View Full Version : Politics of PLanetside (a warning from the past)
Smokin_Pope
2004-11-10, 06:05 PM
Today i was thinking (like you do) but when i realy should have been focusing on Glacial mass balance in geography, my mind was locked on the politics of Auraxis. (in other words i was day dreaming about planetside :rolleyes: )
Ever since ive started playing ive always thought the New Conglomerate are very similar to modern terrorists, what with their racism and single minded ideas. but today i though along new lines. The NC are very similar to the Communist parties of eastern europe in the 1930's they broke away from the Republic to start there own ideal society away from opression. As you can see kinda similar so far dont you think. so as an acurate interperatation of the NC in comparesen to modern history, they are a sort of Terrorist Communism, strange i know but there you go!
They arn't the only ones, the Terran Republic reminds me of the 1940's socialist parties of Germany crossed with the capitalist dictatorships we have in the west. this is due to their mass opression and general ruthlesnes, whilst still maintianing the whym of a republic!
The Vanu Sovereignty are the hardest to label, as we have no past alien technology on good old Terra. after carful consideration i think the Vanu are most like the people of the French revolution. for those who dont know owt about the history of france the little people rose up against the monarchy and ended up forming a republic (bit ironic in this case :lol: ) which in all fairness has worked wonders for france. however this still did end in lots of death, the populus of france then decided to make a nice colection of the nbles heads! the guiletine is the first recorded weapon of mass genoside.
so anyway, i know i digressed a lot in that, but i think i made my point, could planetside be a warning that humans will never change? or is it just a good fun game where you get to blow up n00b con players? .......... proberbly the latter but its nice to dream! :rolleyes:
WritheNC
2004-11-10, 06:31 PM
Ever since ive started playing ive always thought the New Conglomerate are very similar to modern terrorists, what with their racism and single minded ideas.
Racism and single minded ideas? Racist against who? Are only minorities allowed to join the NC or something?
Single minded ideas? Like more personal freedom? It's hard to judge because there is no detail of exactly how strict the Terran Republic is. If the TR had restricted things like the right to marry, the right to bear children, right to election of government officials, right to live where you want, right to open speech, right to choose your career(think Futurama with career chips), would you be happy with them?
Would that make the NC single minded if they wanted rights like that? Again we don't really know because there is no lore to the TR bureaucracy and what freedoms it is actually opressing.
but today i though along new lines. The NC are very similar to the Communist parties of eastern europe in the 1930's they broke away from the Republic to start there own ideal society away from opression.
Didn't the United States break off from England to start their own "ideal" society(like taxation with representation)? You could compare the NC to that, too. But again, there are no details to any of the governments.
As you can see kinda similar so far dont you think.
No.
so as an acurate interperatation of the NC in comparesen to modern history, they are a sort of Terrorist Communism, strange i know but there you go!
So say the Terran Republic and Vanu Sovereignty propaganda machines.
Smokin_Pope
2004-11-11, 12:21 PM
just for a start these were just what i was thinking, and you cant say thers no similarity in anything i said!
by racism in the new con have you ever read the faction descriptions on PSU? the NC want the destruction of the vanu because they percieve them as freaks.
good point about the american independance though :cool:
with the Terran Republic though, they are described as opressive to the brutal maximum especialy against new con but thats because they have oposite political stances. as a continuation of a point, as long as the TR hold regualr elections they are still a republic, a nast opressive one, but still a rebublic.
Baneblade
2004-11-11, 12:29 PM
Are you basing this on players or the story?
If I had to categorize the three empires, the VS would be the Barney Hegemony, the TR would be the Elmo Totalitarians, and the NC would be the SurgyJackNoobs...erm Smurf Democracy.
Red October
2004-11-11, 04:07 PM
I always saw the NC as Anarchists, believers of freedom yes, but survival of the fitest freedom. Kind of a Wild West attitude where the Sherrif just does minor things and most disputes are settled via bar fight or gun slinging contest.
The TR to me kind of a Socialist ideaololgy with battletech's House Kurita demanded Loyalty and Punishment. Or better yet, a watered down 1984 rendition. The Government will protect you, and you give up some freedoms for protection.
