Disclaimer: This newsletter is just a collection
of my ramblings. It is not intended to be authoritative in any way. Just
reflections of my personal explorations. If anyone finds it interesting or
helpful for me that is a plus. I don't know it all and stay far
away from the elitists who think they do. I am no Master of anything,
just a student on a journey who loves to explore life, art, relationships
and hopefully will one day learn to at least be the Master my own soul and
the loving leader of another self empowered one who wishes to walk along
side me.
When Is A BDSM Environment Actually a Cult?
By Tatu
March 2006
Back around
1999 there was a movie that came out called, "Eyes Wide Shut" starring Tom
Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cruise stumbles upon a sex cult of sorts
in some palatial setting, complete with beautiful vestal virgins everywhere
doing the catwalk down the staircases and across the rooms. So I was in a
chat room one night discussing this wonderful fantasy with a few friends
when I declared, "I want a cult, a sex cult like the one in 'Eyes Wide
Shut' and want to be a cult leader". So that night I introduced The "Cult
of Consensual Kink" or C.O.C.K. for short. I declared a few lady friends
official vestal virgins and I was set. We had a lot of fun with that
in the chat rooms for a while.
Then one day I was out at our local BDSM-Fetish Club. An announcement was
made by the DJ that it was my birthday and I was quickly escorted to the
stage
and
given a chair in which to to sit. The next thing I hear is that Gregorian
Chat music.. wwwwaaaaaa..... and I look across the club and here comes these
naked vestal virgins in long hooded capes, and masks, sashaying in high heals
to the stage. They arrived, kneeled and bowed down before me and there
I was given a gift of a ball cap complete with custom inscription that said,
"Master C.O.C.K". Fun memories. with good friends. It was a cult -like
fantasy.
In
the world of BDSM, Leather, or Fetish various groupings crop up from time
to time which we affectionately call "families", but are they truly "families";
or are they in reality nothing more than a cult?
I have a Master of Divinity (1979) and did some specific studies in the area
of "cults" years ago, as well as professionally counseled people for
some 20 years; so I have been watching the formation of these groupings for
the past 10-15 years with some interest. These "families" are not a new
phenomenon among our kinky tribe. They have been around for decades. It is
nothing new that people desire to belong to some kind of community as we
all want a sense of family, people with whom we hold common beliefs with
which we can share and have fellowship.
What has me somewhat bothered are some of the traits that I see manifest
in a few of these so-called "Lifestyle Families". Now this is not a
blanket indictment of all, but there are a few however, that are very troubling.
Additionally, it is not just "families", but also some individual Dom / sub
partnerings that take on the characteristics of being cult-like.
By definition a cult is:
"a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication
to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically manipulative techniques
of persuasion and control designed to advance the goals of the group's leaders,
to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community.
1
1) "A group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or
dedication to some person, idea...". There are many groups that are
centered around a particular charismatic leader from Billy Graham to Bill
Gates or to and idea or movement such as the concept no less of American
freedom, or feeding the hungry, or belonging to a Bettie Page Fan Club.
People will become quite emotionally attached to someone or something they
truly believe in or have a great affection for. This in and of itself is
not unusual or all that troubling.
2) "….and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion
and control". The fact is people in this world fall prey to manipulative
individuals. I have found myself in that boat, being manipulated and used
by someone I thought I was a friend I could trust. When in reality I was
just a means to what they wanted. Not a fun place to wake up one day and
realize you've been duped. I blame myself for being too caring and
trusting, trying to always think the best in others, when in reality all
people are just not as wonderful and good, or "ethical" as I would like to
believe in my mind.
What is frightening are certain people within the lifestyle who lack in the
"personal empowerment" department and are easily persuaded either by need
or fantasy to have a strong leader in their lives. Submission is a wonderful
thing, but lived out in terms of a need rather than a self-empowered choice
is a very dangerous thing. They are easy prey for the domineering jerks with
control issues.
So, what do I mean by self-empowered? I mean that for a D/s or M/s relationship
to be a healthy one, both Top and bottom need to be in possession of their
personal power and comfortable with that. In other words, they don't "need"
someone else to make them feel complete. A self-empowered submissive consensually
grants the leadership of her life to a loving Dominant. I have witnessed
a number of submissives over the years who lost that personal power either
because they weren't in a healthy position to grant it to another in the
first place; or a "serial bully" masquerading as a lifestyle Dominant took
advantage of this and manipulated them in to a position of submission without
true healthy mutual consent.
The same is true of Dominant's. A truly healthy self-empowered Dominant
does not "need" a submissive to make him feel whole, but is complete
first as an individual, and then chooses to share his dominant energy
with another. If not the Dominant can be manipulated by the submissive just
as easily.
