allyC
Posts: 778
Joined: 6/2/2004
From: Las Vegas
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: BobcatsLilMinx
Howdy doody -
I was discussing Gorean slavery with a girl on here, and someone mentioned "honour". Now, as most of the books are written from a man's point of view, we see a lot of what honour is for the men of the lifestyle, but can the concept apply to the women too, especially the slaves? Can a slave be said to be "honourable"? Whatever your opinion - why is that your opinion?
Hiya Minx :)
That particular topic is one that is often discussed and debated amongst those who claim to follow the Gorean philosophy.
There are many who believe that the slave can behave honorably but cannot possess "honor" itself because she is absolutely subject to the will of another person, i.e. her owner could command her to do something that may go against every principle she believes in and in theory, as a slave, one must obey. Hence a person who would, at the command of another, compromise their principles cannot possess honor.
There are others who believe otherwise. They feel that a slave can be abjectly subservient without compromising honor.
And there are others who believe that both free and slave possess honor but that they are somewhat different. The honor of a slave being more in line with her station.
Personally I don't believe that anyone can really determine if sometone else possesses honor or not. Honor is a gift that a person gives to him or herself and only they can take it away. I don't believe that hypothetical "what ifs" can take it away, nor can the actions of others.
quote:
Another thing that got brought up, was whether or not a slave can be "Gorean". Does this label depend on her being owned by a Gorean - that makes her Gorean property, certainly? Or can she be Gorean in her own right, and if so, how, as isn't a slave supposed to be what her Master wants her to be? And how does it apply to unowned slaves?
Again I have found that there are several different mindsets to this query. On one hand, some people believe that a slave is simply a slave. If she is owned by a Gorean man, she is a Gorean slave. If she is owned by a man who is not Gorean, than she can not claim that label.
There are others who believe that the slave is indeed Gorean if she believes in the philosophy (not the fantasy) of the books, regardless of what mantle her owner wears.
As far as unowned slaves are concerned, I have a rather different viewpoint on that. (sometimes its not a very popular viewpoint lol) I believe that a slave is someone who is abjectly subservient to another person(s). Hence if someone is unowned, I believe that while they may possess the desire to be a slave, the drive and need to be a slave and the nature and demeanor of a slave, that technically, the mantle of "slave" does not apply.
When it comes to honor, though, I think that everyone has the power to possess honor and certainly everyone has the ability to behave in an honorable fashion, regardless of their station in life.
Within the greater Gorean community (and I am not speaking of online role-players but rather of those people who strive to adhere to the philosophy found within Dr. Lange's books) there seems to be a great deal of division over many issues. There are frequent discussions and debates all the time about various tenets of the philosophy and how it applies to every day life. I have found that while there are some salient points that most agree on, there are several others which are often debated.
quote:
Since my other thread got such a great response from Goreans and non-Goreans alike, we'd really be interested in hearing people's opinions :) And we all know I'm a sponge, read to lap up whatever learning I can...
Well I'm one of the "non-Goreans" but I've associated with Gorean folks and been a part of their community (albeit on the fringes) for several years now. I've met some extraordinary people that I am fortunate to call friend. I've also met my fair share of flakes and game players as well and while my owner and I do not agree with all aspects of the Gorean philosophy, we do respect decent, fine, people regardless of the label they wear. *smiles*
Well wishes to you, Minx!
Cav's girl
ally{C]
P.S. For some reason, there are a lot of people out there who are unwilling to view the Gorean lifestyle as anything different than some sort of sci-fi, unrealistic b.s. fantasy. I genuinely believe that the antics practiced in a great many of the online Gorean chat venues have greatly contributed to this belief. While there are many people who do take it too far and who can't see past the fantasy of it all, there are others who live respectable, honest lives where they are completely in touch with reality and who carry themselves in an intelligent, articulate, and decent manner.
The man who wrote the novels was a professor of philosophy (and in my opinion, not a very good writer lol). With his psyche planted firmly on his sleeve, he wrote the Gorean books as a way to starkly demonstrate his view on the nature of mankind and used a myriad of ancient earth-based cultures and schools of philosophical thought to do so. The books are chock full of page after page of philosophical waxing and while the premise of the stories is fictional and takes place in a sci-fi setting, much of the interplay between characters is deeply rooted in the reality-based, primal, nature of humans on earth. Hence while the culture, society, and setting were fiction, the natures of the characters and the philosophies that they followed were indeed very realistic.
*edited for typos* :)
< Message edited by allyC -- 5/11/2005 4:43:10 AM >
_____________________________
Once I said to my owner (in a cheeky way after he had done something evil)...
"You know... Master almost rhymes with Bastard."
to which he replied, "Yup, and slave rhymes with cunt."
|
Opinions sought - more Gor. - 
Profile
...I wish sometimes, but not really. 
Very interesting reading, and I like angel's question: 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread