It's been said but bears repeating: one of the greatest benefits of the Internet is that it lets people - in the loosest sense of the word - make a public spectacle of their dysfunctions. Ten years ago, this mild-mannered group of investment bankers would have passed anonymously through the turbo-powered tedium of their so-called lives, and the rest of the world would never have known about their little rubber-pant soirées. Thanks to technology, the rest of us can discover entire subcultures of village idiots who describe their private lives with acronyms.

... and we might otherwise have made the mistake
of taking them seriously.

I've never heard a person proudly proclaim their sexual incompetence, nor noticed a personal ad that read "I can only satisfy someone if they let me tie them up and beat them" - but what else do they hope to communicate by dressing up in bargain basement Renaissance fair leftovers, and then posting snapshots to a public forum? What possible benefit could someone expect to reap from posting their account of the night they called over two friends and bought a hooker who "made" them lick the urine off her feet?

And by the way - is it required
for "Masters" to have beer bellies?

And though I've tried to understand it, I really can't see the thrill in being humiliated and treated like an animal. Granted, I've never paid anyone to do it, but there are plenty of people who've abused and disgraced me for free, even when I didn't ask or expect them to - just posted an innocent question to USENET or sent someone an e-mail. Granted, it's nothing so outré as being strapped to a rack and force-fed feces, but more is not always better.