Intelligence, Education and BDSM

[Fox]

I was once told that the higher the level one achieves in education, and /or the higher the level of intelligence, the more likelihood for that individual to participate in kinky sexual behaviour.

I have never had a subbie who has not had at least some post-secondary education. I have met Masters and Mistresses who are PhDs, MDs, LLBs, RNs, etc. I can place several univerity initials after my name.

Here's an easy poll for you ... what is your highest level of education? Do not limit your answer to formal schooling - one of the most intelligent people I know has no formal schooling, works as a taxi driver - he is self taught.

So, let me ask: do brains and bondage go together?

[-angelstar-]

i picked the 'Some University or college but no degree/diploma' option. interpreted it as 'currently in the midst of obtaining a degree'. not entirely sure if that's what it means, but it appears to be so, and since its 1.30am, i really dont have the mood to ponder upon it :D

[slavelucy]

Originally posted by Fox
I was once told that the higher the level one achieves in education, and /or the higher the level of intelligence, the more likelihood for that individual to participate in kinky sexual behaviour.


hmm, interesting one Fox.....there are alsorts of issues/comments i could make regarding intellect/education and so called 'kinky' behaviour...most of which i wouldn't make for fear of them coming out wrong and being flamed! i do think though that there seems to be some slight corrolation between the two.

All i will say though is that in my (albeit limited) experience, although a hankering for all things BDSM is not necessarily exclusive to the educated/intelligent (don't always go together or course), the more educated/intelligent a person is, the greater the level of sophistication (in the broadest sense) and thought they apply to the relationship.....which ultimatley leads to a more successful/satisfying D/s relationship. i am not saying that you have to be 'clever' to be into it, but i do believe that some of the intricacies implicit in BDSM relationships require some degree of intellect applied to them.

Anyway, interesting thread.

sl

P.S. Back to the original question - my highest level of education is Uni degree.

[Lord Thomas]

Fox, what an intriguing poll. Of course I believe that intelligence leads to kink. But I think that education has nothing to do with intellect. The ability to sit in a classroom with little more than the mental prowess required to keep a heart beating does not make one intelligent. My appologies to those of you who have had the great fortune to achieve degrees. But I would hold that your degrees are a result of intellect and not proof of such. I'm a cynic, sue Me.

I have some university experience, up until life came along and I could no longer afford my educational endulgence. But this twisted brain has always had a thing for bondage, and other civilized practices.

[boccaccio2000g]

I was once told that the higher the level one achieves in education, and /or the higher the level of intelligence, the more likelihood for that individual to participate in kinky sexual behaviour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't say as to that. There are many kinds of pornography, though, (cartoons, photos, films, fiction etc) and it seems likely that those of us who believe that pictures usually don't turn out to be worth a thousand well-chosen words probably are, on average, somewhat more literate than the populace at large.

But there is a huge range of writing styles, appealing to all tastes and all levels of education, on this site alone.

With regard to personal behavior, I doubt that one's level of intellectual attainment, if any, has much to do with the formation of sadistic or masochistic impulses. It might be that familiarity with the literature and history of such people, might make a better-read person more likely to be vocal about his tastes, thus giving the appearance that BDSM practitioners were better-educated than average.

But I suspect that there is as much kinky activity among "the masses" (particularly non-consensual kinky activity) as among those who take the time to read and write about such things.

Boccaccio

[woodsman'sgame]

For many people, "kinky" activity involves an interest in sex and the other person, an interest that goes beyond the immediate satisfaction of one's physical needs.

In the rural area where I live, I don't think it is happening much and if it is, it is not what the submissives here would fantasize about. (Maybe it's exactly what some of the doms would like since it is very self-centered. I don't know.) Woodsman comes into contact with people whose education is limited and/or whose intellectual pursuits are not high. He tells me what these men talk about as far as sex is concerned (and they talk about everything) and it's pretty sad. Even in the vanilla realm I feel sorry for their wives.

He has a friend whose wife recently left him. Everyone called her a "slut" because she was unfaithful. She went looking for another lover. Woodsman had a long talk with his friend (who was considered a "stud" by his peers) and taught this "stud" that 1) most women can't have an orgasm unless they have direct clitoral stimulation, 2) a woman can have more than one orgasm, 3) foreplay should last a while (five minutes isn't enough time), and some other facts that you might be surprised that he didn't know. This person is in his late 30's and played the field a long time before he got married. His education? limited (high school) His intelligence? I don't know him well enough to judge, but from what I know it is about average.

I think that education and/or intelligence does have something to do with interest in the lifestyle, but a genuine interest in the other person and in making the experience more enjoyable for both can also be an important factor.
I think if that concern is there, then the exploration is more likely to happen.

