Happiness in Slavery: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:elbonia 4479.jpg|frame|Slave labor looks quite [[Safe, Sane, and Consensual|SSC]] when explained by [[Dilbert]]'s [[Pointy-Haired Boss]]]]

 

 

Character A is in servitude to character B, but [[Unwanted Rescue|doesn't want freedom]], and is [[Not Brainwashed]]. There are three types of this:

 

{{examples}}

* Nana in ''[[Elfen Lied]]''.

* In ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'', Itsuki's [[Mad Love]] for Sensui is a rare combination of both kinds of this trope. (In other words: Sensui is so insane we don't know if he loves him back or not.)

* A strange example is in ''[[Tramps Like Us]]'': Takeshi agrees to become Sumire's "pet," but has mixed feelings about his status to her; while being her pet means free food and housing and allows him to be by her side, it also means that she won't be able to think of him as a man, much less a romantic possibility.

* Sort of played straight by Wormmon in ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]''. He serves Ken out of a feeling of obligation as Ken's Digimon partner and [[Love Martyr|a hope that he can make Ken good somehow]]. This is despite some truly terrible treatment he had to endure. {{spoiler|When Wormmon eventually sacrifices himself to protect Ken, it's enough to set him on the course for a [[Heel Face Turn]].}}

** Helps that his familiar runes subtly [[Mind Rape]] him, making him [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|forget the bonds he has with his family and old world]] and, over time, replace them with a desire to serve and protect his master.

* ''[[Fencer Of Minerva]]'' deals with a deposed princess who becomes the slave of a man attempting to usurp her uncle's kingdom. The whole series is an excuse for BDSM softcore [[Porn with Plot]].

* ''[[The Law of Ueki]]'': Due to her [[Love Martyr|love]] for Robert Haydn, Rinko is almost slavishly devoted to him. However, soon after meeting the protagonist of the series and realizing how little Robert actually cares for her, she decides to [[Heel Face Turn|join]] said protagonist's [[True Companions]].

** The real kicker? {{spoiler|[[Heel Realization|The boys themselves HATED this trope]] [[Despair Event Horizon|yet they can do little to change it]] [[Jerkass Woobie|and are forced to play their roles.]]}}

* Gilbert's devotion to Oz in ''[[Pandora Hearts]]'' verges on this. Also, Echo. {{spoiler|Subverted, once you get her talking about her "beloved master"...}}

* The eponymous protagonists' [[Ninja Maid|servants]] in the ero-comedy ''[[Mouse]]''. One of them, who always stays by his side (and helps him out during his [[Phantom Thief|"night life"]], along with two other girls, and assisted by his harem/ninja maid army), when asked about what she thinks of her life as a slave, tells him that she considers herself as happy and safe as she could be, and wonders how many "free" people can't say the same. To be fair, Mouse is a pretty nice and meek master (at least until alcohol is served to him by accident), so he's in constant danger of being assaulted, not them.

* ''[[Bakugan]]'', in some respects. Sure, they fight to save their homeworld, but at the end of the day, Drago would rather live in crampy, tiny little ball form with Dan than on his homeworld. To their credit, a few of the Bakugan decide to stay back on New Vestroia instead.

* Played seriously in [[Gundam Unicorn]], Marida (aka Puru 12) was conditioned from birth to serve a master. Even the ordeal of prostitution was seen to her as another order by master. It gets to the point where after Suboera Zinnerman of [[The Remnant|the Sleeves]] rescues her and gives her something vaguely resembling a normal life, she can only think of him as another 'master'. Needless to say, he's a bit put out by this.

* In [[Otome Youkai Zakuro]], initially subverted with Byakuroku who hates the fact that she's treated as just a tool of [[Big Bad]] Omodaka, but eventually played straight when Byakuroku {{spoiler|realizes that having lost her purpose in life after her sister (who she devoted her life to protecting) already died, her freedom ultimately has no point, and so she offers herself as his [[Property of Love]], which he accepts, allowing her to survive with him in the end after he avails of a [[Last Second Chance]].}}

* ''[[Steel Angel Kurumi]]'': Titular character [[Robot Girl|Kurumi]] is devoted to her 'Master' Nakahito ever since she was first [[First Kiss|awakened]], even telling him that he's her Master and she'll happily do anything he wants.

 

** It was a recurring theme under William Marston-Moulton.

* Adam Susan of ''[[V for Vendetta]]'' proudly declares himself a slave to the Fate computer.

