Intergalactic Summit

Caldari are collectivist. Gallente are individualistic.

Caldari make good habitat domes. Gallente make good action movies.

The Caldari have a pathological fear of symmetry. The Gallente have a pathological fear of good taste.

Right, stations.. let us compare.

Caldari vs Gallente

Funny I don't even see any domes on the Caldari station, just a bunch of souless grey flat planes and sharp edges on a drab and uninspiring space dwelling. The Gallente station on the other hand has domes indeed, not to mention attractive rounded structures aesthetically pleasing to the eye and a noticeably larger amount of windows, perhaps implying a more prosperous population.



No arguments about the Caldari's Symmetrophobia, agreement on that point seems pretty universal. But when it comes to matters of taste well need I remind you that the Federation is a mecca of tastes. As a nation that celebrates diversity, anything and everything you could hope to taste can be found in Federation space, so if for whatever reason you found something distasteful, perhaps you were just sampling the wrong tastes.



spoilsport

Seriously though it's all in good fun (I hope) and besides isn't it true that our great Federation encourages open and free discussion on any topic, without taking ourselves too seriously?

lol wow I haven't heard "Smells Like Gallenteen Spirit" in years, thank you.

When the proper composite materials are used in the construction of a window or any transparent structure for that matter you might be surprised how much force of impact they can take. No I'm afraid structural issues aside it boils down to simple aesthetics, Gallenteans like a view.

I would begin that a similarity that both the Federation and the State share is the ability to foster and promote talented, intelligent and competent individuals to the very highest levels of political, economic and military leadership. The methods may differ but men such as President Roden or Senator Mentas Blaque are to be respected and admired for their personal qualities just as much as Kuikainen Onita, Haatakan Oiritsuu, or Mens Reppola. It is men such as Roden and Blaque who keep the Federation strong and competitive so I would grant honour and credit to those who are worthy adversaries to the State in foreign and economic affairs.

The fundamental differences arise in the nature of the citizenry. In the Federation, the largest voting bloc is still those described as the, "Ostriches", those Federal citizens who for all the talk of Democracy are so lacking in political awareness that their votes will go to any candidate that appeals to their own supposed desires or those desires promoted by political focus groups. The end result being that it's rather simple to gain political power in the Federation if one realizes, perhaps cynically, that the vast majority of Federal citizens lack any sense beyond their own self-interests and their lack of political nous makes them easily susceptible to the use of mass propaganda and the media apparatus. Democracy then becomes the farcical circus of scripted campaign advertisements, smear campaigns, vitriolic diatribe, jingoistic political sound-bites and party lines all bankrolled by special interest groups and lobbyists who fund their preferred candidates and parties.

Democracy in the Federation works because so long as the elite power structures do not intercede overmuch in the lives of its citizens then they are easily placated with the lies and illusions that their votes do in fact matter and will regurgitate the oft-repeated phrases and deliberate ignorance of its media, its institutions and political propaganda without too much debate since it would require a degree of critical thinking and political awareness that most Federal citizens appear to lack.

The greatest lie the Federation ever told however is that its citizens are truly free and expecting others to believe it so when it is apparent that with extralegal and extrajudicial organizations like the SDII that impugn on civil liberties; the unhealthy relationship between the Federal government and its Military-Industrial complex and financial sector in addition to its exploitative foreign policy with the Republic and the poverty in which many Matari still live in the Federation that this is not the case. One simply has to compare the State with Republic to see what the supposed benefits of a Federal relationship entails: The Caldari State remains strong and independent, a leader in technological innovation, industrial output and productivity that benefits all its citizens whereas the Minmatar Republic has been crippled by Federal loans and debts, corporate exploitation and cultural degradation that by any reasonable standard it may as well be a Federal protectorate or satellite state.

The contrast with a Caldari citizen is that the checks-and-balances that ensure individual rights and freedoms are inherent not in a democratic constitution but are written down in culture, tradition and societal expectations that are far stronger and harder to break than any laws written down on a scrap of paper. If one is not born as a citizen of the State or is unwilling to explore its culture than the only conclusions to be drawn about the concepts of Caldari liberty will be from ignorance and flawed thinking. There is a fundamental social contract that the concept of absolute freedom is anathema for it breeds only the worst kind of existentialism: the kind, where an individual removed from culture, history and tradition becomes selfish, self-interested, decadent, morally weak and a burden to the very society from which they were born into. One either accepts the demands, expectations and duties of society and thus willingly submits to the greater good of society: through their family, through their work and through their State or they should not, and thus not enjoy the benefits or rewards of society.

A Caldari citizen is an individual, but only secondary to their duty and role in the wider framework of the Caldari people and the State. Self-expression and the arts are valued and appreciated for the benefits they bring to the cultural life of the nation and vigorous debate and discussion still occurs at all levels of society - indeed, without it mutual consensus would be an impossibility to realize. The difference perhaps in the State is that discourse is the end product of long periods of thought to ensure that they are able to carry the weight of intelligence and the power of balanced rhetoric and oratory in order to effectively persuade those who are ones peers and equals. Whereas in the Federation the pursuit of debate is relegated in preference to apoplectic opinion pieces, stereotyping, jingoism and creating, "Terrible Posts", in Federal FTL Social media feeds and forums.

There is nothing altogether surprising in seeing Federal citizens who appear to display their own grandiose sense of self-importance and entitlement by expressing in empty words what they lack in sense. It might even be said it must be expected for they cannot help but be the product of Federal society where every Fool is King.

Try looking harder. Even the example station you gave has one.

There goes any credibility to my statement. I rather liked it, too.

It was very apt! I think our architecture can at times leave something to be desired, but I quite like the dome pictured, and find it very Caldari. I can recall one night, standing out on a balcony beneath a similar dome. With the chill in the air and the black starry sky, I could imagine what it must have felt like back on Caldari Prime, standing on a fortress battlement in a wintery night. It was very pretty.

Comment, please, on the fact that your stupid and idiotic idea is objectively wrong as proven in this thread?

Oh wow, and an Amarrian gone Nation too... just keeps getting better by the post.