Sadism And Mad Science
Paltego at Femdom Resource has some thoughts about sadism and mad science:
I think all good sadists have a touch of the mad scientist in them. They’re not content with making it hurt. They also have questions. How much does it hurt? What about here compared with here? What if I squeeze? Was that a yes or a no? What if I do it again? What if I turn it up and squeeze?
He was inspired in this line of thinking by a pro-domme with a zapper toy who did some detailed testing on him as to where it hurt most:
Oddly enough, despite testing it on the more obvious delicate and protruding areas, I think the final answer was in the armpit. I guess that’s what a good mad scientist does. Don’t waste time guessing or making assumptions. Just jam that probe in and see what jumps.
Elsewhere on Bondage Blog:
I must wonder if the proper mad scientist doesn’t have a touch of the sadist in him. Or her. A Mr. Hyde lurking inside every Dr. Jekyll. A demonic urge inside the benevolent Victor Frankenstein.
I spend a lot of time working this out. I’m still not there yet.
Well, sadism itself is a poorly-worked-out concept from the Freudian era of witch-doctor psychology; it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Paltego is I think going with the definition that I use myself, which is a person who derives erotic pleasure from the infliction of pain. But some people seem to think it’s merely a synonym for cruelty, and slap a “sadist!” label on anyone who treats others badly.
Whether or not all good sadists have a touch of mad scientist in them (which I am inclined to agree with) I think it’s clear the obverse is not necessarily true. A proper mad scientist must, I think, be capable of indifference or at least detachment from the pain and suffering of his experimental subjects if he does not actively enjoy it, but I’m thinking you could be a proper mad scientist without necessarily getting an erotic charge out of it. Which is not to say that sadism and mad science don’t often arrive in the same package!