The term immediately sets jaws on edge and causes people to avert their eyes from the person who gives voice to such a scandalous concept. Sadomasochism is so inextricably connected to the fringe element that few people want to admit knowing many details of this sexual fetish for fear they will also be labeled as 'abnormal.' The entire topic of sex, after all, is still taboo for much of the global society, with people typically conversing about it within very finite social boundaries. When the discussion drifts toward sadomasochism, involuntary gasps of disgust illustrate how sexual subcultures are still far from being readily accepted. Unconventionality notwithstanding, the S&M community represents a sexual pleasure source that's both rich in history and quite prevalent in contemporary society.
Those who fixate on the sexual deviation of sadomasochism fail to realize -- or care about –- its historical ideology. Timothy Taylor's The Prehistory of Sex: Four Million Years of Human Sexual Culture points to traces of S&M going far back into man's history; based upon the sexual preferences of two European aristocratic writers -- Marquis De Sade and Sacher-Masoch -- the erotic adventures conjured up in their imaginations and reality revolved around the concept of pleasurable pain. Sadists, who are partial to inflicting pain, bring pleasure to masochists whose preference is to receive it. This yin-yang relationship is both a representation of social subculture and a realistic view of how, despite convention, humans are fluid in their sexual proclivity.
To be unique within a world of sameness is a quest sought by many; however, it is the quickest way to become labeled a deviant. This negative connotation of individualism -– which is to maintain independence from the norm –- has cast an even darker meaning for those who embrace nonconforming sexual expression. Indeed, prejudices are shouldered by those who refuse to let people make their own life choices, so the bottom line is to keep your eyes on your own paper and don't be concerned with what or how others are scribbling on theirs.
Those who fixate on the sexual deviation of sadomasochism fail to realize -- or care about –- its historical ideology. Timothy Taylor's The Prehistory of Sex: Four Million Years of Human Sexual Culture points to traces of S&M going far back into man's history; based upon the sexual preferences of two European aristocratic writers -- Marquis De Sade and Sacher-Masoch -- the erotic adventures conjured up in their imaginations and reality revolved around the concept of pleasurable pain. Sadists, who are partial to inflicting pain, bring pleasure to masochists whose preference is to receive it. This yin-yang relationship is both a representation of social subculture and a realistic view of how, despite convention, humans are fluid in their sexual proclivity.
To be unique within a world of sameness is a quest sought by many; however, it is the quickest way to become labeled a deviant. This negative connotation of individualism -– which is to maintain independence from the norm –- has cast an even darker meaning for those who embrace nonconforming sexual expression. Indeed, prejudices are shouldered by those who refuse to let people make their own life choices, so the bottom line is to keep your eyes on your own paper and don't be concerned with what or how others are scribbling on theirs.
Love the last sentence! Boy that could hold true to so many things!
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