RACK (risk-aware consensual kink) - meaning and definition
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Definition
A kink ethics framework holding that participants should understand and accept the specific risks of what they do, rather than assume any activity is fully safe.
At a glance
- RACK stands for risk-aware consensual kink.
- It was proposed as an alternative to SSC, since no activity is fully safe.
- Informed consent requires knowing and discussing the specific risks.
- Being risk-aware still calls for preparation, limits and a way to stop.
- It accepts that different adults may reasonably make different choices about risk.
In detail
RACK was proposed as an alternative to SSC. Its point is that informed consent requires knowing the risks: people research an activity, discuss what could go wrong and decide together whether and how to proceed.
Being risk-aware is not the same as being careless. RACK still calls for preparation, limits and a way to stop, and it treats some risks as unacceptable. It also recognises that different adults may reasonably make different choices about risk.
In a sentence
- Our group follows RACK, so every workshop starts with what can go wrong.
- RACK doesn't mean anything goes; it means we talk about the risks honestly first.
Where the word comes from
RACK is generally credited to a community writer known as Gary Switch, who proposed it in the late 1990s as an alternative to SSC.
Common questions
Does RACK mean anything goes if you accept the risk?
No. RACK still calls for preparation, limits and a way to stop, and it treats some risks as unacceptable. Its point is that consent is only informed when people understand what could go wrong.