Debunk of gorean onlinisms -3
There are many, many things that people believe to be true in Gor on Second Life, simply because it is written on a notecard or because someone has in good faith taught them things that are totally false but so taken at face value that they have become a reality that people cling to with as much obstinacy as error. This article, the third, is here to debunk these false informations.
1- The Gorean have eradicated disease.
No, not by a long shot. This preconceived notion is completely absent from the novels, where Norman describes cases of secondary infection after an injury (i.e. a bacterial infection), and people suffering from fairly common diseases, even if he does not mention them by name, such as tuberculosis, tetanus, or even epidemics of smallpox, typhus (transmitted by fleas and lice) or cholera. However, all these diseases are bacterial, meaning that they are sensitive to the antibiotics available in the Gorean pharmacopoeia.
There are also viral diseases, such as the common cold, STDs such as syphilis (a nightmare for slavers), meningitis (highly deadly and contagious), influenza, hepatitis, measles and its derivatives, and one of the worst of all, because it is very difficult to diagnose in time and eradicate, polio. The latter are insensitive to antibiotics; specific antivirals or vaccines are needed, as well as an organized vaccination campaign capable of treating more than 60% of people at risk, in order to stop an epidemic.
Most of the diseases I cite as examples have as a favorable ground promiscuity, climatic hazards, sanitary conditions and hygiene (especially water!), and could have been brought under control only during the 20th century, not only by medicine, but also by sanitary control of animals and consumer products (sterilization of food being one of the most important factors), refrigeration, chemical treatment of drinking water and the appearance of efficient domestic heating systems. In short, many things that are not accessible, widespread, or even existing on Gor.
Even with a powerful and extensive pharmacopoeia and a family of phycisians in every village, even the most remote, it would not be enough to eradicate disease. On the other hand, epidemics are well controlled and managed, and the chances of survival following an illness are quite high. But diseases exist, and that’s a good thing. They are part of the intrigues and events of a sim, and provide exciting work for players who play phycisians !
2- Slaves cannot love.
What? Yes, I have heard this quite often, like a statement becoming a Gorean reality. But slaves are required, among many things, not to hide their emotions and feelings. The Gorean people cannot give in to love, or at least – and this is in line with a cultural mentality prevalent in many earthly cultures – they avoid paying attention to it. But precisely, they expect devotion, emotions, sensitivity and love from their slaves!
So, clearly, a slave is not free to love whoever she wants as she wishes. A slave has no rights, not even this one. But if she manages to love her owner, or even a master who is a friend of her owner, she will be encouraged to do so, and will become all the more precious and appreciated, because for the Gorean people, this feeling, which is somewhat forbidden to them, is itself precious!
So a slave can, and must, show her feelings, remembering that she must always please (if she does not love someone, she must not show it), and if she loves, she has the right and the duty to show this love, without restrictions (as long as, of course, her owner allows her to).
3- A slave cannot touch a knife.
And how does she cook?! Have you ever tried peeling vegetables or slicing meat without a knife? Kitchen duty is one of the basic chores of all slaves and, in a kitchen, there are lots of different knives for all aspects of cooking.
So yes, I know, it’s because “a slave has no right to touch a weapon”. But first of all, this statement is false, the correct statement is: a slave has no right to brandish a weapon against a free person. It doesn’t mean the same thing at all, and a slave can very well hold and handle a weapon on the orders of her owner! Furthermore, an axe, or a knife, or a machete, are not weapons, but tools. These objects are only weapons when brandished against a person with the aim of injuring them! And believe me, I have training in combat, and I can kill you with a bottle, a saucepan, or a fork, if necessary. Which makes the kitchen a veritable improvised armory.
In short, a slave can use a whole bunch of tools that can become weapons, including an axe to go and make firewood by cutting logs. What she is not allowed to do is to use a weapon to threaten or injure a free person. That’s all.
4- The longevity serum regenerates wounds.
No, and it does not make you immune to disease either. Not a single line in the novels mentions this effect or speaks of the rapid and natural healing of wounds or diseases. The Gorean pharmacopoeia allows for the quick and effective treatment of an injury, perhaps faster and more effectively than on Earth, but no, the longevity serum does not have this effect, it is never mentioned or even implied in the novels. And yes, I know, I believed it too: but it’s not true.
5- All Goreans live for centuries
No, and no. The longevity serum allows you to live for several centuries and there are even derivatives that allow you to stop the aging of a teenager and then cancel the serum, so that he finishes developing, and later, you can still block his aging.
But the longevity serum is described in the novels as complicated to create and, consequently, expensive to produce. Even if the Gorean phycisians are nowhere near as venal as the pharmaceutical companies of the 21st century, they can’t produce the serum for everyone. Yeah, so, I know, I’m going against the opinion of many players who play phycisians, but this opinion is countered by the most important source: the novels.
