Why is spanking taboo?

I've seen numerous surveys which indicate that a high percentage of women are interested in spanking. Most of these surveys come from magazines like Cosmopolitan. They poll their readers anonymously and always come up with the same results: women want to be overpowered by a strong man. I'm sure the reverse is true for men. I'd have to admit that physically dominating a woman in a positive way does give me a rush that I cannot quite explain. It probably goes back to some primitive instinct that's still unconsciously with us.

This could connect with our childhood notions of spanking. The weaker child is overpowered by the stronger authority figure (I'm only talking about discipline here—not child abuse). The authority figure demonstrates that s/he cares for the child by administering discipline.

Okay, cool. I can understand all that.

Let's assume these surveys are true and a high percentage of women like to be spanked. And I think it's fair to assume that men enjoy feeling powerful, especially around women. Spanking seems like the perfect answer. So why aren't there more spankos out there?

Perhaps it's just me, but it really seems like there are few people who are truly into spanking. I know more than a few women and men who openly admit they have fetishes. However they're all into bdsm—all of them. I have far more 'vanilla' types who would never admit to having any fetishes. These are the people who read Cosmopolitan. So what's going on here? Do I only know the people who answer “no” to these spanking surveys? Or do they not want to admit they enjoy a good spanking?

Perhaps it's our culture today. The civil rights movement propelled us forward to a new era. Women are no longer subservient to men—they are equal (at least they're supposed to be, but that's another topic of discussion). Men are in a different age as well. We're no longer the brutes that we we were in the past. Striking a woman is wrong, and men who do so are scorned by society.

This is the now the norm. Women are respected equals, and men do not hit women. Anyone who goes against this norm is a deviant, a weirdo. Of course this is a good thing. Women should be equal to men in every respect. Men should never hit women. Women should never hit me. Violence isn't a good thing. These are the standards of society. I think it's with these same standards that our society views spanking. That is quite saddening to me since that couldn't be further from the truth.

Spanking is not equal to violence. Yes, it causes pain—but there's nothing wrong with pain in this respect. We are physical creatures, and pain is just another part of the physical experience.

Spanking is a positive way of administering discipline. It creates a strong emotional bond between spanker and spankee. It's a way to show someone they're cared for. It's a way to help them let go and reach a state of physical serenity. Is that really a bad thing?