Suggested soundtrack: Beautiful Loser by William Control.
If I mentioned S&M, would you understand? I'm sure you would. Sadomasochism, the act of roleplaying in which sadism (enjoying the infliction of pain or humiliation upon another person) and masochism (taking enjoyment from sadism) combine, often in a sexual act. BDSM incorporates this act, but it is also much more than this.
BDSM is made up of a few subdivisions: B&D (bondage and discipline), D&S (dominance and submission) and S&M (see above).
Why am I writing of this I hear you not ask? Well, tonight I was with a friend and stumbled upon a television programme which covered this subject (as well as a few more might I add). When it first came on I was faced with a close up shot of a woman naked, tied in chains and hanging from the ceiling on ropes. Before you think 'Eww, pervert!'... hear me out. My brain suddenly told me this was wrong, and thus the first thing I was ready to do was turn over... but something about this made me think, Why do people do this?
Thus I sat through it.
It was strangely quite an interesting programme, and however wrong it felt watching it, and with a friend might I add, it interested me. It was like being at the scene of a crime, or watching a car accident take place, you know you shouldn't really be viewing what is happening, but you cannot help but feel interested to see the outcome. All the way through we sat and watched as people did things we never thought possible, both almost open mouthed... but at the same time watching intently with interest.
At first, I was in shock at the images bombarding my eyes, the people who seemed from another planet, the acts taking place. Even the amount of full frontal nudity shocked me, there was... alot. I listened intently to the reasons people gave as to why they might put themselves through what seemed to me, as an outsider, a very painful experience. Some people mentioned that it was a chance to fulfill all the fantasies they ever had, or that they just felt differently about sex to most people and where is the harm in that.
After watching, I still dont really have a grasp or an idea on how it can be enjoyed, but there was one comment that has stuck with me. A man was being interviewed, he looked like anyone you might see anywhere, a typical guy. He said the following 'People who don't understand see it as something sick, twisted, perverted, but the thing is, we are just normal people who enjoy doing something different. We all know what will happen, we all enjoy what happens and we all understand each other'. Now, this may seem weird, as at first it did to me, but when I think about it I realise that although I don't understand why people do it, I have no reason to think badly of it. They are adults, who do what they want, although they hurt each other, they do not hurt anyone who does not want to be apart of it, they simply like something which is different to what most of us are aware of or comfortable with.
A word which was mentioned alot was 'art'. They said they saw beauty in it, in the perfection of the body and the mastering of the art. The programme showed some photo shoots with models tied up, hands and legs in ropes or chains, hanging from ceilings in positions you would need to see to believe. Personally, this to me was not beauty, I see nothing beautiful in consented torture, however pleasurable it may be to the person taking place... but here is what got me, while watching and thinking about it, and upon contemplation, I do believe the photographs taken, which were shown, were art. Art is relative, it is a personal thing and each person may judge something differently to another or see something in a different prospective. Art makes people think, challenges people, creates discussion... and the things I saw fall into that description. I may add that this is my take on art, the description I have for what art is, but again, someone else may have a different viewpoint. If I was to walk into a gallery and see on the walls photographs of women in this way, my initial reaction, I suspect, would be very similar to that of when I first tuned into the programme... to turn it off, ignore it and walk away. However, what would I learn from walking away?
In the same way, this programme, although not something to my tastes, has led me to reflect upon the fact that if I don't like something, it doesn't mean people who do are wrong. It is quite hard to explain, but I see it this way, to me as an outsider looking in the things I saw seemed wrong at first, almost disgusting, but by trying to understand and to look at it with an open mind, although I am no closer to understanding why people do it, I see it with a new prospective.
This viewpoint, of first looking at things and trying to understand before making judgement, is a viewpoint I take with everything. I could easily turn a blind eye to things which at first make me uncomfortable, but by looking I might gain an insight and learn something new, understand something better and be able to say I have at least looked into the rabbit hole before writing it off as something I should stay clear of. I'm the same with religion, cultures, people and activities, I try to seek some knowledge and insight and even if I do not fully understand some aspects, I can be at least more justified in making an opinion.
I will leave that subject for now.
In other news, have you seen the pictures and read about the boy who cries blood? This story is not only amazing, but like a thing of fiction, something you might read about in a sci-fi novel, but strangely it is happening in real life to a 15 year old boy in Tennesse. Amazing.
On a more random note, I also read today that soon the UK could be getting an import of 'baby shaped pears' from China. Yes, you read that right, pears... shapes like babies, and they REALLY do look like babies (well, jelly babies anyway). These weird but wonderful pears are predicted to cost in the region of £5 when they arrive, and I have to admit the possibility of eating one of these things excites me, even though I hate pears.
Bye for now
x
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