I may need to start another thread, but this ties in with intelligence and education. The one thing I have learned about BDSM activities that seems to be a given when dealing with "safe and consensual BDSM" is that they involve verbal or written agreements between the parties. The people involved actually discuss the activities they enjoy, want, or will allow. They communicate. This doesn't happen in many relationships outside of BDSM, so many that it is scary to think about them. The willingness to communicate then becomes the most important factor. How much is this willingness to communicate, this understanding that communication is important tied to intelligence and/or education? I would guess a great deal.

Oh, a quick note, there are many kinds of intelligences according to some theorists. If you adhere to those theories, when it comes to communication, social intelligence can make up for lack of the traditional mathematical and verbal intelligences. Social intelligence is what causes one to have a "genuine interest in the other person." A person who is socially intelligent knows how to communicate and understands its importance, even though he may not be a wiz in math or school subjects.

One more thing: Sadism or masochism by themselves are something else entirely. I don't think intelligence is a factor at all in these areas. I have seen some really stupid sadists and masochists. We all have.

Ok, I have said enough. I hope I've not muddied up the waters too much.

[Curtis]

Nope. You're good.

[Fox]

to take a perfectly nice little thread and, after dissection and vivisection, say "Oh, did I not work and play well with others?"

:D

Just teasing you, woodsman'sgame. Your ideas are expressed quite intelligently and eloquently ... and your points are valid.

I agree the concept I have presented is simplistic; it is not my own, rather it is a random thought/memory that trickled up from the dark nether regions of memory and said "Hey!"

Nevertheless, I do suggest that a sampling of practitioners of BDSM will yield a signficant skewing toward higher levels of education than the population norm. I leave that work to an Anthropology or Psychology PhD thesis for someone else.

Conducting the research would be interesting, though ...

[woodsman'sgame]

Since I have already done it (dissected your thread) and you didn't get really upset, I will cut just a little more.
(I don't want to rush through this session and make you think that I don't care.)
This poll is being taken in a site that caters to the reading populace, the results might be somewhat different in a site that caters to those who just want to look at the pictures.

By the way,
I too have heard that intelligence and kinky behaviour are tied, Fox.
I just can't resist the opportunity to run my mouth.

(Yes, I know, I cut you and then apologize and belittle myself as I try to dab ointment on your wound.)

[Faibhar]

Thank you as it does come as something of a revelation to learn that intelligence breeds kinky behavior. Brainiacs must be really kinky! This new awareness also sheds a differnet cast on the semi and not so literate postings seen here.

As for moi spelling correctly is merely is the tip of the proverbial iceberg of challenge. Things like the use of emoticons reach far beyond the pale in this great state of recall elections, boogie boards and moonbeams.

[Curtis]

This week's Time magazine has a great article on intelligence, achievement, testing and the new SAT exam.

What it said about the differences in grading essays (particularly grading done by non-professionals) has made me re-evaluate my reviewing philosophy in the Library. Short form: When fifteen amateurs graded the same papers on a one-to-six scale, bad papers would be graded anywhere from one to four and good papers from three to six. Obviously, the scores weren't enormously useful!

In the Library, that would equate to a good story getting any rating from a five to a ten, depending on reviewer preference. Makes me glad I'm not a writer!

[Fox]

Again, just a couple of observations:

Faibhar:

the idea posed here is NOT that intelligence breeds kinkiness, but that there seems to be a correlation between intelligence, level of education and willingness to participate in kinky behaviour. The sources of kinky behaviour - which as has been pointed out by others is not exclusively BDSM, but could involve quite a few different practices - is a whole different subject.
I have not undertaken any research of my own in this other than the poll, which is not scientifically relevant in any way shape or form.

Curtis:

Bear in mind that a review is a highly subjective response to someone else's work. There are no standard criteria in use on this site or anywhere. For example: one reviewer in this morning's newspaper gave "Scary Movie" 3 stars out of 5, the reviewer in the other morning paper gave it 1 star out of five. The important thing about a review, from the writer's side and the reviewer's side, is to offer constructive criticism. Gushing with praise (as has been done on several threads here) or flaming someone (again which has been done here) are unreliable as reviews. The truth is probably somewhere in between. As Time Magazine's study has pointed out.
The choices therefore for the writer are: (1) do I try to be all things to all the people? (2) do I try to please some of the people and accept that others willnot like my work? (3) do I write purely for my own ego and to hell with what people think?
I would suggest the truth lies somewhere in between ...

Thank you for your comments!

[Faibhar]

Dear Mr. Fox,

Thank you for clearing up any confusion caused by mere semantics, e.g. "intelligence BREEDS Kinky behavior". Seems that I committed a rush to judgment (over those who naturally basked in the self-satisfaction that their kink made them smarter than the average Joe, or Jane). Apologies for this mis-thinking.

To Fox's credit his most recent post does admit that their is no scientific basis for his fine poll, and that it is just something for this easily biased audience. Curtis says much the same thing in his post, only relates certain prejudices to reviewers.

Experience has personally shown that reviewers not only take the time to post their views, but are varied in their tastes and dislikes. This latter observation would seem to fly in the face of all being of the same ilk.

A conundrum indeed!