BDSM and Gor

Modern BDSM emphasizes informed, enthusiastic, and ongoing consent, with detailed negotiations and safe words to ensure comfort and safety. Ethical guidelines like SSC (Safe, Sane, and Consensual) or RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink) are followed, emphasizing mutual respect and community support. Gender roles are fluid and inclusive, allowing anyone to be dominant or submissive based on personal preference. In contrast, Gorean novels depict a fantasy world with limited consent, where masters have near-total control over slaves, prioritizing dominance over ethics. The novels reinforce traditional gender roles and fixed dynamics, portraying exaggerated and idealized power structures. Modern BDSM practices are grounded in reality, focusing on consensual, safe interactions, while Gorean novels offer a more extreme, fantasy-based depiction of master/slave relationships.

Overview

Sexual Availability and Control

Female slaves on Gor are expected to be sexually available at all times, with their sexuality controlled and commanded by their masters. This contrasts with modern BDSM, where sexual activities are consensual and negotiated. For example, in the Gorean context, a slave girl must be ready to serve sexually at a moment's notice and is not permitted any restraint or inhibition.

Training and Conditioning

Gorean slaves undergo rigorous training to fulfill their roles, including learning tasks like lacing a man's sandals or bathing him, often under threat of punishment. This is different from modern BDSM, where training is consensual and focused on mutual pleasure and safety.

Psychological and Emotional Aspects

The psychological conditioning of Gorean slaves includes instilling a sense of helplessness and dependency on their masters, which is seen as arousing and fulfilling for the slaves. In contrast, modern BDSM emphasizes psychological safety and emotional well-being, with practices like aftercare to ensure participants' mental health.

Punishment and Discipline

Punishments in the Gorean context are severe and used to enforce obedience and submission, often involving physical pain. Modern BDSM also includes elements of discipline, but these are consensual and negotiated, with safe words to stop any activity if it becomes too much.

Social Status and Freedom

Gorean slaves are considered property with no rights, and their status is publicly displayed through collars and other symbols. In modern BDSM, the concept of "ownership" is symbolic and consensual, with participants maintaining their personal rights and autonomy outside of negotiated scenes.

Consent and Autonomy

Modern BDSM

• Emphasis on Consent: Modern BDSM practices are built on the foundation of informed, enthusiastic, and ongoing consent. All parties involved must agree to the power exchange, and any activity can be stopped at any time by using safe words.
• Negotiation: Detailed negotiation about limits, boundaries, and desires is crucial. Both dominant and submissive partners discuss and agree on what will and will not happen.
• Safe Words: Safe words are established to ensure that any participant can halt the activity immediately if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Gorean Novels

• Limited Consent: In the Gorean novels, the concept of consent is often downplayed or absent. The power dynamics are typically more rigid and absolute, with slaves having little to no autonomy once they are enslaved.
• Absolute Authority: The Gorean master has near-total control over the slave, with little emphasis on the slave’s ability to negotiate terms or withdraw consent.

Ethical Framework

Modern BDSM

• Ethical Guidelines: Modern BDSM emphasizes ethical behavior, responsibility, and the well-being of all participants. The BDSM community often follows the principles of SSC (Safe, Sane, and Consensual) or RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink).
• Mutual Respect: Even within a power exchange dynamic, mutual respect is paramount. Both dominants and submissives are valued and their needs considered.

Gorean Novels

• Dominance Over Ethics: The Gorean philosophy often places the dominance and authority of the master above the well-being and autonomy of the slave. The master’s desires and commands are paramount, with less concern for ethical considerations from a modern perspective.
• Hierarchical Structure: The novels depict a strictly hierarchical society where slaves are considered property with few rights, reflecting a more feudal or ancient system of power dynamics.

Cultural Context

Modern BDSM

• Contemporary Influence: Modern BDSM is influenced by contemporary values of equality, individual rights, and personal freedom. The power dynamics are a consensual role-playing aspect rather than a reflection of broader societal norms.
• Community Support: There is a strong emphasis on community support, education, and resources to ensure safe and consensual practices.

