The Gentleman Slavekeeper

No one needs to be convinced that gentlemanly virtues are in short supply in our age. The days of the chivalrous gentleman are gone. Social relations today – while arguably more open – are more coarse and harsh. Women are no longer ladies and men are no longer gentlemen. Feminism has advanced female equality, and men are less able and less likely to institute systematic discrimination against women, but at the same time the aura of the “fair sex” has fallen and men’s attitudes to women have hardened on a day to day level. It is not uncommon in general society today to hear young men referring to their women as “bitches” or “sluts” and its not uncommon to see these women being treated accordingly, like dogs. In general, relations between men and women have become far less refined - and more seething with resentment - over the last fifty or so years. Women have lost their femininity and men have become more openly misogynistic. Underlying patterns of violence have become more open.

Code d’ Odalisque is very old fashioned in this respect. It values femininity in the female and it values chivalry in the male. It preserves old models of behavior. The odalisque (slave) is female submissive. The Slavekeeper is male dominant. Code d’ Ode celebrates good old fashioned Maledom/femsub gender roles. But the Slavekeeper is not necessarily maledom in the alpha-male Conan-the-barbarian sense. Rather, the Slavekeeper in Code d’ Ode is the sophisticated urbane gentlemen, a man of good taste and appropriate manners, whose dominant nature is expressed in a quiet and assured authority. He is patient, compassionate and he treats women with due respect. He regards odalisques as truly precious. He is a kind and forbearing Keeper who treats his slave with generosity and mercy. His motivation is pleasure, not power. Sexual violence is not in his nature.

The written codifications of Code d’ Odalisque include a complete formal system of etiquette and manners. The intent of the Code is to bring an atmosphere of refinement to Master/slave play. The Code offers an alternative to the prevalent S & M type of maledom/femsub play found in alternative adult scenes today. The Code states:

24.1. - Intention of refinement

The general intention of this Code is to bring refinement, fine taste and decorum to the modern environment of sexual experimentation and adventure. All players are bound to this same ideal in word and action at all times.

Slaves receive training towards this end. But Slavekeepers also need to learn and practice modes of proper conduct. For some men today even the common courtesies of “please” and “thankyou” do not come naturally. An important dimension of Code d’ Ode, and one that is often neglected, is the cultivation of gentlemanly virtues in men. Slaves are trained to the role of female submissive: meek, demure, obedient, obliging, passive. The Code also seeks to bring refinement to contemporary men. The man who would be a Keeper of odalisques must learn the old virtues of the proper gentleman. The Code states:

24.3. - Gentlemanly behavior at all times

All male players (gentlemen) shall behave in a civil, honest, straight-forward, polite and chivalrous manner at all times. Violence, unruliness, jealous rivalry, uncouth behavior and ill-mannered machismo are out of place in all play.

The Code seeks to create an atmosphere of polite and mannered civility. This must involve both male and female players. It is vitally important that men who are involved in Code d’ Odalisque adopt appropriate standards of gentlemanly behavior. Code d’ Ode is not for yobs, rednecks and deadshits. It is not for men who are crass, abusive or ill-natured. It is not for women-haters and men who can’t hold their peace.

This dimension of Code d’ Ode should not be overlooked. The Code seeks to build an appropriate male culture – a culture of the slavekeeping gentleman. Not a culture of the sadist. Not a culture of the alpha-male. And not a culture of street grunge where women are just “bitches”. Instead, a culture of a refined and enlightened hedonism, where women are respected, where odalisques are prized, and where the pursuit of sexual adventure and carnal delights takes place in an atmosphere of chivalry and decorum. Without such an atmosphere and the observance of a code of common etiquette and cordial behavior, sexual adventure and carnal delights can quickly degenerate into a culture characterized by ugliness, coarseness and brutality.