* Despite all he does to them, the people of Apokolips fanatically worship [[Darkseid]]. From his lowest of Lowlies to his highest Elites, all would gladly lay down their lives for the Lord of Apokolips. Darkseid's goal is to make ''everyone in existence'' follow suit by harnessing the Anti-Life Equation.

** When Orion deposed Darkseid in ''[[Kingdom Come]]'', he was forced to become a tyrant much like his father because the lowlies simply couldn't handle freedom. Even the ultimate agent of freedom, Mr Miracle, was having a hard time getting them to grasp the concept.

 

** To his utter horror, more and more of Shinji's followers have taken this ideology regarding him, that anything he desires is good to seek, period, because of who is desiring it.

 

== [[Film]] ==

** Which is a remake of [[John Wayne]]'s ''[[The Searchers]]''. The screenwriter recycled the plot for ''[[Hard Core]]'' as well.

* This is the main premise of ''[[Secretary]]''.

* Cypher from ''[[The Matrix]]'' is perfectly willing to accept slavery, so long as he's not aware of it.

** For good reason. Which would ''you'' prefer, living in a [[Crapsack World]] where you live in a cave, the only thing to eat is slimy mucus, and robots are trying their hardest to kill you? Or would you prefer chilling in your living room, eating steak? That's what I thought.

* Chewbacca with his "life debt" to Han Solo in ''[[Star Wars]].'' It helps that Han mostly treats him as a partner.

** Given the difference in lifspan between a Wookie and a human, such a life-debt is probably at most a minor inconvenience.

*** It's also implied that Solo doesn't abuse it, looking at it more as a friendly working relationship. For players not familiar with the EU, the [[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|KotOR2's]] Wookiee reaction to life debts is incredibly jarring.

**** Ironically, he is far more amenable to it {{spoiler|the more he's treated like a slave, by the then-eventually Sith Lord player-character}}.

* In the relatively pro-slavery 1940 movie ''Santa Fe Trail'', slaves are freed by a gang of evil abolitionists, and when the troops arrive to take them back to their owners, they thank them, saying that if this is freedom they don't want any of it.

* Heavily subverted in ''Gods and Generals''; a female house slave is shown to be loyal to the family that own her, and they in return treat her very well (for a slave). By the end of the film, she decides she wants to be free anyway, and ''not'' because of any mistreatment by her masters... the basic point being that even the ''best possible scenario'' for a slave's life still pretty much sucks.

* Mammy in ''[[Gone with the Wind]]''. There are a few other slaves who fit this trope as well.

* Lukey in ''The Horse Soldiers'' was completely loyal and faithful to her owner Miss Hannah.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* In [[David Eddings]]' ''[[The Elenium|The Tamuli]]'', an entire race (the Atans) is enslaved. It's described as standardized and really mostly inconsequential slavery - the Atans are the Tamul infantry, and they're pretty damn good at it. The explanation for the slavery: the Atans kept trying to kill each other, and about the only time the Tamuls ever exercise their "mastery" of the Atans is to order them to stop fighting amongst themselves. And the Atans? They like it that way, seeing as how they're a [[Proud Warrior Race]].

** Seeing as the Atans consider themselves honour-bound to kill anyone who insults them by, among other things, ''letting his shadow touch them'', their self-imposed slavery might just be the only thing keeping the Atans from exterminating either themselves or every other race, whichever happened first. Quite possibly the Proudest and dumbest Warrior Race in all of literature...

*** But then, Orks aren't so much a Proud Warrior Race as they are a "me like choppin' stuff" race, so...

** An interesting variation shows up with the Nadraks in the ''[[Belgariad]]''. Nadrak women are defined as property—but they take great pride in the prices they are able to command (especially since they get to keep a portion of it), and retain the right to choose when, if, and with whom they have sex (a right they usually back up with a pair of ''very'' sharp knives). Considering the way women are treated in other parts of the world, the arrangement isn't all that bad.

** YMMV on whether or not the process of magic and training that is done to captive children to create Mord-Sith counts as brainwashing or not.

* ''[[Discworld]]'':

** Discworld Igors are an odd... something... of this trope. They are at their happiest when they have a properly insane [[Funetik Aksent|"Marthter"]] to serve (and occasionally shower with spittle when attempting to pronounce words with lots of sibilants), yet have absolutely no compunction about legging it out the back door with the glassware to seek alternative employment a minute or two before the pitchfork-and-torch-bearing mob breaks down the front door. An Igor ''must'' serve, but ''who'' they serve seems to be largely irrelevant.

