Becoming a Slave

This latest tangent has really become a bit of a sticky wicket. When it all washes out, Alex and her mistress have a relationship that is based on guidelines they as consenting adults have agreed on. To what extent they carry that, whether it is roleplay or lifestyle is their business. We may not understand it or even approve of it, but it's their life.

Hear hear!
Thanks Bren.

Mandy C

LOL, OK, I capitulate. You don't seem to understand the concept of power exchange relationships and I seem to not be able to explain it



Agree.

Even the Semantics of it come into play. What to you or I may be a command is to her in actuality nothing more than a parental direction, or even the advice of a good friend. The dynamics of these relationships seem to be very complex, and while those of us who don't understand them shouldn't be too judgemental, we should also not be judged too harshly for not understanding them.

Actually, I do. I just suggest that someone think twice before taking that relationship out of SL or their home and putting it in print.

Explaining these relationships could fill up an entire forum, although you do stated correctly about the parental direction. This thread could go on for another 100 pages and all those not understanding the aspects of these relationships would keep on posting the same comments as the ones that posted before them.

Mandy C

As you said, it's a suggestion. If one chooses not to listen, it's up to them. And we were talking about the very nature of these relationships, not the relationship itself.

Mandy C

I totally agree with this. I personally don't understand it but don't really have a problem with it. I can understand how people find the whole concept of slavery offensive though, even if it is only role playing.

Again, rp and lifestyle are two different things. For instance, Gor is mostly rp and, like Angel said earlier in this thread, mostly amusing. To make it part of your life takes training, dedication and commitment. And those who find it offensive just don't understand and probably never will.

Mandy C

As an African American who has ancestors who were slaves I find it insulting that some people are using the term "slavery" to describe what some bored housewives do on the weekends for shits and giggles.

lol some bored housewives
if you have no clue about the lifestyle and peoples choices then why bother commenting on it /sigh

...and that's exactly why you don't get it...

I'll never use the word slavery, to me it's Dom/Domme/sub. Slavery has a negative ring to it and there for I will not use it so in that context I agree. But by calling those active in that scene bored housewives who do it for shits and giggles is also an insult.

Mandy C

It isn't "slavery". Reread my post. There is no choice in "slavery".

I can understand you not being comfortabe with the use of the term, but diminishing the people who live that type of lifestyle just because you don't like the word is plainly rude and uneducated.

I am Argentinian, and as most of Argentinians I love to eat meat. By the concept expressed by you and some other posters I should be telling every vegetarian that he/she belongs to a niche and because of it is clearly wrong about his/her chosen lifestyle. After all... humans are carnivores, right?

slavery:
The state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or household.

The practice of owning slaves.
A mode of production in which slaves constitute the principal work force.
The condition of being subject or addicted to a specified influence.
A condition of hard work and subjection: wage slavery.


from american heritage dictionary

hmmm nothing in there about involuntary

Nevertheless, there is a "practice" among power exchange relationship that use the term Master/Mistress and slave. So, the term "slavery" is applicable to those specific cases.

I do agree, however, the negative ring that the word has. And I am sure no one in the lifestyle will ever defend the historical practice of slavery.

FWIW, I am not into the lifestyle, I had the chance to get introduced to it and to begin to understand what it means.

Well Brette has a point - a LARGE portion of women who are into D/S and Gor online are Bored Housewives.

Its just that its not "just about" Bored Housewives.

Of course being a "Sex Slave" or a "Pleasure Slave" isnt the same as being a real slave. Even if you are into RL D/S.

I can see where it could be insulting to those whose fairly recent ancestors were slaves. Especially if the distinction isnt made.

D/s lifestylers usually avoid the terms "slaves" and "slavery". Slavery is nonconsensual by definition, and therefore incompatible with both the law and basic BDSM guidelines. I've never heard a RL lifestyler use the word slave instead of submissive, other than in a roleplay context. Of course slavery can be roleplayed, just as rape can be roleplayed. But the word does in no way define a Dominant/submissive relationship.

You are right, and that is why I never mentioned D/s relationships exclusively. I clearly stated that I was talking of power exchange relationships, the set where D/s belongs to as well as BDSM and M/s.

Umm..... LOTS of people on this planet have had ancestors who were at one time or another slaves. It's not an insult to any particular race/creed when it's been a human condition for THOUSANDS OF YEARS and hundreds of cultures. One can argue that the term "slavery" can have many different connotations for many different people.

Absolutely. Slavery has different meanings to different people. Those terms are sensationalized media phrases in my opinion. As someone stated, the term is seldom used by people in the life so to speak, and it is definitely thrown about way too capriciously. To me a slave is someone who is forced to do something against their will without any chance of refusing. From what I see, that is not the case in these relationships. But it should be taken as intended in these cases as a general description and not as a sign of disrespect to people of MANY races who were enslaved at on etime or another.

Completely agreed, Brenda!

And even more people have been bored housewives.

So many bored housewives, so little time.