Gorean slaves are like cars....

When I first came into Gor on SL I had some ideas about slaves in Gor from my readings of the books.  Admittedly I have only read through Marauders of Gor (book 9) so my views were decidedly slanted towards the first books...but then my entire view of Gor as a world or setting is slanted towards the first books.  It is my understanding that the later books had a distinct change in attitude and view.

Anyway, the attitude in SL Gor I find to be most prevalent is that slaves are 'a dime a dozen' in that they could be easily replaced and shouldn't be given any real thought.  Valuing your slave amounted to the same as coddling them, and if you cared for them then that only made YOU weak and 'ungorean'.  I see this attitude over and over again throughout many sims.

Personally I find this idea completely without any logical sense.  If we want to take from the books, then you can find again and again how Tarl valued and showed great affection for the slaves in his collar.  Just because they were his chattel (property) didn't change that.  In fact we can find on MANY occasions that Owners valued and cared for their slaves.

As I watched and learned more about Gor on SL and became an Owner and Master/Jarl I started to define what I think of slaves, and it can be summed up pretty easily:

A slave on SL Gor is like a Car to an earthling.

Ok, I know that will draw criticism from many, but read on and I will lay out my reasons.  These are the same reasons that many things from the books like Kajira Canjelline simply don't work in SL Gor.

• A slave on SL Gor represents an outlay of cash or effort (or both) to obtain and maintain.
• I paid a good deal of money for my car.  Therefor it is in my own best interest to make sure it is maintained and cared for properly, otherwise when I need or want it, it may simply not be there for me.  In the same way, a slave owner on Gor will pay good money for a slave OR they had to fight and capture them putting themselves at some level of risk.  Then the slave needs to be collared, branded, fed...all of which costs MORE money.  And, just as on Earth, money on Gor doesn't grow on trees...hence a slave would be something an owner would value and care for.  Good example here, which almost any parent can attest to:  When my kids first entered college I gave them a Car to use (and phones and computers).  I paid for those things as well as gas and insurance.  Over time that car (and all the other things I gave them) got trashed.  Flash forward a bit and my kids bought their own computers, phones and in the case of my oldest, a car.  They take care of those things like they never did for the things I GAVE them, because they had to work to purchase and maintain them.  The logic here is simple:  If you pay for something you are going to care for it...I don't care if you are on Gor or on Earth.
• Finding a slave on SL Gor who meshes with you as far as time zones, times online, interests, and even your particular kinks and needs can be very challenging and time consuming.  
• When I purchased my car I took a number of others for a test drive.  I looked for the best deal on the make and model, all the amenities I wanted, used or new, hell even the color of the outside and upholstery made a difference.  I took the time and effort to find the car that was the best fit for me.  Why the hell would I do anything less for a slave I was going to bed and feed and keep?  And having made such an effort to find her and make them yours, is it really hard to imagine that it might cause a bit of drama or anger if someone tries to take them away?  If not, then I wonder how you might react if someone stole your car...because it's the same thing. 
  
• A slave on SL Gor takes time to train and get to know until they are completely pleasing and useful to their owner, the same like customizing my car took time and effort.
• For my car I purchased mats for the front and back seats, the nice cargo tray for in the back, it has the special paint chip protection on the front, the upholstery has been treated to resist stains, I've loaded the MP3 player with a couple hundred songs, the navigation system with multiple points of interest...the list goes on.  As far as a slave, this is predicated on the idea that you actually try to involve your slave in your RP and treat them as something more than your personal fuck bunny and toss them to the side when you go for RP.  In my own RP I have taken time to train my slave how to help me in my work in the smithy (beyond just sweeping and cleaning).  I have also taught her what pleases me both in and out of the furs.  This represents a significant outlay of time for me as her owner.  Unless I consider my time as having zero value, then this obviously translates to my not wanting to lose all that time and start over for either the car OR my slave.
• A Car is property without feelings...yet we still become very attached to them.  A slave is property with feelings so becoming attached to them would be almost a forgone conclusion.

• This one is pretty obvious.  Look at the way some folks love their cars. (Ok, some folks love them way too much...the shifter seriously doesn't belong there hon...).  They pour money and love and time into their cars.  Now look at the way many owners train their slaves.  I know many who have helped their girls to become excellent dancers, helped them to figure out how to act, improve the look of their avatars and any number of other things.  Do you honestly think those owners had no attachment to their slaves? 

A few other ways slaves are like cars:

•  Not everyone can afford (or wants) to own a car.  Hence they can be rented (see your local city slave kennel or slave house) or there is public transportation (see your local tavern or longhouse).  
• Not everyone deserves to have a car.  Have you seen the way some folks drive?  Seriously....  Same goes for slaves.
• My car is a well kept, high performance, and expensive piece of machinery.  I don't want to trade it to drive your dirty Yugo for the night.  My slave is hot, sexy, intelligent, and knows how to bend in the furs in ways that might be illegal in some countries.  Why would I trade her for your one liner, ugly half sister slave (or FC) that hasn't showered in weeks and has an ass that looks like two bosks fighting?

I know I will likely leave many minds unchanged.  Too many just want to 'use' the slaves on Gor for their own pleasure (or abuse them, again for their own sick pleasure), but I wanted to make sure that my feelings on the subject were known.


As an afterward, here is my girl's blog.  It's very interesting reading and I recommend it highly.
Collared To His Will