** Gaspode the Wonder Dog is torn between his street-mutt independence and a nagging doggy compulsion to serve a master. He is well aware of this inborn streak of servility in canines, to the point of using it (and his gift of human speech) as a weapon against hostile dogs: "SIT!"

** Their apparent inability to leave a master even if they want to as in Dobby's case is the only indication of them being magically obligated to serve their masters. BUT house elves seem INCAPABLE of existing without a master because of how much most house elves prefer their master. Species don't just exist like that. There are symbiotes and parasites but not slaves who will simply take the abuse from their masters without leaving not to mention the weird rules they follow. I mean they require a possession of their master given to them? Combined with the fact that only richer families seem to possess them and regular humans certainly don't have them it comes across as if some rich and influential wizards enslaved them in the past for their own personal use.

* Crops up in ''The Legacy Trilogy'' written by William H. Keith (under the pen name [[Ian Douglas]]). Humanity discovers a [[Lost Colony]] of the Ahn/Ah'nu who were once [[Ancient Astronauts]] and who still have a population of human slaves. The humans are all rather docile and react badly when test groups are brought back to Earth and given independence. Turns out there have been several thousand years of selective breeding going on since all the slaves with the intelligence and independence to escape have done so and live on their own colonies away from the very centralized Ahn.

** You'd probably be very hard pressed to find a butler who's happy to have his life stolen away from him and replaced by a world populated by [[The Fair Folk|cruel and capricious Fae]].

*** And yet by the end of the book {{spoiler|he refers to his time in England as captivity and goes off to rule a nation of Faeries ([[Fisher King|they get better]])}}, of course the gentleman did have 10 years to influence him, and all the enchantments didn't help.

* Holker in [[Belisarius Series]] is this to Belisarius. Justified in that Belisarius was from a civilization where slaves had at least some rights and Holker expected to be sold in a place where slaves had none. Also justified in that Belisarius wanted him as an honored scribe instead of the beast-of-burden he had been intended as, gave him a cause to serve, and promised him freedom.

** Similarly the Kushans captured at the Battle of Anatha are rather amenable to Belisarius' service partly because they were treated as slaves before anyway and partly because they sort of consider it [[Honor Before Reason|fair play]] now that they have surrendered.

** Rana Sanga has a Pathan [[Scary Competant Tracker]] who when captured by Sanga in a duel requested that he be Sanga's slave instead of being sold, because he considered that if he had to be a slave he wanted to be a slave to a [[Badass]]. Pathan are [[Proud Warrior Race|like that]] you know.

* The idea is discussed in ''[[My Name Is Red]]''.

 

* Observer, in the later seasons of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. Despite his omnipotence and his ability to do practically anything with his mind, he remains Pearl's subservient and browbeaten lackey. (His fear of her and total lack of self-esteem apparently keeps him from seeking his own fortune elsewhere.)

** How can you mention Observer and not TV's Frank, who puts the D and M in BDSM?

* In a Season 3 episode of ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'' Gilligan rescues a native girl from drowning and she becomes his [[I Owe You My Life|slave out of gratitude]] and she is way too happy about it. For example, when Mr. Howell wins her services from Gilligan she immediately drops to her knees and bows to him without a second thought. Throw in the fact that the native girl is played by a very attractive actress and [[Author Appeal|you]] [[Fan Service|start]] [[Fetish Fuel|to wonder]]...

* ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'' features a willing slave entity to whom liberation means the freedom not to be a literal genie, but to serve of her master as she sees fit.

* "Number Seven" in series 3 of ''[[Being Human (UK)]]'' left his job and family to become a live-in blood donor for vampires, complete with leather bondage suit.

* Lauren in ''[[Lost Girl]]'' is never actually called a slave, although she does refer to herself as the Ash's "property." She generally seems quite happy with her lot in life, although she is sometimes commanded to do things she doesn't want to. It should be noted that, because of her medical expertise, and the fact that she is the slave to the leader of the light fae, she actually enjoys a great deal of prestige and influence within the fae community. Nevertheless, she clearly is a slave, and clearly is reasonably happy with that fact. {{spoiler|Although it seems that she is likely to be substantially less happy under the new Ash}}. The Ash in season 1 also never openly referred to Lauren as a slave, {{spoiler|the one in season 2 however refers to Lauren as "chattel" and his property, both of which infuriate Bo}}.

** Most Fae think that Kenzi also falls into this category since they consider her to be Bo's property. It does not cross their minds that Bo considers Kenzi to be an equal.

