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Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's bac... - 1/24/2007 10:01:36 AM   
littlesarbonn


Posts: 1710
Joined: 12/3/2005
From: Stockton, California
Status: offline 		Recently, I've been giving this some thought. Having done the MA and Ph.D. route in political science, I understand the way the process works, and the more and more that I research in this field, the more frustrated I become at the "it's all about me" attitudes of political entities. Some years back, I thought of running for a lower end office myself, just because I've always realized that I have a lot of different ideas and attitudes that I think could benefit parts of our democratic republic. I'm not talking about being president, but producing influence in the smaller areas that feed into the larger picture. But even then, I realized that all it would take is one google search, and my past would be revealed completely.

Well, as things have continued on in the same manner, I've been giving this a lot of thought again. And rather than focus on just me, I thought I would beg the question: Can a bdsm lifestyle in one's past (or even present) completely negate the chances of one representing others in our republic? We all know about the closeted fetishist, which we usually find out about, and it becomes a scandal. But what would happen if someone who is pretty much already out there and goes forth with none of those skeletons in the closet? Can anyone fathom how this would actually be possible, or is society so hung up on insecurities that such a potential could never happen?


_____________________________

<---- FYI, this picture looks JUST like me


http://www.littlesarbonn.com/Stickman/Stickman.htm
The Adventures of Stickman and the Unemployed Lego Spaceman
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:04:14 AM   
domiguy


Posts: 12952
Joined: 5/2/2006
Status: offline 		Wow.

out.

D.G.

p.s. Jesus please protect me from your followers.

(in reply to littlesarbonn)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:09:02 AM   
Amaros


Posts: 1363
Joined: 7/25/2005
Status: offline 		Well, it could well generate publicity, and there is no such thing as bad publicity - I think it all depends on how you approach it. You'll lose some people for sure, but you might actually generate sympathy in others - a lot depends on the particualar voter demographics where you run, and just how good you are at public relations.

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:12:48 AM   
domiguy


Posts: 12952
Joined: 5/2/2006
Status: offline 		Wow.

out.

D.G.

p.s. Jesus please protect me from your followers.

(in reply to Amaros)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:13:00 AM   
Amaros


Posts: 1363
Joined: 7/25/2005
Status: offline 		My advise is, don't be ashamed of it, but don't wear it on your sleeve either - the stiffest opposition will come from the family values sector, but if you mention that in attacking you they're publicizing it themselves to a greater extent than you are comfortable with yourself, it might shut them down a little.

Good PR is a balancing act - you're trying to reduce it to an incidental personal quirk, not a central issue - and that's the challenge, since the opposition will try to make it and keep it a central issue.


< Message edited by Amaros -- 1/24/2007 10:14:51 AM >

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:17:45 AM   
Amaros


Posts: 1363
Joined: 7/25/2005
Status: offline 		The real question is how much public airing of your laundry you can take - I think if you stand fast, you'll end up getting some respect, however grudging.

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:22:10 AM   
amuzingtoyou


Posts: 144
Joined: 6/27/2006
Status: offline 		You would be amazed at the amount of heavyweights in Washington that are involved in the BDSM scene. Go for it littlesabonn, we  could use some fresh minds out there.

(in reply to littlesarbonn)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:22:51 AM   
mbes


Posts: 465
Joined: 12/14/2006
Status: offline 		In the south, you'd be pretty much out of luck, I think. You'd be associated by the opposition with every depravity known to mankind (and some not known!).
Other parts of the country may be more tolerant.

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:27:55 AM   
LuckyAlbatross


Posts: 19224
Joined: 10/25/2005
Status: offline 		A man both adored and hated in the DC scene:

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2002/12/03/un_sm/index.html
A taste of the whip for Saddam

_____________________________

Find stable partners, not a stable of partners.

"Sometimes my whore logic gets all fuzzy"- Californication

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:31:33 AM   
LadyHugs


Posts: 2299
Joined: 1/1/2004
Status: offline 		Dear littlesarbonn, Ladies and Gentlemen;
 
I highly recommend seeking those who have been exposed via media regardless if running for office or not.
 
Some well known people that give presentations at the Master-slave conference in Washington, DC have given some insight into being 'outted.'  Although the topic was on relationship dynamics the fear of being 'outted' is always around.
 
I would also say, what people fear is what they do not understand.  Some will be hysterical about it as they see criminal acts and S&M.  So, there may be a need to find a safe analogy of what you do.
 
