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.
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
Are women really bad generals?
01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM
- 1448 Views
No.
01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM
- 862 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM
- 962 Views
Lol... too true
01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM
- 858 Views
And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains?
01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM
- 847 Views
I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance".
01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM
- 699 Views
but you are difficult to please
02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM
- 653 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light
02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM
- 600 Views
You can't have it both ways....
02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM
- 680 Views
Why not?
02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM
- 642 Views
Yeah
01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM
- 628 Views
Re: Yeah
01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM
- 660 Views
I thought the same in the past...
02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM
- 652 Views
Gah! Hate!
02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM
- 659 Views
Ah, come on...
02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM
- 626 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet.
02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM
- 628 Views
Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM
- 725 Views
Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops
01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM
- 604 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too
02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM
- 595 Views
Well, yeah. They're knowledgable and deadly in person. Generalship doesn't come into it.
04/10/2009 12:09:50 AM
- 570 Views
nope
01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM
- 753 Views
Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin
01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM
- 1024 Views
Birgitte's not a soldier though.
01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM
- 611 Views
She says she's not, but so does Mat.
01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM
- 536 Views
Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general
01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM
- 681 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician.
02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM
- 661 Views
My opinion
02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM
- 1035 Views
That's a poor excuse
02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM
- 562 Views
I disagree
02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM
- 653 Views
Re: I disagree
02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM
- 851 Views
Oh, puh-lease.
02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM
- 802 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease.
03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM
- 631 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease.
05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM
- 3078 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
- 668 Views
And I can tell you're through when you've gotten to three+ insults per paragraph.
06/10/2009 05:46:24 PM
- 761 Views
Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst
04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM
- 718 Views
Men and football.
05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM
- 635 Views
She didn't kill anyone! Why SHOULD she feel guilty? She gave necessary orders.
06/10/2009 03:33:15 AM
- 727 Views