I appreciate your providing the opportunity to respond to recent editorials on your page. Your page is important in that it advances the dialogue significantly about the nature of casting and how it fits into our lives in realistic ways.
This is my perspective. The Internet provides the opportunity for Communities to form around any given subject. It gives tools to those with specific interest so they can self-organize around ideas or thoughts. Perhaps democracy in the truest form.
I have been sexually excited by women wearing casts my entire life. As far back as I can recall this has been a part of me. I have been around enough years to be certain that there were others who shared this interest. Logic dictated that if there were people sharing mutual desires around bondage, pain or any other sexual interest there had to be other casters. Once the Internet opened up my suspicions were confirmed.
What I did not expect is that within two years of finding the first website that I would, find several women who share my interests, be able to buy cast videos from Japan, and engage in conversation on a daily basis with those who have like desires. What a wonderful experience and yes people it is growing.
What about growth? I take the continued view of community and self-organizing groups. They are dynamic living systems that will grow or wither, but they will not remain status quo, they are incapable of standing still. I have my own concerns about the casting community. I don't look at pictures of men or children casted, I don't like them at all. I truly dislike this pervasive need for some males to masquerade as women casters. I have also found myself uncomfortable with my perception of exploitative relationships that I have seen in our community as well as some efforts to dominate and control the entire conversation. These are my opinions though, my viewpoint, my perspective.
However I do not believe that I have the right, the power the authority or the desire to say that these things are wrong and need to be eliminated or controlled. This is a self-organized community, everyone came here because they had a reason, I don't always understand what those are, but then I don't expect everyone to understand my reasons either. What I do expect is that anyone that wants to play gets to.
Early on Armcast made some efforts to describe a restrictive community. This was one of the best conversations I ever saw on our IRC channels. Should we be an open system or a closed exclusive system. The agreement was that webneed to be open to whoever wants to come in. If we have issues about what is or is not appropriate for our community we should "advance the dialogue" or "start the conversation" about boundaries or normative behaviors. What we cannot have, no matter how well intended, is one or two people deciding what is right or wrong. This would be the end of community and the beginning of patriarchal hierarchy.
After all, we are not doing anything wrong, and we are a very thoughtful and intelligent community. I think it very important that we approach the idea of self-regulation carefully. I believe our community needs to grow and expand, not become smaller and suited only to the tastes of a few.
Lets chat.