Gorean Novels

• Fantasy Setting: The Gorean novels are set in a fictional world with its own unique cultural and societal norms that differ significantly from contemporary society. The portrayal of M/s relationships is influenced by this fantasy context.
• Traditional Roles: The novels often romanticize traditional and historical roles of dominance and submission, reflecting an idealized version of ancient and medieval power structures.

Gender Roles

Modern BDSM

• Gender Neutrality: Modern BDSM is inclusive and recognizes that anyone, regardless of gender, can be a dominant or submissive. Power exchange roles are based on personal preference rather than gender.
• Fluid Dynamics: The roles in modern BDSM can be fluid and switchable, allowing participants to explore different aspects of dominance and submission.

Gorean Novels

• Gender Specific: The Gorean novels often depict women as natural slaves and men as natural masters, reinforcing traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
• Fixed Roles: The roles in the Gorean context are more fixed, with little flexibility for characters to switch between dominance and submission.

Realism vs. Fantasy

Modern BDSM

• Realistic Approach: Modern BDSM practices are grounded in reality and focus on the psychological and emotional aspects of power exchange, emphasizing safety and consent.
• Real-Life Application: The dynamics are intended to be part of real-life relationships and interactions, with an emphasis on healthy and consensual exchanges.

Gorean Novels

• Fantasy Elements: The Gorean novels are primarily works of fantasy, with exaggerated and idealized portrayals of master/slave relationships. The dynamics are often more extreme and less applicable to real-life situations.
• Idealized Power Dynamics: The relationships depicted are often more about the fantasy of absolute control and submission rather than practical, consensual interactions.

Specific Examples

Leashing

Modern BDSM

• Symbolic Leashing: Leashing in modern BDSM is often symbolic and consensual, used during scenes or events to signify control and submission. It can be a temporary practice during play sessions.
• Respect for Boundaries: The use of a leash is negotiated and agreed upon by both parties, with clear understanding and respect for boundaries.

Gorean Master

• Permanent Leashing: In the Gorean novels, leashing is a common practice used to physically control slaves, often as a permanent or semi-permanent state.
• Control and Restraint: Leashing is used as a method of control and restraint, with little concern for the slave's comfort or consent.

Selling

Modern BDSM

• Not Practiced: Selling of a submissive or slave is not practiced in modern BDSM. The concept of ownership is symbolic and based on consensual power exchange rather than actual ownership or trade.
• Consensual Transfers: In rare cases where dynamics change, any transfer of power or change in relationships is done with the full consent and agreement of all parties involved.

Gorean Master

• Common Practice: Selling slaves is a common practice in the Gorean novels, reflecting a society where slaves are considered property and can be bought, sold, or traded at the master's discretion.
• Commercial Transactions: Slaves are often sold in markets or traded between masters, with little regard for the slave's consent or desires.

Fighting Over

Modern BDSM

• Non-Violent Resolution: Disputes over submissives are resolved through communication and negotiation, with an emphasis on consent and the well-being of the submissive. Physical fights over a submissive are not practiced.
• Respect for Autonomy: The autonomy and choice of the submissive are respected, allowing them to decide their own relationships and dynamics.

Gorean Master

• Physical Combat: In the Gorean novels, it is not uncommon for masters to physically fight over slaves, with the winner gaining control of the slave.
• Honor and Dominance: Such fights are often seen as a matter of honor and dominance, reinforcing the hierarchical and violent nature of Gorean society.

Sharing

Modern BDSM

• Consensual Sharing: Sharing a submissive with others is done only with the explicit and enthusiastic consent of the submissive. It is carefully negotiated and agreed upon by all parties.
• Respect for Limits: The limits and boundaries of the submissive are respected, and any sharing is conducted in a way that ensures their comfort and safety.

