Post by pelagon on Apr 11, 2006 20:56:17 GMT -5
What is Gor?
Facts:
The creation of Gor came into being the second John Norman’s book, Tarnsmen of Gor, was sold in 1967. John Norman wrote these sci/fi books describing a fictitious planet called Gor, each of his now 27 books describes certain areas and certain aspects of the Gorean lifestyle.
Why these books have become so popular over the last 39 years has raised many debates and even more questions, but no one will disagree that for whatever reason thousands of people now try to live the Gorean lifestyle online and in real life.
Theory:
Over these 39 years the Gorean community has grown both in real life and with online chat rooms, (which number in the hundreds if not thousands). One has to wonder why? What is so special about this fantasy planet? What brings thousands of people all over the world to turn on their computer and either start role playing being on the planet of Gor or to enter Gorean chat rooms?
There are many theories I am sure that will give reasons for this strange event. Could it be that the men have stronger abilities and dominance, which they have over the women on Gor, were as in real life on Earth, mostly due to our western society’s laws and ideals, men are mostly powerless to show these attributes? Could it be that the women have a place where they can be controlled, like most of them are craving for; but again because of Earth’s social laws and training they can’t be in real life? Or is it because it pulls us away from hustle and bustle of our real lives we are living/existing in?
For every participant who comes to Gor, there is a different reason for entering this world of fantasy.
I have been told by many men that they like the control they have on Gor with women, they like the way that the woman, both as slaves and free woman react to them, that they can be as dominant as they wish to be and not have the other Goreans calling them male chauvinists.
I have also been told by many women both free and enslaved that for them Gor holds a place where they can be what they truly wish to be. They don’t have to confirm to real life society rules that tell them they shouldn’t be submissive to men, that they are his equals etc when deep inside they know themselves not to be.
My Observations:
I was lucky, before I can to online Gor I was able to read quite a lot of the books and my Aunt who role plays on Gor was able to teach me a lot about the Gorean lifestyle and with her stories and information my interest grew tremendously and that is when I entered online Gor, to suss out this new and intriguing place.
If I wasn’t as stubborn as I am, in wanting to know more about Gor, I would have given up after the first week or so because of the nastiness and ridicule that supposed men of Gor were giving me, but to give up would mean that they won and I was not going to be denied what I wanted to learn. So I persisted in my search of Gor and was very lucky to meet Joe McBain and those of his Home on the Island. With Joe helping me to learn the ways of the Torvies and of fighting I have started to feel what Gor is really about for me.
I understand that in the books there are many contradictions, but the basics are consistent all the way through the books. Things like the weapons for example, I have been told that an all steel battle axe should be allowed to be used as it could be possible to make one like that. Yes, the Goreans had the technology to do that but it wasn’t done, it clearly states in the books that the handles of the battle axes were constructed of wood; so that is how they should be in role play. In one website it states that John Norman had said that a shield has attachments made of iron, but that in the web masters view steel would have been used so John Norman was just fantasying about the iron work. John Norman wrote the books, if he had wanted the shields to have steel on them he would have stated that.
Maybe some of the things John Norman has written in his books are contradictive, incorrect or at times impossible that doesn’t mean that we as role players can correct it to how we think it should be. That is corrupting John Norman’s words. Just because Earth had things that Gor didn’t have, doesn’t mean that we can assume that they are on Gor because the ships of acquisition “could” have bought them to Gor. It should be that if they are not in the books, in theory the Priest Kings didn’t want the Goreans to have them for some reason, so we shouldn’t role play having them.
In Conclusion:
I have been told many times, “You are only a kid what would you know?” or that “I am Old Gor so I know better than you and I don’t adhere to the New Gor ways so you shouldn’t either.” Or even, “When you have been on Gor as long as I have then you can tell me what you think is right or wrong. Until then I am not going to listen.”
The effect all these comments have on someone like me is to cause frustration and disillusion in the role play that I love to do. Yes it is true I am “only” 18 and yes it is true I don’t know as much as someone who has been on online Gor for many years, but I have a brain that I can use, I have eyes that can read the books and to find out the facts from the onlineisms and yes I have the intelligence to decipher right from wrong. Just because I am new to Gor and 18 doesn’t mean that I may not know or have learnt some things that the “Older” Goreans may have lost over their time on Gor or perhaps they didn’t know themselves in the first place.
One other thing that has me wondering is this, “Old Gor”, “New Gor” theme that seems to be popping up at me at all times. To me Gor is Gor, there is no Old Gor or New Gor, they are both one in the same thing. It’s the perceptions of the participants of the role play that is setting up the walls in Gor.
In my opinion, which all this document contains, there is only one Gor and we the players should start realising that and start rediscovering what Gor is really about and try to take away all the misconceptions and assumptions about Gor.
We all have the information we need, it’s all in the books, and yes at times this information may have to be adapted for the role play to make sense, but surely it can’t be hard to stick to the basics of the books within the role play.
