Re: Afghans and Orlanthi

From: Charles Corrigan <charles_at_...>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 16:45:50 -0000

>
> The Orlanthi do not treat women like 3rd class citizens
> - no, make that slaves.

Be careful with your assumptions :-)

Working from a very dubious memory, late at night, and not checking any references...
- In the 1970s, Kabul was probably the most liberal city in South Asia. Until, of course, the local communists/socialsts invited in the big neighbour to the north to resolve a domestic dispute (probably unhappy that they were trounced in an election or something like that). And most of the best fighters against the Russians were the radical conservatives - i.e. those that invented a fundamentalist past that never really previously existed, a.k.a. the Taleban and the foreigners that joined them. Any other Heortling parallels ringing a bell yet?

• At Tentacles several years ago, Greg mentioned that Kallyr was one of the Argraths (not for the first time) and went on to mention that the key factor leading to her failure was the conservative upcountry Heortlings (men _and_ women) that could not accept/support a female Heortling High King. So what they got in the end was a male but not necessarily (completely) a Heortling. More uncomfortable parallels? (Think Osama bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian, the de facto defence minister on an ever upward trajectory in Afganistan, until he annoyed the big power to the West).

regards,
Charles