The VS always reminded me of Techno Religious group. Technology = Religion. Similar to Battetech's ComStar/Word of Blake style (peace of blake to you). The Vanu race = Gods, and the VS worship by embracing thier "gift" of technology. (Note: this will have no bearing on my fan fiction that I have been working on....well, maybe just a little influence, but no effect on the outcome).
Thats my warped view of it.
HawkEye
2004-11-11, 11:13 PM
you think toooo much.
Warborn
2004-11-18, 01:56 AM
NC don't seek peace. The Terran Republic has been at peace for hundreds of years, as they are the only government and there are no aliens. The NC just want to run things their way instead of the TR way and used the closing of the wormhole to help achieve that end. Really, it's the NC (and VS) who started the war in the first place. There's no way you can say their primary interest is peace given that.
Their agenda is to form their own free society, one which would (assuming the NC won on Auraxis) almost certainly enter enter a bloody and drawn out civil war with the core Terran Republic as well. And because the NC ideals are all about freedom and lack of oppression, if they won that war, there'd end up being dozens of splinter groups wanting to make their own place in the galaxy, answering to no one but themselves. Like the world today, these independent nations would all get back to fighting each other, and the long-standing peace ushered in by the Terran Republic would be cast aside in favor of interstellar wars between planets or even entire systems, likely culminating in a single group managing to achieve dominance over all others, leading up to another regime which suppresses all others, has total dominance over the human race, and who knows, maybe they'll be even worse than the Terran Republic.
Which is of course why the NC and their ideals are, as Sporkfire commented, seen as naive and foolish by the TR and even the VS.
Baneblade
2004-11-18, 11:33 AM
A Star Wars analogy:
TR: Empire
NC: Rebellion
VS: Trade Federation
internetn
2004-11-18, 04:39 PM
The Terran Republic has been at peace for hundreds of years, as they are the only government and there are no aliens. The NC just want to run things their way instead of the TR way and used the closing of the wormhole to help achieve that end. Really, it's the NC (and VS) who started the war in the first place. There's no way you can say their primary interest is peace given that.
Like the world today, these independent nations would all get back to fighting each other, and the long-standing peace ushered in by the Terran Republic would be cast aside in favor of interstellar wars between planets or even entire systems
Has anybody here ever read the Dune series? I believe that the Terran's take on control is much like Leto II's...
1. You cannot travel from planet to planet, containment controls quite well
2. There are very few large and/or different city's, thus meaning that
3. Traveling would be pointless if everything is mudhuts...
4. Rule is enforced by a very strict military (Even though I veiw the Terran's army as a bunch of conscripts...)
And there are many other comparisons...
Terran peace is like Leto's preace, inforced peace, but meh also thinks that the leaders of the Terran Republic are big fat overzealous beurocrats(I know I spelled that wrong) BTW being the rebel is human nature, breaking away from constraints, being your own person...
I sided with the New Conglomerate, not because of there preaching of liberty, or because of their once uber Vangaurds, but because, because I like the colour blue!
Also I just finished Dune: Chapterhouse today, I am sad.. for it is over... oh well time to kill somebody the smurf way!
Warborn
2004-11-18, 05:00 PM
(Even though I veiw the Terran's army as a bunch of conscripts...)
There's no reason for them to be conscripted. Conscripts are notoriously disloyal, have poor morale, bad training, and make overall very ineffective troops. As the TR wasn't at war, it's much more likely that their military is comprised of volunteers who, for whatever reason, enlisted voluntarily. And just like these days, the soldiers don't necessarily agree with everything the government does (thus leading to the traitor factions on Auraxis) but being a soldier at a time of peace is probably a very good job to a lot of people, so there'd be no shortage of willing volunteers.
