Tal all,
In various mouthings, whinings, musings and squealings, in various forums, venues, avenues and places, spoken with concern, alarm and guilt, I see the same old question being asked about the things that we do; the same questions that have been asked since there first appeared some online who claimed to be Gorean out of one side of their mouth, and snickered about it out of the other.
Specifically, they ask:
How dare we!!
How dare we expose suspected illegal activity on IRC? How dare we name names and show the Gorean community what is going on under the banner it strives so damn hard to create for itself, so that just perhaps, it can distance itself from it? How dare we judge those who solicit a 16 year old girl being a "channel slave" and who then conspire to keep it a secret? Don't we know people make mistakes? Haven't we heard of "forgive and forget"? "Those who throw the first stone..."?
How dare we!!
How dare we note here and in other places that some use the concepts, traditions, and philosophy of Gor not as a guide to living ones life to the fullest, but as a cloak to wrap around themselves online in order to hide what they are. A cloak they can swirl to confuse the new, the unwary, the ignorant, the unwise. A cloak they can use to prey upon women who seek out strong men to submit to. A cloak that eventually, every time, unravels, leaving those of us who stand openly as Gorean to pick up the pieces of these sobbing wrecks - when they come to us asking "why did he do it, Master?"
How dare we!!
How dare we warn others about ones who prey on the lonely, the weak, telling them that they are almost doctors, telling them that they have brain cancer, telling them that they are dying, telling them that they need money to pay off school debts... How dare we give a voice to the stupid, trusting souls who are taken in by such predators, who send them money, who then find out that none of it is true, and that by then the predator has moved on to his next victim - all under the banner of "Gorean".
How dare we!!
How dare we reject from the community the man who collars a woman, has her move in and then has her three pre-teen and teenage sons beat thier mother when she is "bad"? How dare we nod in satisfaction when a "gor network" dies due to lack of participation because no one will follow his sick and twisted lead? How dare we show disdain for those who proclaim to be what we are, yet refuse to walk the path, who at the slightest difficulty in manifesting this philosophy in thier lives, change the *philosophy* to keep from paying the price, rather than writing the check themselves. Who sidestep the challenges, the problems, the sacrifices, the *work* and simply attempt to claim the mantle of "Gorean" by virtue of some bdsm experience and some screen nick who types that she kneels to him.
How dare we!!!
How dare we stand up and say: "These people are NOT us. They are NOT what being Gorean in this society is about! They are NOT, and their behaviour IS NOT accepted in our community! How dare we disassociate from them, judge them, scorn them, remove them from our presence! It is not fair! There were no second, third and fourth chances given! It is not right! It is hard to do so! It is uncomfortable!
It is Gorean.
How *dare* we speak up?
HOW DARE YOU KEEP SILENT!!
Bear-
