FIRST GIRL

Another little tidbit from Marcus of Ar on those who are first on a chain or in a home.

 

In the context of the books, I feel that the institution of “first girl” or other ranking systems are set forth due to the very nature of what slavery is on the surface of the planet Gor. Gorean slavery, in the books, is a social institution first and foremost, a means of dividing persons into various social rankings consisting of different levels of strata. In addition, it is a large part of the economic system of many societies on that planet.

I therefore liken the “first girl” ranking  as being more akin to the appointment of a head servant or chief butler of a particular grouping of slaves. When many slaves are owned, and given various duties, it is often more efficient to appoint one or more persons as being above the common rank and file of the other slaves, in order that the owner might more easily deal with the slaves on his chain. In this way he may more efficiently administer orders to them, knowing that the appointed “chief slave” will be held responsible for the actions and fulfillment of duties of those below him or her.

The effectiveness of this strategy depends upon what kind of person the appointee is, and how well the head slave does his or her job. The slave holds precisely as much power over fellow slaves as allows; no more, no less

While there are many examples of “first girls” in the books who are poor choices for such a position, there are also examples of just, decent, and honest girls who do a good job and maintain order and productivity on their Master’s chain, as is desired. Ute, in book #7 (Captive), is an excellent example of such.

This system breaks down when there are power struggles among the slaves involved, and when the head slave is either unfair or lax in her duties, as is shown in some of the examples set forth in the Gor books of “chain-structure” gone awry. In most such cases the slave who is assigned to the position is simply too weak, too selfish, and too petty to serve in such a capacity for very long, and in each such case the tables are eventually turned on them, to their chagrin.

As far as online, and the subject of submission, go:

Since online Gorean interaction takes place in a strictly-voluntary medium, the slaves who earnestly seek their submission there are doing so because they wish to fit themselves into a social system which addresses their submissive needs. To be appointed to a position of power therefore is a bit counterproductive to the fulfillment of their goals. While the “first girl” system can work, if the girl is loyal, skilled, diplomatic, and always fair, too many slaves placed in that position attempt to wear it as a badge or display it like a diploma to indicate their supremacy as a slave, above other slaves. That, too, is counterproductive and often causes more trouble than it is worth.

As to whether a “true kajira” can be “dominant” I suggest we abandon those labels for a moment and look at human nature. Is the word “slave” identical to the word “doormat”? Would a female slave refuse vehemently to step on an ant, if it were a male ant, or allow a hungry male dog to eat her leg because she did not wish to “dominate” the animal? Of course not.

One of the primary principles of the Gorean philosophy is that those who are strong will dominate those who are weaker than they, or those who are not in a position to overpower them. A Gorean male will dominate a Gorean female for that reason, a Gorean Free Woman will dominate a female slave for that reason, and the stronger slave will dominate the weaker slave for the same reason. Most of those who desire to be truly enslaved, however, would rather concentrate on serving their owner’s wishes and desires rather than becoming involved in intra-chain feuding. And all slaves know that, if such activities displease the Master, there will be hell to pay for it, for all involved.

In every such instance in the books, the power which slaves wield over one another is entirely subject to the whim of the Mater, who is stronger than the slaves involved. The weaker slaves know this, and are also aware that the Master may be their sole recourse against the depredations of their stronger sisters.

Gor is pretty simple, in that regard, and takes into account the natural propensity of the human being, which, when unrestrained by restrictive laws and rules designed to level the playing field, almost always results in the adoption of a natural rank structure in any group, with the strongest and most dominant on top, and each successive level below that being a bit weaker and a bit more submissive.

 

Also in my studies on first girls I recalled that there was an article written by one who is now taking the eternal celestial dirt nap in real time. I am referring to one who was known (when she wrote the following words) as phedra, who was the first girl on the chain that KNIGHTRANGER and also, in essence, the first girl of the Kassar Camp which was on Chatropolis, WebMaze, and finally GorChat. This is taken from the Kassar Kronicles dated April 11, 1999

 

On The Beat

first girls

this girl has been asked recently what the role of the camp’s first girl is. she realizes that while she knows what her role is (and that is what her Master has set out for her), it has not been set out clearly for others. this girl hopes that the following will help clarify not only this girl’s role, but shayna’s as second girl in camp, as well as those who find themselves first on their Masters’ chains.

this girl belongs to the Ubar. when she first met him, she was naturally the last girl on his chain. over a period of time she worked hard and became his first girl on his chain. because she is the Ubar’s first girl, she also is the camp’s first girl, and with that comes a few extra responsibilities.

any first girl, whether first on the chain or first in camp, finds that her primary and most important duty as such is to help the other slaves. in the case of a first girl on the chain, her first duty is NOT to discipline, nag, correct, or badger the other girls on the chain – it is truly to try to help them become the best slaves they can be. in this girl’s case, because she is the camp’s first girl, her duty extends beyond that of those on the Ubar’s chain to ALL the kajirae in the camp. this can include listening, words of caution, serving as a resource, and so forth.

