This writing started off as a comment I left on a considerably interesting post/discussion of Cybernetic systems and their optimal organisation. I intended it to remain as such, but the thoughts expressed there lodged in my head and percolated so that more joined them, to become this. I feel that it is self-contained enough to be a post on its own. I felt like writing something tonight, but it wasn't necessarily this. I was aiming for something that definitely wasn't socio-political gloom and doom in nature (which tends to negatively impact my earning potential), but decidedly more upbeat and technological in its focus (primarily about the upward boost various cryptocurrencies have experienced this past week or so, though I know not why, my mind being on other matters). I guess this is a bit of both.
Here's an obligatory screenshot of one of my "investment portfolios" (fintech jargon/lingo for "the contents of my wallet", IMO), showing seven day charts. (To my mind, looking that small-scale is meaningless; what do the past two years show?) I'm quite pleased with what Polygon (MATIC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) are doing. I hope this is a sign of better things to come, but I'm not HODLing my breath (only my cryptocurrencies, all going well).
As someone who is into both BDSM/kink and Anarchy (more specifically Anarcho-syndicalism and mutualism), mutually beneficial and clearly-communicated agreement/consent is very important to me (and hopefully also to the people with whom I associate) in such communities/spaces. It’s a core tenet of them (or should be, anyway); IC/RACK/SS&C get(s) discussed a great deal (what it entails, how to go about it, when it’s flouted/ignored, etc.). Whom among us doesn't appreciate a great rack, after all?
That such “deviant/perverted” practices are deemed illegal in many jurisdictions is a frustration to us. ("You cannot consent to assault" is part of the law in the UK, originating with Operation Spanner, which was to do with bi/homosexual men involved in heavy impact play. Well, actually, you can consent to such and some do, but the law disagrees. However, there definitely are victims of assault, whom very clearly did not consent and there have to be laws in place to protect them.) In the eyes of the law, "assault" is seen as any harm done that is "more than transient/temporary" (any inflicted lacerations/marks that take more than a few days to heal.) Some body modification (excluding cosmetic piercings and tattoos, for some reason that isn't logically apparent/consistent) is classified as "assault". That includes branding and scarring.
We understand why that is; many vanilla folks aren’t taught these concepts and have a hard time even grasping them, let alone putting them into practice. As with all things that involve inflicting pain on others, they are open to abuse (and it often happens, but the communities are usually very quick to close ranks and eject perpetrators when they are found, which they often are). What we are doing is, by its very nature, dangerous, risky and unsafe; we cannot risk harm to our communities by those who are not informed about it and the risks involved, do not adequately analyse and mitigate them.
While what happens in practice/reality is often different from theory, the interesting thing is that such communities, working as intended (or close to) are quite strictly regulated for the sake of our safety, while paradoxically being quite free/liberating and open, because the communities largely police themselves. Overall, they can be seen as decentralised clusters of centralised organisation (where there are at least two, if not more, council leaders in authority, on mostly equal footing).
BDSM/Kink, by it's very nature, is political. So too are cryptography and cipherpunks. (Anyone who thinks they aren't or doesn't want to admit as much is deluding themselves.) They are borne of campaigning for the rights of marginalised/minority communities, particularly BIPoC and/or the HBTQ+ ones. Legislation that discriminates against or oppresses them has an impact on us (even if indirectly), since bigotry often doesn't show up alone or with a specific focus; it definitely has a knock-on effect. Even though I'm not directly/personally affected by the behaviour of the manosphere and volcels towards non-men or the anti-trans* bills, I know full well that that's just the start of a much bigger problem that, if left unchecked/uncontested, will cause problems for the rest of us at a later point. It's why I'm a supporter of human rights (civil rights, gay rights, intersectional Feminism, trans* rights, etc.): These people are people too, and part of my larger circle, just as I am part of theirs, even if on the periphery thereof. If we do not speak up for them and protest the encroachment on/erasure of their rights (which is the right and humanitarian thing to do), then we must not be surprised when the bigots and intolerant target us "degenerates and deviants", because they will and will not stop until we're all gone. If we want to keep our communities safe and participate in kinky activities however we like, then we owe them that much. Screw The Law; The Law does not protect us!
Neko-chan Ahegao manga artwork by MysteryLoliD
Oh, by the way, anal sex, cunnilingus and blowjobs are most definitely not considered kinky or taboo by contemporary society. (Please stop harbouring that misapprehension, thank you.) Some of the more tamer things I enjoy probably aren't, either, but there is some debate around that.
On a somewhat unrelated note: It baffles me somewhat that many of those whom are very active in anarchic/social justice/woke communities/circles (including those emphasising the importance/necessity of using cryptographically secure technologies for the protection of one's civil liberties from totalitarian groups) are very anti blockchain and cryptocurrencies. (Not all of them, though; Cumrocket/CUMMIES and Spank Chain exist for paying sex workers for pornographic NFTs.) From an ideological perspective, right-wingers in crypto are also a source of some confusion. (I know they're only in it because they think it's a way to monetise and/or claim ownership of everything [crypto-socialism?] and get rich quick, but they've missed the boat by a long shot. The vision of cipherpunks, as manifested in "magical Internet money" [created by Satoshi, Buterin, et al] is so much more than that, which is abundantly clear to me from reading the Bitcoin whitepaper.) To my mind, there's a strong correlation between the two. Maybe my brain simply creates/finds associations/connections that others don't. It is not surprising to me that I find myself at the intersection of these circles (anarchy, cryptography, human rights/social justice and kink).
Remember this: All people, regardless of their ethnicity, gender identity and/or sexual proclivities, are people and deserve to live how they choose (provided they aren't harming others whom don't consent to such treatment.) Black lives matter. Trans* lives matter. I hope that's given you some food for thought. Here's wishing you a great weekend, folks!
Thumbnail image: Poster's own
