RACK
RACK’s tenets are best described by a deconstruction of the acronym.
- Risk-Aware: Both or all partners are well-informed of the risks involved in the proposed activity.
- Consensual: In light of those risks, both or all partners have, of sound mind, offered preliminary consent to engage in said activity.
- Kink: Said activity can be classified as alternative sex.
The RACK philosophy comes from that elements consensually agreed upon among some large BDSM community as SSC (generally referred to as “safe, sane and consensual“) are not inherently safe but rather all elements contains risks and that other BDSM communities may consider some of them as edgeplay. [1]
RACK focuses primarily upon awareness and informed consent, rather than accepted safe practices.[2] For example, RACK participants are aware that legal consent often does not create a defence to criminal liability for any injuries caused during edgeplay, and that under English law, non-physical injuries are included in the definition of grievous bodily harm. An SSC person would shy away from such activities as too unsafe.[citation needed] A RACK person, however, would analyze the risk, and decide whether to accept that risk.[citation needed]
There has also been some discussion on the next level of RACK. PRICK (Personal Responsibility Informed Consensual Kink) basically encourages each participant to take responsibility for his/her own actions, as well as being informed (aware of) the risks involved.[3]
History
RACK was coined in reaction to dissatisfaction within the BDSM community regarding the internal and external political issues surrounding the SSC ethos.[4] Gary Switch, in an essay that has circulated among USENET lists, first proposed the term over the mailing list out of a desire to form a more accurate portrayal of the type of play that many engage in.[5]