The latest poll asked the big question "What purpose(s) do leather contests serve?"
First, the facts: there were 140 respondents to the poll. This may seem like a small sample but it is important to consider that nationwide polls attempting to account for the full population often will have a sample on the order of 2000 responses. 140 responses is a very healthy sample set for casual polling.
Each respondent could select up to three choices.
The results, in order by popularity:
- Gather the Tribe (53.6%)
- Dress Up/Show Off (30.0%)
- Honor Our Heritage (27.9%)
- Create Leaders (24.3%)
- Fundraising (23.6%)
- Pump Up Egos (22.9%)
- Build Bridges (16.4%)
- Bring in Newbies (15.7%)
- Support Businesses (11.4%)
- No Purpose (10.0%)
There are a few possible explanations for why people would only select two options:
- The options are broad enough in nature that selecting more than two dilutes the meaning of the response (for example: what are your favorite colors? a response of red, yellow, and blue doesn't provide a deep sense of what the response is supposed to mean other than convey a general sense of 'I like primary colors').
- The options are specific enough (possibly too specific, relative to the nature of the question) that only a few appeal to respondents (for instance in response to the question 'Which is/are the best state(s)' having a list of 10 states) The question doesn't say on what basis to decide what's meant by best and there are 40 possibilities that are not allowed as responses.
- The number of options available is small enough and the number selectable is large enough that the value of each further selection feels less useful (for instance, selecting 3 out of 25 items is discriminating and gives a sense of thoughtfulness whereas select 3 out 5 items feels nearly random. The chance of randomly selecting those same 3 items out of 25 is extremely low. The odds of picking the same 3 out of 5 randomly is actually 10%. This is somewhat counter-intuitive as a reason for picking fewer items, but may be a contributing factor nonetheless.
On to the choices themselves:
One thing stands out. There is a general consensus (more than half of all respondents) that a significant reason for our contests is to provide a gathering place.
Our contests (with all the associated activities) can still only be experienced in real time in the real world. This ability to meet a large number of members of the community in one place at one time seems to resonate strongly with the readers of Leatherati. Contests are an event, like a holiday that encourages a degree of anticipation. The bigger the contest, the greater the degree of buildup. The emotional tension for the contest itself, but more so the opportunity to see, talk to, hold, and physically cruise people that we've been admiring from afar resonates with us at a very visceral level. That passion is hard (if not impossible) to recreate online, so this remains a valuable purpose for our contests even as the internet has grown up around them.
What else can we gather from the phrase 'Gather the tribe' and its clear separation from the other options? Perhaps, that there is a recognition that we are a dispersed people, that we live our lives feeling that distance from one another, and that those events when we can come together is a reinvigorating and vitalizing opportunity. At our contests we have the opportunity to chat over drinks ideas for how to play new fetish toys, talk about the crowd, life with people that we feel a compatibility with. Most of the members of the kink community spend their entire life surrounded by people they cannot share any of their desires or experiences with. Being face to face at a contest offers us the opportunity to share 'war stories' or create new ones in an environment where we can be more comfortable experimenting or simply being the 'us' that we want to be.
Given all the motives behind the expression 'Gather the Tribe' the second highest response of 'Dress Up/Show Off' is not terribly surprising. It's one thing to spend time on line chatting, taking dirty, having a hot jackoff now and again. And, we spend time in our local communities contributing to causes, working, dealing with ordinary life. Our contests offer an escape. Most who travel to a regional or national contest aren't bringing their work with them - it's an opportunity to play hard with new players, to play harder with distant friends, to make an impression. There is something to be said for getting out of one's usual space. Even at a local contest, there is a sense of preening, even for those not competing, putting their best game out there, knowing that there are likely to be new people out and about.
The very same forces that attract us together as a tribe for our contests drive us to push ourselves to stand out. We know that our contests are a mating ground, so we fluff our feathers (proverbially) and our floggers (literally) and make a very deliberate effort to make an impression on those around us.
