(o/t?) SM Porn
Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2002 10:02 am
Reading through the thread on the social acceptability of porn some comments were made about SM porn in general and Operation Spanner.
On the Spanner case, the tape that provided the evidence for convictions was never made as a commercial porn tape ? it was more a record of events for those involved. One of the participants tried to sell the tape through classifieds in the gay press which is how it came to the attention of the police. Hames was a right wing Christian in the James Alderton mould, with strong anti-porn and (perhaps more importantly), rabidly anti-gay beliefs. It is strongly felt within the UK BDSM community (and indeed the gay community) that the charges would never have been brought had the participants been heterosexual.
One of the difficulties for those of us interested in BDSM (and I speak as an active practitioner for a number of years) is that most of the SM porn available does not reflect the way it is practised by most of us. It?s not so much the actual acts themselves (many of us indulge in what we call ?edge-play?, which lay observers would regard as extreme), but the context in which these acts are represented. Too much of it is represented in contexts such as punishment, rape, abuse, and brutality. Too much of it also seems to have little or nothing to do with sex, and all to do with violence. It is rare to find a scene (let alone a movie) that shows the kind of BDSM that most of us do.
For example look at the issue of ?rough sex?. Many women love it - several pornstars here have indicated they do - and every woman I know who enjoys porn loves watching Rocco in action. However, the two US ?Rough Sex? movies put it in such a context of punishment, violence and abuse that it?s not remotely erotic. Then there is the fact that for many years in the UK it?s been perfectly acceptable to distribute videos that show young women dressed as schoolgirls being severely caned ? and always as punishment for some supposed misdemeanour. It?s so frustrating that so much of what is perceived as BDSM as a result of such material, does not reflect the reality of most of us who are into it.
Just as an aside, there?s a small group of us that would like to shoot some BDSM scenes that will represent the genuine eroticism involved. We know a lot about BDSM, but pretty much bugger all about making movies ? anyone from the industry want to help us out?
Keith
On the Spanner case, the tape that provided the evidence for convictions was never made as a commercial porn tape ? it was more a record of events for those involved. One of the participants tried to sell the tape through classifieds in the gay press which is how it came to the attention of the police. Hames was a right wing Christian in the James Alderton mould, with strong anti-porn and (perhaps more importantly), rabidly anti-gay beliefs. It is strongly felt within the UK BDSM community (and indeed the gay community) that the charges would never have been brought had the participants been heterosexual.
One of the difficulties for those of us interested in BDSM (and I speak as an active practitioner for a number of years) is that most of the SM porn available does not reflect the way it is practised by most of us. It?s not so much the actual acts themselves (many of us indulge in what we call ?edge-play?, which lay observers would regard as extreme), but the context in which these acts are represented. Too much of it is represented in contexts such as punishment, rape, abuse, and brutality. Too much of it also seems to have little or nothing to do with sex, and all to do with violence. It is rare to find a scene (let alone a movie) that shows the kind of BDSM that most of us do.
For example look at the issue of ?rough sex?. Many women love it - several pornstars here have indicated they do - and every woman I know who enjoys porn loves watching Rocco in action. However, the two US ?Rough Sex? movies put it in such a context of punishment, violence and abuse that it?s not remotely erotic. Then there is the fact that for many years in the UK it?s been perfectly acceptable to distribute videos that show young women dressed as schoolgirls being severely caned ? and always as punishment for some supposed misdemeanour. It?s so frustrating that so much of what is perceived as BDSM as a result of such material, does not reflect the reality of most of us who are into it.
Just as an aside, there?s a small group of us that would like to shoot some BDSM scenes that will represent the genuine eroticism involved. We know a lot about BDSM, but pretty much bugger all about making movies ? anyone from the industry want to help us out?
Keith
