Sadist

Sadist ~

1814 - Comte Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade, French soldier and pervert. The term sadist became loosely coined to mean the intentional infliction of pain upon a love object as a means of obtaining sexual release. The definition or interpretation of sadist or sadism appears to be in continual motion as the action of the intentional infliction of pain is observed and/or rendered or judged by the viewpoint of the observer. It is only within the last 15 years that sadism or the practice of sadism has been removed from the medical textbooks as a deviant, perverted, or abnormal practice. In many ways, the term sadist has become equivalent to pervert. To become perverted is to turn away from what is good or true or morally right, to do or partake of what is wrong, incorrect, unnatural, or unusual. This interpretation of 'perversion' is almost always aligned with sexual behaviors or practices. This explains why homosexual practices were labeled 'sadistic' as often as they were labeled perverted. Today, the term sadist in common speech can and is often used to identify a person who enjoys inflicting pain upon others, (not requiring the sexual aspect to be present). This confusion of terms, meanings, and definitions often causes misdirection when people are entering the lifestyle and hear the term " sadist " for the first time. Today, this term is not used as much, especially with or by those new to the lifestyle, with the newer distinction of Dominant being more in favor or less politically charged.

The practice of intentionally inflicting pain or sensation upon another human being as a means of obtaining sexual energy release predates Comte de Sade and can be traced to practices often aligned with fertility rites, acts of worship, or religious demonstrations, as a means or vehicle of the achievement of ascended mental states, and many other rituals from virtually every culture. The practice, when viewed through religious rhetoric, can take on exalted terms and be viewed as an expression of profound faith or belief. You can see demonstrations of ritualized flogging, piercing, mutilation, torture, coupled to prayer, fasting, and sexual abstinence within almost all organized religious groups. It is only when this action is taken outside of a 'sanctioned' religious or even political arena that the practice is viewed as tainted or even corrupt. The separation of sexuality from religion, or the strict controls of all sexual behavior by the dictates of religious practice, created and sustained the concept of 'sexual behavior' being a perverted practice aside from any unusual variations. This can be further followed into the concept or idea that sex is sin, and that any practices of sex are therefore sinful, immoral, wrong, and incorrect. The only limited acceptable practice of sex within many religious cultures is for reproduction purposes. A further example of this separation can be viewed in the practices of many cultures that mutilate the genitalia of young girls so that any sexual activity will be coupled with intense discomfort, pain, and even agony. This action of mutilation is done strictly to remove all pleasure from any acts of sexual intimacy by women.

The coupling of sex and stimulation with its ability to transport its practitioners into ascended mental states is considered to be potentially so powerful that the combination or practice can remove the alignments and loyalties of the practitioners from all other governing structures and bodies. This fact has made the practice of sadism extremely dangerous to religious organizations and governing bodies throughout history. The result is the labeling of stimulation practices as heinous, criminal, immoral, perverted, dangerous, ill, or sick.

Within the expanding BDSM community, a reflection of this 'labeling' can be found in the growing concept that 'sexuality' can and should be removed from the practices of sadism and masochism. Those advocating this change appear to be patterning on the same 'restrictive' ideas, dictates, and even theologies of the religious organizations whose rhetoric continues to criminalize the practices of sadism today.

There appears to be an attempt to 'purify' the practices of sexual stimulation by removing 'sexuality' and the intimate connections between sadist and masochist. This removal or objectification of the masochist as merely an object to inflict pain upon borders the practicing sadist along the edge of sociopath, or one who desires to inflict damage, injury, and even death without regard or concern for the mental or physical health and well-being of those they are with.

The energy so commonly discussed within the BDSM community is sexual, or more specifically, creative energy. This does not mean that all BDSM scenes should culminate in some sort of specific sexual release (orgasm) but it does mean that the excitement and arousal that both Top and bottom experience falls within the same areas of the human brain that house responses to reproduction and danger and that they are closely aligned within most sadist and masochist as being 'sexual' in how they interpret them throughout all aspects of their life.

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