"Tickling is happiness rape" was on a t-shirt

[thedavestop]

And I agree, *excepting those who find it traumatizing. And always get consent.

I would be SO much better off being tickled regularly. I'm 47, a GUY, and I live in a remote area. I suffer from depression and it gets worse knowing I'm not even worth it to "torture" or "abuse."

And it just FEELS Good!

 

[TickleSlaveinTn]

I hate when people use "rape" in any manner except to describe the horrible crime. It cheapens it.

 

[BlueLine7045]

I hate when people use "rape" in any manner except to describe the horrible crime. It cheapens it.

Yeah, I don't like the word. It sounds nasty, looks nasty, and has a very negative/nasty connotation to it. Definitely wouldn't ever wear a tshirt with the word on it nor would I ever attempt any type of tickling with someone wearing that shirt.

 

[duderino84]

Myself and other dating contestants have always found it odd that one of the biggest studios devoted to tickling was called tickle abuse. I can only imagine what reaction "rape" would get. This community has plenty of stigma against it, and it's almost like it's looking too concretely in the mirror to try to make it look any better, so we ignore it.

 

[Maneo]

Rape is not consensual. Not a clever or funny shirt.

 

[BlueLine7045]

Rape is not consensual. Not a clever or funny shirt.

I don't think they were trying to be funny or clever. Many non-fetishists I have talked to genuinely hate tickling and being tickled and definitely consider it on the more... rape-ey non-consensual end of things.

Searching for tickling stuff on the internet half a month ago, I randomly stumbled on a conversation somewhere on an internet forum and all the people on there were talking about how much they hate being tickled and how it's a major no in their relationship, etc. Another example of this in celebrity culture is how Anna Kendrick reportedly broke up with one of her boyfriends after her kept tickling her. That's another issue in itself, but she hates tickling so much, she will break up with someone over it.

This shirt is probably an accurate representation of how many non-fetishists feel.

 

[aberdeen]

And I agree, *excepting those who find it traumatizing. And always get consent.

I would be SO much better off being tickled regularly. I'm 47, a GUY, and I live in a remote area. I suffer from depression and it gets worse knowing I'm not even worth it to "torture" or "abuse."

And it just FEELS Good!

I know there is a tickle 'therapy' clinic in FL I think that at least a year or so seemed to be a legit type of spa or clinic dedicated to ticklers for hire...and even I think had classes for couples wanting t learn techniques etc to enhance their own lifestyle. Any way..here is my point:
There are many ppl on tickle related boards (TMF, Tumblr)..and some on other sites like DeviantArt...many who would enjoy and sometimes it seems 'long for' having regular tickling sessions (as Lee's). I think its bec we live in such a touch starved environment, among other reasons...and that is not necessarily a modern phenomena. From hearing others' accounts on here and Tumblr as to how ppl discovered their tickle fixation (I won't say fetish bec it doesnt automatically involve sex)....many enjoyed some tickling exploration in HighSchool....and acted on it then or later. But back when I was a teen (early 1970's), at least in my urban environment, we didn't 'touch each other' routinely as in tickle play or just wrestling as horseplay etc. So it was somewhat stifling for reg/normal 'touch' experiences.

I was lucky to find some tickling opps in that environment and in college, and the people I met and engaged with enjoyed the experiences. Once one is married, hopefully a couple can satisfy the need for touch in normal marital relationships--and even if a spouse is not 'into tickling', per se....both parties can find ways to have their needs met. But it also seems to be the case that a lot of Lee's are looking for play partners for simple tickling

So seriously....I think the idea of tickle therapy or tickle spas would be a great idea for the general population as well as those of us with the fixation. There are specialty spas for salt and aromatherapy, massage, all types of things....Tickling, especially the gentle grazing method (or even light tickling). acts like an endorphin producing ASMR type of response..calming for the most part. I could see more ppl using the T spa or therapy clinic like ppl now stop for booze regularly. after work. If more ppl indulged in some T therapy/touch therapy...I think we'd have less drug and alcohol abuse, and maybe even reduced violence issues. And (I believe the FL spa does this) you could entertain the desires for more intense sessions for the Lee's that want that! There are already some 'dungeons' that provide that type of service....
But I say lets get it out of the dungeon and into more mainstream experiences....Maybe like everything these days...a subscription plan!

Until then, our touch / tickle therapy needs will have to be met by the occasional episode of random tickling, finding a person willing to be the Lee or the Ler on your own, and / or maybe finding a regular platonic tickle play partner to engage with in some way.

 

[WickedTouch]

I agree with @BlueLine7045. I think it is clever, though, in the sense that it uses an angle of dark humor to catch people's attention, but delivers a message with a much more serious and important meaning. There are a lot of people out there that have had terrible experiences with tickling and it's one of their all time least favorite things. For them, it can be traumatic and scary. I think the shirt is less trying to take away from the seriousness of rape, and more trying to use rape, which most people treat as a serious topic, to raise awareness of how non-consensual tickling is wrong and should be treated seriously.

I get that a lot of people don't like dark humor of this fashion, or might not find it funny. It's not exactly my favorite either, but in order to inject ideas into people's consciousness, strong uncomfortable messaging is sometimes necessary. There are a lot of people that non-consensually tickle others (and I'm not just talking about a quick tickle to test the waters), undoubtedly many from the tickling community. That kind of behavior, aside from just being morally wrong, can lead people to hate what they might otherwise love. A shirt like this might very well make someone second guess their behavior and choices for the better.

I'm not trying to be too extreme on this either. CNC play has its place in our world, as well as implied consent among friends. There's some gray area too, but if you keep going when the other person never wanted it, it's wrong, and this shirt's text reminds the world of that.