The implied responsibilities of privledge by vegasvixen
	You know how a phrase from a movie or a song can strike a cord with you and stay in your head? Well there is a phrase from the movie "Spider-man" that stuck with me- "with great power, comes great responsibility." I think if you add or substitute the word privilege to the word power, this phrase can be applied to almost every aspect of life, but especially to life in the BDSM realm. The responsibilities involved with the privilege of being in a BDSM relationship are well documented for both the submissive and the Dominant partner, and these responsibilities increase in proportion to the intimacy of the relationship. One on one relationships however, are not the only privilege that come (hopefully) from participating in the community. Along with the privilege of even being publicly active in any alternative adult community comes the responsibility to be discreet about what you learn about people in that community, and to protect the privacy of those who have extended to you that privilege. This responsibility cannot be taken too seriously, and should be one of the first things you learn and practice without exception. Another responsibility that comes with the privilege of being active in an alternative adult community is to learn the established mannersof that community. For example, in the BDSM community it is not polite to touch anything or anyone that does not belong to you without permission. When in doubt, the best policy is to follow the most formal manners possible until you have a chance to observe and ask. The more active you are in a community, and especially the more respected you are within that community ... the more "privileged" you are, and the more responsibilities you have. The responsibility to set an example, the responsibility to reach out to those seeking knowledge and share, the responsibility to represent your community in a positive light to the rest of the world. In the case of the BDSM community the image projected would hopefully be one of mature, responsible adults who respect others and are worthy of the same respect. No one can really make you accept and fulfill these kinds of implied "community responsibilities," but failure to do so will eventually have consequences. In the movie "Spider-man," the hero's failure to do the right thing cost him the life of someone he loved.The real life price is more likely to be less dramatic ...the simple loss of the privileges. Copyright vegasvixen 2003 www.sincityds.com
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