The following was written By Zeb, of Ar, Silk and Steel Tavern in rebuttle to a commentary offered by a sub/slave.

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            There are other words in the sentence like "need," "love," "respect," and "nurture." In every case these words are used with the submissive being the object. It is she who needs, she who is to be loved, she who is to be respected, and she who is to be nurtured. The Dominant, by inference, is the one who will perform these actions. He will satisfy, love, respect, and nurture. In each case it is clear that the direction of the action is from the Dominant to the submissive.

           To my Gorean way of thinking, this is backward. A slave may indeed have needs. But it is
not imperative on the Master to fulfill them. He may fulfill them if he so chooses, but if he does it is because it pleases him to do so. The pleasure and satisfaction of fulfilling the slave's needs belongs to the Master. If she has needs that go unsatisfied, then it is because it pleases him to leave them unsatisfied.

           Let us postulate a Master and a slave. This slave has needs. She needs respect, love, and nurture. But she receives none of this. Her Master cares nothing for her. He beats her regularly, uses her when it pleases him, and has her perform a variety of menial tasks. He often cavorts with other women and, in turn, gives her to other men. She has on occasion asked to speak to him about things... she needs to talk and be listened to... but he has always refused, often beating her instead. On Earth we'd be rooting for the girl. "Dump the stupid son-of-a-bitch!" the audience of the popular talk show would shout, "Get yourself a real man, honey, you deserve better than that worthless crud!"

           On Gor, it would be just another Master with his slave. She has no talk shows to watch, no one to commiserate with over coffee and danish. She has no legal recourse. She can't go to the battered woman's shelter. She is totally, and simply, a slave. She has no rights -- legal or inalienable. Should her Master become tired of her, he can simply sell her or even kill her.

           Of course, we do not live on Gor. There is no such place. But there are people who call themselves Gorean. If you wish to call yourself Gorean, then you must believe in things that are Gorean in nature. You must approach a relationship with a slave from a Gorean context.  No, you cannot kill your slave if she displeases you, not without serious legal consequences.  But that should not change the fundamental direction from which you approach the relationship. It is still the Master around whom the relationship revolves -- only the Master.  Slaves may indeed be loved, respected, and nurtured. But it is not done because the Master must fulfill her needs. It is done because it pleases him to do so. It fulfills his needs to do so.

           The submission of a Gorean slave is not a gift to her Master. It is a choice she makes. It is her last choice, because once made, she never has another choice. Once made, her submission is not a gift or a weapon. She becomes owned. Everything that she ever had, to include her submission, is now the property of her Master. It is then he who chooses. His choices may or may not include love, respect, and nurture.

           Naturally, the reality of the situation is that a slave may run away from a relationship on Earth. On Gor, she might be hunted down and recaptured, if worth the effort, or slain, if not.  Or she might simply be let go. She'd only too quickly find herself in yet another collar and another set of chains. But on Earth, she can get free. And she should be let free, with little more regard to her. There will be another, and another after that. And should there fail to be another for awhile, then it does not make him less than what he is -- a man.

     So, for those who wish to call themselves Gorean, pay no attention to "How to Be A Gorean Master" particularly and especially if written by a woman. Each individual male sets his own parameters and if he chooses to take a slave, he sets her parameters as well.

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So, here we have another Earth grown male's opinion on the matter of being a Gorean Master. Women are mindless, have little or no value, no voice or opinion and serve only the purpose of spreading their legs, serving food to any and all men who demand it, and kissing their boots for the opportunity, especially those who claim to be "Gorean". He describes the Gorean males as having every right to treat their women with less dignity than the goats he probably herds in his more intellectual moments.  He goes on in a later offering to say that every time he reads the particular piece he discusses here he grows angry and wants to throw things around the room.  hmmm.. I would wonder how can one Master slaves, if he can't Master his own behavior?

Personally, I find his counter-piece most laughable. He speaks of men of Gor as though they suffer from the same battle with their penis driven ego's that he suffers from and would have all Gorean men beat and whip their slaves to show them who their master is from day one to the day they kill them. 

Okay, so let us say that every poor sot on Gor had the same lack of ideals that Zeb has, and places such little value on the flesh of a slave that he does. In his own words, if a man grows tired of a slave or finds that she is "needing" more than his lazy ass wishes to give her, then he simply sells her, or hunts her down like the animal she is when she runs off and kills her. "There will be another, and another after that." But, what happens when there are no more? When all the slaves of Gor have crossed the doorstep of every man who follows Zeb's creed.  They've been beaten and whipped and have either run away, killed themselves, or been sold, and resold until all have finally been killed off? Zeb says, "And should there fail to be another for awhile, then it does not make him less than what he is -- a man." But, being a man does not make him a Gorean Master. What is a master if he has no slave to serve him? He is nothing but a penis, but no one to stick it in, a hand to hold a whip, but no one to beat with it, and an ego to flaunt but no one to suffer the wrath of it. Now wouldn't a whole planet of these creatures make for an interesting series of books? 

I have no need to meet Mister Zeb, and yes I said Mister, not Master because I would not consider him to be one. My reason being? He did what so many wannabe Masters, who are in reality earthly men have done when reading the Chronicles of Gor. He read only those parts that appealed to his ego and failed to recognize those parts that detailed the essence of a Gorean Master. 

Where is the dignity in taking a chain of slaves who mean absolutely nothing to you? Not on Gor!

Where is the honor in calling yourself a Master of an animal who has no choice but to submit? Not on Gor!

Where is there a reason for a slave to want to serve someone who has so little regard for her life, and her needs?  Most definitely NOT on Gor!

What I find so very sad in Zeb's writings is that the very characteristics that make him a lousy Gorean Master are the same characteristics that have cost the men of earth the respect and devotion of the women who actually once served them here.

Oh, but don't pay any attention to My words, I am but a mere woman. *laughing* However, I am a woman who would, even in the real world, choose a grizzly death over serving a Earth raised, penis driven, ego like Zeb. 

I wish you well,
Arista of Ko-ro-ba