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Todd
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Posts by Todd
Perversion in the News: Two Amish Men Face Bestiality Charges
Aug 27th
This entry of Perversion in the News contains involves two Amish young men who are facing numerous charges as a result of their alleged activities. As I read the article at http://www.channel3000.com/news/24744019/detail.html I was struck by two things. The first thing I thought was that if the charges are true I hope these two spend a long time in prison. My second thought was complete surprise that a story about the Amish community had no one whose last name was Yoder.
Erotica Grotesque Issue 1
Aug 22nd
Front cover for Erotica Grotesque
by Anonymous
Published in 1972 by Color Climax Corporation
I know it is cliché, but I really do read dirty magazines for the articles. Ordinarily I would not have much time or use for a magazine that lacked articles or other text. However, “Erotica Grotesque” is anything but ordinary. Presented in its pages are images of labial piercing, lactation, pregnancy sex, extreme vaginal stretching, and more in all their genital hair glory. Though it is only 32 pages long (each page consists of a single picture), this thin digest-sized volume packs more of a wallop than the average fetish magazine packs in 100+ pages.
It serves as a good reminder that all manner of dirty sex existed long before the internet. If you come across a copy, do yourself a favor and buy it.
First Hand: An Erotic Guide to Fisting
Aug 20th
Front cover for First Hand: An Erotic Guide to Fisting
By Tim Brough
Published in 2005 by the Nazca Plains Corporation
First Hand begins with Jack Fritscher’s fantastic introduction which is a history that discusses how fisting entered the “homo-masculine” mainstream in the 70s and early 80s. Fritscher mentions numerous books and magazines some of which I had never heard of, but now hope to add to my collection someday.
Tim Brough begins First Hand with a brief introduction to the anatomy of the anus. Following the anatomy lesson is an interview with a physician and his partner as they discuss fisting. While the discussion touches on a few medical aspects of fisting play, the conversation is mostly high praise for the virtue of fisting.
The third section is the most straightforward as it is a how-to on anal fisting. Beginning with the things one needs to have in their toybag for a fisting scene, the section talks about the fisting from the perspective of the top and bottom (or as the book describes it “pitching” and “catching”).
Following the how-to section are interviews with fisting fans and short blurbs where respondents describe their favorite scene and/or the appeal of fisting. Finishing out the book is a 45 page piece of fiction that I frankly did not bother to read.
The how-to section mentioned above consisted of only nine pages making First Hand the textbook example of BDSM writers’ tendency to pad their works, turning pamphlet length discussions into book length tomes. Unfortunately, this practice not only drives me nuts, the extra padding is a disservice to readers who want to learn more about a particular topic.
I have a suggestion for addressing this problem that I hope some enterprising BDSM publisher will steal and put into practice. Rather than having one author write a book devoted to a topic that can be covered in the space of a few pages, create an anthology where different writers can cover various topics using only the length necessary to discuss the topic. Not only would such a work solve the padding problem, the resulting book would become far more useful and indispensable. Alas, based on what I have seen of the BDSM publishing industry the only way such a book will ever see the light of day is if I do it myself.
As I try to review this book, I find myself stumped. On the one hand (pun intended), the book, especially Fritscher’s introduction, was fun to read, save for the fiction. On the other hand (pun intended), for a book subtitled “an erotic guide to fisting” it was not particularly informative and seemed lacking as a guide. Taken as a whole, while I enjoyed the enthusiasm evident in First Hand, there is not much else to recommend about it other than Fritscher’s introduction.
Weird Sex Photos
Aug 18th
Front cover for Weird Sex Photos
Edited by M.A. Sirk
Published in 2010 by Pandora Press
When I checked my mail, I did not expect to find this gem waiting for me. In the interest of full disclosure, my copy came compliments of Pandora Press.
There is virtually no text in this zine other than the title and the short blurb about how to contact Pandora Press. It is exactly as the title describes it – weird sex photos. Amazingly simple and more amazingly brilliant, this zine is charming and entertaining instead of titillating, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. My best advice to you is to drop whatever you are doing and contact Mr. Sirk at pandora_press@hotmail.com to find out how to get a copy of your very own.
Daughters of Joy, Sisters of Misery: Prostitutes in the American West, 1865-90
Aug 17th
Front cover for Daughters of Joy, Sisters of Misery
By Anne M. Butler
Published in 1987 by the University of Illinois Press
Butler’s Daughters of Joy, Sisters of Misery survey of Old West prostitution begins by examining the prostitutes themselves. Who were the women who became prostitutes? The short answer to this question is much the same then as now: poor women without reliable friend or family networks.
The book continues by examining prostitutes’ cohorts such as colleagues and family. Contrary to the popular notion of prostitutes forming a tight sisterhood, Butler paints a portrait of prostitutes as being almost singularly selfish. While a casual observer might expect prostitutes to band together to improve their lives collectively, given the poverty and chaos that marked prostitutes’ lives it is hardly surprising that they valued short term interests instead of long term thinking.
Butler continues her analysis by examining the complex and contradictory relationships prostitutes had with police officials, the court system, and the US military. These officials often tolerated, if not actively encouraged, the practice of prostitution while simultaneously forcing prostitutes to live on the haggard existences on the fringes of society.
My only lament is that there was not enough information about non-prostitutes to allow for any sort of comparative analysis. Nor does Butler give any time to discuss how societal attitudes have changed over time. By failing to consider prostitutes’ status and place in society was not the result of prejudices against the poor, women, or particularly poor women, it is difficult, if not impossible to conclude that the difficulties prostitutes faced were not the result of those biases.
For instance Butler mentions that rapes of prostitutes were rarely prosecuted. Since Butler did not supply more information about society as a whole, I was left to wonder how often rape was prosecuted regardless of the victim’s social, economic, or occupational status. Were rapes more likely to be prosecuted if the victim was affluent? Simply poor but not a prostitute? A resident of a big city in the northeastern US? While Butler devotes lots of time to the awkward relationship that prostitutes had with police and governmental officials, she does not stop to examine if prostitutes simply did not report the crime of rape to officials.
In a similar vein, it is difficult to discern whether the difficulties prostitutes endured in the Old West were the result of their occupation or a general animosity towards poor women.
Despite this shortcoming, the book serves as an interesting spotlight into the Old West generally as well as the prostitutes of the time.