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holly/meglovesian
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Staff 
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Tal, Folks.
<i>Following is a copy of a post I made on July 11th, 2009, in our members-only "Non-Gorean Issues" Forum, which I think is important enough, to be published in this Forum, which is readable even by non-members of The Chronicles of Gor Website. </i>
I regret to have to inform you, that I have just banned "holly" and her alter ego "meglovesian," and I've put up an IP block on all her IP addresses.
Admittedly, over the last few years, this was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. I liked that girl, I loved that carefully chosen picture of her, I enjoyed her artfully crafted openness, and, even though I sometimes got a bit embarrassed about it, I was impressed by her seemingly polite and very, very respectful approach of, let us say, free men and women.
Presumably, most of you share my feelings and experiences in this respect.
The problem, dear friends, is that "holly" doesn't exist. She's not a respectful slave, not a mother of a infant, she's not 45 years old, and "Master Bruce" doesn't exist, either; she's a *character*, a carefully crafted and meticulously maintained illusion by an older woman, whom, for the sake of simplicity, we might best refer to as "Ellen".
Ellen is highly intelligent, and I do suspect, but, to be sure, this is only a personal assumption, that she might hold an university degree, in psychology, or such; Ellen is alone, I don't believe she ever was married, and Ellen has long passed the age at which a women is sure she can be attractive to every man. Ellen is a masterful "mirror," and a perfect organizer, she knows everything you ever made public, and whatever experience you might have, she has had the same experience, she can relate to it, and you end up telling her things you would have never shared with a real-life perfect stranger. She's the ideal of a kajira, but sadly, only in her dreams. Through the internet, she made her dream come true.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Well, this is not about Prize of Gor, this is about Chronicles of Gor, and this is real, it's a fantasy that became a reality, and we all fell for it.
So now, I've got to answer two questions. Firstly, how do I know this, how can I be sure; and secondly, perhaps, most importantly, is such a fraudulent behavior bad enough to be exposed and punished by lifelong banishment?
Most of you know, I have never called myself Gorean, but if I would, my name would be "Simon of CoG". This website, this harbor in Gorean waters, this defiant city to be recorded on her maps, this is my city, my home, the place where I keep my Home Stone. I don't own her, yet I've helped build her, brick by brick, and I know her better then anyone else. I am a webmaster, not a moderator, and unlike my fellow staff members, I own the keys to every lock in this city, I can be anywhere at once, and yes, night after night, I roam her streets, invisible, in the dark, just to keep her safe.
Over the years, I have run into some very disturbed and dangerous people, who tried to get into my city. A fellow, for example, who wanted to buy a small island off the American east coast, "import" a large number of Asian orphans, train them in a Gorean way, and sell them through the internet. In those cases, I track such a monster down, collect all the necessary evidence, and then inform both the local authorities and the American F.B.I.
In Ellen's case, I monitored her IP traffic once I began to suspect her, which proved she was also using a second userid, "meglovesian," and the sheer amount of time spent on this site, and the time when browsing under either user name, made clear that Ellen could never be a mother of an infant. I've got three daughters myself, I know what it's like. Independently, some others became suspicious about her, and, in this thread, a few confronted her with some of her public inconsistencies.
So, I did something, I've never done before. I downloaded all the private messages made since the start of this site, including the deleted ones; I filtered out Ellen's messages, and I read them all. She has PMed nearly every active member of this site, many, many times, and believe me, she has been a different person to each and every one of you.
To be sure, besides me, only the owner of the site, Simon of Tabor, has the ability to do this, and the only time I am aware of, that he, indeed, reviewed someone else's PM, was that of another Staff member to "holly," because "holly" had claimed that that message had been abusive to her and in violation of our ToS. Her claim, needless to say, was proven false. Webmasters can review such PMs for good cause, if necessary, in compliance with our ToS and applicable law, and would never do it otherwise.
To many of you, after a few initial messages, she suggested continuing the correspondence using private email, because "the moderators might be listening". I don't know how many of you actually followed her advice, but why on earth would you be afraid of eavesdropping, when you're talking about the weather or what your holiday was like, not committing serious violations of the ToS or defrauding others? In any case, the number of inconsistencies in her private messages equates to a multitude of her public errors, which might explain both the number of her private messages and her eagerness to switch to email.
