Post by Richard Boye'Post by John S. Novak, IIIDidn't Jordan used to go around claiming (in interviews) that the
White Tower, as a female-exclusive organization, didn't have a
hierarchical structure? And that's why all the politics eventually
ended up as consensus?
No, what he said, was that he believed that women would fashion an
organization that was more collegial and consensus based, rather than a
structured military-like tree (and threw in that his idea about how the
Aes Sedai would structure themselves came from the way the massive
land-owning convents of the Middle Ages were).
That's not precisely how I remember it, but since I'm far, far too
lazy to go track down one of the quotes, we'll go with it.
Post by Richard Boye'But it's still... committee based, really. The Amyrlin cannot rule by
fiat, for example. The Hall needs to be brought around or shoved, and
its all very loosey-goosey and slippery as exercises of power go, as
opposed to, say, the obvious military system in the Black Tower. There
is no body that can counter the M'Hael, for example.
But when push comes to shove, the Aes Sedai are exactly the same-- in
times of crisis, or even just when there's a particularly
strong-willed Amyrlin-- that whole nicey-nicey committee structure
breaks down. Informally, you'll get an Amyrlin with a puppetstructure
beneath her. Formally, you'll get the Law of War, which, shockingly,
makes the Aes Sedai exactly what Jordan claims they are not. Yes,
there are a few exceptions, but they're not meaningful.
(I also shudder to think who the Greens run a war without a command
structure.)
When the White Tower sends a task force out, there's always a
designated team leader, from whom all the others are supposed to take
instruction. (Not that this lasts, given the weird Aes Sedai social
structure, but still.)
And even when not on a task force, there's a rigid pecking order based
on seniority and brute strength-- strong enough that until the recent
troubles, ALL the Aes Sedai would know exactly where they fit in the
structure.
There was a time when I'd figure Jordan was just being ironic about
all that. Now, I figure he's just blowing it out his ass.
Post by Richard Boye'I can see what his point was, but as usual, his execution of his idea
falls flat, since basically everything in the Tower boils down to status
and who bows to whom.
Exactly.
--
John S. Novak, III ***@cegt201.bradley.edu
The Humblest Man on the Net