by LionHeart
There seems to be a recurring confusion between Gor, D/s, and BDSM. Some people become confused regarding the important differences between them because Gor does have themes of dominance and submission, as well as usage of both discipline and bondage. It can be challenging to keep it in perspective.
Here are some of the more obvious differences between the three.
SCOPE
Taken seriously, intelligently, and sanely, the Gorean philosophy is a coherent set of principles and values which offer a prospective way to live every aspect of your life.
D/S only applies to specific relationships, that is it’s scope.
BDSM is an umbrella designation and socio-political movement who’s purpose is to connect those of like-minded alternative sexualities, and drive for mainstream acceptance of those same alternatives. That is it’s scope.
Neither D/S, nor BDSM, constitute a philosophy which guides every aspect of your life.
MORALITY
The Gorean philosophy makes distinct judgments of right, and wrong, based on it’s core principle of the natural order, and the application of positive values such as honesty, courage, strength, integrity, etc.
Both D/S, and BDSM, are based on expectations of tolerance and non-judgement, so long as the behavior stays within the bounds of the legal system. Even the later reservation is based on the laws of a given nation rather than any moral or ethical judgement.
The Gorean philosophy is grounded in it’s morality, while D/S and BDSM are aggressively amoral and non-judgmental.
INCLUSIVENESS
D/S, and BDSM in particular, actively promote an inclusive community, the acceptance of all alternative sexualities beneath it’s aegis, actively discouraging judgmentalism and approbation.
The Gorean philosophy insists on not only judging to determine what is harmonious with the natural order, and what is inimical to it, but acting on that judgement. This results in a community which rationally excludes those who chose beliefs, attitudes, and lifestyles which are in conflict with the Gorean philosophy.
NATURE vs NURTURE
The Gorean philosophy is founded on the idea that humanity evolved over millenia in response to external forces as well as internal pressures that each gender mutually exerted on one another to create instinct-level ‘hard-wired’ gender natures. This means that being Gorean is not something that one chooses to do, but rather, it’s who one is, when the dross of a social overlay (Nurture) which contradicts that gender nature, has been uncovered and removed.
D/S, and BDSM, are founded on idea that sexuality is a choice, it’s something that one does. Sexuality is an act, not a state of being, and one can simply choose to do something different without any violation of nature, since nature is not part of the equation.
SADO-MASOCHISM
BDSM is an acronym for Bondage, Discipline, & Sado-Masochism. As an umbrella movement, BDSM is fairly new, being created in the 1980s. Prior to the 1980s, there were the separately considered kinks of B&D (Bondage & Discipline), and S&M (Sadism & Masochism), and D&S (Domination & Submission), and each was not necessarily linked to the other. Sadism and masochism are inextricably part of the BDSM movement, where they are both accepted and even celebrated.
The first Gor novel was published in 1965, ‘Tarnsman of Gor’, by John Norman. The second Gor novel, ‘Outlaw of Gor’, was published in , and it contained the following quote;
“Perhaps it should only be added that the Gorean Master, though strict, is seldom cruel. The girl knows, if she pleases him, her lot will be an easy one. She will almost never encountered sadism or wanton cruelty, for the psychological environment that tends to breed these diseases is largely absent from Gor. This does not mean that she will not expect to be beaten if she disobeys, or fails to please her Master.”
– John Norman, ‘Outlaw of Gor’, DAW page 53
Placing the statement in historical context, there simply was no ‘BDSM’ when the second Gor novel was written, and the author clearly considered sadism to be a mental illness. This position is corroborated and validated in the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders IV, which recognizes that both Sadism and Masochism are sexual disorders. It was Norman’s contention that these are the sort of mental illnesses caused by a response in humans who have been forced to cope with a society which actively suppressed and distorted their natural gender proclivities and orientation, rather than supporting them.
LIFE vs DEATH
BDSM practices often begin lightly, with minor explorations, perhaps with a blindfold or the restraining of wrists. Over time, it’s aficionados often progress further along the pleasure path, needing more intense applications and experiences to obtain the same sensations and reactions they experienced in the early stages. It is not unusual for experienced BDSM players to engage in very serious beatings, ‘knife-play’ and ‘blood-play’, choking and asphyxiation, taking place in rooms designated as ‘dungeons’. The BDSM motto is “Safe, Sane, and Consensual”, three things which normal sexual practices do not need to use as a mantra because they are usually safe, sane, and consensual. This strongly suggests that many BDSM practices are inherently dangerous, of questionable sanity, and run considerable risk of being non-consensual. To mitigate these hazards, the BDSM community often operates in a group environment where the ‘play’ of it’s practitioners can be monitored in the event that the ‘play’ goes too far, as well as the encouraged practice of a ‘safe-word’ and active mentoring/training of of it’s Doms (Dominants).