Now we come to the big question - what's wrong with pretending to be someone else?
First of all, it is clearly a matter of degree. I am 52 years old, but my picture is not what I look like now, but how I looked 6 or 7 years ago, and if I don't shave for a couple of weeks, none of you would ever recognize me if we met in real life. None of us has perfect memory, so if one looks closely enough, one can always find minor inconsistencies, even in my posts and stories. But those inconsistencies are accidental, they are superficial, easily explained, and, most importantly, they are not abusive.
But if one pretends to have had a certain experience, and, based on that shared experience, one creates an emotional bond, which, in turn, seduces the victim to reveal very private and personal information, one, effectively, creates a power relationship, where the victim becomes dependent, out of fear of disclosure. This *is* abuse, folks, because in legal terms, it is called "blackmail". It doesn't matter whether a blackmailer asks you for cold hard cash, or any kind of support in a given situation, if you are coerced into doing something out of fear, uncertainty or misinformation, whether it’s being whipped, as happened, and more, to a young woman from this site in recent history, or having your most private secrets given up and available for misuse, you are effectively in an abusive situation, and that is what I have been fighting against for over a decade, and something I will not tolerate within the boundaries of my own city in any way, shape or form.
So, each of you, who have been "friends" with Ellen, think about what you've told her, and how you might feel, if one day, she would email you, and say "I want you to do so and so, and if you don't...". We know now it's already happened to at least one member of this site. I will *not* let it happen again.
I rest my case.
Take care,
Simon
PS. We have also located a profile on another site associated with the email address "holly" had used in registering her account on CoG as "meglovesian." It was set up over four years ago and gives "meglovesian's" age as substantially older than the 45 years "holly" claims to be. We have also looked at another photo of "holly" that appears to us to be both the same woman, but, at least a decade older, although photos can be misleading, so we make no claims concerning it, nor will we post it. We have not responded publicly to this situation as quickly as we would have liked, but that is because we Staff have been conducting a diligent review of the data available to us and ensuring we do not violate our own ToS or Posting Guidelines. Therefore, we thank (some of) you for your patience.
<i>To protect the privacy of our others members, the details of this situation, which can be found <a href="http://gorchronicles.com/modules/newb ... 6">HERE</a>, are only accessible to registered members. Registration is easy, and usually a matter of just a couple of minutes. If necessary, you can contact me at all time the following address: simonvanmeygaarden@gmail.com.</i>
Posted on: 2009/7/13 18:35
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Re: The Chronicles of Gor Online Store
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Staff
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Greetings, Veronika.
To stress Lemuel's words:
Good ideas, and yet... if we would turn this into a commercial enterprise, and start making real money, we would become dependant of that money, and then, if we would start losing money, this adventure and this site would end. Believe me, I've seen it happening more then once and been part of it.
No, let's just do this because we want to, instead of need to. Let this be an ideal, a common goal and a shared dream.
Merchants are a fine caste, but one shouldn't let them rule a city.
When profit is gone, they move on.
We won't.
Take care,
Simon the Elder
Posted on: 2007/10/18 20:57
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Re: Enforcing Gorean Ritual
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Staff
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Greetings, AnonMoos.
Perhaps, you're underestimating the power of words. I've had girls crying and screaming for help through email after being 'punished' for whatever reason on Gorean forums and chatboxes. I, too, was and am utterly amazed by the sheer impact these things can have, and the amount of control one can exercise upon complete strangers on the other side of the globe, through a mere glass wire. If we can find a way to transport compassion that easily, there might still be some hope for humanity.
I wish you well,
Simon
Posted on: 2007/5/16 21:22
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Enforcing Gorean Ritual
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Staff
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Greetings, Folks.
Every once in a while the issue is raised of whether the moderator(s) of a Gorean themed forum should actively enforce Gorean behaviour and ritual. Usually, this subject is introduced by questions like "should slaves be allowed to change status and declare themselves free?", "should slaves be allowed to interfere in discussions among the free?", or "should slaves be punished publicly for disrespectful behaviour toward the free?". For some, these matters are utterly irrelevant, yet, for others they gnaw at the core of their identity; they cannot be dismissed or neglected, and so they return, over and over again, in the in-boxes of moderators, to exhort either a change in forum rules, or a well written explanation of the decision to remain impartial. The latter is my current objective.
