Are you suggesting that relationships are complicated? And that the distinction between bad Dom/good Dom is not as black and white as everyone would like to suggest? Quelle revelation!
Something like that...lol Perhaps to put it even more simply, relationships are just different. People are different. Not all subs are precious little buds just waiting to bloom, and sometimes all it takes to be a Dom is six bucks and a hard pack of Black Diamonds. And Hell, that may even be all it takes to be a pretty decent Dom.

I know, I know, that kinda' kills the romance of it all but there ya' go.

Years ago I would have struggled against that notion - I wanted everyone that lived and loved under the banner of "submissive" with me to be like me so I could be proud of my own label. For my own sake, for my own ego, I needed and wanted other "real" subs to be healthy, strong and precious creatures so I could hold to that in defense of my own identity. I needed and wanted other "real" Doms to be healthy, strong, and honorable leaders so I could hold to that in defense of my own identity in relation to them. Of course, after about thirty seconds or that I pulled my head out of my ass and rejoined the real world where some people are cool, some are righteous assholes, and the only one that I can control and worry about is myself. And somehow after thinking that audacious though the world kept spinning.

And now I'm going to shut the f*** up because I'm pretty sure I just hijacked an otherwise very nice thread. Again.