Still more than one in four thought that our contests serve to honor our heritage. That certainly is exemplified in the continuity that they offer Even as we sit in a proliferation of new contests which serve the two primary roles offered above, we have no small number of contests which have been offered for, at this point, decades. With each year, we add a layer of history, a sense of where our community is at, and where we want it to go. Our contestants work to verse themselves in the legend, lore, and life that has gone before them. That simple process of having hundreds of men and women making a concerted effort to understand those who stood before them so as to fare better before judges, interviews, and novices alike, leaves them all as not just carriers of those traditions, but in a position to help those traditions evolve by adding their own person experience. This is a role served by both our clubs and our contests. But, the key difference is that each individual club has a separate consideration for its own traditions, whereas there is a general impetus for contestants to understand the bigger picture, the history of the leather community at a grander scale.
The range of elements in the middle is interesting primarily in that it splits into two levels: 'Create Leaders', 'Fundraising', and 'Pump Up Egos' with between 20 and 25% support and then a drop to the next two ('Build Bridges', 'Bring in Newbies'), another drop and the final two ('Support Businesses' and 'No Purpose').
What I gather from this information is that is that there isn't any consistency as to the value of contests with regard to these items. Only a few people become standout leader, and likewise a few people get their ego stroked, and generally fundraising is not presented as a significant aspect of contests (often ancillary).
But, it appears that there's a certain degree of agreement that while contests may in fact be an entry point for newbies, they aren't intended to serve that role. We don't generally take specific steps to gear the most visible contests to those who are inexperienced. There are other events (frequently not built around a contest) which are more educationally oriented. Likewise, which there may be overtures made to connect with a wider community, most contests are notable for being geared to a very specific community or subcommunity and as such the perception is that they are more oriented toward preserving the unique qualities of that subculture as opposed to embracing the differentness of other groups. There are certainly those events which make a deliberate attempt to step outside their comfort zone, but I think that's the exception.
The last two items tell a story of their own. That Supporting Business fell so far down the list to me indicates an expectation that contests not be commercial affairs. This is interesting given the extent to which producers endeavor to have commercial business serve as sponsors; the effort involved in putting together vendor markets. Perhaps the message is that in the age of the internet, attendees to contests no longer need the events to find the gear. They can do a simple search and order a leather vest from 3000 miles away as readily as from 30. Not that long ago, contests were a venue at which people would find a new toy or tailor; discover some new kink being displayed as part of a demo scene. This is an area that I feel challenged to analyze. I've seen vendors decide not to show, other new ones appear, old ones come back... I'm not sure whether the nature of purchases at contests has changed. My suspicion is that the urgency to 'buy now' has decreased, that there is more buying going on in advance of major contests rather than as a result of the contests. And for regional events, I'm not sure of any impact either way. But, there is a cost and significant energy involved in showing at a contest. If the motivation for making major purchases at a contest wanes, it will become ever easier for a vendor to simply go and attend the event and show off their toys by playing with them rather than trying to sell them. It becomes a vastly less expensive prospect and they are better able to enjoy the event. This is all supposition, but to my mind it's a thought process that underlies the lack of support for 'Supporting Business' as a motive for contests.
The last point is a very reassuring one to me. That only (1 in 10) selected 'No Purpose' indicates that there is overwhelming support for contests and that whatever purposes they actually do serve, they are worthwhile ones and that we are a richer community for them.
What would I say to a producer as a result of this survey? I would say a) don't focus too much on getting a vendor fair together, perhaps ask vendors to supply some singular interesting item to show off; b) make sure there is ample free time for people to socialize without feeling like they are 'missing something'; c) provide an opportunity for serious, formal, best-behavior gathering; d) look for ways to have an ongoing tradition specifically associated with your event which provides a sense of continuity and heritage.
Our contests continue to be a vital part of our community, offering a wide array of motives for participation and production. They are a gauge by which we can measure a communities degree of continuity and integration with the greater environment. They offer an unparalleled environment in which to meet people face-to-face from outside our home turf.
Some questions I would ask of people reading this analysis:
- Do you shop at contest vendor markets? What makes you open your wallet?
- Do you see value in finding a way to integrate the real-world experience of a contest with the convenience of online internet interaction?
- Do you treat going to a contest like a vacation? If so, what do you do outside the scheduled activities of the event?
- How often do you buy something new to take to a contest?
That's me, Alex Lindsay, American Leatherman 2009, On The Spot, for Leatherati.com.
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