(no subject)
http://theferrett.livejournal.com/1087686.html (replies are frozen now.)
I saw this on redstapler today. It was called The Open Source Boob Project. The idea is that people take a button indicating that they are open to being asked to be touched. People asked, fondling occurred. theferrett focused on the fact that women were allowing strangers to touch their breasts at this con, but edited to say men could ber touched as well. (I notice he didn't specify where.
I was quite turned off by this. It seems highly objectifying--whether by choice or not. Why breasts? Why not any other part of the body? It does not seem like something that belongs randomly at a public event. (I can think of events where there this would make sense and be welcome.)
Pragmatically, from my comment on the post in response to the idea that I "am working from a presumption that nothing should be seen in public that is different and that members of the con did come in bondage gear":
I think there's a significant difference between behavior and costuming. I can arrive somewhere fully accepting I may see bondage gear. I might not be comfortable if in that environment people begin to grope one another for reasons I can only speculate at. The participants have no way to know if anyone noticed or what was said about it. Someone may have noticed and said nothing to the participants, but did say something to a staff member or a staff member of the location.
That's the other thing is: the location itself. Do you know that what you were doing is okay in that municipality under it's laws? Groping sexual parts in a public space may be consider a lewd act in some places. Do you know that this activity is okay under the rental agreement signed by con organizers? Those agreements usually require a certain standard of behaviour be maintained beyond qhat the law requires. What about the event insurance? Most insurance would expect the venue's rules and the local law to be followed. Those are legitimate questions.
It's great you all got free and had a good time, but how will you feel if the con had to change locations because of your activities? Or couldn't get insurance. Or this discussion led to other con's being denied access to public/civic spaces because attendees might be trying to violate local ordinances by attempting this experiment again. Just because you consented to be touched doesn't make it okay or legal or acceptable or desired behaviour by organizers. There are a lot of places that do not want to host these type of events and something like this validates their reasoning for declining.
I'm curious, looking at the post, what do you all think?
I saw this on redstapler today. It was called The Open Source Boob Project. The idea is that people take a button indicating that they are open to being asked to be touched. People asked, fondling occurred. theferrett focused on the fact that women were allowing strangers to touch their breasts at this con, but edited to say men could ber touched as well. (I notice he didn't specify where.
I was quite turned off by this. It seems highly objectifying--whether by choice or not. Why breasts? Why not any other part of the body? It does not seem like something that belongs randomly at a public event. (I can think of events where there this would make sense and be welcome.)
Pragmatically, from my comment on the post in response to the idea that I "am working from a presumption that nothing should be seen in public that is different and that members of the con did come in bondage gear":
I think there's a significant difference between behavior and costuming. I can arrive somewhere fully accepting I may see bondage gear. I might not be comfortable if in that environment people begin to grope one another for reasons I can only speculate at. The participants have no way to know if anyone noticed or what was said about it. Someone may have noticed and said nothing to the participants, but did say something to a staff member or a staff member of the location.
That's the other thing is: the location itself. Do you know that what you were doing is okay in that municipality under it's laws? Groping sexual parts in a public space may be consider a lewd act in some places. Do you know that this activity is okay under the rental agreement signed by con organizers? Those agreements usually require a certain standard of behaviour be maintained beyond qhat the law requires. What about the event insurance? Most insurance would expect the venue's rules and the local law to be followed. Those are legitimate questions.
It's great you all got free and had a good time, but how will you feel if the con had to change locations because of your activities? Or couldn't get insurance. Or this discussion led to other con's being denied access to public/civic spaces because attendees might be trying to violate local ordinances by attempting this experiment again. Just because you consented to be touched doesn't make it okay or legal or acceptable or desired behaviour by organizers. There are a lot of places that do not want to host these type of events and something like this validates their reasoning for declining.
I'm curious, looking at the post, what do you all think?