Domination & submission _ the BDSM relationship handbook ( PDFDrive )

Gor in Real World Relationships
Contrary to popular belief, Gorean relationships not only do exist in real-life,
they often thrive in relative obscurity there. The common misconception that
there aren’t many real-world Gorean relationships out there is based on a variety
of factors, not the least of which is the general scorn with which such
relationships are sometimes viewed by others.
Knowing that your relationship dynamic is likely to become the subject of
insults, jokes, or dismissive commentary can have a chilling effect on how
forthcoming you are in making it public. You might think that being part of the
allegedly non-judgmental and tolerant fetish culture would preclude this from
happening, but that’s not always the case. In fact, it is ironic that the harmful
misconceptions about Gorean relationships are far more common and negative
within the BDSM lifestyle than they are among the general population, where an
almost complete lack of awareness among the vanilla folk works to the Goreans’
advantage.
While a significant percentage of real-life Master/slave relationships are Gorean
to some degree, a “Gorean lifestyle” need not be defined solely by Master/slave
relationships, nor should it be. As we noted at the beginning of this chapter,
John Norman’s thirty-two Gor novels painted a complex and fascinating portrait
of an entire planet, complete with its own unique customs, traditions, and
philosophies. Sex, slavery and submission may have been some of the more
interesting and titillating aspects of Gorean culture as described by Norman, but
they were by no means the primary focus of his books. Gor enthusiasts exist
along a wide spectrum of fandom that ranges from the pitifully misinformed chat
room role-players at one end, and the fanatically literal triviacrats, who will go
so far as to speak Gorean languages, on the other. Somewhere, between those
two extremes, you can find the practical real-life Goreans, quietly trying to live
their lives and doing their best to stay under everyone else’s radar.
A practical Gorean lifestyle typically involves adopting the mindset and
philosophy of Gor, and then looking for ways to successfully integrate them into
your day-to-day Earthly lives and intimate relationships. These Gorean
teachings typically involve embracing the natural order of dominance vs.
submission, being willing to swim against the tide of socially accepted norms,
embracing the real differences between men and women, being honorable and