Of all the topics across Gor, this one comes up an awful lot, and in an awful lot of contexts.
The more painful context, is the least brought up of course. Cruelty, of course, role play that verges on 'Friday the Thirteenth' type blood and gore.
Was Gor itself bloody, and full of gore? it could be, but there were also certain lines. My usual mantra continues here, 'the strength of your sword shall set your limits'.
For one, Goreans loved children, would never dream of harming a child, test them and make them learn their limits? certainly, but outright harm them? Never.
There has been over the years, in second life, role play seen and passed around of various groups, who seem to think its fun and games to 'force' this kind of role play onto the women they come across. Aborting pregnancies because the child wasn't part of the contract, while there is thankfully no example of this sort of thing in the books to define it either way, and yes, admittedly that can be a mixed bowl of paga, but you have to think, wouldn't it be simply easier to instead of killing the unborn child, to allow the woman to have the child, so you can then have your way with the captured free woman before handing her over to the expected contractor.
Oh Im sorry, your in a rush... GO GET A DAMN SLAVE!
Apparently some 6 months or so ago, a man I know, and yes, do not think highly of, took part in something along the same lines, a woman they had a contract on, was pregnant, and the end result of the supposed role play, was that the 'newborn?" children where beheaded.
Goreans Loved Children
Goreans Loved Life
Goreans would not, in my mind, have done this sort of thing.
What would most likely have happened, worst case, is the mercenaries, or contracted individuals, would have either kept the children, raised them, trained them, or in the case of females, if they where not ransomed out, they might have been raised, to be then sold off later into slavery. Note, this wouldn't have happened until near the age of majority.
An then there is the capture of free women, now this happens right across Gor, probably on a weekly basis, for one reason or another. There was an instance where one was tortured, and killed, for refusing to submit. Was it cruel? was it Ogreish? Sure it was, but was it Gorean? I would have to argue it was a darn site more 'Gorean' then the baby stealing/killing/massacre' role play I've seen before.
This sort of thing might not have happened ALL the time, but a woman, who is not found pleasing, and fails to obey, is in fact putting her life at risk.
The larger problem here, is did those partaking in the role play, take the time to read any of the books, did any of them take a moment out of their role play, to understand the culture they have chosen to play in, who their characters might be, who they themselves might be sans role play, within the Gorean environment.
This is one of the reasons I think we have the hated role play limits. This is one of the reasons we have role play bans, etc, we fail to learn, and hold ourselves to a minimum standard.
In the role plays above, there is a very important aspect missing in all the 'enjoyment' taken, and that is the most valuable learning part of all, for those that cross what is desired within our gorean communities.
Where are the angry mobs. Where are the men, with pitchforks, shovels, flaming torches, with fists, and heavy boots, hunting down the men who decided their sword was strong enough to allow them to do these things. Where are these men?
Do they exist?
Why do they not act?
A woman screams for help as she is dragged from her town, when others are present. Only one comes to assist.
Do they not care?
Why do they shrug their shoulders?
Do they not want role play?
The answer might be allot more scary then I like to think.
They want it when its convenient, and anything other, they wont tolerate.
Find something to get all hot and fired about.
I dare you, to find sometime in the next month, the next 4 hands, to find something to get all fired up about, to create a mob mentality about something on your sim, in your home, cry out for justice on some small thing, on some large injustice, march on your ubar's mansion and demand he step down for a administrators vote. The role play ITSELF might just be worth the practice.
May your sword, defend your heritage.