Isolation
One way the serial bully manipulates a bottom is by isolation. This is a
very common textbook technique in all cults. I have seen this happen many
times in the D/s lifestyle community. A Dominant and submissive hook up and
the first thing he does is isolate her from all of her friends and family.
He does this of course because he knows he cannot exercise the control he
wants and he would soon be exposed for what he is if he let her continue
to interact with her friends. Her friends would see all the warning signs
and probably intervene. The cultic con artist is not stupid, he is very
smart. It takes great skill to lie and manipulate.
The submissive being at a loss for personal power, is therefore acutely needy
and attracted to the "bad boy" she sees in her new dream Dom.
Isolation is the first step in his program of brain-washing. He will usually
be critical of others in the community for not being "real lifestylers" or
"real S&M-ers". He cuts off her online contact with her friends, because
now he is going to give her "real time". If she is caught chatting with anyone
he has not approved of, she is punished severely. He wants to create something
so special in her mind and so unique that the submissive feels she has tapped
into something more real that she ever dreamed of while reading those slave
fictions. He wants you to buy into the illusion that he is the only one who
really loves you. Your family really never loved you, or they would understand
your need for submission, pain or bondage.
Debilitation
Debilitation is to attack or sap the sources of energy one may have. What
are our sources of energy? Family and Friends we mentioned, but also any
meaningful relationship. Let's say you enjoy a circle of friends and participate
in a bowling league, or you believe in a god and that belief has been
a source of strength for you, the Dominant may criticize or by contract forbid
you to hang out with "those people" anymore. I have seen it with those who
have addictions and the so-called Dominant, with control issues, ultimately
wants to control his bottom's recovery as well. The dominant could not deal
with his submissive going off to "meetings" and someone else (their
sponsor) having influence upon "his property". So he ends up not allowing
the submissive to attend her meetings as she should, and eventually without
the proper support system the recovering addict or alcoholic "falls off the
wagon" and "picks up".
When I became president of our local BDSM support and education group, I
initiated the effort to get our lifestylers who were in recovery to form
a special interest group to hold meetings for themselves prior to our group
meetings. It has been a huge success and has expanded to other groups and
conventions.
Subservience - Group Pressure - Information Management - Suspension of
Induviduality - Fear
Dominant serial bullies "use special methods to heighten suggestibility and
subservience, with powerful group pressures, information management, suspension
of individuality or critical judgment, promotion of total dependency on the
group and fear of leaving it, etc."
Group Pressure
Not only does this happen with couples or tribes, but also with local BDSM
support groups, where there is one strong leader who for one reason or another
holds a particular power over the group as a whole and without this person
there would probably be no group. He might have a super charismatic personality
and everyone enjoys his or her gatherings, because he is fun to be around.
He might use the devices of inclusion or exclusion in order to maintain his
power. In other words, 'either play by my rules or you can't come and play
with us'. This of course is an abuse of power and a tragic thing to take
place in the name of a support and education group. This might happen in
small towns where the only game in town in at Grand Master Poobah's house,
because he has a dungeon in his basement. Or in certain commercial settings
where Mistress GotPain4U owns the only dungeon in 100 miles. So you either
become a part of the group, tribe or family; or you find yourself shunned
with no one or place to play.
Subservience
He may play up the difference in roles for Dominants and submissives, and
not allow submissives in on any decision-making board or committee, as that
would be totally inappropriate in terms of his lifestyle protocol. After
all a submissive is of no real value except to serve the serial bully. Doms
should make all the "real" decisions.
Information Management
Often the control and manipulation of information is at the heart of cultic
environments. All information must be approved and come through Grand Master
Dom Sir Lord Poobah. Open discussion forums are not allowed for the group
or the individual submissives in the household. It is a well established
fact that if one disagrees with the Poobah, your days could be numbered in
terms of belonging.
Submissives are basically regarded as pieces of meat to be obedient and used.
Their intellect, experiences and personal power does not exist , much less
be respected in the minds of the cultic Dominants.
Suspension of Individuality
Freedom of thought is not allowed by the dominant cultic structure. Submissives
are not to think for themselves, but to just act in response to the great
one.
The promotion of a total dependency is at the heart of these lifestyle bullies.
Eventually in order to be a part of the group, one must forsake all others,
surrender control of all assets, so that if you wanted to leave you are griped
by fear that you could not; all in the name of being a "true slave" or a
"real submissive".
This road to becoming a "lifestyle cult" all started with the loss of personal
power due to the lack of a healthy self-esteem. This is particularly true
for the submissive woman who has a greater than normal need to be protected
and taken care of.
