The sexual practices known as BDSM made popular by Fifty Shades of Grey, has been confused by some with the BDS boycott against Israel movement.
Campuses across the country are dealing with an unexpected side effect of the popularity of the film, Fifty Shades of Grey. Stimulated by the film to explore their newfound interest in alternative relationships, many students have been looking to attend events and join groups related to the practice of bondage/domination/sadism/masochism, more commonly known by the acronym BDSM.
At the same time, more and more students are getting caught up — in support of and opposition to — the movement to get colleges and other institutions to divest from, boycott and sanction Israeli companies, known as the BDS movement.
As a result of the similarity in acronyms, meetings originally dedicated to proper usage of restraints and employment of safe words have been subject to demonstrations against checkpoints and SodaStream while gatherings to plan pro-Israel and anti-Israel initiatives have been derailed by attendees asking about the relevance of the protesters’ efforts to the principles of sadism and masochism.
To clear up the confusion and make sure that everyone has the chance to be where they want to be, an informal series of symposia titled “Fifty Shades of Grey Areas” will be offered at campuses across the country.
*This article is part of the Exponent's Purim shpiel edition.