If you expose it first and on your terms, in my opinion, you will fair well.  I wouldn't make it a neon light announcement but, if someone makes a threat to expose it--expose it first.  That way you have the first and final say in things associated with BDSM.  The ability to blackmail you disappears, as you hide in the light.
 
Respectfully submitted for consideration,
Lady Hugs
 
 
 
 

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:32:38 AM   
domiguy


Posts: 12952
Joined: 5/2/2006
Status: offline 		Yep it would work great. They would be ridiculed..receive few votes and waste millions of dollars. End of story....Complete waste of time...anyone suggesting anything to the contrary is living on Gor....lol.

out.

D.G.

p.s. Jesus please protect me from yor followers.

< Message edited by domiguy -- 1/24/2007 10:34:05 AM >

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:35:20 AM   
texancutie


Posts: 322
Joined: 7/23/2005
Status: offline 		If you can handle doing such a thing to serve this country, do it.  It may help others in the long run.  But I honestly think most people in our society would frown on what we do.  If this came out be prepared. and make sure your family is prepared as well.  When Jack Ryan from Illinois was taking his wife to clubs....little did he realize there would be backlash 5 or 6 years later when he decided to run for the Senate.  During their divorce proceedings, Jeri Ryan accused him of asking her to perform sexual acts with him in public at various adult clubs around the country and overseas.  She described one club as, " a bizarre club, with cages, whips, and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling".  So I assume Seven Of Nine was not really into this.  Anyway, it came back to haunt him so he had to withdraw from the campaign.  I know he was not upfront about this when he started his campaign, and it was the press that got ahold of the contents of the divorce proceedings.  But I remember most people's reaction to this, and it was not one of understanding.  Obama won that seat in the Senate.

(in reply to littlesarbonn)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 10:59:24 AM   
onestandingstill


Posts: 1335
Joined: 8/3/2006
Status: offline 		YES it happens all the time.
Is it right Hell No.

(in reply to littlesarbonn)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:01:58 AM   
graemesub


Posts: 20
Joined: 12/31/2006
Status: offline 		tell us what you know: have recent announcements prompted your post? what's the rumours?

(in reply to littlesarbonn)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:05:24 AM   
SimplyMichael


Posts: 7229
Joined: 1/7/2007
Status: offline 		As they say "I would get out ahead of it"

Start doing some educational work about sex in general and to a lesser extent BDSM.  I would tie it into how America does such a bad job of sex ed and how WIIWD isn't about casual sex but about making more meaningful, not less.

The reason for doing sex ed work is to show you are not just a "pervert" but someone who is interest in making sexuality more healthy and a more positive thing in peoples lives.

I would consider trying to educate some of the likely contacts for the media like battered women's groups (which is what people think of), perhaps local educational or medical associations, etc.

The whole point is to lay the groundwork that you are not a nut.

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:13:14 AM   
mcbride


Posts: 333
Joined: 1/14/2005
Status: offline 		If you have any doubts, ask yourself this:
Of the tens of thousands of elected officials in the US or Canada, how many can you name who've been elected after it was revealed that they were involved in BDSM?

If, say, five people know about it, and you run for office, how long will it be before one of them tells someone...who tells someone, who tells someone? Remember, too, the clock is ticking.  Even if you get elected, you roll those dice again with every passing month.

Remember, too, that your opponents are actively doing their homework, and they'd prefer something more salacious to, say, evidence that you raided the pension fund.

People will indeed be hysterical about it and media will have a field day.
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but i'd hate to see someone drive their life off that cliff. 



(in reply to texancutie)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:24:30 AM   
littlesarbonn


Posts: 1710
Joined: 12/3/2005
From: Stockton, California
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: mcbride

If you have any doubts, ask yourself this:
Of the tens of thousands of elected officials in the US or Canada, how many can you name who've been elected after it was revealed that they were involved in BDSM?

If, say, five people know about it, and you run for office, how long will it be before one of them tells someone...who tells someone, who tells someone? Remember, too, the clock is ticking.  Even if you get elected, you roll those dice again with every passing month.

Remember, too, that your opponents are actively doing their homework, and they'd prefer something more salacious to, say, evidence that you raided the pension fund.

People will indeed be hysterical about it and media will have a field day.
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but i'd hate to see someone drive their life off that cliff. 





Again, this begs the question of does being upfront about it in the beginning make a difference? The scenarios you are repeating are all those of people who attempt to hide their past.

