1  |   Order by index

Jan 19, 2006, 8:45pm

I'm not one to air complaints like this on the NG, but I feel my self in
the mood to write, and maybe get some feed-back other than 'told you so' :p

For all my many years in AW, I've always known most people seemed to
hate Goreans and their community. I always admired the fact that they
were a strong role playing community I thought they added to the AW
community. I assumed most people simply didn't agree with their chosing
to role play as slaves, and some of their "adult" content. I always
thought "sheesh people, it's just a game, just some fun fantas role
playing". I've always remembered their worlds to be fairly well done,
in the old days they had some of the first and best fantasy-themed worlds.

So, I thought I'd go on a grand tour of the Gor worlds and simply
explore them, meet the people, and maybe learn a little about Gor (I
know pretty much nothing other than Tal, slaves). At first, being a
stubborn independant type I admit I was a little stubborn when asked my
age and would 'stall' a little, but I'd always give it and learned the
loss of privacy was simply the 'cost of doing business' in Gor.

Exploring a few worlds I found many ranged from absolutly horrible
uninspired 'fantasy' garbage sloppily pieaced together from random free
fantasy sets and even some theme-destroying non-fantasy stuff, to worlds
that seemed to have a consistant theme, planning, and lovely objects and
building. There was one consistancy though, extremely rude bossy
unwelcoming people. (to be fair, I did meet a few, very few, people that
actually gave me the time of day to answer some questions)

Even after giving my age, I'd be followed and houded, I felt like
everyone had their finger on the eject button waiting with glee for me
to say the wrong thing or go to the wrong area. Doing my best to
behave, respect that they were role playing enviornments, and still ask
questions and get info, I was without a doubt always ejected. Many it
seemed could not understand that a visitor was actually trying to not
break the 4th wall by speaking totally OOC. I'd try to ask questions
from the perspective of a traveler, and I'd be met with confusion and
people telling me to read the books. Everyone of course knew I was up
to something. Obviously I was trying to seem interested in Gor and
respectfull of role-playing just to at the list min shout "GOR SUCKS
LOL!!!!", so it was wise of them to eject me before I had a chance to
launch my cunning plan.

The sad thing is, the whole reason for my tour was to learn about gor,
their worlds, and their object needs so perhaps I could use my ability
to make 'fantasy' style objects custom fitted for their theme. I came
in wanting to help a community I often defended and admired, and was
left simply thinking "No wonder everyone hates you, you bring it on your
self!"

I supose in their defence they'll claim they have SO many people and
kids that go there just to cause trouble they've become jaded and
defensive, but in their sweeping "Eject first and don't even bother to
ask questions second" policies, they've chased away an innocent simply
wanting to learn and provide low-cost/free/traded objects. I guess
that's no loss to them, but it was sad for me to be proven so wrong.

Jan 20, 2006, 3:19pm

[View Quote] Awww yeah too bad, I thought all those awesome medieval-type houses
and streets of Avatar would fit so neatly in other fantasy/RPG worlds as well.

--
Mauz
http://mauz.info

Jan 20, 2006, 6:48pm

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. *shrug* :\

Chris

Jan 20, 2006, 7:59pm

I have to agree, I had a similar experience.

One day, probably after some ruckus on the NGs, I decided to go explore
the more popular Gor worlds at the top of the world list....

I just wanted to take in the scenery, since I knew many of these worlds
were well constructed.

However, as soon as I went wondering off, just looking around.. I was
promptly told "you can't go there", and when I ignored them (I had no
interest in their Gor crap, just wanted to see the world) I was promptly
ejected.

They all seemed bitchy, and uptight.

Ohh well....

Seems that it's their problem to me, and I'm not one to make other's
problems my own.

-JerMe


[View Quote]

Jan 20, 2006, 9:20pm

I know you wanted something more.. but...

"Told Ya So" :P

-Matt

Jan 20, 2006, 9:40pm

I really want to add my 2 cents, but we don't need to start another debate
on this subject. Read some old debates if they were not deleted from this NG
from a couple of years ago.
I'm not active in the Gorean community anymore for several reasons, one of
which you mentioned Baro. Just be aware that you really can't class a whole
group of people as one thing. There are nice people and there are not nice
people in any group and that includes the Gorean community here in AW. You
may or may not be aware that if you entered these worlds as baro, then you
entered under the role of the submissive. If you enter again, enter as Baro.
Not saying you should though.

Jan 20, 2006, 11:11pm

What if i enter as SWE? All mighty ruler aye! ^_^
All capitals me.
-SWE

[View Quote]

Jan 21, 2006, 11:16am

Not all Goreans are the same. it's like saying everyone who isn't is the
same. by bashing them all is like the small town i live in that thinks
anyone that uses the internet are either sluts or porn freaks. sure there re
some but so what. we all make our own choices and the only reason there is
places for those diferent choices is because people have comen. just like
any other group there will be people you like and people you don't like. i
aslo think if they were not bashed so much for there life styles they
wouldn't be so defencive. besides if someone likes getting tied to the bed
"so what" LOL
[View Quote]

Jan 21, 2006, 11:46am

Yeah, I have nothing against BDSM, but Gor is like BDSM turned into a
bigoted religion.