Mostly, the requests to coerce Gorean ritual are founded upon one or more of the following four arguments:
<ul>
<li>"I am a Gorean life-styler, and on a Gorean forum I expect Gorean rules to apply".
<li>"If you choose to base your life, actions and attitudes upon Gorean philosophy, others, specially those who share that life-style, have the right to expect and if necessary, enforce the compliancy to the prescribed etiquette of a Gorean relationship."
<li>"It's in the books, and to honour John Norman, a Gorean website should promote Gorean ideals and adhere to Gorean ritual."
<li>"Slaves have a different set of standards and ideals than the free. They should be separated and only allowed to talk amongst themselves."
</ul>
I will address these four arguments separately.
<h4>The Fundamentalist Argument</h4>Quote:I am a Gorean life-styler, and on a Gorean forum I expect Gorean rules to apply.
Whatever belief system one chooses to follow, be it religious or philosophical, that choice itself is strictly a personal one, and one should be very cautious and prudent when propagating ones own belief system amongst others. Preaching, expounding and convincing is one thing, but commanding, enforcing and penalizing are totally different terms. The right to choose ones own, private worldview, ethics and morality automatically implies the equal right of others to choose differently. The labels and categories one attaches to such psychological systems are merely superficial, stereotypes, abstractions of a reality that goes far beyond the reaches of language and understanding. In finding ones own, personal place within that intricate, unintelligible, violent, relentless and yet so very beautiful and satisfying world outside, one should first and foremost strive to achieve insight, to acceptance and understanding, righteousness and integrity, honour, respect and above all, love, faith and hope. The urge to actively enforce certain behaviours and rituals upon others, without addressing the internal drives and dispositions from which these behaviours should naturally arise, is both counter-productive in a educational sense, and reprehensible in a instinctually humane, well-balanced adult, traditionally ethical sense. Freedom, after all, is the foundation of the human state.
<h4>The Peer Pressure Argument</h4>Quote:If you choose to base your life, actions and attitudes upon Gorean philosophy, others, specially those who share that life-style, have the right to expect and if necessary, enforce the compliancy to the prescribed etiquette of a Gorean relationship.
This peer pressure, itself, perhaps, forthcoming from a genuine and deep-felt desire to purify and protect a shared belief system, might well be justifiable within the constraints of small, real life groups or societies of followers of John Norman's writings. The Internet, however, and hence, this website, is a world-wide phenomenon. As with all philosophies, different people tend to interpret and react to it in different ways; some strive to follow it by the letter, other by intent; some incorporate it in their day to day activities, others are content with contemplation and analysis; some feel they should adopt all its rigid rules and regulations; other pick and choose, you might say, only those aspects that seem important to them. With such a degree of variation and multiplicity of interpretation and acceptance of the Gorean philosophy, even within the boundaries of those that clearly state to 'be' Gorean, it must be obvious, I hope, that on the even broader scale, a world-wide scale, that of a fan-site, a website not only for experienced life-stylers, or role-players, but also, and equally importantly so, for just plain fans of science fiction and fantasy, for novices and strangers alike, for those who are merely interested, or perhaps, simply intrigued; the diversity of this website's public obliterates the peer pressure argument. Diversity, after all, is a cornerstone of the Gorean world-view.
<h4>The Honourable Argument</h4>Quote:It's in the books, and to honour John Norman, a Gorean website should promote Gorean ideals and adhere to Gorean ritual.
