shewhoguards@ntlworld.com (Laura Walker) wrote in message news:<ffd10943.0407290255.bd74f3b@posting.google.com>...
>
> Food needs to be cooked, plates need to be washed. Spitdogs can't take
> care of themselves. Clothes need to be mended and laundered. The Weyr
> needs to be dusted and kept clean. Behind the scenes hundreds of
> people do their invisible jobs in their own little world. They may
> barely exist to the rest of the world, but in their own community
> they're real enough. They bear children, fall in love, get in trouble,
> and have their own lives out of the sight of the dragonriders.
>
> Want to join them? Want to play something different?
>
> Be a drudge.
The existence of the drudges is a classic example of the implications
of a low-tech society, if you aren't part of the aristocracy one way
or another. They're presence is _inherent_ in such a setup. For
every Rider, Lord Holder, Holder, or Craftmaster/Journeymen, there
_have_ to be many, many commoners who work, and work bloody hard, long
hours, and have little prospect that their descendents will do any
better.
I've commented before that the Founders of Pern strike me, in some
ways, as being classic examples of daydreamers who don't have a clue
what a mess they're leaving their descendents, even absent the Thread
problem. They might be nice people, even intelligence and brave and
decent, but foresight wasn't their strong suit.
Shermanlee
|
|