[View Quote]

Jan 21, 2006, 12:17pm

i know i am repieting myself, but not everyone in a groop are the same. it's
like the 3 blind men, one feeling the tail, one feeling a leg, and one
feeling the belly. and if some do treat it as a religion that is there right
just like it is our right not to. to me AW worlds are like the TV, if you
don't like what is on the station change the chanel. what is there wouldn't
be there if there wasn't any interest in it. i know if some one didn't like
my world i would just tell them to go else where.
[View Quote]

Jan 21, 2006, 3:15pm

Oh, I'm not talking about the people. I'm talking about Gorean
philosophy itself. The books are worthless drivel, and as far as
philosophising on them goes... Gorean lifestyle goes beyond BDSM
lifestyling in a way that even I'd call freaky.

Don't get me wrong; I think they have a right to have their worlds and
their webpages and will defend their right to do what they do. If I made
objects or avatars I would have no problem with having Gorean clients.
It's just how I feel about the Gorean philosophy. Mainstream BDSM has
tried to distance itself from Goreanism; Goreanism is certainly NOT
comparable to "getting tied to the bed".

[View Quote]

Jan 21, 2006, 6:10pm

"Not all Goreans are the same. it's like saying everyone who isn't is
the same."

Did you read this part:

"to be fair, I did meet a few, very few, people that actually gave me
the time of day to answer some questions" ??

My "report" is simply what I encountered. Met some nice ones, some bad
ones, sadly it was the bad ones with the eject rights that prevented me
from meeting the nice ones.

Jan 21, 2006, 6:58pm

I suppose whoever knew enough to know that what they were feeling was an
elephant and that indeed the men feeling it up were blind would had to have
transcended beyond religion to be able to tell us so. How presumptuous.

The philosophers in the crowd will know what i'm talking about. ;)

Chris

[View Quote]

Jan 22, 2006, 2:28pm

I ment it as in you need to look at it from both sides to posibly find a
happy mediem where everyone can get along no mater what group they are with.
if the situation was turned around i would have said the same things but in
the defence of the other :-)
[View Quote]

Jan 22, 2006, 8:15pm

Well I think feeling up Elephants is wrong.
And Dangerous.

[View Quote]

Jan 22, 2006, 8:15pm

Yeah I have to agree, that was a very balanced report you gave of your
experience Baro and you do consider the facts well in a very unbiased
manner.

It is true that the Gorean community have a certain "reputation" attactched
to them, which is sad, and when you are trying to find out information and
learn about a community and not welcomed you have to wonder... infact the
friction that you say you have been met with in attempting to find out more
about the philosphy/community only serves to support the given "reputaion"
and increases the space between the other communities here, seperating and
alienating- or tho I can understand that there is some reason for the
suspicion of outsiders and we should make special consideration that the
alien lord master insectoid race may decend upon us at any time...
So it would seem apt and understandable that some vigilence by the Gorean
community is kept.

However, I have noticed the trigger happy power tripping that seems to go on
there sometimes aswell as you Baro, and it is evident for brutally stupid
reasons, a sign of inedept and uncappable worldowners in letting these
people have rights in most cases- and this not only includes Gorean worlds
either, it stretches to all worlds- its important to make sure whoever is a
CT of your world has a reasonable judegment and is responsible. Many world
owners here I am sure will agree that in the past they have had problems
wiht builders (myself included) who decide to push the boundaries and end up
upsetting your friends or other people by ejecting them or causing other
social problems when they think they have a little power in your world.
Simply put, it goes to thier head lol

Back to the gorean community tho, which has a well established hieracy and
is based on power ethics, when taking this into consideration it is easy to
assume there is a strict code of conduct, so when a reasonable "wanderer"
appears looking for information with an open mind it can be tough to find
out more about it. "Go read the books" doesnt quite cover it in my book tho-
if I had a community such as the Goreans have- which I know to be highly
organised - would you not want to be promoting growth and the spread of
information? Would you not be proud of what you are and want others to know
about it?

If it is made or kept forbidden and secretive.. what the hell do you expect
when people are playin chinese whispers and the facts are distorted and an
underserved reputaion is created? It only reinforces peoples perceptions,
simple logic.

Fact is though, Gorean communites arnt full of sex mad crazyed maniacs who
commit murders all over the globe in some secretive organisation, most of
them are normal everyday people who live an alternative lifestyle and are
really pleasnt people. But like wiht any community, there are always idiots,
these probelms are found in every community when you anaylse it, just to
varying degrees.
Again, as Ti said, there are always a minority that give it a bad name, just
a shame that some of those people who are trigger happy are given the
responisbility of CT- it doesnt do anyone any favours.

At any rate, my own (limited) experience of Gorean communities has been good
and positive, though I have witnessed some incredible and strange happening
such as you describe Baro. i.e. People not given the chance to find out more
when they come with an open mind; Which is really the responsibility of the
world owner to make sure those who are given the power to eject are
responsible. I do have to say Ive met some very friendly Citezens there and
I will continue to visit from time to time to look at thier worlds and
respect thier ways, tho in thier realm, I think we should remember- vengence
can be swift lol

Just my couple of pennies for the jar.

Heretik.

[View Quote]

Jan 23, 2006, 2:36am

Well, of course. I don't disagree with that part at all.

1  |   Order by index