Life on a paper planet

Tal, friends.

     In recent months, I have noticed a disturbing trend amongst the various folk who comprise the citizenry of Cyber-Gor... namely, the widespread propagation of the belief that there is a vast difference between those who pursue Gorean interaction online, and those who maintain quasi-Gorean relationships in "real life." The newly coined phrases "Paper Master" and "Paper Slave" have entered into our online vernacular with a quiet insidiousness which is both annoying and frustrating. I have seen such an underlying philosophy practiced even by a few of those whom I consider to be close friends, and the very notion alarms me.

     What exactly is a "Paper Master" or a "Paper Slave," you might ask? Well, apparently these are terms which refer to a would-be Gorean who does not actually live with another person in a 24/7 b/d/s/m relationship. Again and again I have seen people rush into real life meetings and collarings in order to prove themselves to be "real Goreans," often with unpleasant results. In addition, there seem to be many folks out there who are using the Gorean channels as a sort of virtual "singles bar" where they can meet and audition other people to be their "real life Gorean partner." A new sub-class of Masters and slaves has emerged upon Gorean IRC of late, one which has existed in real life b/d/s/m circles for decades, but which is relatively new to Gor: men and women who criss-cross the country in real time, attempting to find the perfect partner to join them for a long term simulation of Gorean slavery.

     Now, it is certainly true that what occurs behind closed doors between consenting adults is none of my business, so I will not comment on such matters. What I find particularly annoying is the division of online Goreans into separate social classes based upon the realities and limitations of their current sex life. Preposterous, you say? I agree. Read on.

     I have set forth elsewhere that, due to the realities of the planet we all share, that actual Gorean slavery is an impossibility. I restate it here. In addition I add that, most of the real life Gorean relationships I have been privy to have fallen rather short of the mark. It is true, there are a few highly motivated and resourceful individuals out there who have dedicated their lives to the maintenance of a serious Gorean relationship... but this is the exception and not the rule.

     If one assumes that simply because a person is not currently engaged in such a real time simulation of "Gorean" slavery, they are "false" in some way, then what is the difference between those who assert that they are "Gorean" in real time versus those who are simply practicing some variant of modern "Earth" b/d/s/m? Little difference, actually. Again and again I hear persons loudly stating that "Gorean slavery" is much more fulfilling and more intense than is "vanilla b/d/s/m." But isn't the real life practice of so-called "Gorean slavery" merely another, stricter, variation of b/d/s/m love-play? It is one thing for a person to loudly proclaim that they are actually owned by another person... to actually be someone else's property in real life, and recognized as such in the eyes of the state, is quite another.

     If two people swear unswerving fidelity to one another, and claim each other as their mutual owner/property, in a society which neither recognizes nor enforces the reality of such a union, then they are NOT owner and slave, no matter how vehemently they insist upon it. They are, in effect, two people involved in a mutually defined relationship... no different from any other boyfriend and girlfriend, or husband and wife in our society. What they do in the bedroom, and what they call each other in the privacy of their own home, is immaterial.

     Now, I have been fortunate enough to be privy to the details of several amazing relationships, in which both parties have done their utmost to maintain the simulation of Gorean slavery, both for their own benefit and in the unswerving gaze of our society, and I salute these people. These are the ones who are so devoted to the realities of their psychological truths that they are willing to bear the stings and arrows of a culture which does not understand them, and barely tolerates them.

     These are the people who maintain the Gorean aspects of their relationship openly, despite the disdain of others. These people have, in my opinion, come as close to simulating real life Gorean slavery as is possible in our modern Earth society. It is not easy, nor always enjoyable... but they have, through a supreme act of devotion, voluntarily gone beyond what our society considers to be "normal" in search of their own personal needs and fulfillment.

     This is not an easy path, I can assure you, nor does it often conclude in a happy ending. But it is possible, if sometimes only for a short while, to taste the merest fraction of those emotions which are felt by one who truly owns another, and of one who truly is owned.

     But what of those who are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifice to reach this pinnacle? What about the countless persons who, due to circumstance or choice, are not able to immerse themselves in the toil and strife which can erupt from the maintenance of a full-time "Master/slave" relationship, and who can explore their dominant and submissive natures only through the limited interaction provided by IRC? Should these "paper" Masters and slaves be cast out from the Gorean community? Be careful how you answer, since those very "paper" Goreans make up about 99% of our online society.

     And what of those many who have been involved in real life b/d/s/m relationships, but who are currently without slaves or Masters? Should they be shunned also, simply because they are between relationships? Is a newcomer to the concepts and philosophy of Gor, one who has never even seen a single one of the source books but who has, since visiting a Gorean chat channel, begun to experiment in Gorean b/d/s/m with his longtime girlfriend, qualified to consider himself "more real" than other, long-term, online Goreans? Is anyone qualified to make such a claim? In such a warped view of things, every silly subbie who has ever been spanked with a ping-pong paddle suddenly becomes more "real" than an online-only Gorean who has read every book, fully embraced the underlying philosophy of that planet, and who strives daily to behave in as Gorean a manner as is possible, both real life and on IRC.

Take me, for instance, as an example:

     I have, during my life, been involved in several serious "Gorean" inflected relationships, most of which were confined to the bedroom. I have never felt it necessary to chain up my sexual partner and parade her about in public, however, no matter how "Gorean" that sort of activity may seem. I am currently bereft of real life slaves, and am married to a wonderful woman who is, in effect, my free companion. She has read the Gor books, enjoys them, and takes them very seriously... but she is not my "slave," simply because I have never forced her to be one, nor found it necessary. Am I, then, a "paper" Master? Do I, and others like myself, have to rush out and find someone to collar in real life to be considered "real"? I sincerely hope not, since I have been able to locate only a few females via IRC whom I find particularly exciting, none of whom I currently wish to live with. I would have to settle for some bratty local part-time sub, therefore, to acquire a real-life slave. Now, you tell me: how Gorean is that?

     I submit that by the definition currently in fashion, namely that in order to consider oneself Gorean a person must act out scenes from a Gor book in his or her bedroom, complete with all the trimmings... if, in order to be considered a "true" Gorean one must behave like the characters in the books 24 hours a day... then we are ALL paper Goreans. Similarly, most of the supposed Gorean Warriors out there are paper Warriors. All of the Gorean Assassins out there are DEFINITELY paper Assassins. When one starts to classify how true to a culture or philosophy a person is simply by the details of their sex lives and whether or not they pretend to be living on another planet, then we are all in big trouble.

     Gor is a very interesting place, albeit a fictional one. Though it is virtually impossible for us to create it here on Earth, we do have the option of practicing the cultural peculiarities of that planet. We all must do so in the best way we are able, whether that means reading the books, cavorting in IRC channels or engaging in real-time b/d/s/m love play. To classify any one person as utterly fraudulant simply because they don't wear a real life collar, or have a slave cage in their basement, is blatantly ridiculous. I know a lot of people online who purport to be engaged in r/l Gorean relationships. Many of these same people also purport to be "real life" Warriors and SlaveMasters, although that "reality" seems to consist of stalking around IRC with drawn cyber-swords and imaginary whips hacking and slashing at people.

     I suggest that how "real" a Gorean is has a lot more to do with how that person thinks and what they believe than how many riding crops he or she owns, or whether or not he or she has a date to scene next Saturday night.

I wish you well,

_Marcus_

"Rencius Rarius Civitatii Rencia Goria Rencius."

(A Paper Warrior of a Paper City on a Paper Planet)

     There are many types of Gor channels on IRC: Inns, taverns, ships, camps...these are just a few of the many wonderfully imagined creations that the intriguing Chronicles of Gor has fostered. A Master can choose from a beautiful array of Pleasure Slaves, Tower Slaves, Serving Slaves; just about any kind of slave he wants. He can be served the rancid paga, sweet ka-la-nas, even roasted bosk meat with a side of sul. He can choose to mingle with the Caste of Physicians, Scribes, Warriors, even Assassins. Common people in our real world can be any person they wish to be here: Free Persons, with the bravery of warriors or the intelligence of the most sought-out scientists..or slaves, with the stunning beauty that will capture these Free Person's eyes and hearts. But one question is evident lately, from the bickering between channels to the quarrels between individuals....how much imagination is too much?

     When we enter this exciting world of Gor, is it not evident that this is a pretend world? Where many escape real life, attempting to fulfill an empty space, whether it be love or just not enough excitement...others come here to play, to explore, to learn of this most intriguing place. Whatever the reason, it must be realized that this planet, this world, this 'Gor'...it is an expansion of a ficticious series of books, brought about by an author's brilliant imagination and creativity.

     It must be noted, of course, that once we come here, many things that are not 'pretend' do occur...relationships foster, disagreements arise, opinions collide. These are all real. However, the disagreements of things that have to do with a ficticious place, however translated from a book, will never be solved. Why? Because each individual is just that: an individual. Every person interprets things differently, be it everyday life, from an article in the newspaper, to the Bible, which, of course, is interpreted in many ways, or the Chronicles of Gor.

     It takes a very imaginative individual to learn the ways of Gor, to study and practice these ways, even in the cyber world. But each person has a different level of imagination. Who is the one to say where the imaginations must stop? Should the slave not serve her paga to the Master, using her fine skills? Should a Free Person of the Caste of Assassins not attempt to kill, if that is his imagination?

     I only have one answer to these questions, which also poses other questions. For one, the Free Person who attempts to slay, to maime, or otherwise injure another on Gor, this is a person with a broad imagination...however, the person that he is attempting to kill may not have the same type of imagination, and thus call the other a 'gamer'. But is he not also a gamer, for 'collaring' his slave?

     Is the slave that 'laps' or serves, or gives sexual pleasure, is she not a 'gamer', for attempting to do something that cannot be done physically? How can one be serious about a place that is totally dependent on the imaginations of the persons that make it exist? And too, how can one NOT be serious about a place that so many spend their time, find their 'true love', make their best friends, and share so much of their lives with people they have never met face to face?

     I can only say one thing: I come here to get away from the real world. To let my imagination soar, to allow my mind to escape the everyday monotony of my true world. I do not come here to fight, to slay, to be questioned about my beliefs. And until every person has the same imagination, the same opinions, there will be no end to the disagreements.

I wish you well, lexi{TyB}r