More Mainstream

[flabio]

Do you think that tickling is coming out of the closet and becoming more popular and accepted or less than years past?

 

[Capnmad]

No. But there's no reason why it couldn't be. You just have to have the right people making the effort to bring it public, presenting it appropriately (not as a "fetish"), demonstrate the physical, emotional, and social benefits, and emphasize the acceptability and normality of it through being understood as normal and stable themselves. You're not likely going to spark the creation of fetishists, but you may free a few of the closet, and find a public more open and willing to accept the idea of creatively integrating it into their lives in many ways.

Personally, I'm struck and more than a bit disappointed by the fact that no one on here has ever acted to organize an effort to promote more mainstream acceptability, but then, as I've learned over the past year, there are remarkably few I would trust to be reasonable and balanced enough to properly present it.

Consider Dr. Madan Kataria, practitioner and proponent of "Laughter Yoga", "Laughter Clubs" in India and elsewhere, and similar (here are some links):

http://www.laughteryoga.org/

http://www.thelaughterproject.org/

http://www.worldlaughtertour.com/sections/news/archives.asp

http://blogs.davidson.edu/india2006/2006/09/onetwothree_laughter_is_free.html

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3986154a19716.html

http://www.thepowerofyou.org/media_reviews.html

http://www.worldbuskersfestival.com/acts-and-schedules/display/18220


The premise of starting "Laughter Clubs" for health benefits and recreation is really only a step away from creating "Tickle Clubs" for the same purposes. It's something, I think, that could be relatively easily started on some large, open-minded college campus somewhere, provided it was organized appropriately and creatively.

 

[Ace Riley]

You can't petition it as a non-fetish, because it is a fetish. If it doesn't become mainstream, so be it.

You can't lie about who you are. It is what it is.

To be honest, nothing that I've liked that has gone 'mainstream' has been a good thing in my eyes. From Heavy Metal, to Anime to Video Games and comic books...their quality and what made them special becomes dull, lifeless and loses its appeal quickly.

They tend to improve superficially. More money is pumped into it, more promotion... but with wider acceptance also comes dilution of it's core essence to adapt to the masses.

If it happens, I won't fight it... but I guarantee you'll remember the quieter days with silent nostalgia. Though... I'm not worried about that anytime soon. ^.~

 

[Fantastklr]

You can't petition it as a non-fetish, because it is a fetish.

For many it is, but it's certainly not a fetish for everyone. When properly presented in a public setting, it can be an outrageouly fun-filled experience, even for those who've never given much thought to tickling.

For years, I've toyed with the idea of doing a tickling game at a fair or carnival. The "clown in the dunk-tank game" always attracted loads of attention at our local county fair. People took great pleasure in making someone "suffer" in a fun sort of way. They also seemed willing to spend lots of money at that particular booth. A game involving a mock prisoner held captive in a set of stocks would certainly offer that same attraction. The object would be to tickle the victim's feet in order to make him or her laugh. I'm sure there are many 'lees who would enjoy earning money for playing the role of "the Prisoner". Players would purchase "tickle-time" in one-minute increments at a rate of $5 for the first minute and $3 for each additional minute, for example. In fairness to all players, there would be a limit of 3 or 4 minutes of total time that may be purchased by a player (or group of players). The determination as to what constitutes laughter and/or giggling would be made by "the Judge" (me or one of my troupe). Of course, most players would likely win a prize. And that's fine because the more winners there are, the more players there'd likely be.

This is just one example of how tickling can be presented to the public as "good clean fun"...and not a fetish. BTW, anyone who'd like to read a novel that's based largely upon this concept should check out the link at the bottom of this post.

Carlton Phillips
(aka Fantastklr)

 

[Capnmad]

You can't petition it as a non-fetish, because it is a fetish. If it doesn't become mainstream, so be it.

You can't lie about who you are. It is what it is.

