I run an equine tack and supply store. As your sophisticated readers can imagine, though, many of my male customers do not ride horses. They come in to buy a riding crop or a buggy whip that is intended for their own bare backsides. Over time I learned to spot such men. They come in nervously, and rather than go immediately to the whips, they browse among the other items. When they make it back to the stick department, they fondle them carefully, as if holding dynamite.

I often go up to such a customer and begin a conversation about where he rides and what sort of horse he has. When I know for sure that the man has no interest in horses, I tell him I know why he’s buying a whip. Before he can even begin to stammer a denial, I ask him if he’d like me to demonstrate some of the whips on him. Most agree. After the... Leer Más