Authoritarian Sexual Habits

[Marr]

This may seem like a Loungy sort of subject, but I'm sincerely curious about this.

I've often heard it said that authoritarians tend to be more into S&M than the rest of the population. I remember reading some comment from a dominatrix once who commented that her business boomed when Republicans were in town, and other apocryphal stories. Is this just a stereotype or is there some psychological data to back it up?

[undeterred]

1. Yeah, I don't think having this discussion in GD makes it more serious

All Republicans should allow themselves to be completely and authoritatively dominated by me, politically and otherwise, for the rest of their lives. :evilgrin:

[StClone]

8. I don't know

Your request sounds pretty serious to me.

Do you think all this torture has anything to do with the the Authoritarian archetype (Cheney, Gannon)?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. They'll admit to it when

[Warpy]

3. I too knew a professional domme with the same story

Hey, don't look at me like that. Nurses tend to meet all kinds.

Apparently, the wealthier and more powerful the man, the kinkier his sex fantasies are likely to be, especially those involving humiliation.

I guess these guys are flattered and fawned over nonstop in the real world, so the fantasy life demands something completely different.

I'm just glad it's not always underage kids.

[Marr]

9. That's kind of what I was wondering.

I wonder if, to someone who's been conditioned to see the world in an authoritarian, "leader/follower" sort of way- if flipping these roles is the ultimate taboo in their minds.

[FUGW]

4. I think everyone gets fucked when Authoritarians are horny.

[LeftyMom]

5. Who'd want to sleep with one and find out?

Not me! :puke:

[pitohui]

6. bob livingston

remember him, he was into s/m, i still think larry flynt should have published the photos or whatever he had, we louisiana victims (i mean voters) had a right to know where our tax dollar was going

but seriously i'm not aware of any such evidence, it might just be selection bias

people who are rich GOP authoritarians tend to have more money that they can keep hidden from their wives to spend on $500 an hour dommes, whereas in a more equal relationship the wife would want to know where the cash was going, putting an end to such games

in relationships where the woman is not paid to dominate the man -- i don't think that the s/m couple is esp. likely to be authoritarian or republican, i think in such cases you tend to find "all kinds"

but i don't know where you would get proof or data either way


it seems to me that many gay or lesbian s/m'ers are pretty progressive or at least libertarian

[htuttle]

7. Wilhelm Reich wrote extensively about the use of sexual impulses...

...by Authoritarians, but I don't recall him ever mentioning S&M. Then again, he did much of his writing in the 40's and 50's, and may have felt that would offend his audiences (though the FDA burned his books anyway...).


So, I'm not sure what's been formally studied on that particular topic. :shrug:


...he said, in a pathetic attempt to prevent the thread from getting moved into the Lounge.

[Marr]

11. Thanks for the info.

That's helpful. And yeah, I know what you mean. I expect this to be moved to the Lounge, but it really is a sincere question.

[Mandate My Ass]

10. A lawyer friend of mine who patronizes dominatrices(sp?)

He's a liberal, btw. He said the last dominatrix he visited told him her best clients are republicans, military types and lawyers, in no particular order.

[Marr]

13. I wonder how a person becomes conditioned to thinking that way?

I suppose it could be from a fundamentalist uppbringing, or just very strict parenting, or something like that. I've noticed that people tend to seek out the same types of relationships in their adult lives that they learned in childhood. It's as if they've just learned to interact with people in a certain way, and they seek out that familiar dynamic, whether it leader/follower, abuser/abusee, or anything else.

I wonder if these sorts of fetishes aren't just little rebellions against these learned norms.

[pitohui]

14. no one knows but your hypothesis while logical seems unlikely to me

most will tell you that they had this fetish as early as they can remember, it is no different or less powerful than an orientation toward being gay or straight, it is something the person just knows even before they fully understand what sex really entails

i have a theory that very early in life, perhaps around age 3 when we are just learning how to form memories, then something is supposed to happen that imprints us on the opposite sex

sometimes, just as the baby duckling gets accidentally imprinted on the tennis ball, something goes wrong, and instead of being imprinted on an "appropriate" sex object, something happens and the child gets imprinted wrongly

i think for a lot of bottoms or at least those of the pain slut variety, the parent spanked the child at the wrong time or the wrong day, and that's it, the child was imprinted forever to associate pain w. sex

this isn't really my theory, i cribbed it from robert anton wilson, who says that he was imprinted by having a red-headed babysitter at that age and hence could apparently only get it up for redheads

so much of parenting, even good parenting, has to be abt a big person dominating the little person (if only for the little person's safety) that if this theory is correct -- even in a perfect world full of wonderful parents, there would still be people into s/m

my guess anyway

s/m is not some little rebellion, it is not even really a choice, well, a person can choose not to express it, i suppose, but then they are just having duty sex instead of electrifying fetish sex, the great thing abt having a fetish (any fetish) is sex is never dull, it is like flipping a switch and everything's electric

we have a popular poster into s/m, perhaps he will join the thread if he is not otherwise occupied on a fine friday nite

[ReverendDeuce]

12. Sexual repression only increases their savage hunger...

It's the same old story. They're locked up, afraid to look at girls or get boners, until they go to college. Then they are faced with some strange choices to make...

[pinto]

15. Locking.

As you noted, this is inappropriate for General Discussion.

Thanks.