There are nuances that I think might actually be important, such as that I'm a submissive, which immediately should eliminate the "he advocates hitting women" hysterics, and can actually serve as a positive agenda of being for the empowerment of women as well as men, especially when it comes to the concepts of being true to oneself and having the freedom to do what one desires, within the confines of not hurting those outside one's consensual circles.

Some of the responses I find very interesting because they feed directly into the hysterics of stereotypes, and I wonder if that has more to do with the past of people hiding their lifestyles than in actual fear of the lifestyles of others. For many years, gays could not be elected because of their "evil" lifestyle. But we have a lot of outed (by themselves) gays serving in public office. The only ones I've ever seen suffering are the ones who hid their lifestyle, especially the ones that went overboard in condemning those of their own lifestyles before they were outed.

The way I envision this whole thing is to be somewhat out, so that anyone interested can discover whatever he or she wants to discover, but at the same time not focus on sexuality as a button issue. Instead, being a trained political scientist, I am more interested in focusing on the recovery of individual rights and less government intrusion on the daily lives of citizens. That may not resonate with everyone, but I believe there is a large segment of diverse populations that feel they are no longer being represented by people who truly represent them, instead of the representative's personal desires, that, if lucky, may coincide with those of his or her constituent's, but generally do not.

_____________________________

<---- FYI, this picture looks JUST like me


http://www.littlesarbonn.com/Stickman/Stickman.htm
The Adventures of Stickman and the Unemployed Lego Spaceman

(in reply to mcbride)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:28:10 AM   
mcbride


Posts: 333
Joined: 1/14/2005
Status: offline 		Forgive me, sarbonn, but being upfront is part of my original question.  How many elected officials can you name?  Keep it to those who were upfront, if you like. *s*

(in reply to littlesarbonn)
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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:32:20 AM   
LeatherBentOne


Posts: 469
Joined: 9/27/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: littlesarbonn

Recently, I've been giving this some thought. Having done the MA and Ph.D. route in political science, I understand the way the process works, and the more and more that I research in this field, the more frustrated I become at the "it's all about me" attitudes of political entities. Some years back, I thought of running for a lower end office myself, just because I've always realized that I have a lot of different ideas and attitudes that I think could benefit parts of our democratic republic. I'm not talking about being president, but producing influence in the smaller areas that feed into the larger picture. But even then, I realized that all it would take is one google search, and my past would be revealed completely.

Well, as things have continued on in the same manner, I've been giving this a lot of thought again. And rather than focus on just me, I thought I would beg the question: Can a bdsm lifestyle in one's past (or even present) completely negate the chances of one representing others in our republic? We all know about the closeted fetishist, which we usually find out about, and it becomes a scandal. But what would happen if someone who is pretty much already out there and goes forth with none of those skeletons in the closet? Can anyone fathom how this would actually be possible, or is society so hung up on insecurities that such a potential could never happen?



By the way, great link LA. Thanks.

I'm not running for office nor do I intend to but I work very closely with Congress, including some committees department secretaries.

They can google my name and my non-profit charitable organization all they want but they could never stop me from helping disabled people with live-threatening illness through funding, finding them treatment and expanding Medicare benefits by ending the Medicare waiting period which currently is 2 yrs for people under age 62.  People die every day because of this.  I was almost one of them.

Good luck to you and pursue your goals.  I say run for office if you have the qualifications.

LBO

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RE: Running for office with the stigma of bdsm in one's... - 1/24/2007 11:36:39 AM   
domiguy


Posts: 12952
Joined: 5/2/2006
Status: offline
quote:

lilsarbonn
but I believe there is a large segment of diverse populations that feel they are no longer being represented by people who truly represent them, instead of the representative's personal desires, that, if lucky, may coincide with those of his or her constituent's, but generally do not.
quote:



Not enough people in this "lifestyle" to begin to constitue a majority....the politician would have to field questions about scat,ponyplay,watersports...on and on and on!!!  It would be fun for a day till they were removed from the "party" or ran as an independent on the "enema and flogging platform."

Although if they were single they might get some serious "pussy" out of the venture....Battered women groups, women suffering from sexual addictions would all be places I would go to "get out" the vote and bolster my pole..err polls.

Again this is only possible on Gor.  Complete waste of a discussion...but alas, Domiguy is bored.

out.

D.G.

p.s. Jesus please protect me from your followers.

< Message edited by domiguy -- 1/24/2007 11:39:14 AM >

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