I don’t know, it’s the thought that people are seeing them and realizing how dominant he is and how submissive she is. Not sure that’s the same thing as trying to attract attention.
I’m sort of sympathetic to that, but it’s a fine line. A lot of people do things with the intention of “publically” doing them. The only difference is that those things are more “normal”.
Every where we look there is violence. Everywhere in video games, movies, tv shows, books, magazines. 10 YOs are probably playing Call of Duty and lying to their parents about it. Even kids’ movies are full of violence. Try and tell me Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles doesn’t have violence in it. Cartoons have violence. But when it comes to sex, a much more natural thing, we all get the collective vapors.
I have a really big problem with this Victorian idea that sex is nasty and grotty and must be hidden from the children but violence is just fine. I’m not saying you want to hold up Master and Doggy as an ideal for your kids. But displaying that different people show their love in different ways is better than Tom and Jerry beating each other up all the time.
I don’t really get the whole “kids” issue altogether. If the kids are old enough (e.g. teens) then just tell them straight. If they’re little kids, then just bluff it. Something like this:
“What are those people doing?”
“They’re pretending to be a dog and its owner”
“I also want to do that”
“Sorry, that’s not appropriate for a mall”
“But those people are doing it in a mall”
“Some people are weird”
Done.
That’s how Calvin’s Dad would probably deal with it, and it’s good enough for me.
You are parsing this argument so thin it only has one side.
Of course they want goddamn attention. Else they’d leave their freak show at home and act normal in public.
I would cut to the last line as a first line.
What are those people doing, daddy?
“They’re weirdos, honey.”
Regards,
Shodan
My kids and I perform that act every once in a while—it’s really adorable. Sometimes our dog joins in too and some of the neighborhood kids.
But, please learn to spell better. It’s spelled *Aristo**CATS. ***
I think you your family is performing a different act.
No, I don’t think so. When Nana’s big furry puss makes its grand entrance, the house comes down. It’s truly a delightful family-friendly production!
Somehow, in this context folks saying “my family performs an act” has a strangely “Ewww” overtone.
Really? An “ewww” overtone?? No, not at all!
I do believe, if you were to caress my Nana’s puss, Muffy, you wouldn’t be saying “ewww”, you’d be saying, “aww, what a sweet thing you are! I’ve got a tasty Snausage® I was going to give to the bitch next door, but, I’ll give it to you instead, if you’d like.”
Precisely. Plus as you well know, Malthus, BDSM may in a literal sense refer to anything involving bondage and discipline, but in practice it’s a term for engaging in bondage & discipline as part of a sexual act. That may happen later for this couple, but that isn’t what’s happening in the mall.
And Malthus you are certain that they are doing this to gain negative attention but I think you may well be projecting. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to learn that they would very much like to get positive attention, or just any attention and don’t want negative attention. They might want negative attention but I don’t think that’s as clear as you believe. Mostly, that’s just what you think because that’s what attention you would give them.
And Tibby or Not Tibby, you really need to google “The Aristocrats!” because you clearly don’t know where the expression comes from and how unintentionally funny it is that you are saying your family performs the act in question.
That’s a stretch.
Excuse me, nothing is better than Tom and Jerry beating each other up all the time. Although Duck, Rabbit, Duck! also scales the same lofty heights.
I already explained why it’s not necessarily because they want people to see it : it might be because they’d like to act this way freely.
Think of something non weird and now acceptable that used not to be, for instance. Like youngsters making out in public in the 30s or gays holding hands in the 70s. Their main motivation wasn’t necessarily to be noticed or to cause a ruckus, but simply to do what they desired to do, damned be what people think. Regardless how weird/repulsive the practice, it might be exactly the same motivation here.
If I had to bet money on it, I would indeed rather bet that they’re seeking the attention (because they like to be provocative, because it arouses them sexually, whatever), but you can’t know that for sure. I already mentioned that I myself refrain from (weird) practices that in an ideal (for me) world, I would carry out in public, not because of the attention, but because I would enjoy being able to do this whenever and wherever (alhough I also understand the appeal of public shame wrt BDSM, but these are different things).
As for why people are “avoiding the obvious”, that might because seemingly several of us responding here are into BDSM ourselves, and the “obvious” seems much less “obvious” to us as a result.
I appreciate the concern, Princhester, but here in the land of Disney, everybody is familiar with that show. I’m surprised the Aussie kids aren’t also familiar with it and put on their own productions. When you visit, we’ll put on a show just for you.
My family does a lot of improvising—it’s really a hoot! You ought to see where Uncle Waldo sticks his beak. And, I won’t spoil the surprise of having you see what Scat Cat does!
Google, eh?, oh, what the heck…
Oh, mercy, I do declare…I have the vapors! That’s almost as bad as seeing a man walk a woman on a leash.
Do tell, do tell!
I’m in the “it’s rude of them to include random strangers in their sex lives, but i don’t see any need to outlaw that sort of thing” camp.
So don’t. I have kids. I reared them in NYC. Every so often, they saw something weird. If I were paying attention that day, and my child asked, I might say “some adults like to play make believe”.
But odds are, I would just shrug and say “some people are weird”. And yes, my kids accepted that sort of answer.
yeah, people really are weird, and maybe isn’t sexual to them, and maybe they weren’t seeking attention. But I’d be surprised if either of those were true.
You’ve been reading too much 50-shades-of-grey, and not doing enough thinking.
I’ve been an adolescent male, and even then relationships weren’t only about sex.
There’s an entire movie with variations on the joke!
I have no idea what you’re talking about. And I’ve never read 50 Shades of Gray, thanks.