Fear
Finally, the use of fear is a component of the cultic environment. In religion
it is the fear of displeasing god or his special representative (prophet).
They fear rejection, isolation, punishment, and yes, even non-consensual
physical pain, should they fall short of expectations.
Since I retired from the professional world of counseling in 1993, I seem
to have taken up from time to time, the role of "crisis counselor"
in the lifestyle community. Over the years I have held the hand of a number
of non-consensually abused or assaulted individuals. I have heard the stories
of powerless women, yet trying to escape to a safe place. The victims of
abuse are all the same. They are fearful of the repercussions in the community
should the abuse become commonly known.
I hate to say it, but there is much more of this cover-up behavior in our
community than I think anyone wants to admit.
I have listened to a number of submissives who made excuses about how they
don't want their dominant / serial bully to get into trouble with the law,
only to find out that due to the non-consensual bruises or the broken bones
observed on their trip to the ER, you really don't have a choice. So empty
of personal power the submissive still wants to maintain the fantasy and
protect the cultic abuser. Be absolutely assured that when these cult
leaders seriously harm someone it ceases to be a lifestyle issue, but now
a matter for the state. Under most jurisdictions it is a matter of the state
filing charges, not you. I have heard so called lifestylers try to BS the
court by saying that "we don't talk about our lifestyle" outside of our own
realm, and then have to rethink that stand while facing contempt charges.
"Lifestyle Families", "Tribes", "BDSM", "Leather", or "Fetish Groups" that
take on the essence of a cult are non-consensual in nature and abusive in
their end. Stop and take stock of the environment you are in and ask yourself
some very important questions. Why am I where I am? Is this relationship
based on unconditional devotion and mutual respect? Or are there always
conditions being placed on my loyalty. Am I always made to feel that I can
never be good enough, or do enough to be truly respected and accepted?
Is my personal power respected and honored, or am I allowing myself to be
manipulated so that I might be thought of as a "true submissive or slave"
and worthy of a position in his or her household in the group?. So why am
I allowing this to happen? Do I have self esteem problems? Do I really enjoy
the pain or the humiliation, or am I just doing it to be a part of something
that I feel I need in order to feel safe, and yes even loved in a
relationship or a family? Do I participate in things I truly do not like
just because I am rarely touched and I am willing to sacrifice my core values
in order to be held or even hit?
Do I need to be with this person or group? Do I somehow not feel complete
without him or her? Or do I have a sense of well being as a whole person?
Am I voluntarily and in a healthy manner surrendering my personal power to
a respectful and loving Dominant or is he a control freak or serial bully?
Are your leaders espousing a special knowledge or wisdom? That they received
something special of the "real" lifestyle handed down from generations form
old school training houses that in reality never existed?
Are bogus titles being granted to special devotes of the cult in order to
distinguish the group or family from the rest of the "posers and wannabes"
out there?
Is there a very rigid doctrine, dogma, or as we say in the lifestyle "protocol"
that must be adhered to, lest one suffer extreme punishment or isolation
until you conform or you face rejection from the group? Shunning is another
classic textbook tool that is used by groups that are cultic in nature.
Does your Dominant or group leader have you out there recruiting for him?
Are you on the prowl for "newbies" or "fresh meat" at the local BDSM clubs?
Is your sexuality being abused? Are you expected to be something you are
not? Are you participating in bisexual encounters even though you are
heterosexual, all just to please Master? Are you expected to be sexual with
someone you do not have a desire to be with? Are you being given away to
be used sexually.
Are you truly self empowered and consensually participated in a surrender
of that power or have you been disempowered by the serial bullies on the
block?
Conclusion
So how do we address this? Unfortunately there is
no mechanical fix for the cultic mindset. It may already be firmly entrenched,
has taken over and influences the masses. The
only real option we have is "awareness".
When you decide to enter the lifestyle community, don't check your common
sense at the door. Realize that communities have histories. What you might
hear from one person may not be all there is to understand. The criticism
you may be hearing from someone, even from a "so called" leader in the community
could be coming from people with a cultic mindset just trying to work you
and to get you on their side, if not a devotee of their way. 'If they
or the leader(s) are "judging" someone in the community and that person is
not there to speak for themselves, you should ask yourself, 'why do they
feel the need to be judegmental? What are they fearing? Why are they so insecure
that they have to spout trash and slander another? Use your own best
wisdom as you interact with people and realize that all kinds of personal
agendas are at work.
Don't just believe something because someone who seems nice and friendly
told you something. Check it out for yourself. Ask many people. Don't write
someone off because someone told you they were a bad person. They may be
telling you that because that person is a healthy self actuated person and
is a threat to their sick cultic mindset.
