Guy:
Robert56:
To me "real punishment" means the corporal punishment of a minor probably mid teens or younger. Certainly, without consent.
That might be your definition, but it's certainly not mine. Mine includes (even features) consensual spanking of adults.
Interesting questions. What constitutes real punishment? I don't think age has anything to do with it. Anyone of any age can suffer punishment. If someone is physically restrained and flogged while they beg for mercy, that is definitely punishment. But short of that, there are a lot of gray areas.
Some would say that anytime someone is made to suffer something unpleasant that they don't want, that's punishment. But if someone submits to a spanking as play and they can call a halt whenever they want, is that punishment, even though it could be more painful than a real punishment?
Obviously, someone can want to suffer pain because of masochistic feelings, to please a partner, or guilt, or...whatever. Does the determination of punishment depend of whether they really *want* it? If someone likes playing spanking games, refusing to play and withholding a spanking from them might be a punishment.
And what is "consensual?" I'd say it's consensual only if a person of legal age and sound mind wants to be punished (or play a punishment game). [Then we'd have to define "sound mind." Some would say a person would have to nuts to want a severe spanking/caning.] If someone under the authority of another obediently but reluctantly bends over and presents his/her buttocks to be spanked/strapped/caned, I wouldn't consider it to be consensual if they obey only out of obligation, blackmail, or fear of even worse consequences. But what about mild coercion or bribery?
Maybe we need a "spanking dictionary" to define such terms But writing it could be harder than nailing Jell-O to a wall, and who would be the final authority when there is disagreement?
