I have been struggling with how to civilly submit this issue in a public realm without causing even more drama between many of the lifestylers already including Myself.
But I really don't see many ways of presenting this subject in My own words. And I hope that I post a few words from a very respected Historian and Elder of the black and POC old guard realm as input enough to start some form of "hopefully civil" dialog on this subject.
First this article...
From Black Leather in Color 6 11-97
Old Guard New Guard
Copyright Viola Johnson. All rights reserved.
This text may not be reproduced or copied without written permission of the author. (I hope they don't disapprove)
The Sash season has formally ended for the year. 1997 has produced a bumper crop of title-holders of color. The S/M, Leather, Fetish world has acknowledged leatherfolk of color as a viable presence.
I got the chance to talk to two fine sash bearers when my leather family was in New Orleans. The conversation turned to what they were going to do during their title year. One responded that he wanted to reach our to more leather folk of color, but was having trouble finding them. His friend echoed the sentiment. I couldn't help but inquire as to where each of them thought they might find more new converts to our lifestyle. The answers; leather clubs, bars and conferences.
Were these two young men reaching out to "convert the saved"? I think so. Many of the organizations that are now represented in the leather/fetish family are echoing the same concerns." Where do we find our next leather generation".
As leathermen and women of color, that question may be even more important. For too many years there was a noticed absence of non-white faces on the sexually liberated horizon. Although there are many, many more of us than there have ever been before (including clubs and information exchanges that address the needs of non-white leatherfolk) there are not enough new faces being seen.
The sexually free leather adults of the 90's are a very different breed than what my generation was. When I came out into leather I was content to learn by the standards of the previous generation. Don't get me wrong, I am proud to be Old Guard. Their hands on mentoring taught me skills, history, pride and honor. But todays generation isn't playing by Old Guard rules. As a matter of fact, they are making up new rules as they go along.
20 Years ago you came out as a bottom or top under the tutoring eye of a mentor who awarded you your leather stripes. The roles were rigid and unquestioned. This generation says "I can be anything I want that feels good. Top, bottom, switch, bi-sexual, fetishist. Why pigeon hole myself. I want it all." And ALL often means things that we hadn't even thought of.
We dinosaurs, (myself included on occasion) breathe deeply, and back away shaking our heard and wishing for the good old days. When we are asked to instruct, too often our knowledge comes with the condition of "my way or the highway". The result; less and less young leathermen are asking the questions that need to be asked about safety, skills, who they are, and where they came from. Worse, they are not becoming members of the institutions that have been the foundations of the leather lifestyle.
The experiences we so jealously guarded have become main stream. The activities we only did at parties, our new generation is doing on the dance floor. Techniques once only practiced by an accomplished top are now being taught (?) in cyberspace and applied with only the knowledge that comes from books, magazines and chat rooms. There has to be some adjustment here.
The previous generation has an obligation to pass on its knowledge, or those that follow will forever be reinventing the wheel. But if we keep insisting that those who come after us do it our way or not at all we too will become fossilized in the leather version of the Tarpits.
I started this editorial off because I was worried about the next leather generation of color. Tell me readers, have the very people we seek been turned away from our clubs and contests because we are viewed as inflexible? Do those of us with knowledge and history to pass on (and that's damned near all of us with 7 or more years of experience) take our toys and go home because "We just don't understand THEM". Is it that the New Guard is right under our nose and we are too unyielding and self possessed to realize that these new kids really have some good ideas, they just need someone who will reach out and offer a little guidance.
We dinosaurs have to realize that the New Guard is Here To Stay. We better realize it soon or there is a chance that "The Scene" as we know it WON'T BE.
Copyright Viola Johnson. All rights reserved. This text may not be reproduced or copied without written permission of the author.
...
I respect this woman like I respect My mother!
I have met her and enjoyed her library and her tour of her private collection of black erotic history and her hugs!
And although I am not of the Old Guard Leather legacy, I wish to respect what I can of what it was and what it has become.
But here is the issue...
Many of the people who now claim to bare the responsibility to carry the history into the future of what many of us wish to call these lifestyles are NOT painting a very respectable image of elders and trained craftsmen and women of this type of lifestyle to many of the NEW GENERATION.
blank stare
And much of their history that has been passed on with pride is now being with held from many of us who only see the actions and attitudes of many others who treat that lifestyle as a permission to judge others and talk down to other newbies for the sake of being considered elite and even cliquish.
Now I know that some of yall will consider this a insult, but let's keep it real here.
What are you really doing to show and prove that your history is worth the respect you demand over others who don't know who your are or why you feel the need to treat everyone else as kids or pawns to be played with for your own selfish indulgence.
Who are you to think you are really impressing while so many new generations of black and POC newbies are finding the need to shun many of you for the need of their own safety and sanity within these lifestyles?
I have watched many of us newbies watch many of you fight and bicker over who should be the king or queen of a empire that is suffering at your own hands as you blame many of us for not feeling your type of respect for who we are that is not like many of you.
We all don't have to like each other, but we should respect each other more than we are being treated with the common respect for what these lifestyles should be respected as to all of us and not to a few of you who have grown older and bitter as to the image of these new generations in these lifestyles who do not respect much of anything or anyone as they enter this realm of adult lifestyles.
So I leave many of you with the quote:
Don't blame the messenger...
wicked grin
"When the message is being lost in translation and the lack of respectable examples from our elders who seem to not be concerned for the future of these lifestyles over their own personal personality conflicts with the youth."
Each one teach one is not cutting it. And if it takes a village to raise a child? Then the kinky community at large is NOT doing a very good job raising better and more respectable kinky children.
And that is a damned shame, but a reality that many of us of the next generation of kinky blacks and POCs as well as everyone else have to face with many of you who seem to be just fine with watching so many of us miss out on what this lifestyle was taught to many of you older lifestyle people.
And that's where My head is at right now.
Wondering when We will see any of you step up and do more tha bitch about who should not talk to who while you try to enjoy what many of you have left as what you had more of before you was given the so called torch of enlightenment.
respect
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