Lose of the traditional punishment story

Thank you all for replying to my post. I am glad that it was at least of interest to so many. I would just like to clarify my thinking because my words might not have been so clear.

Firstly, I am not criticising any writer , or reader, for enjoying the more modern type of story. I agree that there is many ways of enjoying the 'spanking story' and I am grateful for that. And I must acknowledge what was pointed out by njrick and Noah, that I might have generalised too much from my own experience. But both Gourmet and rnr posted seemed to have similar views to my own.

In the 'traditional story' ( and I realise even using the terms 'traditional story' and 'modern story' is problematic) the spankee is in trepidation in anticipation of a painful and possibly humiliating experience. And they will have to submit to the instructions and will of the spanker. In the 'modern story' the spankee will look forward to an very pleasurable encounter with her spanker and will have no sense of submission. In fact, as mentioned, she may have contrived the spanking in the first place. The dynamic, in the latter case, is similar to any other pleasurable encounter, sexual or not . But in the former, the dynamic is unique , I think, to the 'traditional story' ( to use that term again).

njrick, you said your 'first spanking story I ever read was in Playboy in the early 1970s.' I remember in about that time a work colleague returned from London with a Playboy magazine. It featured a story of a maid having to stand with in the corner at a party and when asked, explaining that she had broken something and would be spanked later by the host. I felt outrage at the unfair employment rules and thought she should join a union. Only later, as I grew older, did I see the erotic nature of the story. So perhaps I really am a creature of a much older age.

Anyway, thanks to you all for responding to the original posting.

@Noah
Do you realize what you just did? You AGREED with me on the Forum. That's unprecedented. No one ever agrees with me. They disagree - sometimes mildly, sometimes vociferously - but it's always DISagreement. I'm not quite sure how to react. It will take time to process. Holy shit - you AGREED with me.

@Smachtai
(At least you disagreed with me; that's something I'm comfortable with)
I think there's a problem with the names you give the two types of stories - "traditional" and "modern" - as if one preceded and (to use your term) "evolved" into the other. Again, I think that's a bias based on your experience - the type of story you first encountered and enjoyed being "traditional" vs one that you've encounteed more recently (and enjoyed less) being "modern" and because you encountered it later, it must have somehow derived from it (losing some of the "purity" of the "original"?)., when in reality they are just two different variants on a spanking story

I'd agree that the attitude towards 'spanking stories' is going to be different from someone who lived in a time and place where a non-consensual punishment spanking was a real possibility, rather than a reader who's never had that experience.

The move away from the 'traditional' spanking story is possibly that they're becoming more difficult to write believably in a modern setting; any parent, teacher or employer who used corporal punishment today would risk prosecution in most countries.

To write such a story now, it would either have to be set in the past, such as my Deanchurch Academy stories, in a (possibly fictional) area or country, such as Zark, where it's still part of the culture, or else in a fantasy or SF setting. Even stories where someone is tricked or blackmailed into accepting a spanking have some element of consent to them!

There is definitely something missing in the last decade-plus of spanking stories, but I don’t think it has to do with character or plot elements. A good analogy might be “autotune” where imperfect notes are moved up or down to the next note interval to “improve” song performances. But in doing so, autotune also removes “something” from the song that “lessens” the song's performance. I would say that it takes the possible “greatness” out of the song to ensure that the song is “good”.

This is where I think cancel culture has had its impact. That many writer’s are modifying/”autotuning” their own thoughts and desires, and as a result, their stories, to better fit with today’s social norms.

My description of "cancel culture" as it relates to spanking:

The fact that corporal punishment in schools has been banned "is" a product of "cancel culture". There is a trove of fake science discrediting the practice of spanking all paid for by activists. There is a relentless parade of people "virtue signaling" who claim "I'm against spanking" as if to say "If you think otherwise, you are a bad person". The word "barbaric" in reference to spanking is a persistent word often echoed here, which has the effect of shaming those who think differently. BTW, there was a paper in "Scientific American" a while back showing the long term effects of spanking is inconclusive.

I am not claiming spanking is either wrong or right, but I am very concerned with the fact that spanking appears to have been replaced with "mental abuse", a fact revealed by the positive correlation of the mental health of children whose parents still practice spanking versus children's poorer mental health of parents against spanking. Keep in mind "virtue signaling" is about proping up the ego of the signaler and cares nothing about the outcome of those impacted.

The practice of spanking may indeed be barbaric, but the choice society has made is an exercise of privilege, and not some great right or wrong. And given our unscientific social constructionist approach to the practice of spanking, it is an unearned privilege.

This is where I am coming from, and note that my description here is in no way, shape, or form "autotuned".

I find your premise for this thread interesting but this paragraph problematic. It makes me want to ask, "Have you ever been in a DD spanking relationship?" Because in them one can take every element you separated into two categories, throw them in a blender, and pour them out in an uneven mix (depending on the person). And I would say that about half or more of my stories fall into this genre. A spanked partner in a DD relationship feels a contradictory desire (often sexual, but not always) for the relationship and subsequent punishment, AND fear and submission.

Secondly to the main topic at hand. Like others, I have not seen the trend you speak of. This library is full to bursting of kids/teens being caught for something and spanked for it, as much now as earlier. But perhaps keeping a formula of: ___________(insert name, age, and gender) gets caught ___________(choose offense: smoking, drinking, lying, cheating, bullying, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc etc.) and gets spanked for it by their _____________(choose disciplarian(s)) going over decades simply runs out of permutations. (or I can only hope. LOL)?

