TOLEDO, OHIO
Darren Marks, 43, says he is “sick and tired of all these ‘new people’ coming into the lifestyle” and longs for the time when things were different.
According to Marks, there was a substantial period of time when the lifestyle consisted only of seasoned veterans and hardcore players.
“When I started out, we didn’t have any ‘new people’ or ‘newbies’ or whatever you call it,” Marks told The Daily Flogger. “In my day, you came in with experience or you weren’t allowed in. We didn’t have novices or people looking to learn and we certainly didn’t believe in education.”
While some were quick to point out the incoherence and lack of logic in Mark’s position, many agreed. Karen Coombs, 41, says she remembers a time when “being new just meant you came from some other place, not that you didn’t know anything.”
“I think that is what Old Guard means,” Master Chevy Hanks, 53, explained. “It means you knew everything already and nobody had to teach you nothing. That is why I am Old Guard. We also call it ‘classically trained,’ meaning you just know stuff because you are just smart like that.”
While the three more experienced leather veterans didn’t necessarily agree on what constituted “Old Guard,” they were united in their belief that “all of these new people are ruining everything.” Coombs summarized the groups sentiments, “It was better in the past, like it always is.”
Photo credit: A Currell CC: NC
