Food for Thought - Can We Define What a BTB Panther Is.

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May 2012

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[Elle Couerblanc]

For those of you who don't wander over to the Gorean Forums here is a great thread from June regarding what defines a BTB Panther girl

http://www.goreanforums.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5080&start=90

Here are couple of posts that caught my eye including one by Eve Cartier who I believe is credited as being the first Panther girl in SL and the other by Tamar Luminos:

An excerpt from Eve http://www.goreanforums.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5080&start=40#p125201

there is one ABSOLUTE about Panther girls.
They were sexually frustrated outlaws running from civilization.
How does this translate into role-play?

It means that they FEARED men. For two reason. First, because of the obvious fear of being collared and losing their physical freedom. And secondly, they feared the very sight of them would stir the memories of what it is to be woman. They feared, in many ways, not that a man might take them in battle, but that the very sight of them would cause them to toss aside their weapons and freedom in exchange for the chance to shed that sexual frustration. Did they put on a good show? Yup. The trades were done powerfully and with much anger, but once the men had departed, the very sight of them caused a sexual frenzy and a need for the dances.

So I will turn it back to you and ask you, when was the last time you saw a panther girl played in such a manner? When did you face a man in the forest with honest fear that he might be the one that would drop you in collar, not for 30 minutes, but permanently or have you wrapped yourself in the bubblewrap of "30 minutes, no RP and I leave"? When was the last time you silently sat there and wished for.. hoped for.. a man out there strong enough to take you and make you his permanently? Because, from what I have seen of Panther bands these days, they do not fear men physically ("Doesn't matter, I'll be traded back in 30 minutes so we can do it again later!") or sexually ("I'm not frustrated! Hell, I got raped twice yesterday and bounced a "cap" an hour ago... I can probably fit one more in before dinner!")

So yes, I believe there is a huge tendency for BTB Goreans to turn from current panther girls. Are the BTBers perfect and living up to the Gorean ideal? Nope. I believe they/we have a long way to go, but I also believe they are TRYING. From what I have seen of the panther girls out there, not only are they not trying, but IF they know the core of what it is to be a panther girl, they actively turn from it and do their best to fight it and instead, replace it with the polar opposite.

Tamar's post found here http://www.goreanforums.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5080#p125082 does an amazing job in breaking down the role using supporting quotes. 

I am not meaning to rehash and start a whole new thread on the topic but more to make those of us in the role to be aware of the thread.  If anything it's a great read.

[Canicus]

I agree with that quote actually.

Panthers, at least 90% of them that I have seen struggle to play the role and are more interested in roleplaying some form of female outlaw than a girl who is scared of men.

I have a quote in my profile that I like, I'll post it here:

In a letter received at WorldofGor.com back in October 2001 John Norman addressed the issue of 'female fighters' These words are quoted:

"There are no 'female warriors' on Gor. Gor is on the whole an honest, male-dominated realistic world. Indeed, this honesty is one of the things that commends it to romantic, heterosexual women. There are panther girls and talunas on Gor. They are unhappy, frustrated, disturbed women, half alienated from their sex. They tend to run in dangerous feline packs. Once captured and subdued it is said they make excellent slaves. 'Bring me into the collar if you can!' Amazon women/Mrs. Conan the Barbarian does not belong in the Gorean world. Let her pump her iron elsewhere. In the Gorean world, such a character would seem out of place, and silly."

It saddens me to see that most panthers roleplay what they see as the most common way that panthers are portrayed. Sort of like lemmings following the lead lemming off of a cliff.

It's why I rarely roleplay with panthers. That and a few other reasons for certain tribes