The sad reality is that a lot of what you will read on the net is not 100% accurate or in true form.
There are many articles and websites on BDSM activities, and many are geared towards one person's specific fetish. It's thier opinion, thier insights.
There are forums such as this one, where people do understand and have a reasonable grasp on what is right and what is wrong. A person should read a lot and learn quite a bit before diving into the deep end of the pool.
As for the article, it may be fantasy, or may be thier reality. What the problem is in that article is that is doesn't have any clear cut disclaimers, stating that yes your submissive is also a human being, and you need to treat them with some compassion at times.
In my opinion the poster probably didn't want to lose the momentum or the focus of thier post with disclaimers and cautions.
There are some who do want to have this type of lifestyle, however a person who does want this also needs to be aware of when a line is crossed.
There are many articles and forums such as this place that do explain the ins and outs and the rights and wrongs of D/s.
It's up to the individual to learn and understand what is real and what is fantasy.
Actually I don't think many people know me very well here, I tend to stay very quiet and then you will see me pop up once and a while, such as now.
And you are definately not offending anyone, and it's a very good thing you ask these questions, because I am sure that others feel the very same way you do.
The line is drawn through consent. You consent to let another person do something to you. If you feel that you should consent when you are not ready, then I would say step back and rethink what you are doing.
If you don't consent to that, you are not entering into a viable healthy relationship.
I'll be the first to admit that I am lazy and rarely point out safety issues, and that is because I know where my line crosses and how I handle it. I assume far too many times that others should be able to disconcern that as well.
Having contracts and being a slave is something that a person shouldn't decide one day to do, unless you are fully aware of what you are entering into.
And yes a slave is still a human being with rights and privaleges. Anyone who dismisses those rights and privaleges may very well be an abuser.