Safe, Sane, Consensual

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One of the interpretations of the BDSM emblem stands for the three-part Safe, Sane, Consensual

Safe, sane, consensual ( SSC ) and risk-aware consensual kink ( RACK ) are two different concepts within BDSM to ensure consensus between those involved in potentially risky activities and thus to clearly differentiate the practices used from criminal sexual violence. The handling and observance of SSC is both older and more widespread than that of RACK.

SSC

The English "safe, sane, consensual" means "safe, reasonable, consensual". The term comes from the internet subculture of the 1990s.

SSC is also called the basic principle of BDSM, as it describes a moral basis that is largely undisputed in the sadomasochistic subculture . The safety and avoidance of undesirable physical and mental harm is more important than the satisfaction of lust. The boundaries of the sadomasochistic game can be determined between the two partners, and it is clear to both or all participants what they are getting into. This requires intensive discussions about wishes, likes and dislikes as well as extensive information about the medical and psychological risks and dangers. In this ideal way outlined here, potential risks can perhaps be dealt with by permanent partners, but rarely in anonymous casual encounters. Nevertheless, from observations of the scene, it can be stated that SSC is also taken into account as far as possible in anonymous encounters.

Each of the three components of the SSC must be assessed individually; There may well be variations that one judges as unsafe but another as safe. In such a case, whoever found her unsafe would not get involved.

The development of the term SSC is often attributed to the gay leather activist David Stein, who coined it in 1984 for the Gay Male S / M Activists (GMSMA) . For more information on this, see the article Safe Sane Consensual: The Evolution of a Shibboleth , in which Stein states that he developed the term to “... the way I wanted to practice SM from the criminally abusing or neurotic self-destructive kind, which is all too often associated with the term 'sadomasochism'. "

RACK

An alternative model to SSC, which is based primarily on the two factors consensus and individual personal risk assessment , is denoted by the acronym RACK (Risk-aware consensual kink) . The term kink is usually translated with the term BDSM; A kink is, however, a broader term that covers additional aspects that differ from the thinking, feeling, acting and habits of the majority of the population.

RACK is also a moral behavior model for actions and games in the BDSM context. It is in clear contrast to the SSC concept . From the point of view of the RACK practitioners, their concept relies less on criteria that are difficult to grasp and measure and, above all, individually variable criteria such as "reasonableness" and "security". Instead, RACK puts the mutual consent of those involved in the foreground and combines this with the individual risk tolerance of those involved. The emphasis is therefore to a large extent on the personal responsibility of those involved and not on an absolute evaluation of criteria carried out by third parties that do not need to be precisely tailored to individual actions, wishes and situations.

RACK is nowhere near as widespread as SSC. It was created as an alternative model because some BDSM activists could not identify sufficiently with the concept of the SSC.

RACK basics

SSC can initially be viewed as a long-cultivated and established universal constitution of sadomasochistic practices. It often serves as a model and basis for the practice of sadomasochistic practices and the delimitation of criminally relevant violence. The fact that SSC, also in the SSCF extension (here the “F” standing for “fun” is intended to document that the “fun” factor is also taken into account in addition to the three main aspects), but also conceptually falls short and requires an extension, manifests itself From the point of view of the RACK supporters, the following contradictions:

  • Why should something be reprehensible that does not meet an objective requirement for security , but when the playing partners involved agree that they want to practice it anyway?
  • Why should something be reprehensible that does not meet a claim to logical reason , but when the playing partners agree that they want to practice it anyway?
  • If, however, generalized demands on security and reason are to be assumed, who defines and justifies them, since the assessment of such criteria is to a considerable extent subjective?

The dissolution of the contradictions lies in the fact that the only paradigm that exists as a basis for sadomasochistic acts and as a tangible and definable demarcation from legally relevant bodily harm and sexual crimes is consensuality. The "fuzzy" definitions safe and sane (sensible) are subordinate to this principle. It follows that RACK games initially seem less sensible and more dangerous than those based on SSC.

In this context, however, RACK practitioners state that every BDSM practice, every “game” involves physical and psychological risks. The risks depend on each and every one of the parties involved, on the practices used, on the context of the game itself, on possible external influences and numerous other factors. The idea that it is almost impossible to take into account all potential factors in all possible constellations and to protect oneself against the resulting risks leads to the - undoubtedly correct - conclusion that there is always a risk in BDSM activities.

The focus of the RACK behavior model is therefore the awareness of imponderable or even specific risks of all BDSM activities and their general acceptance by those involved. RACK practitioners take the risks consciously and consensually. Frequently, SSC is by no means viewed as a “bad” framework for BDSM games; RACK proponents rather argue that SSC only partially does justice to the reality of life and possibly even suggests an inaccurate feeling of "security"; RACK, on ​​the other hand, should offer a broader, more open and, above all, more realistically realizable basis for BDSM from this point of view.

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  1. ↑ See David Stein: Safe Sane Consensual: The Evolution of a Shibboleth (PDF; 142 kB)