I thank you for taking the time to read my words.
Pelagon[/color]
Facts:
The creation of Gor came into being the second John Norman’s book, Tarnsmen of Gor, was sold in 1967. John Norman wrote these sci/fi books describing a fictitious planet called Gor, each of his now 27 books describes certain areas and certain aspects of the Gorean lifestyle.
Why these books have become so popular over the last 39 years has raised many debates and even more questions, but no one will disagree that for whatever reason thousands of people now try to live the Gorean lifestyle online and in real life.
Theory:
Over these 39 years the Gorean community has grown both in real life and with online chat rooms, (which number in the hundreds if not thousands). One has to wonder why? What is so special about this fantasy planet? What brings thousands of people all over the world to turn on their computer and either start role playing being on the planet of Gor or to enter Gorean chat rooms?
There are many theories I am sure that will give reasons for this strange event. Could it be that the men have stronger abilities and dominance, which they have over the women on Gor, were as in real life on Earth, mostly due to our western society’s laws and ideals, men are mostly powerless to show these attributes? Could it be that the women have a place where they can be controlled, like most of them are craving for; but again because of Earth’s social laws and training they can’t be in real life? Or is it because it pulls us away from hustle and bustle of our real lives we are living/existing in?
For every participant who comes to Gor, there is a different reason for entering this world of fantasy.
I have been told by many men that they like the control they have on Gor with women, they like the way that the woman, both as slaves and free woman react to them, that they can be as dominant as they wish to be and not have the other Goreans calling them male chauvinists.
I have also been told by many women both free and enslaved that for them Gor holds a place where they can be what they truly wish to be. They don’t have to confirm to real life society rules that tell them they shouldn’t be submissive to men, that they are his equals etc when deep inside they know themselves not to be.
My Observations:
I was lucky, before I can to online Gor I was able to read quite a lot of the books and my Aunt who role plays on Gor was able to teach me a lot about the Gorean lifestyle and with her stories and information my interest grew tremendously and that is when I entered online Gor, to suss out this new and intriguing place.
If I wasn’t as stubborn as I am, in wanting to know more about Gor, I would have given up after the first week or so because of the nastiness and ridicule that supposed men of Gor were giving me, but to give up would mean that they won and I was not going to be denied what I wanted to learn. So I persisted in my search of Gor and was very lucky to meet Joe McBain and those of his Home on the Island. With Joe helping me to learn the ways of the Torvies and of fighting I have started to feel what Gor is really about for me.
I understand that in the books there are many contradictions, but the basics are consistent all the way through the books. Things like the weapons for example, I have been told that an all steel battle axe should be allowed to be used as it could be possible to make one like that. Yes, the Goreans had the technology to do that but it wasn’t done, it clearly states in the books that the handles of the battle axes were constructed of wood; so that is how they should be in role play. In one website it states that John Norman had said that a shield has attachments made of iron, but that in the web masters view steel would have been used so John Norman was just fantasying about the iron work. John Norman wrote the books, if he had wanted the shields to have steel on them he would have stated that.
Maybe some of the things John Norman has written in his books are contradictive, incorrect or at times impossible that doesn’t mean that we as role players can correct it to how we think it should be. That is corrupting John Norman’s words. Just because Earth had things that Gor didn’t have, doesn’t mean that we can assume that they are on Gor because the ships of acquisition “could” have bought them to Gor. It should be that if they are not in the books, in theory the Priest Kings didn’t want the Goreans to have them for some reason, so we shouldn’t role play having them.
In Conclusion:
I have been told many times, “You are only a kid what would you know?” or that “I am Old Gor so I know better than you and I don’t adhere to the New Gor ways so you shouldn’t either.” Or even, “When you have been on Gor as long as I have then you can tell me what you think is right or wrong. Until then I am not going to listen.”
The effect all these comments have on someone like me is to cause frustration and disillusion in the role play that I love to do. Yes it is true I am “only” 18 and yes it is true I don’t know as much as someone who has been on online Gor for many years, but I have a brain that I can use, I have eyes that can read the books and to find out the facts from the onlineisms and yes I have the intelligence to decipher right from wrong. Just because I am new to Gor and 18 doesn’t mean that I may not know or have learnt some things that the “Older” Goreans may have lost over their time on Gor or perhaps they didn’t know themselves in the first place.
One other thing that has me wondering is this, “Old Gor”, “New Gor” theme that seems to be popping up at me at all times. To me Gor is Gor, there is no Old Gor or New Gor, they are both one in the same thing. It’s the perceptions of the participants of the role play that is setting up the walls in Gor.
In my opinion, which all this document contains, there is only one Gor and we the players should start realising that and start rediscovering what Gor is really about and try to take away all the misconceptions and assumptions about Gor.
We all have the information we need, it’s all in the books, and yes at times this information may have to be adapted for the role play to make sense, but surely it can’t be hard to stick to the basics of the books within the role play.
I thank you for taking the time to read my words.
Pelagon[/color]
