I know kidnapping and rape as "romantic" tropes are far from new things (see, for instance, The Sheik). If these stories were presented as nothing more than straight-up erotic fantasies, I wouldn't be nearly as bothered, and might even enjoy them if they were consensual roleplay scenarios written by people who knew what they were doing. They're not, though—they're meant to be romances, and the whole point of romance is that you want the couple to end up together. I don't get it.

Bondage/sadomasochism is currently regarded as a morally approved 'kink' that should not be 'shamed' (probably assisted by "50 Shades of Grey" and its precursors/imitators); the emotional equivalent of "he ties her up and hits her, and she is aroused by the sensation of helplessness" has been rebranded as dated and sexist, but they appear very similar to me.

Well, you see, the difference between rape and kinky sex is that in the case of the latter, both parties consent and establish boundaries beforehand. The 50 Shades trilogy badly misrepresents BDSM as a whole and should not be taken as any sort of instruction manual.

(Did I ever recommend Underworld to you? I probably did.)

You did. I've just been a bit too mentally and emotionally drained to watch anything as of the past year.

You don't have any interest in sex, and I don't have any interest in romance. We can be dysfunctional in the eyes of society together. :P