Is This Spanking Thing Hereditary?

I no longer think that the spanking fetish is "hard-wired" into anyone, although I used to. However, now I realize that the idea of spankophilia being hereditary necessarily implies the impossible idea called "innate ideas" in philosophy.

Physiology gives rise to the capacity for physical sexual response. But *what*, specifically, you respond to, depends on your premises - on how you *evaluate* the things that you perceive - such as bare bottoms and spankings. I very easily "get horny" and "get off" by having fantasies about spankings and chastisements in Victorian school settings. But having fantasies about a *machine* spanking someone does absolutely nothing for me. If the spanking kink was physiological, then I would "get off" on anything involving the physical hitting of the buttocks, including having a machine spank someone. Because then I would be "getting off" on merely the physical sensations involved in the hitting of the buttocs.

But I *need* the element of an authority figure chastising a younger, and therefore weaker, person for that person´s own benefit. Otherwise I feel nothing. This shows that my spanking kink is *psychological*. I evaluate spanking as being sexually interesting (in fact absolutely fascinating!) because I see the element of the male initiative/female surrender dynamic in spanking - in the form of the spanker dominance/spankee submission dynamic. So I "get off" on spanking, because my (acquired, not hereditary) premises cause me to perceive a spanking as being analogous to the sex act.

Good point and a nice distinction. However, I think that if the actual fetish trappings are not heriditary then the tendency towards sadism or masochism is. These things are personality traits that stem from how an individual processes pain.....which is physiological. This would lead one away from the "innate ideas" obstacle and then the formal spanking aspect would be more sociological. The inherited desire for pain would find different outlets in different societies.

See. The French DO admire something about the English!

I think it's more about upbringing than genes. Certainly it hasn't (as far as I know!) worked it's way through to my grown up children. I was of the "spanked kids" generation at home and at school. My two were definitely not.

Do the French admire anything about the English? In particular do they admire Le Vice Anglais? I should think they are just puzzled by such a peculiar fascination. I think it is the other way. The English admire the French. They admire the French for their culture, their cooking, their wine, their beautiful well dressed women etc. I have never yet met a French man or woman that admitted to admiring the English for anything. Oh I tell a lie, Arsene Wenger admires our English footballers but almost never buys any, Theo Walcott excepted
.

I thought the same thing at one time, but I've come to believe that this perception is based on our participation in English language sites. Obviously, there aren't going to be a lot of non-English speakers participating there. The Japanese for instance are heavily into spanking. In fact, I don't think the Japanese ever met a sexual fetish that they didn't like. Eastern Europeans also have an intense interest in CP. Culture will have an impact on how openly people explore the interest however. I remember many years ago I was watching some late night talk show where they were interviewing dominatrixes and one of them mentioned that a lot of South American men come to the states for F/M sex play, because there is such an onus against anything male submissive related in their own countries. I do agree that there seem to be an awful lot of Jewish girls into spanking. I'm not sure what that's about.

My knowledge of Japanese spanking interest is, at best, second hand, but all my second hand experience leads me to believe that interest in spanking is much rarer in Japan than in, say, the US.
On the question of how biased our (my) observations are by being on an English language site, I will leave it to somebody with more language skills than I to google French, Chinese, Russian, and Yoruba web sites, but I will venture that in a lifetime spent seeking spanking materials, I have found some French language spanking books, but I have yet to come across a single spanking magazine in any language but English.

The French sure do know how to cook and make great wine! I was in France this summer, but their culinary expertise does fall short in one area...I COULD NOT find canned baked beans anywhere! What's up with that? How in the world can you have a classy meal without baked beans?

With an English breakfast you get baked beans!

See, there is plenty to appreciate about the English.

Rap

I am with you there Rap. Baked beans are a staple food! You can't get a decent cup of tea or a jar of marmalade for love nor money. Whenever I go for a long stay my suitcase is full of food! Years ago, when I used to live there, you couldn't get a decent curry anywhere either!

I do enjoy French wine and food though. And French cinema must be the best in the world!?

ChardT
I do agree that there seem to be an awful lot of Jewish girls into spanking. I'm not sure what that's about.

Really? I had no idea all those years of eating my Grandma's matzoh ball soup was to blame!