Early this month, when being allowed the task of taking over this section of the Voice this girl spent much time trying to figure out what kind of questions to ask; then she faced the daunting task of figuring out who to interview. After making a short list, which ended up rivalling an eight year olds Christmas list, she grabbed her passport and way cool "Dick Tracy"trenchcoat (can’t do an interview without a trenchcoat) and headed to the British Isles.

Once in Norfolk this girl tracked down Master Socrates; not an easy task in itself since the busy contract computer programmer is usually away from home from Monday to Friday or when at home busy as husband and father to an eighteen month old son. Master Socrates also enjoys a wide range of interests including reading, writing, amateur dramatics and singing, fantasy RPGing "*smiles* - no, I am not a Gor roleplayer!" chess, bridge and a number of obscure board-games, and whiling away many a happy hour over such computer strategy games as "Civilization".

At the tender age of forty, Master Socrates says "it seems strange to think now that once upon a time both the year 2000 and my own fortieth birthday were unimaginably far in the future!"

~quickly switches off the subject of age, making a note to get one of those hats that will hide the gray~

Master Socrates does not own slaves at this time, stating "Until recently I did not know that consensual slavery existed, and it doesn’t strike me as anything I need to hurry into."

~clears her throat, after being allowed to look at the pics of his son~

"How did you find Gor, Master?" -- I first read the books in the early 80s, beginning with the first dozen or so in 1980 and the rest as they came out over the next five years or so. Regrettably I shall here have to dent my Gor-cred by admitting that I am not an all-25er; there are a couple I’ve never even seen in print over here, and for many years I didn’t know what had become of Dr Lange. This brings us naturally onto how I heard of the Gorean lifestyle: I was searching the Internet for information on the books and the author, and almost straight away found the Voice website and the GPB. I had heard rumours that such a lifestyle existed, from a friend who has taken to BDSM in recent years, but no more than rumours. *laughs*. Of course, now I know that, so far from being a BDSM sub-culture, the Gorean lifestyle barely crosses over with it. And as to finding out about Gor on the Internet... having seen the assorted trash that is peddled with the Gor label stuck onto it, I can see that I was lucky to land where I did.

"If you had never heard of the Gorean lifestyle, do you envision your life being any different than it is now, Master?" -- Not to any great extent. Only for the past six months have I known that the lifestyle exists, and knowing has not made any profound changes in my life. On the other hand, I would have missed the opportunity to debate and discuss with some extremely interesting and intelligent people. I hope to have many more such opportunities before I’m done. What the ultimate effect of knowing about the lifestyle is likely to be on me, I don’t know; but the learning process is proving instructive and enjoyable.

What do you see as being the fundamental characteristics of your life and self that make you Gorean, Master?" -- I don’t make any claim to be Gorean. I suppose, though, the most Gorean thing about me would be a reluctance to change what I am and what I do merely to conform to expectations. One thing I like about the Gorean philosophy is its take on equality: anyone who wants to be equal can go ahead and be it, if they’re able to do so. Equality isn’t achieved by those who are able pretending they are not in order to make those who are not feel better about themselves. That rings quite a large bell with me.

"What is one thing that you think would be important for anyone who knows you to know about you, Master?" -- That I really do nit-pick everyone and everything incessantly! It’s nothing personal and it always starts with myself. I may be hypercritical, but I am not hypocritical.

What is the one thing you wouldn’t want anyone to know about you, unless they were intimately involved with you, Master?" -- Interesting question; actually there are a few things I fully intend to stay permanently quiet about, full stop! But as to things I wouldn’t want anyone to know unless they were intimately involved with me, I can’t think of any.

"When did you first realize that something about you was different from other men in today’s society, Master? How did you first cope with that realization?" -- *chuckles*. Oh, I’ve been considered slightly strange since well before puberty, girl, and all of life has involved coping! It’s been difficult now and then, admittedly. Learning to steer clear of unwinnable fights is as important as developing the backbone to stand up for what matters to you.

"What advice would you give to anyone asking you about this lifestyle, Master?" -- I’d say: Don’t look to me for any answers. It should be obvious to anyone who’s read this far that I am, as yet, barely dipping my toes. At most all I can promise is to ask some interesting questions or point out obvious nonsense. Otherwise... have a good look and don’t commit yourself to anything crass that you’re likely to regret later; but that’s good advice in any case.

"What is the one mistake (if any) that you have made that you feel has taught you the greatest lessons about yourself, Master?" -- Spending a miserable and pointless year at university, having gone there for no reason other than that I could. It took an unreasonably long time for my sense of self-worth to recover from the inevitable dropping out -- despite discovering the Gor books while I was there -- and I put up with a lot, in terms of relationships and employment, that I ought not to have put up with. I think, however, that I’m over the worst of it now!

~smiles~ This girl sure hopes so, Master

And so this snoopy girl bid farewell to Master Socrates, and after a brief two-week pause at the shopping centers of England (she’s a girl ya know), she headed back to the States with her first interview tucked safely away.

P.S. Soaps and shampoos from the hotel are duty-free although it did take a bit of explaining at customs as to why she had an entire suitcase full.

*Note: Mention of travel are included for *color*, unfortunately, snoopy travelled to England only through the power of the internet and a way too vivid imagination.

Farewell and well wishes to all, until next month’s edition

snoopy-snoop