Maxwell67
Posts: 435
Joined: 6/29/2008 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MarsBonfire I agree with you Holly. Maybe "validate" isn't the right word... Personally, I'd like to see a few Goreans at least explain what Gor is all about to them. What the attraction is, and what benefits they've gained from it. Something a bit more tangible than "Go read the books, it's impossible for me to explain in words." That's actually something I never see when people talk about it. I assume because they don't want to be the target of being shunned and criticized by their fellow Goreans. (See the "fight club" comment I made earlier.) I think this is correct also. When one lives with a set of beliefs which cannot be defended, then the proper response to criticism is no response. You see this sort of thing regularly online when the beliefs that reinforce bigotry and extremism are attacked. Sure it sometimes brings the idiots and crazy's out of the woodwork, but the intelligentsia will not dignify your criticism with a serious response (though they might address something else that is being discussed within the same thread). For instance, my mother was a female supremacist, but neither she nor any of her circle would discuss the matter with me seriously. I was a man, and therefore it was beneath them to justify themselves to me. The Goreans I know (and I have known many) almost universally point to the emphasis on personal honor and responsibility that they say is integral to the philosophy, however, the last I checked, Goreans have not cornered the market on either of those traits, and they have as large a population of hypocrites as any other group. Do not expect a serious debate on this subject with Gorean folk who are savvy enough to understand what it takes to present a strong case. Ever. It is not that such people do not exist.. there are some very wise and intelligent Goreans out there, but being that savvy also means they understand that actually presenting such a case is impossible. The 'good' Goreans who are living the lifestyle do so by picking and choosing wisely those elements that work for them and leaving the rest behind. There is no perfect system. Everyone has to find it for themselves no matter what life philosophy they espouse.
< Message edited by Maxwell67 -- 6/27/2009 1:16:55 PM >
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Use your head can't you use your head? You're on Earth! There's no cure for that! - Samuel Beckett (Endgame)
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