What Is a Master?

Yeshua Avraham, a member of the “Free the Kink” Facebook group, posted this double question: “What is your concept of a master? What is your concept of a slave?.” There were a dozen answers, which indicates this is an important topic for people involved in a power dynamic.

Master and slave, as well as the power dynamic, are some of the most frequently misunderstood BDSM terms. That’s why it is important to keep discussing them and educating other people about them.

Many of the people who commented simply offered synonyms without elaborating further. For example, they said master and slave refer to the owner and their property. Or they used other words, like the free and the collared, the responsible and the obedient. Now, this is okay among people who already have basic knowledge about what a power dynamic is. However, it is not very helpful for people who are still struggling to grasp these concepts.

Other people offered longer explanations, which can be more useful for someone unfamiliar with these ideas. For example, member Pixi Precious wrote: “My concept of a master is a person who is able to control another person with the same level of control he has over himself. So, the more in control of himself he is, the better master he becomes”. This contributes some interesting insight as to what exactly a master is within a power dynamic.

Other comments also emphasized the responsibility that comes with the role of master. This is important because, for many people without sufficient knowledge, a master-slave relationship can seem like a disguised form of abuse.

Another important detail is that the concept of a slave is not as clear as that of a master. This is an ongoing debate within the BDSM community. And it is a healthy discussion all practitioners should have with their partners.

You can find the original post in the “Free the Kink” Facebook group.