Times past

What did you get up to in another life? And do you deserve a lifetime of bare-bottom spankings as a result? Over the years I've done a lot of thinking and reading about what makes a spanko a spanko, but have never previously come across the thought that it's all about re-incarnation.

Interesting thought. I was doing a bit of random searching yesterday when I came across this essay about cause and effect from a few years ago. It sets out to challenge the lazy causal thinking that says spanked kids turn into spanko adults.

The writer's overall aim seems to be to argue a case for CP for kids. As far as I'm concerned that's plain wrong, but I am interested in understanding my own wiring so I spent some time reading what he/she had to say.

One of the arguments goes like this:If spanking fetishism was caused by spankings, it should have been a lot more common in past centuries... However, the opposite seems to be the case. Even in the days of Freud (1856-1939), spanking fetishism was little heard of while many other fetishisms are well documented. Spanking fetishism seems to have increased since the last two or three generations while the practice of spanking children has decreased in the same time interval. Interesting? Not sure how true that is - or how it could be established evidentially.

The writer does suggest some interesting alternative theories of his/her own. I suspect that none of them would fit all spankophiles, but that most of us would relate to at least one of them. 

For me it's the idea that the fetish grows from a fear of a traumatic event, not the event itself; I wasn't spanked, but knew people who were and worried it could happen to me too. The essay adds: This theory could also explain why the majority of children who are spanked doesn't develop this fetish. Fear of something unknown tends to be greater than fear of something known. 

But the theory that made me giggle goes like this: People who believe in reincarnation may also believe that mental traits can have their origin in past lives. So a spanking fetish could e.g. be the result of a traumatic corporal punishment in a previous life.

So perhaps that's it, I love Wicked Knickers because I see myself there. Am I the girl on the chair? And is that why I'm usually hankering for the smack of firm discipline?

Spankos: Born, or made?

I'd definitely say born. Making up little doll dramas that involved 'crime' and punishment is one of my earliest memories. In my bedroom super-strict Barbie gave someone a spanking on most nights of the week.

And I can think of no reason why that should have been the case. Kids weren't spanked in our house, although 1970s Britain was a place were corporal punishment was talked about a lot and happened fairly often too.

It's a question that's debated at my house time and again. I don't want to screw up the outcome of the poll on the right, but it's one reason why I put it there. Please take a moment to cast your vote.

When it comes to the nature/nurture debate I'm definitely in the nature camp. I'm pretty certain that I was born with a gene that means that I find CP thrilling.The majority don't have it and can't understand.
Some early occurrence - now forgotten - my have switched that gene on, but if I hadn't been born with it I'd never have become a spanko. I think some people have it, but it's dormant - waiting to be triggered into life.

Significant Other is in the other camp. SO thinks it's all about influences - about environment. The logic of SO's way of thinking is that I've made myself a spanko by first reading spanking mags and novels and, later, by venturing into the online Spankoland.

SO tolerates, but doesn't approve. The implication is that if I made an effort to close my mind to spanko thoughts I'd be transformed magically into a Vanilla.

As I think you know that's not going to happen any time soon... What set me off on this train of thought this morning was Bonnie's post introducing another batch of new spanko blogs. She's got a great way with words, saying: "Someone has definitely been watering in the domestic discipline part of the garden because new DD blogs are popping up all over."

What's going on. SO's environmental theory would suggest that more spankos are being made because there's more spanking-material out their to 'corrupt' them - lots opf watering going on.
I'd say it's that many more people carry the spanko gene than anyone guessed pre-internet. And thanks to the internet they're happier with expressing that fact than ever before.