A ploy by predators?

Question: While Code d' Odalisque sounds nice, I fear it is just a ploy set up by men who are predators looking for submissive women to prey upon. All the nice things the Code says about women might be just a sop to hide the fact that its really all about men treating women as objects.

Answer: Criticism of Code d' Odalisque is always welcome. It is a pity there is not more criticism and scrutiny and open discussion about other areas of the BDSM scene.

Some of the points raised in this question are covered in an earlier post:

http://codeodalisque.blogspot.com/2010/05/status-of-women.html

But a few more specific responses:

*There are certainly predatorary men, creeps, lunatics, women-haters throughout the alternative sex scene. That should be taken as a given. But Code d' Ode is not a clever ploy by such men to find fresh victims. On the contrary, it is a written code that tries to protect submissive females from abuses. In many respects it is stacked heavily in favor of the slave. The public response to Code d' O is telling. More women are interested than males. Guys complain it places too many restrictions upon them.

*No one denies that women (odalisques) are treated as (erotic) objects in Code d' Ode. In fact, that is the point of the game in some ways. An odalisque allows herself to be used as a sexual toy. That's the fun of it. But it is fun for both male and female, because it caters to women who find fulfillment in such a role. It is hard for some people to acknowledge that there are such women, but there are, just as there ereally are women who get thrills from being whipped and subjected to nipple torture. It takes all kinds. And there are real odalisque types. They love being used as sexual objects.

*Consent is the issue. It is of course wrong to treat a woman as an object if she wants otherwise. But if she is fully consenting - indeed eager - then where is the problem? Fact is, most people, a solid 90+% of people, probably don't understand the entire idea of consensual slavery. They can't understand that sane, healthy adults might like to live (or play) like that. But all that demonstrates is the narrowness of the world-view of Mr and Mrs Average.

*Code d' Ode is not for everyone. It is politically incorrect. It is pro-heterosexual in a gay, gay world. It is old fashioned and regards traditional, meek, erotic femininity with a reverence that modern feminists really loath. Yet every day we receive emails from people -mainly females - saying that Code d' Ode is a flavor in alternative lifestyles that they've always dreamed about. It caters to a niche.

*Even if you are not convinced that the motives of Code d' O are pristine, on a sliding scale of evils it is hardly a public menace. The motto is consent - safety - legality. Meanwhile, there are some very dark corners in the alternative sex scene, especially in the harder areas of BDSM play. Code d' Ode is mild by comparison. We receive emails all the time from women who have had bad experiences with "Doms". They see Code d' Ode as a refuge. Many people might find that Code d' Ode is morally ambiguous in terms of their values, but in the bigger picture it is a good thing.