Terran peace is like Leto's preace, inforced peace, but meh also thinks that the leaders of the Terran Republic are big fat overzealous beurocrats(I know I spelled that wrong)
Peace is always enforced. Our peace at home is enforced, because we have police to keep the anarchy at bay. When you lose that enforcement, you get looting and vandalism and chaos. People need to be oppressed because they are, in general, too stupid and animalistic to keep from destroying themselves. Without an iron hand to guide the masses, society decays.
internetn
2004-11-19, 04:33 PM
Peace is always enforced. Our peace at home is enforced, because we have police to keep the anarchy at bay. When you lose that enforcement, you get looting and vandalism and chaos. People need to be oppressed because they are, in general, too stupid and animalistic to keep from destroying themselves. Without an iron hand to guide the masses, society decays.
Yes peace is enforced, so maybe I used the wrong words there... But if you live in any of the Democracy's of the world, theres a enforced peace, but its not oppressive peace... I have a right as a citizin of the USA to travel freely, voice my opinion(Well that always depends on who you talk to), to bear arms.. so on and so forth... But then the day they tell me I can't do any of the things I mentioned, and then come in to my home and stop me from doing it (with force) I will consider it an Oppressive peace.. and I would probably move to Canada then.. just cause..
BTW no offense on the Conscript thing, it is just the Red... I mean it reminds me of communism, and China.. So I always think I'm fighting the Russians or something...
Smokin_Pope
2004-11-19, 04:44 PM
its realy hard to say whats going on in the politics of planetside, i mean who realy are the good guys (if any) in this war. how about a bit of a twist from the origional purpose of this post?
imagine you came with the colonists to auraxis. when the war broke out, which side do you think you would end up fighting for. if politics are the driving force behind you decision?
would you remain loyal to your roots and stick with the Terran Republic even if you have do believe they go about things a bit brutaly
(coice 1, loyalty and honour, what you joined the expedition for)
maybe you would be lured in by the Techlords and join the vanu? you believe that the technology discovered should be used to benefit the advancment of the human race, destroying those ignorant fools who cant face that they arn't goin to get back to earth wether they like it or not
(choice 2, technology and development, what the human race needs to reach their true potential)
or perhaps the New Conglomerate are your forte, did you symperthise with libertys call? do you think the Terrans have gone too far with their order when realy they have no power now the wormhole has gone. and do you think the Vanu are a danger to the human race, not the blessing they claim to be. perhaps its time for a new way of thinking now this world is seperate from the rest of the colonies
(choice 3, a fresh start, a new regieme for a new planet)
just so you know i play as the Vanu, and New Con players tend to annoy me alot. but in the case of planetside politics i believe i would have given up on the Republic when it became aparent we couldnt get back to earth. so i would most likly have joined the New Conglomerate.
(just to settle this, the Terran republic are not comunists 'hence republic' this view just seems to have arisen due to thier colour sceme and apearence. just because they look like comunist storm troopers doesnt make them comunists)
Warborn
2004-11-19, 06:27 PM
Yes peace is enforced, so maybe I used the wrong words there... But if you live in any of the Democracy's of the world, theres a enforced peace, but its not oppressive peace... I have a right as a citizin of the USA to travel freely, voice my opinion(Well that always depends on who you talk to), to bear arms.. so on and so forth... But then the day they tell me I can't do any of the things I mentioned, and then come in to my home and stop me from doing it (with force) I will consider it an Oppressive peace.. and I would probably move to Canada then.. just cause..
BTW no offense on the Conscript thing, it is just the Red... I mean it reminds me of communism, and China.. So I always think I'm fighting the Russians or something...
The only way to maintain a planet-spanning empire would be through an oppressive system of government which stifles freedom somewhat.
And conscription is a desperate measure, and is a relic of the times when infantry died in droves and thus the need to replace infantry was too high to be met by brave men alone. It's not something that exists during times of peace. Even if that weren't the case, then every empire would actually be comprised of conscripts, wouldn't they? I mean, they all broke off from the original Terran expedition, so they're all derived from the same pool of people. In fact, if anything, the TR would probably be the one side which would have most if not all of the people who volunteered still fighting for it. Conscripts are, after all, pretty poor in terms of loyalty and morale, whereas volunteers sign up willingly because they want to fight for their side. So if there are any conscripts to be had, they'd certainly be concentrated in the traitor factions. The volunteers would be the ones who'd remain loyal to the TR.