Be aware of the characteristics of the cultic environment and mentality.
Take steps to stay fully self-empowered by surrounding yourself with honest
people with no agendas. Never exchange your power out of simply a need,
but only as the result of a healthy consensual decision.
Finally, I recently read a very disturbing recount of a woman who professed
to have been involved in the world of commercial BDSM pornography. It was
a sad commentary. She obviously had made different decisions for herself
since those days, but she was now blaming everyone, except herself. Unfortunately
she had never taken ownership of her adult decisions she has made and was
now playing the blame game. We have no one to blame, but ourselves in whatever
we choose to do in life. We all make mistakes or unwise decisions at
times. When we realize such, own them or else you will never get past them
and you will always be haunted by your past.
1 West & Langone, 1986, pp. 119-120
Kewl Online
Videos:
Japanese
Bondage with Nawashi Go Arisue and m-jo, Taeko Uzuki.
This is really beautiful to watch. Taeko has a beautiful full back/
buttocks tattoo. This video was shot while Go and Taeko were doing
a workshop in London. Go Arisue, a Japanese nawashi of some 35 yrs experience
gave this private performance in London on Feb 4. This was his first outside
Japan.
A Great Video - This is why the Department of Justice hates the
Internet.
History
& Style - This essay gives a brief comparrison of western
and eastern history and styles of rope bondage. It was originally
written in 1998 by Tatu. He has newly revised with the addition
of images illustrating some of the style he talkes about as well as some
addtion and updating of the text.
Newsletter
Archive - These newsletters are now being archived at the Ds ARts website
for future reference and enjoyment.
"A Comprehensive and Comparative Study of Eastern and Western Rope Art Styles"
"Study on the Origins of Japanese Rope Bondage Terminology"
Japanese
Art
Japanese Rope & Tattoo
by Tatu
Last edition I shared a bit about Ukiyo, The Pictures of the Floating World,
and it's historical influence on Japanese Rope Bondage and Irezumi (Japanese
Tattoo). These are two of my favorite art forms. Together with natural
art of the feminine form and you have incredible beauty of these mixed
genres.
Let me introduce you to:
Yoji Muku b. (1928 - 2001) He was a Japanese railroader and salesman from
Osaka. He was self-taught artist and editor of a Japanese BDSM magazine.
(Don't know the name of the magazine.. anyone know???? He drew
under the name Toyonaka Yumeo.
Shibaricon is coming May 26 -
29(Chicago)
If
there is one thing I could say to anyone interested in rope. Don't miss this
event. This is our rope homecoming each year. I was honored to be the keynote
speaker in 2005 to about 400 registered participants. 2006 promises to be
ever bigger and greater. For more details see the Shibaricon website at:
http:/www.shibaricon.com
"The Notorious Bettie Page"... Just a
few weeks away!
The long awaited release of the new movie about Bettie Page is scheduled
for release . It opens in New York, LA and San Francisco on April 14, 2006
and in full nationwide release in late April or early May.
Plot Summary: Page was the ultimate girl-next door, and one of the most popular
Playboy centerfolds. Page challenged the conservative 1950s, posing as a
fierce dominatrix and earning both a cult underground following .and Senate
Committee investigation on juvenile delinquency, essentially a witch-hunt
orchestrated by a senator from her home state of Tennessee bent on exploiting
her as a stepping stone to the White House. At the height of her popularity,
Bettie disappeared. But in 1979 and 1982, Page (a diagnosed schizophrenic)
tried to stab several people to death and was institutionalized.
Movie Night anyone???? We did this for the opening of Memoirs
of a Geisha in December, so if you live in south Florida and would like to
join us for a special nite out email me at
In celebration of this movie debut in April, I am hosting with my Shibari
South Florida Group a "Bettie Page, Damsel in Distress" party on Saturday
April 15, 2006. This is going to be a very special night, filled with
surprises.
Stills from the movie:
Who Is Bettie Page?
If you would like to read about Bettie Page here is a pretty good history
of her life and career.
This is a photo of Bettie you may not have seen.
Her mug shot taken October 29, 1972 by the
Hialeah Florida Police Department.
Here are some Bettie Video Clips
Bettie Page in a bondage / spanking
clip.
Bettie Page in Bondage / Catfight
Bettie Page in Fireplace Dance
Bettie Page Teaserama
Betty Page Teaserama 2
The Notorious Irving
Klaw
My grandfather's photography studio made him rich and Bettie Page famous.
It also made him into a target for Fifties censors. So, what has director
Mary Harron made of him?
