RACK And SSC in BDSM
BDSM is a world full of kinks and sexual experiences that from the outside might appear unusual. To those who have taken the time to try it and learn about the community, most have found it to be enjoyable and pleasurable. Part of enjoying BDSM is learning about the community. You should also be thoroughly educated in terms, practices, and safety relating to the practice.
Today we are going to talk about two very important terms in the BDSM world. These terms are RACK and SSC. Both of them have to do with safety. RACK stands for Risk Aware Consensual Kink and SSC is Safe, Sane, Consensual.
RACK – Risk Aware Consensual Kink
Risk Aware Consensual Kink tends to be associated with the riskier parts of the BDSM world. It comes to light when people enter any BDSM scene that might be considered to be risky. Every person has a different level of risk that they are willing to accept and some people even define risk separately, and as such it is important you talk beforehand.
The main purpose of RACK is to identify and know when you are participating in scenes that are more likely to result in something going wrong. Suspension bondage, knife play, and breath control are just a few examples of riskier BDSM practices.
Let's take a look at each part of the term RACK.
Risk-Aware means that all partners are aware of anything that could potentially happen from BDSM activities that you participate in.
Consensual refers to the fact that everyone who is participating needs to agree to doing the activities. In other words, they need to consent to it.
Kink is the cornerstone of the BDSM world. Kinks are the activities such as spanking or knife play that people enjoy. The little likes they have.
What makes RACK so different is that it is near impossible, or impossible, to control the potential dangers. For some people this is what attracts them to these kinks. No matter how experienced you are, or how eager you are, you should always be aware of the risks and consent to the risks.
SSC – Safe, Sane, Consensual
On the opposing hand to RACK is SSC, Safe, Sane, Consensual. This is where the safer sides of BDSM come in. While they might be considered unusual by some people you are unlikely to have any side effects.
Simple BDSM activities such as light bondage, spanking, and dress up count as SSC activities. There are plenty of other kinks that fall under the SSC category.
Safe bondage activities that fall into SSC are also those that can be controlled and may not be safe by themselves. For example, complete bondage or suspension bondage can be risky. But when you have shears, and plan it out thoroughly, you are reducing or eliminating risk.
Just because there is near no risk and SSC is considered to be safe, that doesn't mean you should go into it without educating yourself. No activity is safe if you aren't prepared. It also still needs to be consensual. Let's break it down even further to each term.
Safe implies that you have looked for any potential problem and taken steps to minimize or eliminate risks to you.
Sane means that you should only do BDSM activities when you are clear of mind and sane. That means while not intoxicated or feeling crazy.
In this case, consensual means the same thing as it did in RACK. The only activities you should perform are those that your partner has agreed to.
There are a lot of terms in the BDSM world but almost all of them fall into the category of RACK or SSC. These two terms are cornerstone to practicing and categorizing the different acts that you will try. Safety is important, so categorizing the safety of your activities will help you to be prepared.
Want to start BDSM? We highly encourage you to look into the world of kink. The community is welcoming and while there is a lot to learn, there is even more to enjoy. By reading this article you will have already started your research into the world of BDSM, there won't be long until you are ready to have fun!