Apocolypse55
2004-11-19, 06:56 PM
I'll label the Vanu.
The Vanu Sovereignty are hippies.
internetn
2004-11-20, 05:45 PM
I KNOW WARBORN
I was just saying, that the colours made me think of a Russian Conscript, remember Red Alert 2? All there units were red and black.. It just stuck in my mind.. I wasn't saying your empire is a bunch of conscripts, I was just saying what they looked like
Another thing, that loyalty thing is a two sided spear, commiting to another cause, in my veiw, could be a act a disloyalty, but to some it would take extreme courage and yearning to be part of another cause.. What I mean, loyalty to a cause, can be different from loyalty to an empire..
(Ok that really didn't make sense to me)
I would have a hard time leaving the Terran Republic. Even though I don't support their veiws I do believe that it would be better to preserve peace than risk an all out war. But with the intervention of the respawn technology, the oppression would increase as to only let the Terran Republic core access it. Subconsciously idea's of freedom would flood my mind, and as with a number of other people and unrest would occur, especially since the ability of permanent death is gone. I along with numerous others, would seek this opertunity to make our idea's open to the world, and risk our lives to spread it, thus spawns the Vanu Sovereignty(?) and the New Conglomerate
ideals. I sided with the New Conglomerate because the Vanu with the Ancient Vanu weapons makes me think of, To much of a good thing is a bad thing...
BTW get it right, as someone said before the NC are Warmongoring Hippies.. jeeze people these days
Warborn
2004-11-20, 07:08 PM
I KNOW WARBORN
But the conscripts wore brown greatcoats.
Another thing, that loyalty thing is a two sided spear, commiting to another cause, in my veiw, could be a act a disloyalty, but to some it would take extreme courage and yearning to be part of another cause.. What I mean, loyalty to a cause, can be different from loyalty to an empire..
No, loyalty is very black and white. If you enlist in the military, leaving for any reason apart from army-sanctioned reasons for leaving (honorable discharge, death, etc) is disloyalty. Being loyal isn't something you do when your side is winning, or until you don't agree with some things your side is doing (although in the case of the TR, they've been doing the same thing for a thousand years, so signing up for them and not agreeing with their policies would make you a disloyal soldier to begin with). Being loyal is about doing your duty through the highs and especially the lows. Those guys I read about in the news who evaded their duty to go off and fight in Iraq are disloyal and cowards. It doesn't matter that they don't agree with the war or didn't think they'd need to fight. You enlist, you take an oath, you remain loyal and you do what you signed up to do.
internetn
2004-11-20, 09:04 PM
But the conscripts wore brown greatcoats.
Remeber Red Alert 2? I still play that till this day, and the conscripts in that are red, so it stuck with me..
No, loyalty is very black and white. If you enlist in the military, leaving for any reason apart from army-sanctioned reasons for leaving (honorable discharge, death, etc) is disloyalty. Being loyal isn't something you do when your side is winning, or until you don't agree with some things your side is doing (although in the case of the TR, they've been doing the same thing for a thousand years, so signing up for them and not agreeing with their policies would make you a disloyal soldier to begin with). Being loyal is about doing your duty through the highs and especially the lows. Those guys I read about in the news who evaded their duty to go off and fight in Iraq are disloyal and cowards. It doesn't matter that they don't agree with the war or didn't think they'd need to fight. You enlist, you take an oath, you remain loyal and you do what you signed up to do.
Ok you got me there, I just look at the TR as way to oppressive in their govermental standerds. I can't remeber if it was on PSU of the PS website, but it was a bit of lore discribing what the Terrans did. I din't agree with it and that why I am apart of the NC... but this is just a game so that doesnt matter to much
Thank you warborn, you are the best debater(?)/proving somebody wrong kinda guy, makes these forum more interesting
Warborn
2004-11-20, 09:20 PM
Remeber Red Alert 2? I still play that till this day, and the conscripts in that are red, so it stuck with me..
The conscripts totally have brown greatcoats and little color-coded extras on them (can't recall exactly what parts of them are colored, probably helmets at least).
