I never understood why...

[water_seeker]

I never understood why those who are running from Darkfriends and worse should feel afraid of what other people would think.  I mean, if you're running away from "evil" how is it that people are going to assume you are "friendly" with it?

 

If it was simply because the other people are afraid of having the Darkfriends and worse brought to them I'd understand (kind of), but most of the reactions follow this logic:

 

Thom snorted.  "After Whitebridge?  Likely I'd die if I did go....Most Illianers think Trollocs and Fades are fables, but enough others might want to know why a man was pursued by them to make Illian somewhat more than uncomfortable."

[Roxinos]

I'm a bit confused on what you mean.

 

Do you mean you never understood why people who are obviously not Darkfriends would be afraid that people would assume they are Darkfriends?

[water_seeker]

Yeah. 

 

Let's assume you're not a DF and you come running into my inn talking about DFs and trollocs and whatnot being after you.  I may be angry with you for bringing that to my door, but I'm not going to assume you're a DF.  Also, I'm not going to assume they're after you because you did something bad.  If I assume anything, it would be that you did something to seriously piss them off...which means you're not bad. 

 

But the people in the story are all scared that people will think they're DFs for having DFs chasing them.  Makes no sense to me.

[Roxinos]

Evil by association.

 

Say you owned a bar in reality. I run in and start babbling about how I have a bunch of gangs and drug lords after me, you're not going to assume I'm not a bad guy. You're going to wonder why I have any association with people like that in the first place. Even if, in your mind, you come to the conclusion that I'm probably a good guy, I still have some level of association with bad people and so I can't be completely good.

 

That's just one level of it. That's just the surface.

 

There is also the bit about social standing. Going back to Randland, if you run into an inn and start babbling about Darkfriends and Trollocs, you're going to get in trouble. Why? Even if no one assumes you are bad, they will assume that you're going to bring something bad upon them.

 

Remember, people in Randland fear to even speak the Great Lord's name. Whether or not it has a reason (calling the Great Lord's attention to you), there is also a superstitious aspect to it. People in Randland fear speaking the Great Lord's true name, but they also fear speaking of him in general, as well as saying the names of the Chosen and speaking of them in general. And on a smaller level, that's given to the Shadowspawn as well. It's just something you don't do.

 

If you run into an inn babbling about Trollocs and Darkfriends, you're bound to get socially ostracized. And when you're running from evil, the last thing you want is to be caught without any friends. So you keep your tongue quiet so that you can remain with civilized people.

 

And then there is the bit about not wanting to be found. If you run into an inn because you're being hunted by Darkfriends and Trollocs, I assume it means you don't want them to find you. Not many people run into inns babbling about Darkfriends and Trollocs, so if you do, then you're likely to be calling attention to yourself. People remember oddities, and talking about evil is an oddity.

 

People also move around a lot. How often in reality do people go bar hopping? Same in Randland, I'd presume. How often do people go bar hopping in Randland? Well, you see Mat do it plenty (and no one goes into taverns and inn common rooms as often as Mat), so you can assume other people do it. While people move around, they talk. Gossip. News travels. Even if the people who hear you don't go bar hopping, news is bound to get around that you wandered into an inn on so and so day at such and such time babbling about Darkfriends and Trollocs.

 

You will be found just by the amount of noise you're stirring up.

 

See?

[Lord Nik]

Evil by association.

 

 

Remember, people in Randland fear to even speak the Great Lord's name

 

Dark One?

 

 

sigh*

[Roxinos]

He's the Great Lord of the Dark. You would do well to show him the proper respect.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Its OK, Rox, I don't actually mind.

[42Bonzo88]

    Just to agree with you. There is a part with Mat in Tar Valon where his luck was running wild in the gaming tables and someone commented that 'he had the dark one's own luck' and Mat's reaction. If I remember the guy was about triple Mat's size and he grabbed him by the shirt and ripped him a new one.

 

    Also remember that pretty much everyone except darkfriends had these supersitions and stories told to them from birth about how terrible these things are, they aren't going to take it as jokes. Look at the witch trials in America where it was similar to putting the fang on someone's door. There wasn't much into looking for evidence, they were accused and most of the time killed on just that.

[Roxinos]

Well, that was a bit different.

 

The phrase "the Dark One's own luck" is common. It's not ordinarily bad to say. Mat's reaction was an OVERreaction.

 

He hadn't lost a single game that entire night. He was getting really nervous about his own luck, and the phrase "the Dark One's own luck" was stuck in his mind. He had also just been released from the dagger and was wondering if the dagger is what gave him the luck. And it scares him because he knows the dagger is evil.

[banister]

remember since they first left the two rivers, lan, or moriane has always told Rand and company to guaurd their tongues

[Kaznen]

For the Two Rivers folk soon after leaving TR saying they were being chased by DFs and shadowspawn was a good way to get noticed, which Moraine told them they didn't want to do.