This post is on the BDSM Activism web board.
| 28 Sep 10, 1:29 AM Attitude_Adjuster UK(N), 6 yrs   |
Thus the wooden spoon market exists And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword! | |||
| 28 Sep 10, 7:58 PM doulos UK(SW), 7 yrs |
IMHO the Market in bdsm and fetish toys seems to be pretty innovative and successful, with prices dropping, and a few global suppliers. Classic example of unregulated markets being the most dynamic I reckon. It's not as if there are many eu directives on them, or a bdsm toy marketing board working out of Whitehall. Of course, if you view it in snapshot as this study seems to, it will still look prohibitively expensive. But that's because it is still quite niche. If the prices were meant to generate social divisions, you would expect to see prices rising and greater use of premium branding.
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." H. L. Mencken Edited 28 Sep 10, 9:34 PM by doulos | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 1:36 PM Attitude_Adjuster UK(N), 6 yrs |
I think there is distinctly two tiers in play. Dom_Drapers assertion how markets work seems a bit flawed. If item X is too expensive (by virtue of cost to make rather than profiteering), but X is still *required* by some people, then the price goes up (price is inelastic, its a niche market). If the same X can be made cheaper, then the expensive producer goes out of business sell more to compensate for th. Someone simply trying to drop the price at the same mfg cost, must sell more to compensate for the reduced margin. With BDSM toys, I see two distinct markets. Items that people take pride in "My buffalo hide, hand made whip", couture clothing, etc and the mass produced generic stuff. The generic stuff is imported and is actually quite cheap - especially if you check the distributor channels (a lot of retailers price things on the assumption that the consumer thinks it should be expensive even when it isn't, and that trade volume will be low). The existence of the commodity market forces those things that are bespoke, specialist, or too large to ship further into the inelastic region. riding crop - 5 pounds, riding crop from an SM shop - 25 pounds puppy cage for puppies - 30 pounds, puppy cage for people - 600 pounds. latex hood (distribution price) - 5 pounds, same one retail price - 80 pounds, couture version - 500 pounds.
And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword! Edited 29 Sep 10, 1:40 PM by Attitude_Adjuster | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 2:27 PM Conan_The_Librarian UK(S), 3 yrs |
If anybody fancies a cushy career as a 'BDSM academic' at one of our very many fourth-rate educational establishments then I suggest pursuing the following course of action. Get yourself an essay from the postmodernism generator, sprinkle the following words and phrases throughout the essay, performativities, transgressive potential, neoliberal rationalities, cultural trauma play, heteronormativity, and Bobs your uncle, pretentious types the world over will hang on your every meaningless word. Augusti Ro Laren Futatrix. | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 2:47 PM Hedwig UK(E), 4 yrs |
Those are the very words and the theories of thinkers that has enabled BDSMers and sexually transgressive groups to gain the recognition and phrase their (and my own) identities, as well as relating it to the world around us. Should we really just hang on to the dogma of the enlightenment and stop there? Did the history stop after the WWII?
http://moreinches.wordpress.com | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 2:53 PM Conan_The_Librarian UK(S), 3 yrs |
History didn't stop after World War II but for some involved in social 'sciences' thinking obviously did. Augusti Ro Laren Futatrix. | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 3:03 PM Attitude_Adjuster UK(N), 6 yrs |
Then do better - thats how academia works. And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword! | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 3:41 PM Hedwig UK(E), 4 yrs |
Oh, how interesting, please develop this claim. http://moreinches.wordpress.com | |||
| 29 Sep 10, 3:47 PM page_boy UK(CR), 6 yrs |
Of course the scene is elitist, its a scene. which is a microcosm of society, all societies are elitist. The scene this writer is investigating is based in a white middle-class area, as someone else pointed out it is little surprise that it is to be found to be largely white and middle class. It is a recreation, it does cost money to go to clubs, the clubs are more expensive to run as they need more equipment and can't / don't have as many people in. Does anyone really think that going to fetish clubs and being part of the fetish scene is some hugely different thing. It is just one hobby (or lifestyle) that one could choose. Where the capital is mentioned, I would like to suggest that is not really capitalistic but more a expression of a position in society, you could be a wealthy public doctor with no interest in the capitalist system and be able to afford the best kinky gear, with the result of pushing you further up the scene hierarchy, if that was that persons aim. However, I would really argue that the 'scene' is more an alternative theatre where certain people find their attributes fit well, resulting in a rise up its social structure, and of course somewhere are happy with their place in the social, some even get a kick out of being lower in the scene's social structure than they feel they are in the structure of the wider society.
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| 29 Sep 10, 4:06 PM SubWhisperer UK, 5 yrs |
Unfortunately, most phycologists spend years being trained to listen carefully to an individual, and then choose which page of an peer written (thus accepted) text book (written with the majority in mind) applies to the situation, neatly avoiding having to come up with an original thought that they would then be responsible for, possibly harming their career. It's like a sausage machine - individual things go in - one endless "sameness" comes out. The irony is that if they did all come up with a personal view instead of "conforming to accepted perception", then the whole profession fragments to the point where having a qualification endorsed by said profession (as a whole) becomes pointless. It would be like "teach me all you know, give me the reciept, then I can go and do my own thing because I don't agree with your teachings" - works for art school, but not in this field. (For those who prefer things in a nut shell - "Same shit - different day" - just about covers it). Ever wondered who the devil comes to for ideas ? Edited 29 Sep 10, 4:07 PM by SubWhisperer |
