Publish Or Perish: When Research Gets Kinky

A few months back my neighbor told me about another friend of hers who is a published author.  This friend actually writes nonfiction and is a university professor who teaches human sexuality and has "researched" deviant sexual behavior.  His area of interest is where the line is between playful (and acceptable) kinky fun and actual dangerous sexual psychosis.  So of course he's written a book on the subject.  I don't know the title of the book and even if I did I'm not sure I'd mention it here.  I'm not a prude but what was described to me was enough to make me think this book might be in the WTF category of nonfiction work and I wouldn't want to list the name of an author that I'm about to make fun  of. 

So here's the thing: This guy hasn't just interviewed a bunch of fetish-loving folk, he's taken it upon himself to walk-the-walk.  "He made an appointment with a dominatrix named Mistress Kitty," my neighbor explained.  "She stripped him down, tied him up, spread eagle in a standing position, and then she attached clothespins to his testicles.  He said that made him nervous although apparently it didn't really hurt." 

I'll admit that I didn't know how to respond to this at first although I have found that the image she painted has stayed with me to this day.  "He has had to be really careful about how he writes about all this," my neighbor explained, "because he's sort of in danger of not being taken seriously by his colleagues in the world of academia."

"Really?" I asked trying (and failing) to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, "the other university professors might actually make fun of him just because he let Mistress Kitty put clothespins on his balls? How judgmental."

My neighbor nodded solemnly.  "Those people are really conservative." 

It occurred to me at that point that we were having one of those only-in-LA kind of conversations.  But hey, I was willing to roll with it.  "So," I said thoughtfully, "if all this is being used for research for books  and academic papers then all his visits to fetish clubs and appointments with dominatrixes...those are all tax deductible, right?" 

Again my neighbor nodded, this time with a smile.  "I know. He says he has the best job in the world!"

Personally I think that is a matter of opinion.  Not everybody enjoys having clothespins attached to their private parts.  But obviously if it works for him, more power to him.  As far as I'm concerned, as long as all parties involved are consenting adults then his behavior (and theirs) falls into the category of playful kink and he doesn't really pose any danger to society.  He may be a danger to his own career if he wants to both write about this stuff AND continue to teach at a university or any other establishment that isn't financed by the porn industry but that's not really my problem.

I just thought it was good blog material.

--Kyra "Fashionista Fatale" Davis