The other thing is I don't see the LSF as a repository of excerpts from literature where a spanking occurred. I would wager (and win) that the majority of readers get off on spanking and either ARE active spankos, or are INactive spankos enjoying the spanko experience vicariously through reading. As others have said, the experience of living in a disciplinary age as some of us did, did not necessarily translate to an interest in reading about that. (I did, and I kind of hate those types of stories BECAUSE they remind me of some very nasty realities I saw played out in school and among friends.) My interests started VERY young, but what intrigued me was my own desire to have this happen to me. Why would that be? Why would I crave something that everyone (including myself in most settings) actively avoided?

Answering those questions, and how a spanko looks at the world, spanking, and their part in it, is neither an old nor new question. Spanking kinks have been around longer than all of us here. However, it was kept VERY quiet for a long time, and we older spankos know how hard it was to find out anything about our own kink. Now, it is much more common and accepted, and perhaps that might be why there may be more stories about consensual spanking, but I still don't think so. I think it's more about what current society finds acceptable.

In conclusion, I do find it ironic that your lament over 'where have all the old-fashioned spanking stories gone?' runs in direct opposition to my own perception of the content here. Instead, I find myself always asking, 'where are all the stories from active spankos describing the nuances of a spanking lifestyle in all of its different expressions..............especially in a femdom dynamic?' So I guess we all have our wishes for more of the things we like and less of the ones we don't.

Gourmet
Well, apparently "autotune" means "treating other people's opinions with respect" seeing as how your entire post boils down to "anyone who disagrees with me has been brainwashed by Liberals with an Agenda" and "anyone who believes spankings do more harm than good are faking it for their own satisfaction rather than engaging in a good faith effort to improve the world."

Yup. Difference is pretty obvious there.

aka

[blockquote]"autotune" means "treating other people's opinions with respect"[/blockquote]

Strawman fallacy: Refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction.

Not what I said. A great many people, Liberal or not, strongly disagree with spanking. However, the abusive strawman argument is a frequent go-to for "brainwashed Liberals". Feel free to put that shoe on. It obviously fits.

[blockquote]"anyone who believes spankings do more harm than good are faking it for their own satisfaction rather than engaging in a good faith effort to improve the world."[/blockquote]

Another abusive strawman fallacy. Not what I said at all. But it is exactly what I would expect from someone who is psychologically dependent on their erected virtue signal stack.

A statement of disagreement is not a virtue signal. Going out of your way to make such a disagreeing statement and feigning outrage is virtue signaling.

Nonbrainwashed Liberals are capable of having debate. Is there something you would like to debate?

Smachtai identifies two potent themes in a 'traditional' spanking story: anticipation and submission. These themes are especially potent if written from the spankee's 'point of view'. By 'point of view' I am referring to with whom the reader tends to identify, even if the story is written in the third person. However, I am not sure if I would regard such stories as 'traditional'. When I think of 'traditional' stories, I tend to think of Victorian erotica (most of which was probably written in the 1960's and 1970's) or the stories and letters in 1960's and 1970's men's magazines (check out the Library's 'Magazine Rack'), most of which are from a male dom's point of view (or in the case of 'reader's' letters supposedly from women, probably written by the editor, catering for a male dom readership by suggesting women had a basic need to be kept in their place by a strong man). Most of this was quite frankly misogynistic (which, if confined to fantasy, I actually have no problem with).

If there is a trend, I would see it as evolving from top-down misogynistic stories to bottom-up stories, although within the latter category I would accept that there may be a trend from Smachtai's 'traditional' themes to more consensual and explicitly sexual scenarios. Factors which may influence this include (a) the abolition in many countries of corporal punishment in schools, (b) a growing acceptance that spanking has sexual connotations, and therefore becomes somewhat edgy when it involves children, and (c) the growth of political correctness - that pretty young secretary may have a very spankable ass, but unless she sends a written invitation signed in triplicate you had better keep your hands to yourself. Of course, some of the best spanking stories ignore these realities (but I would again draw a distinction between what is acceptable in fantasy (within reason) and real life).

Okay, that's my tuppence worth. Excuse me while I duck down behind this parapet while the replies rain in.

BashfulBob

"... kept in their place by a strong man ..."

I don't think this is so much misogynistic as it is that Women test their men. They want to know that their "man" won't run off to the nearest bar the moment things get tough. This testing takes many forms to include behaving badly, to see how much they can push and how he will respond. If she is going to have children, then she "needs" to know he is a strong man and will be there.

A weak man may see this behavior and think she "needs" domination. Absolutely not, in no uncertain terms. A strong man will see the bad behavior for what it is and rise to the occasion. His response will be what the Woman wants and not what he wants.

All the stories I have written involve intense trepidation from the spankee. Judicial punishment stories might be a good go-to for you. A judicial punishment, usually inflicted by someone who is purposely trained to cause as much pain as humanly possible without severely injuring the spankee, meant to be used on adults to deter crimes is naturally going to be a lot more severe than a teacher spanking a child or an adult getting spanked by their spouse, and is thus going to elicit very intense feelings of dread.