Posted by Ruilan on July 25, 19100 at 03:07:29:
In Reply to: Discussion regarding FW Posted by Lady Honour on July 20, 19100 at 05:50:18:
Tal, readers! By Marcus of Ar
The work displayed above was written by me in November of 1996 to address a problem which was
extremely pertinent at the time; namely, the recent influx of a group of unprincipaled individuals who were
attempting to disguise their bad behavior behind robes and veils. We had all manners of weird free women
running around at that time, in response to my publication of the webpage mentioned in the essay above...
tospit chewing, leather clad "Tuchuk women," quiva throwing veiled "Warrioresses," and quite a few who
seemed to feel that their position as free women pretty much gave them carte blanche to publicly behave in as
bitchy and as duplicitous a manner as possible. There was this one, for instance, who adopted the Caste of
Musicians, and who ran around trying to convince everyone that she was the head of a network of secret
spies... ah, well; you get the idea. It wasn't pretty, believe me.
Since then, much has changed online. First of all, my page on The Role of Free Women in Gorean Society
became, subsequently, the most widely copied and stolen webpage on Gorean websites (a title which it held
until just recently, when my Gorean Chronology page finally edged it out for first place). Secondly, people
began to read it and pay attention to it, and to dig through the actual Gor books in search of references
regarding free women. So it is that, four years later, there happen to be a whole lot more free women running
around in Gorean channels, and those who are doing so, seem to have at least a clue about what is actually
demanded of their station.
Much which I wrote above, of course, is still valid. The would-be Gorean free woman must still comport
herself with dignity and grace, lest she be ill-treated by the Gorean men around her. But these days, free
women rarely deserve such ill-treatment, beyond the occasional kick from channel for making a nuisance of
themselves.
But the offenses which call for the punishment of such ladies have become rather few and far between.
While that does not mean that free women are now allowed to sprawl all over the laps of free Gorean men in
search of a vicarious thrill, or to threaten or otherwise annoy free men, what it does mean is that most online
Gorean men now accept their presence, and treat them with a modicum of respect, provided the ladies earn it
through correct behavior.
In many places, Gorean men treat free women as they would their sisters or mothers... as respected and
honored guests among the Gorean drinking establishments, taverns, and meeting places of online Gor. The
Silk & Steel Tavern is one such place. As long as the ladies do not, through their actions, earn our wrath, we
are seldom forced to punish or correct such females. I suspect that the nature of online free women has
changed, in part, because of the above essay which I wrote back in `96. At least I hope so.
In any case... it has long been my opinion, and that of my fellows, that free women can and do have a place
in Gorean interaction. The books say as much. Nor do they exist simply as punching bags or targets of insult.
If you don't want free women among you, do not allow them among you. But do not invite them in simply to
abuse them. That serves no purpose at all.
As I said in the essay above, this is Gor. If you want to understand how it works, read the books. And
don't skip past the parts where the excellent examples of free women are honored for their behavior, just to
read about the face strippings and collarings, either. If you want to know how Goreans do it, then you have to
pay attention to the examples given by Norman. ALL of them.
If a Gorean man abuses or manhandles a free woman of his own city, who has not exhibited "slave-like"
behavior, then he is typically punished severely for doing so by the High Council of his city. There is a
reason for this. When she behaves properly, a Gorean free women can be a thing of beauty and grace, a
woman for whom men would gladly lay down their lives to defend. And as long as she fulfills that role, she
has a place among Gorean men.
I wish you well!
_Marcus_
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