Fetish: Generations

This entry has been a work in progress for a long time, as I keep wanting to find enough information on the generational differences to make some generalizations on how these differences could be applied to fetish. My thoughtstreams are all over the place in this one, apologies for that. If you have anything to contribute to this discussion, please comment! I'd appreciate any feedback or input.
I've been doing some work studies about the characteristics of the different generations, how they were shaped by the global events going on around them and how businesses are adapting work culture today to address the issues and desires of the generations after the Baby Boomers.

Of course, this got me thinking about how it seems certain age groups of gay men seem to be deeply engrossed in fetishism while others appear to not have these characteristics. Also, certain generations approach fetishism in different ways. I find the gap between the pre-Internet generations and post-Internet generations very interesting. You can just imagine how worldviews between the two groups are shaped -- most of us born in the pre-Internet era, growing up and discovering our kinky side generally felt pretty solitary, even lonely. I did for sure. This shaped how we view our kinky side (shame vs. pride, radical vs. conventional).

For the longest time, I thought I was the only one who loved rubber, breathcontrol and various latex, lycra and nylon 'activities'. I mean, who would be so mentally depraved to be sexually aroused by this stuff like I was? Lo and behold, the Internet opened up a whole realm of possibilities to me. My worldview was completely shaken by the sheer number of people that were getting off on the same things as me! My worldview needed to be reshaped to realize that. The post-Internet generations grow up with this understanding already commonly known. They don't have nearly the amount of hangups or shame of what they like to do; they know that lots of other people are doing it as well! For that, I see the post-Internet generations being very fortunate for something they probably don't even think about that much.

I think the younger generations are also more prone towards extremism. It comes naturally to us....you get to a certain level of stimulation, and you want to know if you can take it just a little higher. As we become less significant in the world, people also find ways to distinguish themselves 'from the crowd' in extreme physical and behavioural ways. Recognition by individualism. The cultural explosion of tattooing, fetishes, everyone getting 5 seconds of fame on YouTube. All symptomatic. It's all so fascinating.

Could part of it be the generation they were born into? I'm not going to make sweeping stereotypes of people born between year x and year y; that's just stupid. But do you think some of that study into reward and cultural systems that businesses are taking very seriously in order to attract and retain good talent could be applied to how we approach kink and fetish?

Baby Boomers:
Key characteristics: experimental, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented

Generation X:
Key characteristics: quest for emotional security, independent, informality, entrepreneurial, less optimistic, pragmatic, general cynicism

Generation Y (Millenials):
Key characteristics: quest for physical security and safety, heightened fears, acceptance of change, technically savvy, environmental issues

I hear from many gay volunteer groups that it is getting more and more difficult to retain members -- it seems that most of the Gen Xers like affiliation and face-to-face contact with people due to the fact they remember what it was like to feel vulnerable and alone, while Gen Yers are more comfortable communicating with people remotely and therefore have less justification to join social clubs that define them by their sexuality when for their entire lives their sexuality has been a relative non-issue in general society.

This might also apply to fetish-oriented socialization. Many people think that fetishism is only appropriate behind closed doors while others think by displaying it publically, people are exposed to the variations of human behaviour that are out there and this results in more open-minded discussion, behaviour and policy. As the doors of the 'fetish closet' continue to open wider and sexuality is less and less of a taboo subject for open, frank discussion (especially gay sexuality), maybe someday fetishism will be normalized to the point that the generations growing up at that point in time will consider fetishes more another expression of personality and less as aberration or imperfection that needs to be cleaned out of the system?