one of the ways we all improve is to have what we do wrong pointed out to us. this one tries to do so in a non-critical way as much as possible.  more than one kajirae in camp has received a pm form this girl noting that proper camp procedure is this or that such and such a rule is being broken. in most cases, this one will keep what she says in private so as not to embarrass the slave or make it appear that she is trying to step into a Free’s domain. being a slave is hard work, there is so much we all must know, that even the most seasoned slave can forget a rule now and then. if this girl sees it, she tries to point it out so her sister will not get in trouble.

this one will be a bit stronger with those she sees deliberately flaunting not only the rules, but the Gorean way and the fire that burns in the belly of true Gorean slaves. as the camp’s first girl, this one holds switching rights over ALL other girls in camp. ONLY the camp’s first girl has such authority, and this one has NEVER used that authority – but it is there and it comes form the books. when a camp’s first girl speaks to ANY slave in camp, she is to be obeyed because she does have some authority over them. however, a good camp first, and this one hopes she is, does not try to use what authority she has been granted .. rather she tries to get her point across by drawing on the respect she hopes she has earned among her sisters.

she is also there to try to help settle disputes among slaves. Frees should not have to be bothered with petty disagreements among slaves. it is beneath their notice,and the books clearly state that Masters do not bother with their slaves’ bickerings or disagreements. but sometimes it helps to have a third party step in, one who is not involved in the situation, and that is part of this girl’s role as the camp’s first.

any kajirae in camp who has a problem should know that she came to this one at anytime, and this girl will try to help her. it does not matter who her Master is, this girl will listen and try to help. while it is understood that in general, slaves should take their problems to their Masters, in reality their problems often involve their Masters and sometimes it helps to bounce ideas off another before approaching a Master, and sometimes, we all just need a little sympathy. that is part of this girl’s function.

however, two things all slaves in camp must understand … if you are whining about things you should not be whining about, then this girl will say so … she is blunt, to the point, and frankly has little patience for those who are not really trying to be good slaves .. but if you have a true problem, this one would cut off her arm (with the Ubar’s permission of course_ to try and help you.

second, you also need to understand, that as the camp’s first girl, part of her duty (or any first girl’s) is to keep the Ubar (or her Master) informed of what goes on in the camp when he is not around or what is going on in the shadows. do not ask this girl not to tell the Ubar something you have told her. she cannot promise that … if she thinks the Ubar needs to know something, she MUST tell him. He demands that of her, and as his slave this one would never even consider it … she is slave and keeps no secrets from her Master.

a first girl also knows more about Gor than many in camp, and as the camp’s first girl, this one serves as a resource for both Frees and slaves. she will answer questions as well as she can … as long as she does not perceive that the one who is asking is just being lazy. let’s face it, this one has spent thousands of hours working on the camp’s website, and when the answer can be found there, this one doesn’t really appreciate having to spend her time answering a question that the asker should just go look up for herself. there is an exception to this, though … there are times when a slave is in the middle of a serve or in the middle of talking to a Free , and suddenly comes up short on an answer and needs to know something asap. ask away then … this one will be glad to help.

it also is generally a camp’s first girl’s responsibility to train new slaves. at this point, this girl is the ONLY slave charged with that duty. all new kettles go through a series of lessons posted on the website, so they all have the same training – they are taught what the Ubar has told this girl to teach them.

also, as the camp’s first girl, it is her duty to serve as an example to the others in the camp. this girl is not perfect, far from it, but in camp she tries to be as perfect as she can possibly be. this one is like all slaves, she at times disappoints, at times angers, her Master. but she NEVER takes any of that behavior into camp. she may say something to him in person or on icq that is improper, but she does not say it in public, EVER. ALL those who wear a {KR} have that responsibility, and as this girl is the first girl on the chain, her responsibility is a bit more in this area.

finally, even though she is the camp’s first girl, this one is, first and foremost, her Master’s slave. a good first girl does not forget that. it is her job to know her Master better than anyone else in camp so that she KNOWS what he wants, knows how he would think on a certain subject. this one knows the Ubar that well … and yet, she discusses everything with him. while it may appear on the surface that this girl is making decisions and acting on her own, that is not the case. this girl can’t remember any incident when she was not acting on the Ubar’s instruction. she can quickly get a hold of him in an emergency, and has done so many a time. even the cam’s first girl must not act on her own … she is a slave,  first, last, and always.

camp’s second girl

the camp’s second girl is there when the camp’s first girl cannot be around. the cam’s second girl is there to listen, offer advice, serve as a resource and report potential problems among the slaves to the camp’s first girl. unlike the first girl, the camp’s second does not have the authority to discipline any of the other girls – rather she reports these problems to the first girl.

this girl hopes that this helps clear up what this girl does – along with working on the paper, maintaining the website, and handling the camp’s email. *grin*

Both of these articles should shed some light into what a TRUE Gorean first girl is.