Recap: MBS Sunday Brunch for Apr 8

This week, we examined the question of who is a spanking enthusiast. Here are your thoughts.

Kaelah: I would go for a slightly modified version of option two. For me, spanking enthusiasts are people who are interested in consensual adult spanking and whose spanking fantasies come up pretty regularly, not just once a year.

Todd and Suzy: If we're talking "spanking enthusiasts" than it would be anyone who is into adult consensual spanking play. We wouldn't count the every so often swat to the backside during sex in that group. That seems to fall more into the "I like a little spice in my sex life" category. Spanking is a little more than that. It has to be a bit more enthusiastic!

We wouldn't say a person has to actually ~do~ any spanking to qualify as an enthusiasts though. If you think about it... if the idea of giving or receiving a spanking works for you, then that certainly counts. That interest doesn't have to be in full on discipline or being paddled really hard either. Just an interest in spanking works. But it actually has to be in spanking, not just a random swat here and there.

Hmmm, this is harder to define than we thought. How about... We know it when we see it!

Hermione: I think that spanking enthusiasts are people who identify themselves as such. They might also fall into one or more of the other categories, but there is room for more than one interpretation of the label. If you think you are one, then you are.

Six of the Best: I would say spanking enthusiasts fall into all five of the categories you mentioned.

Spanky: It's probably the first, though in my mind, members of groups two through five are probably also members of the first one. I agree with Hermione though. If you say you are you are.

Sunny Girl: In my humble opinion, if you enjoying spanking in any form you can be categorized as an enthusiast.

Joeyred: I agree with Hermione. Also, for me, it does not matter whether you play privately or are "in the scene."

I want to note that some of my BDSM friends who engage in spanking as part of their play do not consider themselves spanking enthusiasts. So, simply engaging in spanking is not enough to be an enthusiastic spanko.

BTW. I consider myself a spanking enthusiast.

Hobbes: I agree with most of the comments above and would say this is one of those things where people self-identify. Spanking and enthusiasm are pretty simple words and would cover a very broad spectrum. Spanking fan would be a step beyond, fan being the short form of fanatic. So I would be a fan of MBS because it is a bit beyond enthusiasm... :-))

Thank you, Hobbes!

Ana: #1. People on the outside can't judge. Especially with this kind of thing, you're probably an enthusiast if you think you are one. It's not like being handsome or a prima ballerina or a great singer who needs to be evaluated by outside sources... or a field that needs a gatekeeping mechanism to weed out the wannabes. Being called a spanking enthusiast plus $10 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. :P

L.: I think of it as 1 and 2, provided the interest is not merely clinical (doing research, for example).

Someone who is spanked regularly might or might not qualify. There are bloggers who post that they are spanked for discipline but hate being spanked (as opposed to those who are spanked for discipline and for fun also), so I would not consider them enthusiasts. Their spanker might be one though!

I a;so agree that the occasional swat during sex seems more of a "spicing up the sex life" sort of thing than enthusiasm for spanking per se.

Kitty: Since I enjoy getting spanked, and am ENTHUSIASTIC about it, actually, then I definitely consider myself to be a "spanking enthusiast." LOL!

Saoirse: I tend to be inclusive! :) So I'm of the "If You Think You Are, Then You Are" school. Like Ana said, I don't think anyone on the outside needs to confer the badge! Some of us are more apt to put our fantasies into action than others, and I think that speaks to some other characteristic than our spank-o-ness. So for me, even one who only allows himself or herself the occasional happy swat during sex can count if they thrill is there.

Over Her Lap: If one spends a lot of time thinking about spanking, (and I do... LOL) and says they are an enthusiast then, as Hermione says, they are one. I think that #3 is the best description of an enthusiast, even though they may not always have an willing partner. Spanking can even be practiced in our fantasies.

Dragon's Rose: I would say that the word fits people who spank for pleasure. DD is an animal all to itself and those swats are no fun. Enthusiast makes me think of something fun, not an unpleasant chore.

I like to be spanked for fun and Dragon enjoys the spanking dance and red cheeks. I know many people who share our interest. It makes life interesting.

Jack and Jill: We imagine that "spanking enthusiasts" probably best refers to #2, as opposed to, say, overzealous disciplinarian parents.

Prefectdt: All five options are pertinent, but if forced to choose, number two seems to be closest to the mark.

Wordsmith: I have to be controversial and say that none of the above are sufficient. To be a spanking enthusiast, it has to hit an undefinable button in your psyche. Otherwise, it is falls into the "spice it up" category. I could say more, but there is a chocolate egg waiting, and anyway, you already know what I mean. :-)

Ronnie: Very interesting question, Bonnie, but not an easy one to define.

I would say a bit of 1,2 and 3. I do agree with Hermione. "If you think you are one, then you are."

Sarah Thorne: I say two.

You can most certainly have a deep interest without being an active participant. After all, many of us had fantasies for years before engaging.

S.N.M.: 1, 2, 3, and 5. I think most people fall under 4, and I would not call most people spanking enthusiasts.

Spanking Resource: I think I have to agree with S.N.M about 1,2,3 and 5. I meet and talk with people everyday who would never spank or do not want to be spanked, but love the sight of a pink bottom.

There are also people who build their lifestyle around spanking.

Cherry: I've talked to my vanilla friends about spanking and some of them admit to liking the occasional "tap on the ass," but I wouldn't consider them spanking enthusiasts. I think a true spanking enthusiast is anyone who would prefer to be spanked over NOT being spanked in sexual situations.

It's a spanking spectrum, I suppose... Some are just greyer than others. :)

Lea: I'd say 1, 2, 3, and 5. Usually I'm referring to myself and those I know who practice spanking regularly, or think about it an extraordinary amount. LOL

Playful Little Brat: Like a lot of people who commented, I'd say it's a mix of one and two. I think if you have an interest in adult spanking and you consider yourself a spanking enthusiast then you most likely are one! Of course there are exceptions to that rule, but I think for the most part you know whether you are or not.

Country Spanker: I think I would say 1, 2 & 3 would apply to me (us) and the more enthusiastic we are, the better it seems to be.

Our Bottoms Burn: I might throw out #4, but we know a woman who thinks differently.

Tony Elka of Shadow Lane was the first person I heard use the term spanking enthusiast and that goes back a long time.

Bonnie: I'm inclined to cast a wide net and include anyone with a genuine interest, regardless of their motivation or practices. Even the sternest disciplinary scene can yield benefits that (most likely later) inspire enthusiasm. Similarly, a spanking during sex is a spanking just the same. If it didn't produce positive results, people wouldn't do it.

I believe my answer is “All of the above.”

Thank you all for joining our brunch conversation. See you next weekend!