BY RICK KLAW
"Her story is interesting. It's a culmination between the very funny, cheesecakey
pin-up stuff and the bondage stuff. She's still the same person in both sets
of worlds. She's always funny and cheery even in the Klaw stuff ... a hidden
world of sexuality that we have discovered in the last 20 years that has
very much come above ground, but with something hidden and secret. Without
that bondage stuff, I don't think she would be nearly as famous as she is
today. It's because of Klaw that Bettie got rediscovered." - Mary Harron,
director of The Notorious Bettie Page
The lights dimmed in the theatre for a screening of Mary Harron's The Notorious
Bettie Page as my thoughts settled on a grandfather who died roughly 16 months
before I was born. His death remains the stuff of family legend.
Labor Day weekend, 1966: A 55-year-old Irving Klaw awoke with pain on the
right side of his
abdomen.
A family friend, a doctor, diagnosed him with appendicitis. Since the ailment
was in its early stages, the physician told Irving not to panic, but suggested
he pack a bag and check into the hospital. Stubborn to the last, Irving decided
to go to work. Later that day, he was found dead from peritonitis. At least
according to my mother.
My cousin Ira Kramer, son of Irving's sister Paula Klaw, tells a different
story. ...
(Thanks bina for finding this story and calling it to our attention)
Calling all Florida Rope Enthusiasts... for a special Gathering
- April 15th
April 15, 2006 (Ft Lauderdale, FL) - This will be Bettie Page ,Damsel
in Distress theme night for south Florida rope enthusiasts. Our special guest
will by Don aka Quietmaster (pictured left in a NYC cab with Bettie in the
early 1950's. Don was one of Bettie Pages photographers.
Master Tatu will be doing a workshop on western styled struggle bondage.
Here is a vintage photo of Tatu at Living in Leather 1999 giving a class
on western style bondage. His hog tied damsel in distress is an international
Eileen Ford model, who was known in the fetish world as "takara". She
is now retired from modeling.
So bring your twisted white nylon rope for this exciting night of fun.
A recent magazine cover featuring
one of Don's images on the cover.
For more information about Shibari South Florida see:
Ok,
I messed up. What was I thinking??? Yes, John Belushi was a Kimono
Boy. His Delicatessing Samurai is legendary, but there was one before
him. Yes Jerry Lewis is right up there with his famous movie, "Geisha
Boy" (1958).
In this film Jerry plays a post World War II 2nd rate
USO magician, there o entertain the troops. He falls in love with a beautiful
Japanese woman and builds a relationship with an orphaned Japanese boy who
looks to him as his father.
One Japanese reviewer of the movie wrote:
"The biggest suprise is that some of the gag are clearly made for Japanese;
check out the scene where a Japanese boy watches a TV program. An American
is speaking (dubbed) Japanese, but his speech is in a dialect of Kansai,
western district of Japan. This causes a big laugh in Japan, because it is
like hearing a Japanese speaking with a strong accent of, say, New Orleans
or Scotland. Who thought of this
idea?"
This was a wonderful movie.... one of the best from that era.
Here's where I will be teaching Rope in the upcoming months:
2006 Workshops - So Far...
Shibari South Florida (Ft
Lauderdale, FL)
Saturday, April 15, 2006 - Tatu will be doing a workshop on western styled
struggle bondage.
This will be Bettie Page Damsel in Distress theme night. Our special guest
will by Don aka Quietmaster who was one of Bettie Pages photographers. http://www.ds-arts.com/SSF
In 2000, I started something I called "Shibari South Florida". We met
in my home for a while and have met periodically since. Our numbers grew
too large for my residence and so we have now ventured out into renting space
for our workshop and social gatherings. Our next workshop will be Saturday,
February 18, 2006 in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, followed by a social time we
have named "S. I. L. K." which stands for:
"Sensuous
Intimate
Loving
Kinbaku"
Or, Sadistic Intimate Lascivious Kink,
depends on our mood that night...
If you live in South Florida, and are interested in rope, please contact
us about future gatherings.
April 15th -
Topic "Bettie Page Damsel in Distress"
led by Tatu. In celebration of the new movie "The
Notorious Bettie Page" due to be released in late April or early May, our
group's theme will be on western-styled struggle bondage. We will have one
of Bettie Pages' photographers with us that night.
May 20 -Topic
"Self Bondage"with Madamoiselle
B from Chicago. I met this lady at a conference a few months back. I
attended her class. I watched her do her self bondage in the play space from
a hongtie, to a full suspension. She is amazing. She is bright and articulate
with a focus on safety for this art. We are looking forward to her
being with us.
This is going to be a very large attended event. We are going to have a number
of people with us from another support group. We are going to max out our
space at 75. So make your plans to attend now!!!
