My sister suggested that I read David Sedaris, a humorist whose work I have really enjoyed and heartily recommend. He is also gay. I don’t object to this one bit, the thing that I find interesting is that he knew he was gay when he was very young. Another entertainer John Barrowman, aka Captain Jack Harkness first on Dr. Who, then on his own series Torchwood, also promotes that he liked the boys early on. One of my oldest and best friends came out later but I wonder if he knew when we were boys together.

I brought this up because I think I have been into spanking since I was a boy. I don’t remember my parents punishing me in this fashion, except for one memorable beating. So either I was born this way or what the child development people have been saying for decades is true, we are products of what we watch. I find this incredibly short sighted and no more convincing than the argument that horror comics of the fifties produced juvenile delinquents. That only this single behavior was affected and no others, at least in my case, may weaken this argument.

The earliest memory I have is of a movie. I think it was Night of the Hunter, Lillian Gish is bathing a young boy, he runs off and she catches him. She then spanks him bottom for him. It really tickled something in me. After that I was more aware of such scenes in cartoons, TV shows and movies. The spanking did not have to be shown. I remember watching I Spy with my dad and Kelly Robinson is ordered to spank the errant young woman on the show, my father commented on it at the time, I think he may have noticed my reaction. Wilma and Betty got paddled on the Flintstones, the first animated prime time show. I found the entire episode on a website and have edited the relevant sections. I found the aftermath to be as entertaining as the initiation. There are many other examples.

It is after Midnight here pumpkin time.

CS