Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
The softer side of S/M In his new collection of stories, Stephen Elliott examines his experiences with torture and love through admirably clear eyes.
  • Oh per-lease

    There was a time in the 80s (and perhaps the 90s) when reading this type of literature provided me with a certain kind of thrill. Sexual subcultures were so mysterious and impenetrable. Voyeurism was impossible; you had to be a part of it to know anything about it.

    But the internet pretty much changed all that. There’s nothing mysterious about any of it anymore. Now when someone crawls out from our culture’s dark underbelly to write a book or make a movie on the subject (i.e. go mainstream) it just feels like they’re trying to shock. And it’s not shocking. Just pathetic and a little tragic.

    Reading this tripe is like being accosted by a flasher. You just want to roll your eyes and say “Oh per-lease, just put it away. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

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