You know what, I'm going to add something else about nuance in terms of enjoying both "SFW" and "NSFW" tickling.
I think we should just say "I enjoy tickling." End of sentence, no clarification or justification or explanation needed. Because in the end, we are still the tickling community. It is just a shame to see there be a split in the community when for the longest time there wasn't one (or it just wasn't as apparent).
Because the truth is, most of us do enjoy it in a variety of ways. Some of us enjoy it platonically with friends and partners while also enjoying it sexually with fantasies and porn. And that’s okay. Some of us only enjoy it platonically/non-sexually while for others it's solely sexual/the only way they can get off. And that’s okay, too.
It is when we see these black-and-white posts of NSFW tickling content being "unwholesome" or "dirty," or how SFW tickling bloggers are "secretly kinky." I do personally believe that people who tend to lean towards the NSFW side of the spectrum have a bit more nuance on the subject because historically those who are labeled as "deviant" tend to understand the different aspects of their identity, or are more open to exploring different aspects.
I am sharing my own experience. I do not agree that all SFW tickle bloggers are "ashamed of their kink" or "secretly kinksters," but I have seen SFW tickle blogs in my notifications who make posts claiming that NSFW tickle bloggers are depraved—and I see them liking NSFW gifsets and NSFW posts. I think those bloggers need to take some time to re-examine some internal biases and prejudices before they are hit with a wave of guilt and shame.
I've made a post about this before as well, and I don’t think all SFW tickle bloggers need to "get over their shame," because some of them don't have shame—some of them genuinely do only enjoy tickling completely non-sexually! (As a sidenote, please don't claim that everyone who enjoys tickling non-sexually is asexual, especially since there are plenty of kinky asexuals.) But I think NSFW bloggers are justified in being upset when so many of these new-age/new-wave SFW tickle blogs are claiming that NSFW bloggers are the bane of their existence and "give the tickling community a bad name."
We will always have a bad name. We will always be seen as strange and off-putting by those who don't understand. And those of us who enjoy it sexually and non-sexually? We will probably even be more ostracized, because it's very possible that if we admit to having a tickle kink/fetish but also enjoying it non-sexually, we will probably rarely be able to enjoy it non-sexually due to the aversion of the potential of arousal. And that is something I need the tickle community as a whole to understand.
It is not an "us vs. them" situation, and hopefully it doesn't become that, and hopefully we can learn to blog and exist in peace and harmony. But there is a lot of prejudice and bias that needs to be examined first. Sometimes it is coming from inside the house. But the more we refuse to acknowledge these prejudices and biases, the less likely we are going to be able to accept each other and ourselves.
Life is about learning. Keep educating yourselves. Signed, a queer and kinky educator. 🤟
