Intergalactic Summit

Perpetually, we have a lot of self-mastubatory dialogues about "what it means to be Caldari", "what it means to be Amarr", or whoever, for that matter. So, I figured I would take the time to throw in my thoughts and what it means to be a Gallentean. Like every culture in New Eden, we are stereotyped. I could easily say that for all the talk about Caldari heiian, more often than not you just end up being a corporate drone for a ruthless and highly unethical megacorporation, like SuVee, that will happily reprocess biological waste into food to feed to young schoolchildren for a profit. What it means to be Caldari? The Chief Executive Panel ultimately said this was "just another day in the State" over the Protein Delicacy Fiasco so, I could easily say that being Caldari is merely sacrificing one's own individuality for the sake of profiteering megacorporation intent on retarding the mental growth of children. But like I said, stereotypes.

It would be wise to note that the core of the Federation is not democracy, but liberty. Democracy is how our many levels of government operate, but our governments are often distant outside the PR machine. In essence, liberty is the concept of unrestricted choice. The government does not tell us how to live or what to do, merely that we are not permitted to infringe on the freedoms of others. It is often said and stereotyped that the Federation has no limits. It's true; we don't, because Villore has no business in telling us how to live our lives. The purpose of the Federation is to establish an ordered platform for individual freedom to thrive, and ensure that these freedoms do not include the right to oppress other individuals.

Our culture is the only culture that does not demand or otherwise encourage unquestioning loyalty to something higher. We choose our own destinies, but fundamentally, we must remain unbound to individual, ideal or institution. Governments are corrupt, but the human spirit is not. Why should we submit ourselves to megacorporations whose primary interest is profit? Why should we submit ourselves to God, when for all the good that God has done, there is so much evil caused by Him? We don't. We are not expected to sacrifice ourselves for a universal mission, we define our own missions, and these missions can very well include self-sacrifice. Free will is paramount. By our own discretion, we must be able to choose whether or not we wish to surrender our personal freedoms and bind ourselves to a cause or ideal. At the same time, the freedom must remain to break free of this binding whenever we see fit. Can you do this in Caldari, or Amarr? Of course you can, but there are often dire consequences for doing so.

The core assumption that is made in Gallente culture is that humanity share universal desires that are not confined to national borders. Intaki art is a key example of this; it has a reputation for possessing beauty that can be appreciated by all human beings. We all want to be loved, we all want to let our voice be heard, we all want to feel beautiful. What outsiders dismiss as the theft of other cultures as "fads" represents a key misunderstanding in how the Gallente view the world. Take Minmatar tattoos, which are very popular in the Federation. The artwork of the Minmatar nation is not seen as something to be confined to a single cultural unit, or specific ethnic groups. To we Gallente, the self-expression of these tattoos do not represent the self-expression of Minmatar, but the self-expression of humanity. One aspect of being an open society is that we do not see things along racial or sociopolitical lines. Skeptics may call this world conquest, but the sincere Gallente activist is not so malicious. She will honestly believe that the concepts of self-expression and equality for all can be universalized. We often protest against our government, yet at the same time champion the ideals that the same government was founded on.

Point being made, is that the notions of liberty and unrestriction means that the beauty of the cluster and her cultures should be shared by all. Adopting Minmatar tattoos is acknowledging the beauty of the artwork. Why would we wear something that is ugly? Of course, not every wearer would be intelligent enough to explain this reasoning to you, but that doesn't mean it need not apply.

Ultimately, the people of the Federation, ideally speaking, views the world as one. They do not see ruthless Caldari, barbaric Minmatar, or enslaving Amarr. In its purest form, we are all the same. Humans are not defined by their race or culture, but defined by what's inside. This is a key facet of our culture. If it was not, we would not be so welcoming of immigrants. We acknowledge outsiders who wish to join us in sharing the beauty and capabilities of the human soul together. In this regard, we not so different from the Amarr. We see the world as one, not under God however, but to be united under the collective spirit of the human race, corrupt and untrustworthy governments be damned.

