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No. RugbyPlayingAshaman Send a noteboard - 01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM
I think it just comes down to an overall portrayal in RJ's universe of a general state of reality in his universe, in which males need to get ahead or gain status by showing fighting prowess or demonstrating/exercising their strength, while females get ahead or gain status by showing cunning and increased intelligence.

As a result, the male upper tiers are weighted towards men who possess one factor, while the female upper tiers are weighted towards another factor. Both can achieve the dominant position in the overall hierarchy, but neither side possesses an overall advantage in the long run. After all, strategy is not the same thing as being successful as a general.

After studying "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, for example, the best victories were the ones in which the battlefield victory was determined before a battle was even fought - in this case, if Moghedien has defeated her opponents, and appropriated to herself their status, belongings and territories through superior cunning, it doesn't really matter if she was good at using her troops or accompanying them to the battlefield - the key word is "victory".

Ironically, strategically speaking, among the males named as the best generals are two that have permanently been defeated, one who was defeated by a far weaker opponent during a battle when his tactics should have given him a greater advantage and one is often criticized for planning such elaborate and risky maneouvers that often he was beaten or matched by opponents who didn't try to implement the "perfect plan" in order to gain recognition of genius.

It seems to me that the female Forsaken are the more skilled strategic and tactical thinkers - they're the ones surviving and most of them are concentrated on total victory rather than risking winning each battlefield just to lose the war.

"This person is a great general" doesn't necessarily mean much beyond a general statement that they have accomplished much on various battlefields. The "best generals" IMHO would be able to defeat their opponents before war was declared. So the terminology is rather vague - especially since we're not really aware of finer points of the duties of generals during the Age of Legends, nor the skills that were required.
"Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
This message last edited by RugbyPlayingAshaman on 01/10/2009 at 07:45:04 PM
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Are women really bad generals? - 01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM 1447 Views
I think that all we can conclude from this... - 01/10/2009 07:39:49 PM 741 Views
No. - 01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM 860 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals... - 01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM 961 Views
Lol... too true - 01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM 857 Views
And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains? - 01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM 846 Views
I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance". - 01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM 698 Views
Ishamael's destroyed Civilization twice - 02/10/2009 04:25:37 AM 668 Views
Re: Ishamael's destroyed Civilization twice - 02/10/2009 03:48:13 PM 594 Views
but you are difficult to please - 02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM 652 Views
Re: but you are difficult to please - 02/10/2009 03:46:56 PM 588 Views
Re: but you are difficult to please - 03/10/2009 06:17:21 AM 608 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light - 02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM 599 Views
You can't have it both ways.... - 02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM 679 Views
Why not? - 02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM 641 Views
Re: Why not? - 02/10/2009 04:27:00 PM 540 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 06:34:16 AM 677 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 07:40:16 AM 612 Views
Re: Why not? - 03/10/2009 05:07:51 PM 583 Views
Yeah - 01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM 627 Views
Re: Yeah - 01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM 658 Views
I thought the same in the past... - 02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM 651 Views
Gah! Hate! - 02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM 658 Views
Ah, come on... - 02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM 625 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet. - 02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM 627 Views
Yeah, I can understand that! - 03/10/2009 12:23:25 PM 507 Views
Unless... - 01/10/2009 10:49:55 PM 700 Views
Re: Unless... - 02/10/2009 05:07:14 AM 728 Views
Well, it's entirely hypothetical, - 02/10/2009 06:31:32 AM 605 Views
Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals... - 01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM 724 Views
What about Mat and Ituralde? - 02/10/2009 04:28:49 AM 667 Views
Re: What about Mat and Ituralde? - 02/10/2009 03:52:24 PM 622 Views
Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops - 01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM 603 Views
Further... - 02/10/2009 12:14:44 AM 636 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too - 02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM 594 Views
Just one point ^_^ - 03/10/2009 12:51:50 AM 609 Views
nope - 01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM 752 Views
Re: nope - 01/10/2009 09:32:38 PM 816 Views
Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin - 01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM 1022 Views
Birgitte's not a soldier though. - 01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM 610 Views
She says she's not, but so does Mat. - 01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM 535 Views
Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general - 01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM 680 Views
Right, which was what we were discussing at first. - 02/10/2009 04:13:43 PM 606 Views
Yeah, I'm supporting your point about them both being generals - 02/10/2009 06:10:31 PM 625 Views
true, but she does pretty good - 02/10/2009 01:06:03 AM 678 Views
Oooh I forgot she's in charge of Elayne's lady guards. - 02/10/2009 03:22:57 AM 551 Views
Egeanin or Leilwin - 01/10/2009 10:35:53 PM 747 Views
A ship captain is like a calvary general - 02/10/2009 01:24:37 AM 613 Views
Right. - 02/10/2009 01:36:59 AM 596 Views
Well said. (And its short and to the point.) - 02/10/2009 03:54:23 AM 734 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician. - 02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM 660 Views
Isn't this more of an outgrowth or her respective specialty? - 07/10/2009 08:40:46 PM 567 Views
My opinion - 02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM 1034 Views
That's a poor excuse - 02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM 562 Views
That's a poor argument - 02/10/2009 04:02:53 PM 762 Views
Re: That's a poor argument - 03/10/2009 04:26:55 AM 638 Views
I disagree - 02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM 653 Views
Re: I disagree - 02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM 849 Views
Oh, puh-lease. - 02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM 800 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM 630 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 03/10/2009 08:26:27 PM 520 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease. - 05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM 3077 Views
I always know I've out-argued an idiot when they fall back on the tired old "RJ wanted it that way" - 06/10/2009 04:42:11 AM 667 Views
um - 08/10/2009 07:36:52 PM 903 Views
Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst - 04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM 717 Views
Men and football. - 05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM 634 Views
It's the only thing men are allowed to do in Randland - 02/10/2009 03:09:19 AM 644 Views
My thoughts - 02/10/2009 03:12:46 PM 575 Views
.... - 04/10/2009 03:38:44 AM 562 Views

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