Monday, January 24, 2011

Flogging: A Guilty Pleasure

For many of us, telling people about our fondness for flogging is like coming out of some closet:  It’s not something you would talk about in polite society because we fear they will find it shocking.  Many comments prove that people are very careful when trying to find that first friend to share this with.  But times change.  Twenty years ago, cage fighting was unheard of as a legitimate sport—but now it’s mainstream.  Because of this social attitude shift toward casual violence, I believe the time is ripe to turn endurance flogging into a mainstream topic of conversation.

Because of my goal of making this mainstream, I tried to steer the blog way from what I felt was an integral, but not essential, element:  the “sexual” nature of flogging.  But it is obvious that there is a strong element of sensuality to this topic that just cannot be ignored.  I have to thank Toughpaul for being the first to openly broach this subject.  Because I want to turn flogging mainstream, we have to understand what makes us like it so that we can make others come to understand—and enjoy—it, too.  Therefore, I encourage everyone to make comments about any aspect of flogging that appeals to you—even if you have to delve briefly into the red-light district to do it.  We have all experienced enough self-censorship on this topic, let’s make this a place where you don’t have to worry about that. 

Nothing is off the table on this blog.  As long as comments pertain to the very broad topic of whips applied to shirtless male backs, they are all welcome (and it doesn’t really matter which posting you choose to attach your comment).  If I have to eventually mark this blog as for adults, I am willing to do that.  (What are your thoughts on that, BTW?)  This blog can become (and is becoming) a place where we can share the experiences we have had (or the fantasies we indulge in), and express the intense personal desire we have to pursue floggings (either to actively participate or just to watch). 

As I look back on this part of my life, I was always afraid to share my desire for flogging with anyone, for fear of them labeling me a freak (probably because I recognized that they would recognize the erotic nature of it).  For me, it was always the punishment aspect that made me seek out movies that involved flogging—that power that an officer or warden had over a prisoner to enforce discipline.  As time marched on, I wanted to experience and understand the fear and powerlessness that grips a prisoner as he endures punishment.  It almost seemed like it would be easier to explain a BDSM fetish than that—and would be more socially acceptable.  But I know better now.  So!  Let’s get it out in the open.

9 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the irony of your statement regarding "the very broad topic of whips applied to shirtless male backs." The broader the back, the better . . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad you found that some humor comes through my formal writing style.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Buddy, c'mon man, my first post here mentioned the sexuality thing when I let it be known that I had squirted when that bullwhip hit my bare back on that ranch in Idaho. Was I freaked out when it happened, you bet. Was I ashamed, you bet. But after years of messing around with other kids in belt fights, being challenged to take a willow switch across my bare back, among other things, the fact that I was going to experience a real whipping with a real whip, yah, instant hard-on.

    It was the aftermath that followed which haunted me for what seemed like forever. I figured I was the only guy in the world that this happened to. But did I think I was gay because of it, nope.

    If a dude gets sexually aroused when he hears the crack of a whip, or sees some guy taking a whipping, or gets that way because he wishes he was the guy dishing it out, so what? We all have our sexual hang-ups, we're all sexual creatures. Everything in our complex society is based on sex.

    Guys do funky things with other guys all the time, but do they classify themselves as being 20% gay, I highly doubt it. How can you break down your sexuality into percentages? Accept the fact that you have a desire or need that society deems inappropriate and let it go. I've said it here before, this is something that will be with you for the rest of your life. It sounds stupid, but if it makes you feel good, if you consider it a manly challenge, freakin enjoy it man.

    On the question of whether or not this blog should be adulterized, I dunno. Unless you're going to make it something you can only read by melting your VISA card, it's nearly impossible. I mean, how many adult sites can actually prove you're over 18?

    Oh yah, Buddy, one more thing, what is "Ileven"?
    Do you like have an accent? Is it Brit or EsPanol? That quirt must have really gotten you on that stroke between ten and twelve. Just giving you a bad time, dude. I like to do that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Richie. I knew that there had been comments that had touched on it earlier, but I didn't want to take the time to go back and read over 90 of them to find out who made the first (I can be lazy), so I grabbed the first convenient one and referenced that.

    I agree that almost everything in popular society touches upon sex. It is the life-blood of the advertising industry. Which made me at first reluctant to embrace the topic here--for fear of turning off people who would otherwise want to take part in my blog about flogging. In truth, my actual fear was that people would consider this to be a "gay" blog and not visit it in the first place--this is a sport that goes way beyond gay or straight: it's leather on backs, and who in their right mind doesn't like to see that?! ;)

    In answer to your question about my pronunciation of "eleven" in the latest video, I don't really know what happened there (I was surprised that's how it came out when I viewed the raw footage). It was probably that I was expecting the force of the whip to land right-of-center like the previous one and when it came across my shoulder I was thrown off.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well the conversation gets ever more interesting dosen't it?

