Ronald The Second Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Good morning. Basically I just wanted to discuss the adem culture because I like the books but the whole adem culture really silly didnt make good sense, like why exactly are the women such superior fighters to men the book explanation was kinda dumb to me I did like earlier in the book when they said the adem used silence like armor/weapon like was cool but no we just get men are angrier and more emotional than women, and also the nonsense about man mother. Any thought/opinions ? thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 RtS,I don't believe he said women were better fighters but that they were better teachers of fighting and the philosophy governing when fighting was proper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronald The Second Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I believe that its stated women are superior fighters than men. Its just a bit silly to think a larger stronger person with similar/same training would'nt be a more effective fighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Get in the sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 RtS,Because fighting is about nothing but strength and size? Isn't that like saying poker is about nothing but probability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Gilfellon Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 May I introduce you to David and Goliath? I agree with Ser Scot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo498 Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Physical fighting is a lot about strength and size. That's why there are weight classes in almost all those sports.(Also look into the viking sagas, Homer and other literature from a time when people were still close to a warrior culture. The best fighters are almost always exceptionally strong and often of great physical size) Edit: The exception in the ancient literature are often people with bows or slings like David or Paris. Many people like (usually scantily clad) badass female fighters but the more plausible way in fantasy for me is something like the Drow in Salvatore... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairBearHero Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 the whole adem culture really silly didnt make good sense, like why exactly are the women such superior fighters to men the book explanation was kinda dumb to me Because that's how it is in the book world. Seriously, childlike immortal sex faeries, omniscient trees and force shields are all plausible but the bit that really made no sense was women being considered better fighters in a single culture? The Adem as a whole make no sense whatsoever if you compare them to real life. Just roll with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronald The Second Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 Bcause we cant explain magic and fairies but we can explain human anatomy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronald The Second Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I would not have an issue if there was some supernatural/magical reason behind it but as is it doesnt make sense. Of course size and strength matter thats just silly saying it doesnt. Thanks Jo498 your reply was logical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 RtS, He isn't saying that size and strength don't matter. He's saying, as with having the best hand at a poker table, they are not the only things that matter and a smart skillful fighter can overcome them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronald The Second Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 RtS,He isn't saying that size and strength don't matter. He's saying, as with having the best hand at a poker table, they are not the only things that matter and a smart skillful fighter can overcome them.But they receive the same training and women are consistently better ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I think it's quite interesting to see a culture that is essentially sexist against men, but the whole Adem plot in general was rather daft and the man-mother thing was stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 pg, Perhaps that is where Rothfuss is going. The male Adem growing up in a culture that views females as more effective teachers of the Lethani and the fighting cultures that spring from it perhaps see themselves as inferior to the female fighters because, as they say in the book, "men have too much 'anger'". It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Additionally, as we see when the head of the school where Kvothe trains is defeated in a bout fighting isn't the only thing the Adem are looking at when they construct their social heirarchy. As such being the fastest and strongest fighter may not have the weight you believe it does in that society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowjack Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Because that's how it is in the book world. Seriously, childlike immortal sex faeries, omniscient trees and force shields are all plausible but the bit that really made no sense was women being considered better fighters in a single culture? The Adem as a whole make no sense whatsoever if you compare them to real life. Just roll with it. I am beginning to get the feel that Kote/Kvothe is an unreliable narrator. Kvothe is always either the spectacular success or dismal failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt b Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Physical fighting is a lot about strength and size. That's why there are weight classes in almost all those sports. While true, technique is going trump strength and size at the end of the day, IMHO. I wrestled while in high school and I've never been particularly strong. My frame is very long and lanky, so almost everyone I ever wrestled was stronger than me. Not a one actually had an advantage because of it. In fact, if I ran into an opponent who seemed freakishly strong I usually knew I was in for an easier match. I found a lot of stronger wrestlers had poorer technique because they could use their strength to get them out of any trouble their lack of wrestling ability got them into. At least, until they ran into someone with good technique. Size can be more of a factor than strength, but I wrestled 135 in high school (oh how I wish I could see that weight again!) and I know there were some heavyweight wrestlers I could have beaten. As long as I didn't get caught underneath I'd be fine and considering how slow so many heavyweights were, that wouldn't have been a problem. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentRoamer Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Ser Scot do you play a lot of poker? If you have the "best" hand at a poker table - it's called the Nuts. Good poker players know if they have the Nuts. If you have the Nuts then you will always win - the only variable is the amount you can extrace from your opponent - in this case you are never folding so a win by someone else at the table is just not going to happen. I agree with Jo498 - two people of equal skill and training in a straight matchup then obviously physicality plays a part, now this is not to say a less strong opponent cannot beat a stronger one, through skill and training, hell even sheer luck probably won more than its fair share of Duels. Size/Strength isn't everything but in a physical contest it's pretty important. The slings/arrows thing comes back to the skill element - I think its generally accepted Goliath would have creamed David in a straight up fist fight! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Mongoose Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I would not have an issue if there was some supernatural/magical reason behind it but as is it doesnt make sense. Of course size and strength matter thats just silly saying it doesnt. Thanks Jo498 your reply was logical. You are assuming there is nothing supernatural about the Adem, or the path of the Latantha. I'm not going to argue that there definitely is, but given the obvious links between naming and the Adem, I wouldn't be completely certain about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentRoamer Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Double Post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 While true, technique is going trump strength and size at the end of the day, IMHO. I wrestled while in high school and I've never been particularly strong. My frame is very long and lanky, so almost everyone I ever wrestled was stronger than me. Not a one actually had an advantage because of it. In fact, if I ran into an opponent who seemed freakishly strong I usually knew I was in for an easier match. I found a lot of stronger wrestlers had poorer technique because they could use their strength to get them out of any trouble their lack of wrestling ability got them into. At least, until they ran into someone with good technique. Technique is going to trump unskilled size and strength (to a certain point. Floyd Mayweather would never beat Tyson Fury in a fight). But if someone is equally or close-to-equally skilled, the bigger one has a huge advantage. What your story really says to me is that the big strong wrestlers found that strength did trump skill and so they never needed to really learn it until they got to a point where they were just really vastly overmatched on the skill side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.