The Sociobiology of Submission
proudcockatrice , commenting on yesterday's story, remarked that he likes John Norman's books because they raise some "uncomfortable points about gender relations". I took this to mean that, to him, the Gor novels contain certain truths that we, as a society are reluctant to acknowledge.
That got my brain working, like woah. But, while insanely curious about just what points my friend has in mind, I felt even more strongly about setting down my own feelings and asking *all* my LJ friends what they think.
So here my take. And, BTW, I hereby promise not to jump down anyone's throat if they articulate views which differ from mine own. :)
Ahem.
I enjoyed John Norman's books tremendously as a kid. They were accessible, they were extremely naughty, and, as y'all can imagine, they were instrumental in figuring myself out sexually.
But once I got older, I realized how hackneyed the ideas were, how shallow the characters, and how relentlessly awful the prose. So although the Gorean novels occupy a special place in my heart, I find it tough to approach them today with anything approaching seriousness.
And as I got older still and learned about things like sociobiology and the place of feminism on the world stage, I developed an allergy to a lot of Norman's ideas.
For example, one of the assertions common in novels of Gor is that women are hardwired to be submissive. And I agree. Femsub is popular, not only among the overtly kinky, but among people all over the world. Some couch their need to submit 24/7 in religious terms, some in cultural terms. Some people go against religion and culture to do what they need and feel deep down.
But most men are wired to be submissive, too. That's how societies work: few leaders, many followers. Humans have a hard-on for hierarchies. Many men feel comfortable knowing their place in the pecking order. Real egalitarianism leaves them feeling confused. Furthermore, some men even enjoy being submissive to women. A good domme can often charge more than a good prostitute -- and she doesn't have to give over her take either.
It seems to me that most people are hardwired to be submissive most of the time -- be it sexually or otherwise. John Norman avoids the other side of the equation. He says that female submission is natural and harmonious. Male submission, especially to a woman, is aberrant. I strongly disagree.
Also, even if more women are hardwired to be more submissive more of the time,
does that mean women should necessarily occupy an inferior role in society? By no means. Our hardwiring worked fine when we were hunter-gatherers roaming across the plains. But now that there are nearly 7 billion of us it is inconvenient, even dangerous to go with our guts.
For example, xenophobia was hella useful in the past. If you instinctively hated and feared that which was different, your selfish genes stood a much greater chance of being passed on. Now as we rub elbows with people of every color and creed on a world with rapidly dwindling resources, it's much more important to cooperate. And yet we often don't succeed and the tragedy of the commons repeats itself in our oceans and our skies.
The very old biological drive to cheat on your long-term partner is also useful in fostering species diversity, but has caused so much pain to people emotionally, since it conflicts with our newer biological need to form lasting pair-bonds, nuclear families, and tribes in order to have enough resources to raise our helpless, squalling young.
So my main points are as follows. John Norman is probably right in that women are hardwired to be submissive. He's might even be right that women are hardwired to be more submissive than men, most of the time. But in today's day and age, we need every able brain and pair of hands to work on the problems facing our planet, no matter what arrangement of genitals is attached. Therefore his assertion that female submission is the natural order of things is fine for escapist literature, but shouldn't be taken seriously.
We need to rise above our hardwiring if we're really going to make any progress.