I actually liked Mobius's response the best.

Every time a women laments how their guy doesn't pick up on their hints, I just want to reach through the screen and shake them! Guys, especially vanilla guys, usually don't even notice hints -- about anything, not just kinky sex. (Theoretically a Dom/Master would be more sensitive to nuance, but don't bet on it.) If there's something you want, you have to turn off the TV, take away his newspaper, stand directly in front of him and tell him. Guys don't read minds, and it isn't fair to expect us to.

On a lighter note, I got a good giggle out of SirW's "...(trying to assert their submissive self)...". It's a true statement, but pretty incongruous.