"Erotic Ropes" for your Bondage
D/s ARts & Shibari South Florida has teamed up with Sir Michael of Erotic
Ropes in Chicago to provide a quality hemp rope product to the Florida
Community. Tatu will have 30' & 15' lengths of 6mm finished hemp rope
available at SSF and other South Florida events.
Hemp rope is the traditional material used in shibari; a Japanese form of
rope bondage. It is becoming more and more popular among bondage enthusiasts.
Hemp rope is strict yet soft, it holds knots tighter with less slippage and
it doesn't stretch. Erotic ropes are created from grade Romanian twisted
hemp. Twelve hours of work go into each piece of erotic rope. Each length
of rope is washed and then dried. The rope is then oiled, boiled, dried and
singed to remove stray fibers. This process is repeated three times by a
most loving rope slut so we can offer you the finest quality twisted hemp
for all your bondage perversions.
(Image by Tatu)
C.A.R.E. D/s ARts is also hosting a
page for the Cincinnati Area Rope Enthusiasts, which meets once a month for
what they "Rope Rendezvous". They have been having their maximum for the
space which is 25 and have had had to turn people away virtually every month.
This event is led by Master David of Kentucky and subshevah.
CHATSWORTH, Calif. - In an opinion issued Wednesday (12-29-05), U.S. District
Court judge Walker D.
Miller
ruled in favor of the Free Speech Coalition on two key sections of its lawsuit
against 18 U.S.C. §2257, the federal Recordkeeping and Labeling Act,
and the regulations issued by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that apply
to that law. The case is Free Speech Coalition v. Gonzales.
"The [Tenth Circuit Appeals] court found that §2257's language was clear
and unambiguous," Judge Miller wrote of the Tenth Circuit's decision in Sundance
Associates v. Reno. "It excluded from the regulation 'those who basically
have had no contact with the performers (mere distributors and others not
involved in the 'hiring, contacting for[,] managing, or otherwise arranging
for the participation of the performers depicted'). The Court concluded that
the Attorney General’s regulations improperly failed to 'exclude persons
from the class that the statute requires.' The court rejected the Attorney
General's argument that the regulations' comprehensive regulatory scheme
was necessary to adequately enforce the record-keeping requirements, noting
that although the Attorney General may have identified a problem with the
statute, 'neither the court nor the Attorney General has the authority to
rewrite a poor piece of legislation. . . . That responsibility lies solely
with Congress.' Consequently, the court ordered the clause 'other than those
activities identified in paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section' be stricken
from the regulation."
There is however new legislation that has been
introduced in the US Congress that will throw a stick in the works... the
wide open question is what is "harmful to minors".... sound alot
the congressional hearing with Irving Klaw and Bettie Page in the
50's:
.XXX Legislation Introduced
"The proposed Cyber Safety for Kids Act of 2006 directs the U.S. Department
of Commerce to order ICANN to approve the .XXX domain within 30 days of
enactment. Under the legislation, all sites that publish “material harmful
to minors” would be required to register under the .XXX domain or face
civil penalties."
by Lesley Bargar
Shibari and Photographs c. Master “K”
"I’m running in circles on the lobby floor of Little Tokyo’s New
Otani Hotel. I’m late, my shoes are too loud, and I’m
sick-to-my-stomach nervous. Making my third round past the front desk, the
briefcase I haven’t used in nine months slapping at my side, I wonder
for the 18,000th time how the hell I ended up here, and why the hell I
haven’t backed out already.
What I’m late for is a meeting with one of the nation’s experts
on the erotic art of Japanese rope bondage known to me at this point as Shiburi
[sic]-in five minutes I will know it as Shibari (to bind), or Kinbaku (to
bind tightly). This expert goes by the name of Master “K”-a fact
that alone has caused me extreme anxiety as I go over and over the casual
meeting scenario in my head, and whether I should address him coolly as just
“Master” or “K.” Both make me uneasy.
I am not a bondage person. I am not an S&M person. Well, I guess I
don’t really know… I suppose I could be a bondage person. The closest
I’ve ever come......"
Growing numbers of Americans are experimenting with sadomasochistic sex.
But is it always safe and sane?
By John Cloud/Clayton
"It turns out that you call it "S and M" only if you don't do it or if you
experiment only occasionally with those handcuffs you keep hidden at the
back of the nightstand. If, on the other hand, you are seriously involved
in the sadomasochistic subculture—if, say, you have attended one or
more of the nation's 90 annual sadomasochistic events ("Beat Me in St. Louis,"
for instance) and own not only handcuffs but also a spanking bench, a flogger,
some paraffin wax, an unbreakable Pyrex dildo and various other
unmentionables—you call it, simply, SM.
