Moral Views of Tie Up Games in The Past

[Mask6190]

For a while, I've been reading stories on this site, the old site, and even the old dreambooks on the Web Archive. The stories I seem to go back to have a common theme:

- They take place around the 1950s (most likely in America),
- The girls and women willingly played.

This has me wondering what was the moral view of tie up games like in the past. To me, it seems like that girls and women more willingly played because of the gender role as being the damsel in distress on TV shows, movies, comics, and books. However, I'm a bit skeptical since such treatment of women could be considered unacceptable in the public eye.

Any thoughts on this? I would like to hear other's opinions, especially those who have lived back then, or close to back then?

[drawscore]

I think sexuality was, more or less, "kept in the closet" back then. Yeah, there were adult bookstores in the seedier parts of town, where you could buy magazines like "Bound Beauties," which were a lot more sexually oriented than Playboy, or even Hustler. Some of it was really raunchy, like photos of women bent over, spread eagled, and being "serviced" by a donkey. I've heard that such "performances" are done live, on stage. just over the border from San Diego.

In the mainstream, I don't think morality was much of an issue. Going back to TV programming of that era, westerns dominated the ratings. Eight of the top ten shows were westerns, and there were countless others that were aimed at kids. "Rin Tin Tin," "Fury," "Annie Oakley," "Brave Eagle," "My Friend Flicka," and others. Somebody, usually a kid, was always getting tied up, and no one batted an eye.

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[Mask6190]

I think sexuality was, more or less, "kept in the closet" back then. Yeah, there were adult bookstores in the seedier parts of town, where you could buy magazines like "Bound Beauties," which were a lot more sexually oriented than Playboy, or even Hustler. Some of it was really raunchy, like photos of women bent over, spread eagled, and being "serviced" by a donkey. I've heard that such "performances" are done live, on stage. just over the border from San Diego.

Drawscore

Makes sense. The morality about sex back then was more "Puritan", and such views on sex would simply be kept in the bedroom.

In the mainstream, I don't think morality was much of an issue. Going back to TV programming of that era, westerns dominated the ratings. Eight of the top ten shows were westerns, and there were countless others that were aimed at kids. "Rin Tin Tin," "Fury," "Annie Oakley," "Brave Eagle," "My Friend Flicka," and others. Somebody, usually a kid, was always getting tied up, and no one batted an eye.

Drawscore

This is where I'm raising the question mark. I agree that no one raised an eye on the damsel in distress being tied up in the media, even if it's a kid. Where I'm skeptical is when the kids play games such as "Cowboys and Indians", and have another girl or woman tied up as part of the game. Now I do believe there were kids back then playing such games and other girls and their Moms did not object, but how common is that, and were these games played on a daily basis?

[Elusive_Lady]

I agree that no one raised an eye on the damsel in distress being tied up in the media, even if it's a kid. Where I'm skeptical is when the kids play games such as "Cowboys and Indians", and have another girl or woman tied up as part of the game. Now I do believe there were kids back then playing such games and other girls and their Moms did not object, but how common is that, and were these games played on a daily basis?

I don't know about a "daily" basis, but I'm pretty sure it was frequent. Someone said, westerns on TV at the time dominated programming, and kids imitated heroic cowboys. Kids got tied up playing, and I doubt anyone saw it as sketchy. Kids just playing. If girls were playing with the boys, then certainly they might well play a damsel in distress.

[drawscore]

This is where I'm raising the question mark. I agree that no one raised an eye on the damsel in distress being tied up in the media, even if it's a kid. Where I'm skeptical is when the kids play games such as "Cowboys and Indians", and have another girl or woman tied up as part of the game. Now I do believe there were kids back then playing such games and other girls and their Moms did not object, but how common is that, and were these games played on a daily basis?

I'd guess a lot of it depended on how many kids, what "facilities" were available, and a consensus of what most wanted to do. "Let's go swimming'." "let's play ball," "let's go to the woods, and play "Indians on the warpath," or "cowboys and Indians." Abandoned houses and ghost towns always had a certain fascination for 8-15year olds, and more than once, they were used as "hideouts" for "kidnappers," "crooks." or as "ambush sites." Imagination was a wonderful thing. "The theater of the mind."

As for the adults, they mostly ignored it, remembering back to their own youth in the 30's and 40's, before TV was commonplace, The Saturday matinee was the big thing, with a newsreel, a chapter of a 12-15 part serial (Batman, Superman, Space Cadets, Flash Gordon, Red Ryder, The Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, etc.) and what was called a "B Feature," usually 1:15 - 1:30 long

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[Kyle]

I think there's a couple of things to keep in mind. Kids were allowed to play on their own and ran around outside a lot more in those days without adult supervision. My own parents, who were not quite born in the 50s, told many stories that are alien to me just 25 years later because they hardly let me out of the yard. My mom would've lost her mind if I'd tried to wander off like she talked about doing herself as a kid. So it was probably easier to get away with something like tying up other kids back then. From what I've heard, most parents wanted their kids to go outside, and so long as no one was in any real danger, kids were often left to themselves.

And as pointed out, westerns definitely had an influence. Plus in those days, classic tales of heroes/villains/damsels in distress were still popular. Comic books and cartoons also had a lot of those storylines and most people probably didn't think much of it. Obviously those stories still exist, but for better or worse, they tend to be a lot more heavily scrutinized today. Many of the games I played as a kid were influenced by TV shows or occasionally, books.

I seriously doubt anyone played these games on a daily basis. Most kids get bored doing the same thing over and over. It probably happened a few times, with maybe some kids doing it more often.

[drgoremd]

Keep in mind that because some people sexually fetishize something doesn't mean that thing is in and of itself sexual or that people view it that way.

It's a bit like asking why Catholic schoolgirls in the 1950s were so comfortable wearing uniforms that many people have a sexual fetish about. It's because they didn't think of normal articles of clothing as something sexual. Most people who participated in tie up games as children didn't do so because it was sexually thrilling for them, it was just a way of acting out the adventures they saw in movies and tv or read about in books. In fact children's literature from the 30s - 50s were chock full of bondage with young budding detectives or adventurers tied and gagged and facing an uncertain fate.

So it really wasn't an issue of morals, it was just seen as a normal part of children's play.

[Mask6190]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

It seems such tie up games did happen with little objection because kids just like to imagine and act out what they saw on TV and in the movies, and what they read in books and comics. It also makes sense that it's not as frequent because they get bored doing the same thing over and over.

[Trammel]

All good thoughts. I would add that today it seems people think there is abuse or a predator around every corner. It's more difficult to play innocent games today because people seem to want to assume you are a predator or a pervert. Sad we have fallen so far.

[leconteur]

All good thoughts. I would add that today it seems people think there is abuse or a predator around every corner. It's more difficult to play innocent games today because people seem to want to assume you are a predator or a pervert. Sad we have fallen so far.

It is a shame because play is incredibly important for social beings. We usually pick up on red flags in certain behavioral patterns in the course of play in ways we simply would not otherwise. For instance we would make a mental note about the individual who uses the opportunity of someone being tied to mistreat them or refuses to let them out when they're obviously terrified. We also note the friend who takes the sometimes unpopular stance of respecting people's wishes and stands up for the vulnerable when they're being bullied. Unstructured play is very important.