Gorean Master

• Compulsory Sharing: Masters on Gor may share their slaves with others without the slave's consent, viewing them as property to be used as they see fit.
• Lack of Agency: Slaves have little to no agency in deciding whether they are shared, reflecting their status as property.

Killing

Modern BDSM

• Prohibited: Killing a submissive or slave is strictly prohibited and illegal. Modern BDSM practices are rooted in the principles of consent, safety, and mutual respect.
• Focus on Safety: The primary focus is on ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants, with strict adherence to legal and ethical standards.

Gorean Master

• Life and Death Control: In the Gorean novels, masters have the power of life and death over their slaves, and it is not uncommon for a master to kill a slave as a form of punishment or control.
• Absolute Authority: This practice reflects the absolute authority and control masters have over their slaves in the Gorean context, with little regard for the slave's life or well-being.

Kink List

The following kinks are known to be within the Gor novels:

• Power Exchange: The entire series is inherently about power exchange.
• Voyeurism: "Ellen had then, in her dance, a sense of her power over men. She saw interest, their fevered wildness, their blazing eyes, their clenched fists, heard their applause, their cries of pleasure."
• Exhibitionism: "The Gorean slave tunic not only leaves little doubt about the sex of its occupant, but it proclaims it blatantly."
• Impact Play: "When he did return she could see that he carried a five-stranded Gorean slave lash, with broad blades. She had seen such a thing in the pleasure cylinder. It is designed for the disciplining of female slaves."
• Humiliation: "And sometimes men force us to experience our own worthlessness, particularly if we are women taken from the enemy, or despised barbarians, good only for servile labors and collar pleasures."
• Objectification: "The garmenture makes it clear what she is, property."
• Public Sex: "Then she was thrust down, on her stomach over some surface, that of seemingly a large, felled log. She felt the rough bark on her belly. She was helpless. She squirmed. He pushed up her braceleted wrists and entered her."
• Flogging: "Bring the whip," said Rask of Treve. I hung perhaps a foot from the ground. I felt my ankles lashed together, and then a strap tied them to the ring below, that set in the stone, which was buried in the ground. That way I would not swing much under the blows."
• Sensory Deprivation: "Then he withdrew and she sank to her knees beside the log, pressing the hood against it."
• Orgasm Control/Denial: "I will bring you to the point of yielding a hundred times before I permit you relief, if I choose to do so at all."

The following kinks are not present in the Gor novels:

• Role-Playing: No examples of specific role-playing scenarios such as teacher/student or doctor/patient are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Foot Fetishism: No examples of a sexual fascination with feet, such as foot worship, licking, or massaging, are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Age Play: No examples of role-playing as someone of a different age, such as caregiver and child-like roles, are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Pet Play: The quote provided does not fit the specific kink of pet play as it is understood in BDSM contexts.
• Medical Play: No examples of engaging in scenarios involving medical procedures or examinations for sexual pleasure are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Electroplay: No examples of using electrical stimulation devices for sexual pleasure are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Breath Play: No examples of restricting breathing to enhance sexual arousal, such as choking or smothering, are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Cuckolding: No examples of deriving pleasure from watching or knowing that one’s partner is having sex with someone else are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Wax Play: No examples of dripping hot wax onto the skin for erotic stimulation are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Edge Play: No examples of engaging in more extreme or risky activities that push physical and psychological boundaries are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Cross-dressing: No examples of wearing clothing typically associated with the opposite gender for sexual pleasure are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Uniform Fetishism: No examples of arousal derived from wearing or seeing others in specific uniforms, such as military, police, or nurse uniforms, are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Pegging: No examples of a woman using a strap-on dildo to penetrate a man’s anus are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Enemas: No examples of using enemas for sexual pleasure or as part of a medical play scenario are detailed in the Gorean novels.
• Sploshing: No examples of deriving pleasure from messy substances like food or mud are detailed in the Gorean novels.