Discussion: Discipline Vs Punishment

"I do not understand, "she said, angrily, as she spoke to me about her Master and her obvious lack of understanding of what she was. I spoke four questions, listening with interest for her answer.
Do you know that you are slave?
Do you know it in the heart, and in the heat and humility of you?
Do you know it in the deepest love of you?
Perhaps you wish to be reminded that you are a slave?
The girl looked at me speaking arrogantly as she departed, "My master will never beat me." With certainty that made me smile, she repeated once more, "My master likes me, he will never beat me. He will do whatever I want."
I reminded her to not forget who is the master and who is the slave. She still insisting that her Master would never beat her, and in her Master's home, she could do as she pleased."
Days later, she came running to me, wailing, "He beat me. He beat me!" With narrowed eyes I reminded her she was in the presence of a Free Man. Swiftly she fell to her knees, putting her long hair in the dust. Her skin light and curves lovely, begging for me to forgive her.
"Kneel, " I said. She knelt. I walked about her inspecting the braiding marks visible in her flesh. "There is little doubt about it. You have been beaten."
She sobbed with little hiccups speaking, "I thought He liked me. He took away my clothes and tied me at a whipping stake on my knees!" I instructed her calmly that she would not want her clothes bloodied and her hair was thrown forward so that it would not cushion the blows and further to avoid getting blood on her hair.
It was funny really, did she think she was the only girl that ever was whipped? She was a slave and apparently this was the first full beating which she had ever been subjected to. It had not only physically punished her, and well, but she had felt it as keenly humiliating. It had not only hurt her, but had horrified and scandalized her. She had been punished before others.
"Why were you beaten?" I asked and smiled as she cried, hot tears streaming down her face, "I was displeasing." I remarked, "Be pleased that your punishment was not more severe than it was. You might have been fed to the sleens."
She would not wish to be beaten again and doubtless resolve to be a better slave. "You are only a slave," I told her, "do you expect to be displeasing with impunity? Your sense of outrage is inappropriate, I suggest you get rid of this attitude immediately lest it become the occasion of further slave discipline. Replace it with a suitable attitude of trepidation. You are only a slave."
She shuddered as I continued, "You should not feel outrage. You are only a slave. That is an emotion which would be more appropriate in a Free Woman, one save, stripped, and unjustifiably beaten as though she might be a mere slave. Beatings are the due of slaves, particularly ones which are in the least respect displeasing, as they might be of any other animal.
You are allowed to feel shame and humiliation, those are emotions which are permitted to slaves. Shame and humiliation, like chains and whips, can be useful disciplinary devices. The girl is usually swift thereafter to learn her lessons. Some girls who are not sure of their slavery and its limits will test their Master and are quickly reassured as to the existence of boundaries."
Leaving her kneeling, sobbing softly, I left her to her pain and humiliation. She would learn quickly, or not at all. It was no business of mine.
-from Blood Brothers of Gor, pages 59-73


The discussion that followed, this excerpt was an intense conversation on whether or not this described a punishment or a discipline. Personally I feel that it was a punishment that served to to teach the kajira discipline. She thought she could get away with anything she wanted because her Master liked her. I think a lot of women fall into this situation, which only gets worse if her owner does not punish her. Discipline starts to slide, and because she's liked, she's allowed to get away with just about anything. They say a strong owner, one who truely loves his slave will not let things slide and will punish/discipline they are displeased.

Another thing that was pointed out was that the slave in the story attempted to get sympathy for her beating. I had never really considered that this is normal behavior for slaves. I know it drives my owner absoltutely mad when slaves attempt to drive a wedge between Free people by trying to play the "poor me" attitude. The right and proper response though, seems to be as reflected in this story: no sympathy.

Initatory whippings were discussed. A man will whip his slave immeadiately after getting her in his collar to show there will be no question that he *will* whip her. This teaches a kajira to have self-discipline, because she does not wish to repeat the shame and humilation of a whipping that she knows will happen if she is displeasing. Punishments are just that, a tool to be used to point the kajira in the right direction again. That is not always a whipping though, but I am sure that discipline and punishments go hand in hand due to the fact that a slave is expected to learn from her punishments and modify her behavior to that which is more pleasing.

After all, if she is displeasing in any way, she may be whipped. Even on a whim if it so pleases.