No one has said anything about lying about who one is. Tickling in and of itself is not a fetish, but a behavior/activity done everyday by millions of people mostly in non-sexual ways. Just because it is considered a fetish by some does not make it only a fetish. It can be promoted as a positive social activity with health benefits, just as are other contact-related activities like sports and dancing. Establishing "Tickle Clubs" could open people's minds to it as an acceptable socially bonding activity, and form of recreation and exercise. And really, wouldn't you like to see more people interested or at least curious about it? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to broach the topic with less trepidation because it's become part of the mainstream conversation?

To be honest, nothing that I've liked that has gone 'mainstream' has been a good thing in my eyes. From Heavy Metal, to Anime to Video Games and comic books...their quality and what made them special becomes dull, lifeless and loses its appeal quickly.

They tend to improve superficially. More money is pumped into it, more promotion... but with wider acceptance also comes dilution of it's core essence to adapt to the masses.

If it happens, I won't fight it... but I guarantee you'll remember the quieter days with silent nostalgia. Though... I'm not worried about that anytime soon. ^.~

I suspected this argument would emerge pretty early. I disagree. Bringing something mainstream does not necessarily dilute it. Besides, I'm making a clear separation in this case between the activity and the fetish. I doubt much of anything could dilute interest and appreciation of it from the perspective of a fetishist, as the act is tied to sexual arousal and arousal is something of a renewable resource. It would be like saying the proliferation of pornography kills sexual desire. Granted, an addiction to porn may redirect the drive away from the activity of intercourse, but it does not ultimately kill the desire. I don't know in this scenario if there's an analogue to addiction that would pull people away from or diminish one's desire or interest in it, if to them originally it was in fact, a fetish.

With exposure to more mainstream tickling and similar displays, perhaps the amount of material would increase, but I suspect it would only serve to hone the fetishist's appreciation for good material or "better", more intense interactions. For non-fetishists, it would just be a fun activity seen more and more as socially acceptable. I see nothing wrong with that.

 

[Iggy pop]

For most people tickling is already a mainstream tickling. They find tickling an innocent and fun activity. These people are, however, not posting here, reading stories about tickling, or buying tickling clips.

 

[Capnmad]

For most people tickling is already a mainstream tickling. They find tickling an innocent and fun activity.

Correct. The difference (hopefully) between these people and those that would organize or join in a "Tickle Club", however, is that most people see it as something that just happens (usually when you're "doing" something else), like laughter, and relatively speaking, happens rarely... Those in a "Tickle Club" would see it not only as something that happens spontaneously, but as something to do, to plan, organize, and execute with some frequency as a valid recreation and socially bonding activity all its own.

 

[Ace Riley]

For most people tickling is already a mainstream tickling. They find tickling an innocent and fun activity. These people are, however, not posting here, reading stories about tickling, or buying tickling clips.

Thank you Iggy.

I'm talking in the context of this forum. This is a fetish site. This is not a website catering to the act of tickling in a simple context. Although there may be more innocent footage out there, such as the girl next door atmosphere of the Last Laugh for example, it is still catering and designed for a fetish community.

Let's not take this out of context. Tickling in and of itself is not a fetish. We all know this, please... the point is that within the context of tickling "will tickling come out of the closet" is meaning tickling as a fetish itself.

I seriously doubt he means tickling of a non-fetish form. Because I invite you to my family reunions if ya wanna see some family members tickling the kids, or to the local mall where you'll see plenty of college kids poke each other and squeal while taking pics by the fountain.

That's not what we're talking about. There is no coming out of the closet for that. There is no reason for it to become a focus point of the 'mainstream' if that was the case. However tickling as an act, as a love for tickling, as an obsession, whether you react to it sexually as an individual or not, is still of the fetish variety.

You make your points about the mainstream well, but I'd love to hear some examples of activities that were once 'underground' enjoying a mainstream life without it becoming worse, or alienating it's original community.

Punk music anyone?