 

 

== Religion ==

* According to [[The Bible]], after the Israelites had been taken out of Egypt by Moses, when they feared they were going to starve to death in the wilderness, "And the children of Israel said unto [Moses and Aaron], Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, [[Politically-Correct History|when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full]]; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." They were slaves back in Egypt, who had to make bricks even when they weren't given straw with which to make bricks (Exodus 5:7), yet at least they were fed.

** The Bible contains instructions for freeing some slaves after seven years. Naturally, there is the case where the slave wants to remain, and the procedure for this is also described - if the slave wishes, just pierce the ear, and he remains with you for life. (Given the ambiguous nature of ancient slavery, this may occasionally have happened, though the Bible doesn't record any specific examples. See [[Real Life]] below.)

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* The Truul in Gurps Aliens were genetically engineered to have a Slave Mentality by extinct Aliens. No one can figure out how to remove this trait or even if they should so nicer societies treat them as minors for want of a better solution and more nasty ones treat them as, well, slaves.

** Although in some Chapters, such as the Space Wolves, the Serfs ''are'' expected to assist their masters in ground combat, if an enemy powerful enough to break into their fortress monastery assaults their homeworld.

*** This is true to a degree in all chapters. Space Marine ships are primarily crewed by chapter serfs so they regularly see combat there are well.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

** The second game takes this to [[Squick]]tastic levels, especially with Visas Marr, whose greeting line is "My life for yours." Most of the party has been blackmailed, bullied, broken, or conned into coming along. The only thing holding the mess together is the low-level [[Mind Rape]] that Exile (and/or Kreia) has on them. Still, even after finding this out, none of them really minds it. Whether this is because they come to follow Exile on their own accord and their own reasons (as Disciple suggests), or their minds and wills are too ensnared by the Exile's Force Bonds for them to be able to leave is entirely up to interpretation.

*** This was further [[Lampshaded]] in the magnificent Brotherhood of Shadow mod for the first game. {{spoiler|Channa Mae was so enthralled with Revan that she turned her back on everything, even her own concept of self, to become Revan's aide/assassin/secret apprentice. Even after discovering all this, she does not regret her time as Shadow}}. A parallel is Solomon {{spoiler|who gave up ''his'' identity and sense of self to avenge to loss of his Padawan, Channa Mae}}. The Brotherhood ''itself'' also took its pride in destroying all sense of self, {{spoiler|acting only as an extension of the will of the Sith King, of which their grandmaster was the last}}.

* ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'' has a few interesting takes on this. At least three of {{spoiler|the joinable party members: Ignus, Dak'kon and Morte}} are revealed to effectively be 'slaves' of {{spoiler|The Nameless One}} and are unwilling to leave: {{spoiler|Ignus}} is [[Ax Crazy]] and can only remember him as 'his old master' despite how much the two have changed over time. {{spoiler|Dak'kon}} is bound by a sworn life-debt he cannot repay {{spoiler|because The Nameless One is immortal}}, and the fact that {{spoiler|the latter does not know of it}} does nothing to alleviate said debt. {{spoiler|Dak'kon}} literally cannot disobey any order given to him, no matter how unspeakably full of [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]]. Finally, there's {{spoiler|Morte}}: No matter how badly he has been treated {{spoiler|by some of The Nameless One's prior incarnations}}—and he's been treated ''pretty'' badly—it's nothing compared to the alternative, {{spoiler|namely, the massive guilt he'd incur were he ever to leave: The Nameless One's condition is implied to be his fault because he gave him false information while he was still alive}}. Even more screwed up when you consider that {{spoiler|Avellone himself has said that "there is no evidence for this other than Morte's suspicion." Planescape canon is that petitioners can never remember anything from life; it's very possible that Morte is completely wrong. He was in Hell for a horrible crime he could not remember committing and would never feel closure for and then met a psychologically abusive man with the Mark of Torment mentioned below. Now that's an epic guilt-trap.}}

** This, of course, comes in ''addition'' to the fact that {{spoiler|the [[Mark of the Beast|Mark of Torment]] essentially forces slavery on the tormented souls that get attracted to The Nameless One}}.

