I understand what you're saying and my use of the word punters was not directed at those who perform genuinely consensual 'good practice' in this part of their lives but rather those who turned up, knew the specific reality of this situation and still decided to carry on. And maybe that the reality in fact enhanced the experience. These same people, as I suppose is the case with any crime, will now be claiming that they were misled or didn't know the truth.
The problem is that CNC and Rape Fantasy are essentially two different things. CNC is a term you usually only find with people who dilligently research this stuff and take great pains to make sure everything is done properly, consented to and thoroughly documented, while also practicing it very responsibly, with a plethora of safewords, check-points, and other safety measures.
However, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and there are plenty of amateurs who just read a few pages on FetLife and '
think' they know what they're doing.
These are the same people who watch a couple of Shibari harness videos on YouTube and set about lashing their rope bunnies up with no understanding of nerve placement or rigging safety, ending up paralysing their bunnies by accident.
Lower down, you have the ones who are just starting out and try to run before they can walk only because they had no idea there was so much to learn before even tying your first single-column or a Sommereville Bowline.
Then you have the fantasists, who have read and know nothing beyond the mere existence of the fantasy, or who have seen some porn videos and think that's all there is to it. They assume everything is consensual, because it always is in these videos, right?
Unless you're heavily into CNC itself, as described above, you have only that little knowledge and it's very easy to be convinced by someone who appears to know more than you.
Plenty of newbies have fallen victim to people like ^this, even in places like FetLife... and arguably more so, as the place is reknowned as a breeding/stalking ground for such unscrupulous predators. Whether it's Professional Doms/Dommes, experienced riggers, reputable breath-players, or complimentary CNCers, there are plenty of fake people out there ready to misuse and abuse your faith in them.
Most people who actually take it from a mere fantasy to something they actually get involved with (from either side of the play-act) are in the naive categories.
But regardless of how naive, uninformed, lied-to or misled they were,
they still did the crime.
Having thought about it, it is a difficult one and I can't really come to a clear opinion on it. I'm torn between thinking that anyone who wants a consensual rape might have their own psychological issues, whilst understanding that people should be free to explore that side of their lives (with others), in a way that genuinely doesn't harm anyone.
CNC for most 'victims' is just another manifestation of the whole Dom/sub dynamic. Some like the psychological side, others prefer the physical, and all sorts exist between.
For some, it's an issue. For others, it's a way of addressing or coping with those issues. For others still, it's just what they're into and not an issue at all.
They should be free to explore and decide, but also free to extract themselves immediately, while also being free from any dangers that they did not invite.