To many, even to the author himself, the Chronicles of Gor are not meant as a how-to-live-ones-life type of manual or guide-book; on the contrary, the series, though surely targeted upon recognition and the rational acceptance of previously unknown, perhaps even suppressed, emotional and instinctual needs and motives; is surely to be seen as a conceptual dislocation, an imaginary society and culture that does not in fact exist, but is predicated on one's own, known society; a society that develops and advances out of one's own in some awkward way, perhaps, you might say, intentionally exaggerated, perpendicular kind of way; to make the reader unsure, confused about one's own opinions and prejudices, and their application in different, yet unforeseen, environments and situations; tousled and tangled about the perceived yet unexpected resemblance between what seemed to be real and what seemed to be mere fantasy, and finally, in a convulsive shock of dysrecognition, the acceptance of knowledge, the enlightenment, the relief and satisfaction of an enhanced form of vision, a new way of seeing; a new set of colours; each more beautiful then one could ever dream of. To learn from these books, after all, is to truly honour its author.
<h4>The Discriminating Argument</h4>Quote:Slaves have a different set of standards and ideals than the free. They should be separated and only allowed to talk amongst themselves.
Sometime in our human history, Europeans were seen as different, and regardless of their origin or skills, they were separated and silenced, slandered and sacrificed, treated like mere animals, and, at a whim, by the thousands, simply killed. Sometime in our human history, white, yellow, brown, red, and black skincolor was seen as different, and regardless of their origin or skills, they were separated and silenced, slandered and sacrificed, treated like mere animals, and, at a whim, by the thousands, simply killed. Sometime in our human history, the female gender was seen as different, and regardless of their origin or skills, they were separated and silenced, slandered and sacrificed, treated like mere animals, and, at a whim, by the thousands, simply killed. Let's not make those mistakes ever again. Let's be proud upon our differences and cherish our equality. After all, we're still human, right?
To be sure, the answer is no - we will not enforce Gorean behaviour and ritual.
Take care,
Simon (The Elder)
Posted on: 2007/5/16 19:47
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Opening Statement
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Staff
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Welcome to John Norman's Chronicles of Gor! Forty years ago, in December 1966, in a small volcanic eruption, barely noticed by the needles of geological seismographs, a new island was created; a landmass far beyond the well-known regions of Mare Literaris, isolated from the placid waters of predictable mediocrity, veiled by the fog of fraternal enviousness; and in a series of outbursts that lasted for almost twenty-two years, it grew into a whole new continent, surrounded by atolls of freedom and honesty and joy; silent retreats and tranquil places, where one might listen to the sound of the sea, patiently waiting for the wave that whispers the tale of this unique landmass, generated upon the courage of one single, non-conformant science fiction author, a man by the name of John Norman. Beacons were lit along her shorelines, safe harbors were build upon her peninsulas, with markets and taverns, where music and laughter accompanied the movements of beautiful, scarcely dressed dancers, where games were played and men were singing and drinking and telling stories. For a brief moment in time, the Gorean continent became the home of the seekers of truth, the admirers of honesty, the adversaries of both sameness and the denial of natural order. Alas, the defenders of intellectual freedom, the advocates of honor and the champions of biological dimorphism were outnumbered by the tyrants of conformity and their meek herd of political-correct followers, and the beacons were extinguished, the harbors ruined, and the taverns and markets deserted. It seemed the Gorean continent had sunk into oblivion, and would soon disappear from all the maps. Yet the cries of seagulls attract more than the interest of mere fishermen. If ones mind is lost in the entanglement of modern complexity, ones heart might still respond to the pounding of the waves, the freshness of salted air, and the undisrupted horizons that only the oceans of imagination can offer. Ships are sailing again, and might again need shelter from the storm. Proudly I have the honor to present to you this Chronicles of Gor Forum, a new harbor on the Gorean continent, not built upon the quicksands of commercial enterprise and remunerative financial investments, but based upon a rock-solid foundation; a true love of creative freedom, an unquestionable admiration of integrity and perseverance, and the deep felt and honest respect for the Jason of contemporary science fiction. This, my friends, is the final destination of the last voyage of the Argo. <blockquote><i>"Ta-Sardar-Gor. Ta-Thassa," said I, in Gorean. "To the Priest-Kings of Gor, and to the Sea." Then, slowly, I poured the wine, and the oil into the sea, and the salt.</i> <sup>John Norman - Hunters of Gor, page 73.</sup></blockquote>I wish you well, Simon
Posted on: 2007/3/1 13:19
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Copyright Posting Policy