    Firstly I totally agree with Buddy that admitting to a stranger that one is into flogging, spanking or any other pain endurance stuff, is a risk & can freak them out! But then having had practice over many years telling people I'm into cold baths & winter outdoor swimming maybe makes it just a little easier?

    I like the term "Endurance Flogging" I wonder if it will ever become an Olympic sport? Mind U that's exactly what the Spartan lads endured in the Diamastigosis. The lad who lasted longest won the big prize (Usualy a night with the virgin of his choice!)

    The referance to BDSM reminds me what I have thought for many years. In my opinion BDSM is about control & humiliation & it is very sexual. The very words used "Top-Bottom" "Master-Slave" "Dom-Sub" re-inforces that image. But when I exchange a whipping with my buddies no-one is master or slave, we are equals, testing each other, egging each other on, pushing the boundries of endurance. And afterwards, no-one is humiliated, just the opposite, we feel pride at our stoicisam & admiration for each other.

    I may be touching dangerous ground here but I get the feeling that no one on this blog is into humiliation. So what we guys are talking about is NOT BDSM - its pain endurance as a route to manhood, fortitude, self mastery & personal toughness, which I see as a very different thing. Nevertheless, as I have experienced & Richie has himself observed, the experience of whipping or being whipped, of bearing it with fortitude, then watching your best mate doing the same, causes some people's bodies to release testosterone, endorphins & adreniline which then arouse macho feelings of energy, power & horneyness!! I guess what I'm trying to say is that what we do is not BDSM - but it is sexual.

    Which brings me to Richie's comment on my 20% gayness "How can you break down your sexuality into percentages?" he asks. OK point taken. Its a guess, a figure grabbed out of thin air, but probably in the right ballpark. I went to a single sex boarding school & though girls were a source of constant fascination they were simply unavailable. My sexual outlet was with my best mate Phil & once we started experementing with spanking & whipping that became part of the sexual experience. At 16yo I had my first GF, then another @ 19yo (who I'm still with nowadays), and its gradually become clear to me that I see my sexuality with women as tender soft cuddly & cosy - but with men its about manhood, fortitude, self mastery, personal toughness & all the things we are discussing here. 20% -30% -50%? Who knows! But its all sexual to me.

    Have fun -- Paul Lajos

    ReplyDelete
  6. Toughpaul - Nah, the humiliation thing, it only happened to me once. It is not something I care to have happen again. My personal toughness extends all the way to my mouth, and it's gotten me into deep trouble on more than one occassion. I'm a slow learner.

    Yah, dude, couldn't agree with you more, it is all sexual. Everyone of us has a darker side which we explore, the key is that you have to keep it under control, manage it so it doesn't run your life. Philosophy from a dude with a cowboy and bullwhip fetish, go figure.

    I dunno, man, perhaps you're right, perhaps there is a percentage of gayness in all guys, they just don't care to admit it. Count me among them, I guess. Now I'm going to freakin' think about this all day. I'm a Libra and everthing has to be balanced. Swell.

    ReplyDelete
  7. For me, an ignored aspect of being whipped on the bare back is the potential mental health benefits. We live in an age where so much is placed on the individual that stress is very high for many of us. The act of receiving a whipping wipes away, for that time, all the competing pulls on our lives. We concentrate on the feel of the whip against the bare back and the increasing pain each lash causes.
    As well the overload of the nerve endings helps to relax the body as it concentrates on the pain from the whipping. I have had several whippings where I am so limp that I have problems standing, like after a really good workout in the gym.
    From what I understand from an Eastern European friend, there are psychologists in Russia who now use whipping as a form of therapy for stress disorders. What amazes me is that it is paid for by the state health plan.
    So, perhaps, an occasional whipping could be good for our health.

    Gary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't agree with you more. I find being whipped highly therapeutic. At the end of a whipping I feel spent and thereby deeply relaxed.

      Delete
  8. Completely agree Gary.

    After a decent session (sadly not for quite a while), I find the most wonderful levels of total relaxation. It is - as you describe - as if all the hassles and crap of the day have simply been swept away.

    Although undoubtedly strongest at the time, even the next day I can feel very "mellow" and chilled out. It is certainly a very effective way for me to relax - though I suspect I am goign to struggle to get my local surgery to agree to precription floggings to keep me chilled.

    If only eh? :)

    ReplyDelete