In this regard, the thrills associated with BDSM are more akin to a controlled threat of death and bodily harm, creating sexual excitement by stimulating and expressing these darker impulses of human nature. It is particularly noteworthy that while it is commonly understood that people can and do die, or have such major bodily harm inflicted upon them that they end up in an emergency room, it’s remarkably difficult to obtain concrete numbers on the magnitude of loss and damage to human life, incurred in the pursuit of this dangerous ‘play’, due to the pervasive attitude of maintaining non-judgmentalism and legal barriers inherent within the personal privacy/doctor’s confidentiality. However, a number of medical experts have confidentially informed that that it’s not at all uncommon to receive the victims of BDSM games in the emergency room or urgent care.
On the other hand, the Gorean philosophy is focused on life and living it. On achieving a livable harmony of gender nature with the way Goreans live their lives and engage in their relationships, as well as a deep and abiding respect for the natural world they live in.
TRUST
The typical BDSM encounter often relies on a ‘safe-word’ in an effort to ensure that the person being played with is fully consensual, and to give the that person a way to control the ‘play’. While this is an understandable precaution, it stands in stark contrast to the Gorean interaction.
The typical Gorean sexual interaction abhors any contrivance which suggests a contradiction of the natural order. Instead, it relies on absolute trust between the man and the woman. The man trusting that the woman knew what she was doing when she submitted to his will, and the woman trusting that the man in who’s hands she has placed herself, is a man who will not abuse or damage his woman.
HONEST EXPRESSION
In the Gorean philosophy, most men are naturally dominant over women, and most women are naturally submissive to men. This isn’t a matter of choice, as much as it is the expression of that fundamental gender nature, consonant with the truth and reality of what humans are.
In BDSM, the aforementioned ‘safe-word’ enables the Submissive to maintain total control of whatever occurs in the ‘play’ with the Dominant. This creates a dynamic wherein the person who is supposed to be in control, the Dominant, is in fact, under the complete control of the Submissive, who is pretending to not be charge. While this does assure consensuality, if not safety, it also constitutes a fundamentally dishonest dynamic.
BEAUTY
The author himself has been extraordinarily clear in his steadfast repudiation of BDSM and in keeping Gor separate from BDSM. This is not a matter of interpretation, the author literally owns Gor and it’s copyright, he knows better than any what the precise meaning and purpose of every word he published. He considered BDSM to not be beautiful, and counted that as a final differentiation between it, and Gor.
“I know nothing about “real-life Gorean slavery among some people in the BDSM community.” The “BDSM” reference worries me. I dissociate myself from BDSM, at least as I understand it. I may, of course, misunderstand it. I wonder if one would settle merely for “real-life Gorean slavery,” because, as I understand it, BDSM is not Gorean. If something is not beautiful, it is not Gorean.”
– John Norman, excerpted from the I09 Interview
This should be simple to understand and it’s not subject to either moral relativism nor perceptual relativism in sane, intelligent creatures; The infliction of pain, the threat of death and harm, are not acts of beauty within the non-psychotic population of humanity. The measure of beauty in Gorean terms is based on truth, which is itself, grounded in reality.
“A good maxim to keep in mind is that if it isn’t beautiful, it isn’t Gorean.”
– John Norman, afterword in ‘Witness of Gor’
SUMMATION
While Gor may include the aspects of D&S within it’s philosophy, even those are based on the Natural Order rather than choosing and switching. In many ways, Gor is the polar opposite of BDSM, and mixing the two is a recipe for Bad Things to occur. BDSM and D/S have things like the motto of ‘safe, sane, and consensual’, and ‘safe-words’, because those are the only way to ensure consensuality and a reasonable degree of safety. Gor has none of that because it needs none of it. If you mix the two, you likely will end up with a BDSM Dom who lacks the inherent safeguards of the Natural Order and high character, and ALSO lacks the sophic constraints of ‘safe words’ and a motto, to keep him from straying into actions which are neither safe nor sane, and quite possibly are criminal.