A sexual fetish is when someone is aroused by an inanimate object which is not generally considered to be sexual in nature. Fetishists (more often men than women) range in degree from those who use the desired items as props during normal sex to those who are completely fixated on the object and sometimes are unable to become aroused by anything else.
There is a wide range of fetishes. Some are completely harmless (if slightly unusual) such as fetishes for body parts, clothing, certain materials etc. At the extreme end, there is paedophilia, rape fetish, necrophilia and beastiality. These fetishes are harmful to others, so I really think they are beyond "bad" when they are forced onto someone else (admittedly, not all of them act on it and seek professional help).
Consensual fetishes are fine, although I do think that they should be kept private because as much as people have every right to practise them, there are just some that I don't think I could stomach hearing about in any kind of detail (for a list of unusual fetishes click this link: http://www.listaholic.com/9-sex-acts-you-probably-didn%E2%80%99t-know-existed.html). Sadism involves enjoyment derived from inflicting pain or humiliation on others, but as long as this is practised consensually with a masochist (someone who enjoys being hurt and humiliated) then, again, this is fine because it isn't inflicting anything onto someone who is unwilling to participate.
The majority of fetishists are harmless and either find compatible partners or masturbate to gain satisfaction; they are advised by professionals to seek help if they feel that their fixation is becoming a problem for them or someone else, but if this is not the case then it is not considered a disorder.
Fetishes are seen as a taboo subject - not something that many people would feel comfortable in discussing, although a possible reason for this could be the wide range of fetishes that people have and the fact that what one person may find arousing their friends or acquaintances may just find bizarre.
An article relating to the Max Mosley scandal: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article3649197.ece
An article about professional femdom (female domination): http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03/dominatrix_175x125.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/41071-take-the-whip-hand&usg=__6Wg8Bf6z4B7tT52Ot1KoFLn5UDg=&h=125&w=175&sz=8&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=iCybU8415OA4qM:&tbnh=71&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddominatrix%2Bwhip%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADFA_enGB357GB357%26tbs%3Disch:1
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