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Staff
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We ask that members comply strictly with the applicable copyright laws, but many people are confused about what they are - and are not. This is a short explanation of how the moderators of the Chronicles of Gor Website attempt to enforce the copyright laws in posts, pictures and files on this Website: 1. You may not post any picture unless <b>you</b> own the copyright. Don’t post pictures you’ve found on other sites unless it is <b>your</b> website and <b>you</b> own the copyright to the picture. 2. You may not post any article in our Articles section or as part of a post to our Forums without the prior approval of the Moderators unless <b>you</b> are the sole author and the article <b>states</b> that you are (e.g., "by Sheer Genius"). 3. You may not quote in a post you make to our Forums or Chat Room any private email, letter, or journal entry written by someone else unless you provide the Moderators with a copy of the writer's <b><i>written</i></b> permission <b><i>in advance</i></b>. Similarly, you may not quote in a post to our Forums or Chat Room a post someone else made to another group or mailing list without first obtaining and providing the writer's <b><i>written</i></b> permission <b><i>in advance</i></b> to the Moderators, nor may you post any chat log or any portion of one other than the logs from the Site's Live Chat Room that Chronicles of Gor may make available to Members from time to time. 4. If you wish to quote a poem or other work of literature written by someone other than yourself, and you do not know for certain that it is not subject to copyright (generally something more than 75 years old is safe), then you <b>must</b> limit your quotation to no more than 10% of the entire work, which may not exceed 1000 words if the work quoted is longer than 10,000 words. You <b>must</b> also include the title and author(s) of the work you are quoting and the copyright notice. This is "fair use." See the U.S. Copyright Office's guidance on fair use, but please bear in mind that this policy implements in a practical way "how to do it", while the Copyright Office's guidance only explains in a much more general way "what it is". The two are consistent, but this policy reflects the pragmatic choices of the moderation team for sensible implementation. 5. Because John Norman has stated that he objects to fan fiction based upon the Gor series, such derivative works may not be posted by Members in these Forums. 6. If you wish to quote something from another website accessible to the general public, such as a newspaper or magazine article, you <b>may</b> quote the first paragraph or two (up to 200 words), then post a link to the remainder for the members to read the rest of the article at the website where it appears. You <b>must</b> also include its title, author(s) and publisher, e.g.: "Gor Goes Mainstream," by Rabid Fan, "The New York Times" [link]. <b>NB</b>: If you inadvertently fail to include all required information in a post but the violation can be corrected, please edit your own post as promptly as possible by supplying the missing information or, if it cannot be corrected, by deleting the infringing material. If the Moderation Team notices such an omission before you do, you may be requested on-list to make the correction promptly. If a violation cannot be corrected, the post or the infringing portion of it will be deleted from the website's archives, which may be mentioned to the entire list, who may be requested not to include any infringing matter from the original post in their own reply. Repeated violations - or deliberate noncompliance - will result in the violator being deprived of further access to our Forums and Live Chat Room. For further information on copyright law, see: http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.htmlhttp://www.keytlaw.com/Copyrights/top10myths.htmIf you are at all confused by how to comply in your posts with any provision of this Policy, please email us at moderators@gorchronicles.com. This Copyright Posting Policy is an explanation and illustration only of how the Moderators of this Site attempt to enforce the copyright laws in posts made to the Forums and Chat Room of Chronicles of Gor, to the extent that any likely infringement comes to our attention, though we cannot and do not review every post made. Chronicles of Gor does not represent or warrant that compliance with this Copyright Posting Policy will ensure compliance by a Member with all requirements of the copyright laws, nor does compliance therefore in any way relieve any Member of their individual legal responsibilities to ensure that their posts fully comply with the law. This Copyright Posting Policy does not supersede any applicable provisions of the Site's Terms and Conditions of Use.
Posted on: 2006/12/10 15:07
Edited by Simon_of_Tabor on 2007/2/28 14:40:36
Edited by Simon_of_Tabor on 2007/3/2 16:22:54
Edited by Simon_of_Tabor on 2007/3/16 18:58:31
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DISCLAIMER |
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Please be advised that John Norman is not responsible and specifically disclaims any responsibility for any of the content of this website, except for any content that he has specifically written himself. Please also be advised that John Norman has no ownership interest in this website. |
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