Opinions On BDSM Culture

// March 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // BDSM Articles

The EPE-community is a very deversified community with many different, and quite often very outspoken, opinions. Below are several different views on wether or not there is or should be an EPE culture, taken from various Internet-debates on the subject. The quotes and opinions have not been edited to preserve their authenticity and do not necessarilly represent our personal viewpoints.

• I do not think that it is worthwhile getting hung up on “scientific” definitions of culture/subculture/community. There are some serious methodological problems with all of these, particularly as applied to social goupings withing larger social groups. I would instead apply simpler tests, such as: do the members use a special vocabulary and/or communicate in special ways; do the members socialize together separately from the larger society; is the “group” in part defined by forms of ostracism from the larger social group; to what extent do the members’ attitudes and beliefs operate their life, much of the time or just occasionally; do the members view themselves as a separate group from the larger society? If the answers to these are “yes” then I would say that basically the BDSM “community” is a separate culture/subculture/community. I will say that I think it fairly clear that those who practice a 7/24 lifestyle would more clearly fit these criteria than those who are only cyber. (more…)

Are “We” A Culture?

// March 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // BDSM Articles

Occasionally the erotic power exchange (BDSM) community looks with a certain amount of envy at the gay community, as a result of the fact that the latter has achieved quite a bit when it comes to general understanding for and acceptance of different lifestyles. One of the questions, asked in this respect, is the one about being a culture yes or no. Although that as such is a question that can be debated endlessly, fact of the matter is that the narrow – sexual only – approach does not seem to cover all aspects of erotic power exchange. So, are “we” a culture? Below is at least one answer to that question.

First of all: what is a culture? There are of course various definitions, but personally I like to use the one given by anthropologist Ruth Benedict (which is the more or less generally accepted one in the scientific community): “culture is a more or less consistant pattern of thought and action with a characteristic purpose that pervades the forms of behavior and institutions of a society.” Hence, a culture is defined by a set of patterns. (more…)