The linguistic distinction between S&M and SM may seem tiny, but the
pop-culture, peep-show version of S&M has little to do with the real
lives of those who practice SM (which is why sexologists who study sadomasochism
have now also adopted the shorter abbreviation). S&M is Madonna in kinky
outfits, Anne Rice chapters that run to the louche— even a recent Dannon
ad featuring a woman in a French-maid uniform.
Such S&M imagery has become so common that our astonishment at Robert
Mapplethorpe's photographs of leather and pain 20 years ago now seems quaint.
Today you can watch Samantha on Sex and the City in virtually the same poses.
But those who practice sadomasochism—including those halting dabblers
who tee-hee their way through spankings, hoping to paddle excitement into
their marriage—know it's still taboo. (After all, if it weren't, it
would lose its power to excite.) To reconcile the icons with the actual practice,
I spent several weeks recently talking to SM practitioners around the
U.S.—in New York City and San Francisco, yes, but also in North Carolina
and New Mexico. Whether they were nervous novices or experienced dungeon
masters leading some of the nation's 250 SM organizations, virtually all
of them asked for anonymity. One man said he had lost a job when his boss
found directions to a bondage workshop in his office. Others said they would
be embarrassed if their families learned of their proclivities.
We live in a culture in which sadomasochism is everywhere—from Versace
billboards to at least a dozen college campuses where SM support groups have
been established—but somehow it remains unseen and unspoken, just beyond
the edge of respectability.
Given the silence, measuring SM's popularity is not a precise business,
especially since it blurs into the larger category of BDSM, or
bondage-discipline-sadomasochism. A 1990 Kinsey Institute report said researchers
estimate that 5% to 10% of Americans occasionally engage in SM sex. "The
lighter end of BDSM is penetrating bedrooms across America. It's restraint
on bedposts, it's spanking, it's fantasy play—and it's all fairly common,"
says Barnaby Barratt, president-elect of the American Association of Sex
Educators, Counselors and Therapists. In his quarter-century of private practice
as a therapist in southeastern Michigan, Barratt says, "hundreds, if not
thousands" of married couples have told him they want to bind, paddle or
play teacher/pupil with each other.
Barratt and other therapists say that couples often hope that role playing
or nipple clamps or quick-release bondage will rev up their sex lives. "Many
people have this as part of reciprocal, consensual love relationships, and
in those cases, we assure them it's not a problem," says Eli Coleman, director
of the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota. He also
makes the point that "there's an element of domination or submission or pain
involved in almost any sexual interaction. What sadomasochism does is take
these elements of eroticism further toward their extreme."
Some couples experiment a few times but return to what serious SM-ers call
"vanilla" sex. Others become more deeply involved in the SM scene; they use
SM props or fantasies every time they have sex. The scene has become so large
and varied that it encompasses the rich farrago of coupling practices known
as BDSM, which includes not only SM—the erotic enjoyment of inflicting
and/or receiving pain—but also BD (bondage/discipline) and DS
(domination/submission). BD usually involves physical restraint and a
punishment/reward setup (say, Nurse Ratched with a patient). DS relationships
are often as emotional as they are carnal. Submissives relish transferring
authority over aspects of their lives to others; the submissive might allow
the dominant not only to tie her up but even to tell her when she must go
to sleep...."
Please go to the link that I posted for the rest of this article
Intent Means Everything: The Erotic Art of Japanese Rope Bondage
By Kathryn Fischer
Not long ago, it was difficult to find
Japanese rope artists, nawashi, in the United States, much less access workshops
on kimbaku, the erotic art of Japanese rope bondage, also commonly known
in the United States as shibari. But in the past 10 years, the art of Japanese
rope bondage has attracted attention not only from the BDSM community, but
also from artists, photographers, designers and advertisement agencies, as
well as people who've never before thought of bringing bondage into their
sex lives.
Beautiful images of the body contorted and restrained, laced with a complex
set of knots and ties, or suspended by colorful rope aren't so hard to
find-whether in glossy, mainstream lingerie advertisements or postmodern
performance art.
NEW YORK -- A charity foundation's former accountant, accused of embezzling
heart disease research funds to pay an Ohio dominatrix to beat him, pleaded
guilty Tuesday to grand larceny and admitted that he stole more than $237,000.
Abraham Alexander, 45, of East Meadow, N.Y., admitted he stole the money
from the Cardiovascular Research Foundation between Nov. 2, 2003, and April
20, 2005, by using company credit cards and writing checks to himself.
A MAN has admitted assault after a court heard how he hanged his partner
by her breasts in a
bondage
session.
Edward Toolan, of Kime Street, Burnley, was spared jail, but given a 12-month
community order which may include probation work on his attitude to women.