As President Arlette Villers once said, the Federation is not a defined region of space, of planets, of mountains, rivers or woods, but a vision. Cynics and skeptics be damned.

Disregarding your first paragraph entirely because you were making a statement and example, which you then openly admitted was an exaggerated stereotype.

There's a couple of points I would raise. First "unhindered freedoms" lead to chaos, it has proven time and time again that the ideals of liberty and freedom are all too often taken to their extremes and this breeds nothing but chaos and disorder. Take, for instance, the "entitlement" mindset. It's my right to do this or that simply because I am human, it doesn't matter if I've earned it or not, it doesn't matter if I step on someone else to get it because it's my right and my freedom can't be hindered or limited by another individual or I will call foul. This isn't the ideal the Federation seeks to employ, I am sure, but it is what happens nonetheless.

I must also call your bluff on your government not demanding that you adhere to something higher, you must adhere to its idea of freedom and liberty and you must not ever infringe on another's rights to the same thing. Surely you can see how this sort of thinking will lead to people claiming ridiculous liberties over one another and the eventual resolution that something has to instill order and restriction in order to ensure stability - I believe that is what your judicial system is for. The whole reason the Caldari defected from the Federation in the first place is because we wanted to be free to do things our own way, an ideal which your Federation should have supported but instead attempted to reign in, govern and then ultimately use for itself.

I do not think the Federation is evil, by any means, but it espouses ideals that will lead to absolutely anarchy and self-righteous perceptions of "freedom" by its practiced lack of regulation and it has, and will continue to, do injustices and evils in the name of its ideals.

As a side note, what you saw as "adapting the tattoos of the Matari for their art," the Matari see as "making an ignorant mockery" of their culture. Most of you don't even understand the cultural significance of those markings and the deep insult you're issuing to the people you've "borrowed" them from.

Maybe if your first sentence hadnt included the phrase "self-masturbatory" i would have read beyond it.

Pretty much all I needed to see.

Honored Sir (Mr. Inhonores),

I shall attempt a brief sermon, also to make my own ideas clearer to myself. I appreciate your indulgence.

What makes the absolutism of the Amarrians different from most other forms, especially those that entail an absolutist view toward freedom or slavery, is that it is rooted (via its Imperium, of course) in the absolutism of the Absolute, the One, God. Those who do not have this root have little to stand on, I believe; they are attempting to root their absolutism in nature, which is rarely so accommodating. The Amarrians, by contrast, are much more free to take a pragmatic view of things, which also generally implies a goal. That their goal is the greatest that could possibly be and that they are not tied in an absolutist sense toward the means of accomplishing this goal is what makes for the unique flexibility of the Amarr. Please understand me: the Reclaiming does not serve the purpose of freedom or slavery, at least in any political sense. It is absolutist but it cannot be defined (though some do try) apart from God. It serves, rather, and reflects the movement toward God. That others must collapse this concept into their political world-views is no stain on the glory that is the Amarr vision. My point, simply, is that anyone who relies on a merely political absolute faces a great danger of hypocrisy or self-delusion should he ever slip into pragmatism. For those of the Amarr faith, however, pragmatism in the service of God is no sin at all*.

*I consider it a win to have smashed seeming-opposites together without feeling entirely ashamed.

I have observed that being Gallente means having to cross train into Caldari, Minmatar, and Amarr ships.

In the ancient game of "Rock Paper Scissors", Gallente can be broken by rock, cut by scissors, and covered by paper. The other empires, ship-wise, are the rock, the paper, and the scissors.

At least it is some kind of autocriticism, as he did the same afterwise.

It's Seriphyn Inhonores.

That should be all that you need to know.

He likes women.

Care to elaborate? I fail to see how the word redundant can be used to describe a person of a particular race.

Pleasant. I don't hate anyone.