Re: What exactly is it called?
People are ignorant and arrogant, in unison, in such concentrations that they decide that a whip is a sex toy. They don't bother to ask whether it is, or do any research. They decide that it is.
Those people will never own one of my whips. I first thought it was a little "high-horsed" of Rhett Kelley to deny his whips to BDSM clients, but now I understand. The only people who deserve to own whips are the ones who understand what they're supposed to be used for.
It's a little like refusing to sell a gun to anyone who hasn't taken a training course. If you're stupid, you can't have one.