One of the primary difficulties which we all deal with, in one way or another, through our "Gorean" interaction on-line, is the limitation of on-line communication. IRC, and thInternetet, are just not very effective media through which to build and maintain a community with standards and rules of any sort.

     Why is that? Simply because, in the completely voluntary realm of computer interaction, no one can really force anyone to do, or not do, anything. The most anyone can do is remove the offender from a portion of that virtual area through a ban of some sort, many types of which are fairly easily circumvented.

     Now, if Norman's books were a bit less specific about Gorean culture and Gorean behavior, then there would be no problem. Everyone who wished to do so could simply spin-off into their own personal offshoot of Gorean philosophy, take what they felt was good and reject the rest, and trumpet themselves to be just as "Gorean" as the next guy. Which is, rather predictably, precisely what has been occurring since the first Gorean IRC channel and web sites appeared almost three years ago.

     People differ. Their attitudes differ, and the way they interpret what they read tends to differ. But when one reads enough of Norman's work, one tends to realize that in many areas he has left very little open for interpretation. One can certainly interpret and apply different Gorean standards to one's own life and off-line dealings; in fact, one must do so. Since we are not availed of the reality of a slave-based society, valid caste-system, etc., we must apply to our lives what can be applied, depending upon our situation. I fully accept that, and generally have no problem with the differing opinions of others in regards to such. Why? Because Norman has nothing to say on the subject of how we might best emulate Gorean culture here on Earth. He loudly informs us that we would be better off doing so, but offers few clues (except for his non-fiction work Imaginative Sex) as to how we might experience Gorean interaction in our lives. And even that work deals only with bedroom interaction.

     An interesting side-note is that despite the limitations of on-line interaction, it has a few good points. One of which is, when on-line, we can enact the rules which we wish to, and simulate much which we could not effectively simulate off-line. We can, for example, buy and sell "slaves," drink paga in a virtual atmosphere, enforce Gorean maxims regarding slavery to our heart's content, etc. When it is not "real" but merely "virtual" we are not bound by limits which prevent such actions in real life. Therefore, we can experiment and perhaps taste a tiny bit of the actual emotions which would come into play if we did do these things off-line. That is the wonder, and the downfall, of "virtual Gor." We can do many things here which we otherwise could not do, because it is not "real." But the downside is also that, in the end, it is not "real."

     It is only as real as we make it. To make it real, we must all subscribe to the same basic vision of what can and cannot occur. Otherwise we wind up wallowing in a morass of a hundred different, varying concepts of precisely what is going on, what is acceptable behavior, and how much responsibility each participant must accept to further the collective experience.

     But (and here's the rub)! One cannot MAKE anyone do what they do not want to do... remember?

     The books are pretty darn specific about how Gorean society is organized, how it works, and how it is supposed to be. For instance, one of the primary maxims accepted and adhered to by Goreans in the books is that slaves effectively have no rights, and must do precisely what their Masters tell them to do. No one who has read a few Gor book would argue against that one.

     But what can be done when someone logs acceptable as a "Gorean" and refuses to obey that maxim? When someone decides that slaves, let's say, are actually the elite female warrior class of Gor and ride tarns around while whipping their paltry male lapdogs and combating legions of kung-fu ninjas?

     Anyone who has an inkling about Gorean society would surely laugh at such a ridiculous concept. But the question remains:

     What can be done? How can such absurdity be halted? How can such a thing be quelled before there are suddenly dozens of innocent people who wander into an IRC channel full of such folk and honestly come to believe that they have learned something about the Gor books, when in truth all they have learned is a bunch of insipid crap which someone has invented and ascribed to "Gorean philosophy," either because they did not know what the books were about or simply did not care?

     The answer is: very little. Very little can be done to correct such a situation. Why? Because this is the Internet, and it is full of people seeking a quick fix for boredom or something new and exciting to be part of. And because often the actual concepts found in the books are a bit too heavy, and scary, for the casual observer to accept.

     One thing that can be done, however, is to inform others, to educate them about what the books do say and attempt to steer any who seriously seek that knowledge in the right direction.

     One might do that through the usage of channel topics, where the information would be seen by many, if one is determined enough to rescue some semblance of truth from the chaos. One might attempt to educate, to berate the foolish and call attention to misinformation as it is disseminated on the web and elsewhere, one might post to message boards or create cyberzines dedicated to addressing those issues. Or one might visit other channels and attempt to debate the matter reasonably, provided one does not get immediately kicked out of those channels for daring to point out the fact that what is occurring in that channel, versus what occurs in the books, are entirely different things.

     This essay is not addressed to anyone in particular... I speak of generalities, and of the slow submergence of the truth of Gor, as depicted in Norman's work, in the bizarre pseudo-Goreanism which has crept up to engulf what I refer to as CyberGor.

     The question remains, however... how does one fight that? Personal viewpoints aside, how does one deal effectively with such ignorance of Norman's ideas and theories? Ignorance is an enemy we can combat, but apathy is not. When ignorance and apathy are combined into the phrase "I don't know and I don't care" they are a deadly combination which can drown the truth of anything.

     The standards of the community will change over time, as new generations of sincere would-be Goreans appear to delve into that fictional world of Norman's invention. And as long as they do not refuse to acknowledge and practice the concepts which Norman specifically set in place in the books as the strictures of Gorean society, then the community will remain "Gorean."

     Still, I often find myself asking the same question over and over, in regards to Norman's philosophies as set forth in the books:

     Who will fight for them? Who will keep them pure and defend what he has said? According to he himself, the men of Earth are not strong enough to do so, and will insist upon watering down any concept which they feel is too demanding or uncomfortable. Men of Earth are brainwashed, he says, and it is too late for them. Norman's work is, and has always, been under attack by Earth dwellers; however it is a strange new development that many of those "attacking Earth dwellers" continue the onslaught against his writings, but now call themselves "Gorean" while they do so.

     It makes sense that some of what we have seen on IRC and other submergence Gorean venues sickens me. Nevertheless, it seems to me that we must fight submergence on-line battles in the only ways which are available to us. As CyberGor becomes less about "Gor" and more about "cyber," those who regard Norman's work as wise and enlightening grow weary, and angry, and impatient in their attempts to denounce those whom they feel are damaging or making light of the value of Norman's work.

     "No, I would not try to reform man by pretending that my wishes for him were the wishes of Priest-Kings, even though this might be effective for a time, for the wishes that reform man, that make him what he is capable of becoming, and has not yet become, must be his own and not those of another. If man rises, he can do so only on his own two feet."