Burnley Crown Court heard that Toolan got the idea from the internet and
tied Stephanie Monks with washing lines from an attic ceiling.
Miss Monks passed out in pain and was left with bruises and severe ligature
marks and could possibly be scarred for life, the court was told. Toolan,
40, was said to have threatened to kill Miss Monks, with whom he had lived
with for three years, when she questioned him, Miss Monks, said to be frightened
of Toolan, told officers she thought he was sick and needed help with his
mental health.
Toolan yesterday pleaded guilty assault causing actual bodily harm.
David Pickup, prosecuting, said Miss Monks separated from Toolan about last
July after claiming she was petrified he would kill her.
Earlier, in about May, Toolan had been on the internet and asked Miss Monks
: "How would you like me to do that to you?"
She fell asleep but about 9.30pm was woken up and taken upstairs to the spare
room, the court was told.
Mr Pickup said Miss Monks must have passed out for about five minutes and
she woke up in a bedroom.
Toolan was arrested on July 29 and told police the act was by consent.
Anthony Cross, defending, said : "This particular instance of violence is
an extension of that which had occurred consensually between them both on
very many occasions."
Judge Beverley Lunt said, whether the incident began
as consensual or not, the onus was on the Toolan to make sure Miss Monks
did not get hurt.
Please Remember:
Please remember "gabriel", Steve aka "Etienne". and my son-in-law in
your prayers along with all the rest of our young men and women serving in
Iraq.
There are exactly 2 errors in spelling and grammar in this newsletter, purposely
placed to give you obsessive compulsive, borderline personalities something
to do. When you find them email me at:
A Special Thanks
to our
"Fetish Web Host"
NOTE:
(c) 2006 S.I.L.K.
("Sensuous
Intimate
Loving
Kinbaku"
or, Sadistic Intimate Lascivious Kink is
a copyright logo used to describe the
Japanese or Eastern School of D/s.
All rights reserved.Tatu / Tatu Publications.
Back around
1999 there was a movie that came out called, "Eyes Wide Shut" starring Tom
Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cruise stumbles upon a sex cult of sorts
in some palatial setting, complete with beautiful vestal virgins everywhere
doing the catwalk down the staircases and across the rooms. So I was in a
chat room one night discussing this wonderful fantasy with a few friends
when I declared, "I want a cult, a sex cult like the one in 'Eyes Wide
Shut' and want to be a cult leader". So that night I introduced The "Cult
of Consensual Kink" or C.O.C.K. for short. I declared a few lady friends
official vestal virgins and I was set. We had a lot of fun with that
in the chat rooms for a while.
and
given a chair in which to to sit. The next thing I hear is that Gregorian
Chat music.. wwwwaaaaaa..... and I look across the club and here comes these
naked vestal virgins in long hooded capes, and masks, sashaying in high heals
to the stage. They arrived, kneeled and bowed down before me and there
I was given a gift of a ball cap complete with custom inscription that said,
"Master C.O.C.K". Fun memories. with good friends. It was a cult -like
fantasy.
In
the world of BDSM, Leather, or Fetish various groupings crop up from time
to time which we affectionately call "families", but are they truly "families";
or are they in reality nothing more than a cult?
If
there is one thing I could say to anyone interested in rope. Don't miss this
event. This is our rope homecoming each year. I was honored to be the keynote
speaker in 2005 to about 400 registered participants. 2006 promises to be
ever bigger and greater. For more details see the Shibaricon website at:
BY RICK KLAW
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Ok,
I messed up. What was I thinking??? Yes, John Belushi was a Kimono
Boy. His Delicatessing Samurai is legendary, but there was one before
him. Yes Jerry Lewis is right up there with his famous movie, "Geisha
Boy" (1958).
D/s ARts & Shibari South Florida has teamed up with Sir Michael of Erotic
Ropes in Chicago to provide a quality hemp rope product to the Florida
Community. Tatu will have 30' & 15' lengths of 6mm finished hemp rope
available at SSF and other South Florida events.
Miller
ruled in favor of the Free Speech Coalition on two key sections of its lawsuit
against 18 U.S.C. §2257, the federal Recordkeeping and Labeling Act,
and the regulations issued by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that apply
to that law. The case is Free Speech Coalition v. Gonzales.
Not long ago, it was difficult to find
Japanese rope artists, nawashi, in the United States, much less access workshops
on kimbaku, the erotic art of Japanese rope bondage, also commonly known
in the United States as shibari. But in the past 10 years, the art of Japanese
rope bondage has attracted attention not only from the BDSM community, but
also from artists, photographers, designers and advertisement agencies, as
well as people who've never before thought of bringing bondage into their
sex lives.
bondage
session.