BDSM is actually only superficially similar to or actually not at all like domestic violence against women. For you to ignore this obvious question, and act so surprised that non-BDSM people have some questions about it is kind of esoteric on your parts.
Also, I wonder whether LGBT people and liberationists in general consider BDSM as having the same status as their sexual identities.