“Corporal punishment?” is part of the series on
BDSM and philosophy
Introduction
If you were one of the readers that made it all
through the previous blog ‘Against her will’ - congrats by the way - you will be inclined to think that the major difference between
corporal punishment and BDSM will be found in the notion of consent. Not a bad
guess, but in this blog I argue for a different approach: one that also may
have something to say to hardcore masochists, self-maintenance spankers and all
kinds of glossy tops alike.
What is Corporal Punishment?
Corporal
punishment (CP) is a type of physical punishment that involves the infliction
of bodily pain as retribution for an offence made at home, in school or as a result
of a sentence by a court of law. I will spare you the lists of methods (flogging,
caning, birching, whipping, or strapping) that can be used for corporal
punishment or what body parts can be involved (buttock, back, shoulders, thighs,
hand and soles of the feet) as this blog is for your information, not for mental
foreplay. Mind you!
It was only
recently – and on an evolutionary scale everything that happened since we can
write is pretty recent – that corporal punishment was outlawed in most EU countries.
However, domestic or educational corporal punishment in one form or another is
still practised in most countries of the world, even when the total number is
declining due to various international campaigns against CP.
For those
who see inflicting pain on a sentient being as an act of ‘evil’, this will be a
good thing. But even for those, who distinguish between merely inflicting pain
and consensual BDSM, the question remains to what extent inflicting pain is
indeed morally justifiable?
Reasons for Pain in Corporal Punishment
In general
the reason behind getting a CP is to be found in a forbidden, undesirable or
illegal action by the offender. No matter if the CP is being administered by an
angry parent, a vicious head of school or a cruel executioner, the purpose is
to make clear to the one(s) being punished that something they did or said was
not okay and needed to be corrected: as such CP intends to involve aspects of adjustment,
retribution, deterrence and education. Perhaps we can simply add this together
and say that CP and perhaps many other forms of punishment too, is aimed at
altering behaviour.
As such all
forms of punishment can be seen as a measure by which we define borders, force
a change in behaviour and create an awareness of guilt and responsibility on
the part of the wrongdoer. The pain, the shame, the disgrace and the
humiliation are all forced upon the punished persons(s) and it hurts them. It
does likely not respect their freedom, their rights or their bodily integrity
and in most of the cases there is no previous consent, nor is this deemed to be
necessary. And unless CP is actually beneficial to a society, a person’s mental
growth or self perception, any form of CP is nothing but mere violence.
Differences with Kink
As I have
said in the introduction, consent is not the distinguishing issue here, even
when it does play a role in the relationship as such. Within a BDSM context CP
can of course be used to correct an obstinate bottom, change the subs attitude
or prevent certain unwanted actions by the slave. As such the punishment can be
seen as a form of discipline and is for certain something that falls under the
consensual agreement of the partners.
Yet, the
purpose of punishment is correction and in my opinion this is the decisive
factor: punishment is by the majority of the sufferers not experienced as sexy
or pleasurable - nor meant to be as such - but as real and genuine punishment.
It is not an act of love, but one of violence; it violates and hurts. The pain
may set loose some typical bodily and mental emotions, but that is not the
goal. One could even argue that if the one being punished is starting to enjoy
it, the dominant partner perhaps better stops and chooses another, more suited
punishment; one that is not a reward.
Pain,
however, that in general is applied by the top to the bottom partner, is not
aimed at changing behaviour, but rather used for encouraging the bottom to do or
get what they actually desire and enjoy. For this reason in the Dominion of
Lord Cameron to administer or to receive a naughty spanking, a bitter-sweet BDSM-punishment
or a sexually helpful humiliation is quite different from CP. There is no need
for offensive behaviour, breaking rules or being disobedient. Pain, discipline
or limitation is not given out of anger, frustration or feeling offended, but
out of freedom of discipline.
Freedom of Discipline
As with any
consensual BDSM act, discipline – or punishment, if you wish – is something
that is aimed at fulfilling each others needs by respecting the urges and the
borders of the other person in a sane and sound context. Freedom to be a Master
or to be a pain pig is a privilege that needs to be honoured. The whole context
of offence and punishment is in a way foreign to this.
In the Dominion
of Lord Cameron – both in the virtual as in the factual realms – the freedom to
discipline is an inherent prerogative of any Master, dominant or top. It
denotes a right they can execute without asking or without any other reason than
feeling in the mood for it. They use that what is offered to them (with the
intention of being taken!). In case of an incidental play, this may precisely
be the reason to play, but also in a long term kinky relationship, it simply
shows the roles of master and slave, top and bottom, dominant and submissive.
It is the bare nature of kinks.
Factually,
free discipline does need no other context or pretext than just being those
persons who we are; both on the giving as on the receiving end; and in this
case, we can be at both ends at the same time; as the we trade energy, power,
pain and lust.
And all
those roles, you ask? All the chains, intimidation, imposing rules, cages,
interrogations, all that punishment equipment that we have borrowed from CP:
yes, what about that?
Well, that
is all show. The costumes, the role-playing, the poses; they are nothing but
the requisites on the wicked stages of the Grande Opera of fetish, kink and
leather. We like to create the settings that make our heart beat faster and our
genitals aroused. We slip in our (predefined) roles and play the villain or the
smitten victim with conviction and passion. The pretext is our being present
and our consent as free sexual beings.
Freedom to Serve
This is a
delicate thing, my dear readers. As serving someone is not an easy act for any
of us: it requires courage, perseverance and a lot of self reflection. We have
our self-esteem, our dignity and our natural grace. To lay all that down for
another person is a matter of great trust, devotion and often love. To help us
getting in that state of mind that we actually start behaving as we deep inside
crave for, we take our time, we adapt to the pain, we create a sacred space to
play in and we make use of symbols and roles.
For an
obedient slave that wishes nothing more than pleasing the Master, a set of
rules that cannot be kept is only frustrating. Getting punished for being
unable to serve properly is no fun at all. It is neither encouraging, nor
helpful. Service should not be enforced on servants, but be expected by those
who are being served.
The
greatest achievement a Master can pride oneself with – if you have to - is not
by forcing a servant, a submissive or a lover to being a slut, a pig, a pervert
or a whore. It is rather actually letting them be like that by themselves.
Laying bare the heart of a serve and love (and humiliate and discipline) them
for it, is not only a complement and a great source of joy to those involved,
but moreover, it is the acknowledgement of their sexual identity and that of your
own: real people being real.
Use your
power wise and with certainty – Sir Cameron
No comments:
Post a Comment