Salon.com published an article last Friday that takes a look into the world of the NY spanking scene. This is a world where people willingly inflict and receive violence on each other in order to satisfy a need that is, according to one male participant, "necessary more than fun." The fetishists admit that the need for spanking isn't something that they developed a taste for in their adult life, necessarily. Most of them report knowing that they were into spanking even at a young age, such as 7. At that age, they would watch and re-watch select movies with spanking scenes, or look up the word "Spank" in the dictionary just for the thrill of it. Many of them weren't even spanked as children by their parents. Nevertheless, they universally agree that spanking is an important part of their life because it is fulfilling in some way, in the way that "scratching and itch" is fulfilling. Surprisingly, at least at the popular bi-weekly spanking parties that the journalist visited, the spanking is almost entirely non-sexual. The participants, in almost all cases, don't have sex with each other at the party and generally don't pair up to do it later. Instead, it's the spanking alone that attracts them. In fact, one participant interviewed claimed that if any sexuality got into her spanking, it would ruin the experience. She can only enjoy spanking if it is strictly non-sexual.
Does this still qualify as a sexual fetish? It seems more like a fetishization of the violence itself. This raises interesting questions. We tend to view violence as always negative, even if it is a necessary evil, but can it still be a negative thing when the effect is positive and desired by both parties? Certainly in these select circles, the violence is considered a very positive thing. Why do these people find that their bodies crave pain and violence? Is it the violence itself they enjoy, or only the specific act of spanking? Evidence would suggest the latter, but how does this enjoyment relate to masochism in general?
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ReplyDeleteI think to an extent, if not necessarily sexual or harmful in nature, there really isn't such a problem with spanking. People are free to think and act for themselves within the boundaries of the law and society. I am simply concerned with the fact that by allowing for one instance of relatively harmless masochism, it could lead to more acceptance of truly horrific acts of masochism.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the idea of cutting one's wrist has become more prominent ever since the emo/punk rock/alternative phase started becoming mainstream. People, mostly teenagers, slit their wrists for the rush they feel or for a variety of other reasons like feeling relief for other areas of their lives like emotional grief.
That's the problem with spanking, cutting, whipping oneself, and whatever other forms of masochism. It could easily lead to dependence and almost a form of compulsive addiction. People might not know how to cope with certain things in their lives, so they use the outlet of masochism to cope with feelings and emotions.
I think that not only does masochism reveal a certain inability to cope with other problems in their lives, but also possibly unresolved childhood traumas. With many fetishes, there might have been some type of lack of parental love that these people project on certain objects or behaviors like spanking.
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