Thread/ stream of consciousness/ possible rant incoming:

I identify as a dominant. I enjoy dominating submissive women.
I think submissive women are amazing.
I do NOT think that women are inherently submissive.
Nor do I think that men are inherently dominant.
1/?

I also firmly believe that 'submissive' does *not* equal 'lesser' or 'weak' or 'second best'
Submissives are as important as any dominant - they matter just as much.
2/?

Submissives can be strong, motivated, dedicated, resourceful, ambitious and independent
Submissives can be leaders. They may have chosen to be a sub in their D/s dynamic but that does not preclude them from having significant leadership roles in other aspects of their lives.
3/?

(Equally if your chosen dynamic is one of total servitude to a dominant, well that's great - the important thing is that it is *your dynamic*, your informed choice to be in and remain in that dynamic. As always, it is what works for you and the person(s) that you are with.)
4/?

The key words are ‘informed choice’. And these choices are very personal, they are distinct to you, just as other people’s choices are distinct to them. There are sensible principles in D/s, such as SSC or RACK, but there is no ‘One True Way’.
5/?

I am very, very wary of any personal ideology or wider belief system - whether political, religious/spiritual, philosophical or otherwise - that says "this type of person is inherently dominant and this type of person is inherently submissive ".
6/?

(As an aside, this explains why I have disagreed on twitter before with people who say things like “blah blah blah a woman who isn’t submissive just hasn’t met the right dominant yet’. And not just because such things are sweeping and inaccurate generalisations.)
7/?

It’s also because they also don’t allow for individual choice. The assumption (at best) or deeply held belief (at worst) is that ‘[all persons of this type] are naturally submissive to [people of this other type].
And this simply isn't true.
8/?

My view (which you of course are free to disagree with) is that if *an individual* chooses to identify as a dominant or submissive or switch or however they wish to define themselves that's great. If *an individual* chooses to enter a D/s dynamic, that's great.
9/?

But any personal belief or wider ideology that extols the dominance of a group of people over another group of people, that's a no-no for me. Partly because that erodes the choices and agency of individuals. It says that there is only one way for people to be.
10/?

Partly because it at best ignores people who don't fit in with the worldview of that ideology. At worst, it can be hostile, whether actively or passively, towards those people who don’t fit in with how that personal worldview or wider ideology says they should be.
11/?

And partly because when such personal beliefs or wider ideologies say that a group of people is inherently dominant and another group is inherently submissive, the subtext is often that the first group is superior to the second group – sometimes this is stated overtly.
12/?

Even when this is not stated overtly, such beliefs or wider ideologies push the idea that the ‘submissive’ group is incapable of doing certain things as well as the ‘dominant’ group or even that they should be discouraged from doing those things.
13/?

D/s can be defined as a negotiated power exchange. It is also very much a personal and individual thing.
Beliefs on who inherently is or isn't submissive go beyond individuals and attempt to say 'this is how the world should be' or how it 'must be.'
14/?

Do such worldviews allow for choice and consent? If we're honest, viewpoints such as, for example, the idea of the 'humbled female' only allow for choices and consent that fit in with that worldview and at best there is an assumption that other choices are wrong.
15/?

This is the idea of the 'One True Way' of D/s. That there is only one 'right way' to do things. In other words, dogma. Absolute values with no room for deviation. 'D/s should be done this way, regardless of how you feel about it'
16/?

So, regardless, there is at best an undercurrent in such worldviews or ideologies that choice is limited. That consent is limited.
Because the default view is that certain people are dominant & certain people are not, and therefore choices & consent should align with that.
17/?

(A MAJOR red flag is when such worldviews/ ideologies combine with words and/or actions to stop a submissive from seeking views from the outside, from consulting other people, other sources of information. if that's happening to you, be very wary and seek help)
18/?

Healthy D/s relationships are founded on informed, consensual negotiations *between equals*. Roles & responsibilities may change once a D/s dynamic has been agreed but when negotiating/ discussing, everyone is equal (google 10 Golden Rules of BDSM Negotiations)
19/?

If someone inherently believes that you are not equal to them, how can negotiations be fair? If 'the natural state of [people like you] is to be submissive' or lesser in some way (or coded terms such as 'different but equal'), that will of course bias negotiations.
20/?

It's a cult-like atmosphere. Where is the open, honest negotiations between equals? Where is the truly informed consent?
21/?

This of course is all my person view. As I said above, there is no 'one true way'. Keep in mind principles such as Safe, Sane & Consensual and Risk-Aware Consensual Kink, and do what is right for you and the person(s) that you are with.
22/?

But be very wary of anyone who says [paraphrased] 'this is the way the world is; this group of people are inherently dominant and this group of people are inherently submissive'. These worldviews allow no room for true choice or truly informed consent.
23/?

Be very wary of any D/s practitioner who says the only source of information is me and any other perspectives are inherently wrong or 'not right for you.'
Think for yourself, question everything - and get answers from multiples sources.
24/?

And always be alert for potential red flags and be wary of people who say they're being caring when actually they're not. If you ever feel unsafe or at risk, get out/seek help.
25/?

PS If you want to confuse people who say 'this group of people are inherently dominant & this group of people are inherently submissive', ask: what about switches? They rarely have a place in such dogma & being a switch is just as valid an expression of D/s as any other!
26/?

I'll stop now. Thank you for reading and if you made it this far, here is a dinosaur mating ritual*

* well, it's a dinosaur something or other.

PPS: people who say 'this group of people are inherently dominant & this group of people are inherently submissive' also tend to view non-kinksters as inferior/boring/repressed etc. And that's crap. Again, it's dismissing choices that don't fit in with their absolutist worldview.

PPPS: here's another dinosaur. Thank you for reading my stream of consciousness.