I think that 20% of the Gorans benefit, on average, from the longevity serum. It is undoubtedly closer to 50% in the large city-states, because they have the means to finance the creation and distribution of the serum. The dream of the medical profession is surely to create large-scale serum production factories and free all of humanity from the scourge of old age, but in reality, this is still not an achievable project.
In short, there are still people who die of old age naturally, around the age of 70-80 in the world of Gor, in fact the majority of people. Having longevity serum remains a sought-after privilege, even if it is not so expensive, because the caste of phycisians considers it their duty to eradicate old age.
6- All the Gorean believe in the Priest-Kings
So, already, several cultures do not believe in them at all, even if they do not deny their existence, but, what is more, Norman explains that there are even people with other beliefs within the culture of the Priest-Kings, such as a solar cult. And, finally, atheists are not uncommon. They may or may not deny the existence of the Priest-kings, but do not worship them as gods.
However, as this religion is an integral part of Gorean culture, and the Initiates have methods reminiscent of the Inquisition, atheists don’t boast too much about being atheists either, because their stance would not be understood, or even rejected, by the believers, who remain in the vast majority.
(to find out more, see this article: https://www.psychee.org/gorpedia/religion-on-gor-and-the-initiate-caste/ )
7- An earthling cannot know how to speak Gorean when arriving on Gor
So, um… why not? Let me explain. In the novels, the Priest Kings are described as being able to record extensive data extracted from their brains, copy it, implant it as they wish. They can erase memories in humans, implant them, etc. It is even a technology used by some Goreans! So, why not imagine that, since the Goreans don’t abduct many Earth women (a quote from the novels specifies that there are no more than 5,000 Earth women on Gor on average), they take the time, during the journey between Earth and Gor, to implant the linguistic bases for understanding Goran in them?
After all, the abducted girls are kept in cryogenic chambers and travel in spaceships, so implanting memories shouldn’t be difficult for them.
(more details in this article : https://www.psychee.org/gorpedia/play-an-earthling-taken-to-gor/ )
8- All the slaves are cruel to each other
Another preconceived idea which is, however, quite emphasized in the novels. Norman has a completely sexist and unflattering view of women in general, and imagines that the slaves give in to cruel and nasty competitive urges to ensure their survival and their place in the hierarchy of slaves.
But these slaves live together, subject to the same harsh and cruel social pressure – and it is! It is therefore obvious that solidarity is as widespread as competition, if only because humans survive better by helping each other. The slaves themselves form a subculture, with individuals offering their knowledge, advice and help to others, with the entirely typical aim of human nature and its sociability, to survive together, and to hope for help from other slaves, through cooperation and solidarity.
So this definitive statement is false! Slaves will either collaborate or compete, depending on the context, the personality, and the need to survive and improve their lot. Solidarity is as widespread as opposition, kindness as common as cruelty.
9- Barbarians speak barbarian.
I hate this onlinism, which reduces the possibilities for roleplay. There are plenty of barbarian cultures on Gor with their own languages, and earthlings have even more different languages! Saying “he speaks in barbarian” makes no sense! What language is that? Torvi or Red Savage? English, Spanish or Chinese? If the player only speaks in barbarian but writes something, who will understand him if he doesn’t specify which language he is speaking?
And for the Americans, sorry to remind you, but there are dozens of different countries where players playing Gor come from! It can’t necessarily be American English! I have the same criticism for the French who, too, forget that the rest of the world exists. Please state the language you speak. It’s not difficult, and it’s not only more coherent, but it also opens up possibilities for intrigue and roleplay interactions! Kara, my character, speaks 5 different languages, but if you say that you speak in barbarian, I can’t know if I can understand the language you speak or not!
10- it is the slaver who educates the slaves.
One role that I no longer see at all on Gor, but really, as if it had been erased, is that of the educator slave. Why? Because the players who play slavers think that it is the slavers who educate the slaves. And they are convinced of it!
But it’s totally wrong, and the novels describe why! I quote a simple sentence from the novels: “the master trains, the educator educates”. The Gorean, in general, do not teach the slaves to read or write, but neither do they teach them how to cook, clean, give a bath, give caresses and massages, how to walk, move, be beautiful, put on make-up, dress, dance!
The Gorean, including the slavers, are there to train a slave to accept her role, mainly obedience, docility, discipline and sex. Once this training is complete, they entrust the slave to another slave, an educator, who will teach them everything else, with the slaver merely checking on the progress of the education and giving orders in this regard. Why? Because, first of all, it is not the Gorean’s job to lower himself to educating a slave, and secondly, because a slaver has too much work to manage his human livestock to spend the time necessary for this education, which requires a lot of attention, time and effort.
It is in the novel Assassin of Gor that you will see what an educator is, and her work, and understand her importance. But in short, every slaver has a educator slave, at least one, to carry out this educational work. The slaver takes care of the training. And that is already a very big job.
(to find out more, see this article: Slave training & education )
