i dunno..maybe its a sharing of the pain..as a child learning that to endure the pain you have to like switch it somehow into being pleasurable in order to survive it..and the abuse is not abuse but love..then they may go onto other relationships and only relate this way..not being beimg able to ednure it alone and in need of pain to feel love..they show it the only way they know by making someone/something feel as bad as they do they feel thay are showing love/pleasure and like...I believe one concept is Trauma Bonding, were in order to endure horrid abuse the victim bonds with the abuser and later goes onto seek those type of encounters to feel connected some how..

or it could be just that they are of the mindset to torture, and mutilate because there bored, and its entertainment ....or they seek to humilate as they have been humilated at some time in their lives..and the humilation empowers them, at least for a little while

This type of behavior has been documented since the begining of man..society has not changed..the only thing that has changed is the way society communicates..i.e cases which make headlines, or end up in the media somewhere..sorry Rhap..this stuff has been around since the first Thunder..only difference is..we are hearing about it more due to modern communication venues, including the Net...and survivor forums, personal blogs, etc

will it change, doubt it, man's toys have changed, but not man...