So today I remembered something that gave me a bit of perspective on the 'Fetish Matrix' as it's been dubbed, and I've realized why it's probably so full all the time.
Australian senate ballot papers are
notoriously large. There's no write-in candidates or anything; every eligible nominee is on the sheet, there's a fairly low bar for entry, and a preferential voting system combined with up to eight seats up for grabs means everyone thinks they've got a chance. Until recently, to vote in the senate you either had to check one box above that line (in which case that party would distribute your preferences how they want) or you could number
every single box below that line. For context on how big that is, last year's election had somewhere around 115 candidates running for Victoria's senate seats. The system's changed now that you can just go 'I'm done' and stop counting after numbering about 16 boxes, thankfully.
To normal people that ballot was torturous, but if you're politically switched-on, voting below the line became a hilarious series of personal questions and 'would you rather's. Sure, you probably know who's getting those first ten or so spots, and you probably know who you're putting last. But that huge swathe in the middle is where it gets interesting. Do you put the technocrats who want to govern by online polls above or below the party for gamers? Who do you hate less, the climate skeptics or the explicitly anti-immigration party? What do you know about these independents, and what logic will you apply to decide where you put them? It's fucking hilarious, and I recommended it to so many family and friends as a way to cope with the sheet.
And I think that's what's going on with the Fetish Matrix. You know what really gets you going, and you know what absolutely turns you off. But that chunk in the middle is gonna tell you
so much about yourself if you start delving in. Are insect girls really something you'd give a blanket 'yes' to, or are there exceptions? Vore is a straight 'no', but is that because of the mouth, would you perhaps prefer an alternative hole or absorption? How many elements of the sexual experience do you actually enjoy being supersized enough to be described as 'hyper', and to what extent? What is your boner's opinions on World of Warcraft!?
To outsiders the entire exercise seems ridiculous and absurd, and even those looking at it later won't be looking too hard at the middle range. But when you're faced with a big list and asked what you think, it's really fun for some people to just go hog wild and fill the whole fucking thing.
