A Question on a Checklist... II   (05/01/03)
	Rob wrote: I sorta see SSC and RACK as two sides of the same coin...at least for myself. It's the underlying concept that's important, the words only help to shape your meaning a little better. Realistically, as has been said in far too many safe-sex education classes, the only safe sex/BDSM is none at all. (And even then, I'm sure someone could figure out exceptions to that.) For me, SSC is acceptable at an early level in experience and play. It protects the newer people from getting in over their heads. As people progress, however, and particularly if they start moving into edge play, SSC becomes much less meaningful and RACK starts to become more appropriate. I'm torn on whether it's good to use SSC with beginners at all because of the shift that often needs to be made as people gain more experience. Rob wrote: See my previous post on this subject (and please, respond to it!...it's got me curious to see how people perceive the differences), but basically it comes down to the difference between "consent" versus "informed consent". I think, when speaking about animals, consent and informed consent is a bit of a misnomer. Animals don't think like we do. To expect them to process our requirements and respond in a way that we expect is somewhat silly, from my perspective. We use animals all the time as supplements to our lives and our industries. From racing and jumping horses to work and show dogs to dolphins used in the military to locate underwater explosives and lead servicemen to them. We take care of them and protect them from harm and injury and they, in turn, do the same. Is there something special about sex that puts it into its own category over and above all of the other uses we put animals to? (again, speaking of large animals where risk of injury or harm is slight)