1. Coercing is a Common TalentIn the character list at the back of
The Stone Key, more characters are listed as coercers (with or without having or being a secondary talent) than any other talent, although we accept that not all characters and members of Obernewtyn are listed. In fact, we believe it is an even more common talent than this listing leads us to believe - we believe natural mind-shields and mind sensitivity are actually evidence of latent or just untrained coercive ability.
We know there are people with great talents who simply cannot access them, they are latent.
...Rushton regretted his inability to use the Misfit power locked in his mind. He could be used as a focusing agent only if someone with coercive ability tapped his mind. He had no conscious access to it at all. -Ashling, p35
Mind-sensitives and people with a natural shield are on the increase,
'It's true that there are a lot more people with natural shields than there were, but I doubt we are the cause. If so, that would put paid to the theory that we are the next step in human evolution. It would mean we are simply one strand in human evolution and the unTalents are another. That practically brings us back to the Herder theory that we are mutations from true humanity.' -Ashling, p35-36
but as Elspeth says, the reason is unclear. However, we submit a seperate theory, that these are Talents with latent, weak or unrecognised power. Which brings us to the questions - but what Talent is it?
Coercing, of course! Beastspeaking, healing, futuretelling, teknoguilding and empathy would have no reason to create a mind-shield, and indeed many of people with these talents do not have shields. (Case in point: all the healers hear Maruman's gibberish, but Elspeth does not as her shield is up.)
So, what about farseeking?
...Ceriwan could easily have run a mental probe over my mind to catch the inevitable leakage of sub-vocal thought. -The Keeping Place, p48
So, if even Elspeth doesn't usually keep this in check, how come she can't do this to all the mind-sensitives and people with natural mind-shields she meets? The reason - they're coercers. Their shields are stronger. So, naturally, creating more coercers is going to be easier, let more people have peace of mind, and in keeping with the general order of things.
2. Why People Think It's BadCoercing has a bad reputation. It doesn't sound good and Elspeth sure isn't much good at advertising it.
Coercing is the ability to enter and manipulate other minds. -Ashling, pxiv
Sounds pretty scary. But, is that really it? Do coercers go around entering other people's minds for the fun of it and manipulating them?
Coercing is, like anything else, able to be abused. Practically everything is. If you work out and get fit you can inflict serious damage if you decided to hit someone, but that doesn't mean you
will.
...formed a Council to protect their community from further siege, and to mete out justice and aid. -Obernewtyn, p1
Some resisted the rigid Lore but by now the Council had provided itself with a fanatical band of protectors... -Obernewtyn, p2
..the Council saw this opportunity to further manipulate the community... -Obernewtyn, p2
The Council was started with the best of intentions, but was abused. Well, I guess that means we shouldn't put people in power, because clearly if it
can be abused, it
will. Goodbye Guildmerge, thanks for coming Guildleaders, Guildens and Wards.
We shouldn't tar coercing with the fact that just because it appears to be inevitable to be abused, it most definitely will. Besides, who's to say that the other Talents can't be abused too?
I made a sign to Kella to put her back to sleep. -Elspeth gets sick of talking to Iriny, Ashling p 152
Yeah, way to protect the civil liberties, Elf.
In fact, surely if there were more coercers and thus less stigma against it, it would actually be less likely to be abused. Think about it, if there are more of them then there are more people to train young coercers, and more young coercers will step forward and own up to being a misfit (as opposed to hiding and abusing their Talent on their family and other people who annoy them).
Coercers use the same root ability to deepprobe as many of the other Talents -Ashling, pxiv
Like all coercers and some farseekers, futuretellers used the Misfit ability to deep probe with their minds. But where coercivity use a deep probe to dig into the unconscious of other minds and bend their wills, futuretellers delved only into the deep of their own minds. -TKP, p40
Novice futuretellers often had to be rescued from such pleasant or unpleasant diversions by full-fledged futureteller guides. Until they had mastered the restraint needed to move easily and in a controlled manner through their own subconscious, they were not permitted to attempt to go deeper. -TKP, p65
So, it's dangerous for futuretellers to do the same thing as coercers, but in their
own minds?! It's 200% more dangerous therefore to do it untrained into someone else's mind as you endanger yourself and them! Clearly, young coercers need training. But the fear of Misfits is deep within the people of the Land, in order for young coercers to be able to own up to possessing their Talent, and thus make it safer for themselves and others, we need to reduce the stigma. The best way of doing this is to have more coercers, for being a coercer to be relatively normal, like being quite athletic or good at maths. Only if lots of people have your Talent are you willing to stand up and be trained to develop it, and thus make it safer for all people of the Land.
For reference, I've got 6 mentions of someone having a trace of beastspeaking, 13 of coercers, 6 farseekers, 2 healers, 5 teknoguilders, 2 futuretellers and 10 empaths.
Here's a quote for you, MK:The Coercer guild had also begun creating teaching entertainment for unTalented children using simple well-known songs and jokes, good puppetry and a little trickery - obvious, for they had no desire to be accudes of practising the black arts - and some acrobatics which used their hard-won physical skills. -TKP, p41
EDIT: Sorry Deb! I didn't see your post as I was on the other page typing it up, so I could scroll up and see what everyone had suggested, and it took me forever to write because I spent so long looking for quotes!
EDIT 2: That's 630 words without the quotes. So, still probably a bit long (Cat = prime ranter) as we have to get MK's point (with most of the actual arguments) and Maruman's introduction in, but not nearly as long as my first attempt in the second round ;D