* ''[[Enslaved: Odyssey to the West]]'' {{spoiler|has Monkey eventually developing this sort of relationship with Trip, going as far as to request that she keep his slave headband active even when she offers to turn it off.}}

 

** This appears to be the default attutide of anyone who isn't a ruler, caster, or warlord in Erfworld. In the text updates, [[Fish Out of Water|Parson]] gets [[Squick]]ed by the flirting of the cute [[Charlie's Angels|Archons]] when he realizes they don't even understand the concept of a 'volunteer'. Every unit under his command would do anything he asks, including have sex with him (which a female caster seems to consider SOP for male warlords with archons). Justified since the world is governed by the rules of a [[Tabletop Game]], where units always obey your orders. [[Nightmare Fuel|But here Parson walks among those 'units', who have feelings and personality, but still blindly follow orders and like it...]]

** The whole thing is unclear. Thge archons confronting Jullian definitely don't think it's normal to like being mind controlled, and the caster Parson was talking to about the whole rape thing seemed to be witholding her disapproval—good thing too, since it turned out the idea squicked Parson out. And while Parson comments that the archons seem to have no will of their own, this is only a paragraph after the archons mention that Charlie usually left them to their own discretion when dealing with clients. Note Jaclyn, who had a habit of telling her clients about active spells, despite the fact that "they haven't paid for spell security."

* The [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20051010 Jägerkin] from ''[[Girl Genius]]'' would certainly seem to qualify in their adoration of and devotion to their Heterodyne masters. So much so that they [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080227 refer] to one who has forsworn his loyalty to the House of Heterodyne as "no longer a Jäger." Possibly justified since the Jägers were created by the Heterodynes (from willing volunteers). The Jägers (and most constructs in the series) seem to be some form of Type 3, as they needed (in a context that is not fully known) to serve Baron Wulfenbach in the interim between Heterodynes.

** The people of Mechanicsburg likely count too. Being minions is in the bloodline, and as Carson says, "People here are desperate for a new Heterodyne. ''Any'' new Heterodyne."

* [[Chakona Space]] gives us Leanna, a very unhappy ex-sex slave commenting how wonderful it might have been to have lived on one of the worlds filled with type 1's.

** Interestingly, after being freed, shi is still stuck in type 3 territory, thanks to slave conditioning. Fortunately she found a "master" who hates slavery.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

{{quote|'''Skyfire''': Are you... ''happier'' being a warrior than a scientist, Starscream?

'''Starscream''': ''Oh, yes.'' It's far more exciting... }}

* Stimpy of ''[[Ren and Stimpy]]''.

* The main cast of ''[[Thomas the Tank Engine]]'' would find much common ground with the golems of the ''[[Discworld]]'' in their devotion to being 'Really Useful'; they were created with a clearly defined purpose in life and wouldn't really know what to do with free will if they had any. Being consistently treated with respect and kindness and only being reproved when they are genuinely at fault probably helps.

* During an episode of ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', Supe's tosses a beaten and broken [[Darkseid]] at the mercy of the oppressed residents of Apokolips. Expecting them to be happy to be free, they instead pick Darkseid up, carrying him off to recover. Darkseid's response?

{{quote|'''Darkseid:''' I am many things, Kal-El, but here, [[A God Am I|I am God.]]}}

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

** Doctors in ancient Rome were often former slaves, whose "owners" had paid for their medical training. (Any resemblance to the plot of [[Northern Exposure]] is presumably a coincidence.)

** Many close bonds were formed between masters and their slaves. Often, slaves in wealthy households were very well cared for and lived far better than free lower class citizens. It was not uncommon for a Roman patrician's dying wish to be for their slave's freedom.

* A similar example is that of some Roman non-citizens, who would voluntarily become slaves, since after they are freed, they would be granted a portion of a citizen's rights as freedmen and their children would automatically become full citizens. All this only refers to the house slaves.

* Then there were those who found themselves a master and ''pretended'' to be their slaves while they were really free. Make of that what you will.

* Many types of domesticated animals, if set loose, will try to find their way back home even if it's a factory farm or some other borderline abusive place. Gerald Durrell, after experiencing a massive return of animals he was trying to let go, remarked that it'd be nice if those "twee individuals" could see this.

* As discussed in the "TV" section above, quite a few slaves in ancient Rome might have felt this way. A notable example was Tiro, slave to Cicero. He was his master's right hand and the reason any of Cicero's speeches have been preserved until this very day. Tiro invented a form of short-hand writing, taking notes in court or in the senate and transcribing the speech later. He survived his release (and the suicide of his master shortly after) for many years and died at around 90.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Happiness Tropes]]

[[Category:Love Tropes]]

[[Category:Stockholm Syndrome]]

[[Category:Older Than Television]]

[[Category:A Slave to the Index]]