As a masochist and as a survivor of sexual violence, I would say it’s a misconception that being a masochist means wanting anything that resembles abuse, physical or otherwise, in your relationships. Yes, masochism means you enjoy “pain” but only in a very specific context where that sensation enhances pleasure and would cease to fit the definition of how most people even think of pain. I don’t get turned on when I stub my toe or if I injure myself at work and likewise, if some jerk was beating the shit out of me, I would not be into that either. What I want is actually affection and that affection would involve me being given sensations I enjoy by someone who likes to see me enjoy myself. It’s not a matter of how I interpret relationships, it’s a matter of how I interpret touch. Now, I’m totally aware that there are people who are into roleplaying abuse scenarios, but masochism is not mutually exclusive to that. I’m actually not against being critical of sex and kinks but if you’re going to be critical of something, you have to fundamentally understand what it is.