Actually, just found a screenshot of them. http://img88.exs.cx/img88/713/Consvet.jpg Brown coats, colored shoulder pads. They're still my favorite unit even if they wear brown coats though. For the Union, and all that. I dunno why they're dug in like the GI special ability though, but that's their sprite either way.
Ok you got me there, I just look at the TR as way to oppressive in their govermental standerds. I can't remeber if it was on PSU of the PS website, but it was a bit of lore discribing what the Terrans did. I din't agree with it and that why I am apart of the NC... but this is just a game so that doesnt matter to much
Just for the sake of discussion though, ALL of the people on Auraxis were TR personnel at first. Everyone was either a part of their science division or their military. Even though, yes, it makes no difference, all the people currently not in the TR are in fact turn coats, traitors, quislings, and any other name you want to call them to denote the fact that they betrayed the TR. The only people who aren't traitors are those still doing their duty and serving the TR despite the fact that the wormhole thing closed down.
internetn
2004-11-20, 10:28 PM
The conscripts totally have brown greatcoats and little color-coded extras on them (can't recall exactly what parts of them are colored, probably helmets at least).
Red sticks out more... :mad:
Even though, yes, it makes no difference, all the people currently not in the TR are in fact turn coats, traitors, quislings, and any other name you want to call them to denote the fact that they betrayed the TR. The only people who aren't traitors are those still doing their duty and serving the TR despite the fact that the wormhole thing closed down.
OK fine then!! I'm a traitor and I'm proud of it! (Why does that sound wrong..)
Though I am curious, if you split or leave a said empire or outfit for reasons based on the failling leadership or horrible military prowess, does that make being a traitor wrong? EX. I know not all Iraqi soldiers before the war liked or approved of Saddam, and in the coming invasion they switched sides or gave up their arms. That makes them Traitors, but does it make them un-honorable? In my opinion they had to choose between the lesser evils.. which is better, supporting a dictator that reigns with terror, or going with people that are going to try liberate you?
I am in no why trying to turn this into a political discussion, well not one of the real world, but it was the best example I could give...
Warborn
2004-11-21, 11:16 PM
Red sticks out more... :mad:
Da, tovarich.
Though I am curious, if you split or leave a said empire or outfit for reasons based on the failling leadership or horrible military prowess, does that make being a traitor wrong? EX. I know not all Iraqi soldiers before the war liked or approved of Saddam, and in the coming invasion they switched sides or gave up their arms. That makes them Traitors, but does it make them un-honorable? In my opinion they had to choose between the lesser evils.. which is better, supporting a dictator that reigns with terror, or going with people that are going to try liberate you?
Yes, it makes them traitors and dishonorable. If they didn't like Saddam they shouldn't have enlisted as soldiers under his regime, then they wouldn't have been stuck with the dilemma of either being a traitor or dying in a hopeless fight. It should be said though that Saddam was a pretty cruel guy, and his military wasn't exactly a peachy bunch of guys either for the most part. I'm sure most of them were very disloyal when the time came, but they probably were happy as clams doing whatever dirty deeds Saddam may have asked of them (murder/maiming/etc) when they really didn't have any wars going on. So it's probably not the case that Saddam's army of virtuous good guys was stuck with the tragedy of either fighting and dying or following their hearts and helping the US. Most who did betray Saddam did so because they knew they were screwed, and were looking out for #1. Doing the "right thing" probably did not come into play whatsoever.
Basically, if you don't agree with the government, you don't enlist in its army. If you do anyway, you still have a responsibility to fight and perhaps die for your country because that's what you signed up to do. Leaving the army because you don't like their practices or their leadership is still disloyalty and in the old days you'd be shot for deserting, regardless of why you left. The only way the loyal soldier leaves the army is through honorable discharge or death.
Untouchable
2004-11-21, 11:19 PM
Whoa..... too much text :)
Warborn
2004-11-21, 11:20 PM
Whoa..... too much text :)
That's cool, I wasn't replying to you, so if you don't want to read it you're more than welcome to do just that.
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