Intergalactic Summit

I'll takem!! Give them to me!

I'll raise you 2 Isk

Well Arrendis, I will admit to having been deliberately disingenuous in my initial statement that begun our discussion. I played to what I felt was a stereotype in order to determine if others would believe in the caricature or see through it as parody. In hindsight, you are correct, it did cause an overly contentious paradigm in discussion that was unnecessary. If I caused offense or misunderstanding due to it then I apologize. I don't think I'm cut out for political satire, if only because I cannot maintain a required exaggerated facade for long in preference for more reasonable discussion.

I can certainly understand the sentiment of not being interested in politics as a sole topic of conversation. While important, I do feel there is a time and place for it and a limit until I would much rather talk about or do something else. I do not feel I am the only one in the Federation. In fact as an avid gamer I'm reminded of the TACNET snafu caused by presidential candidate Kalen Ontbad in the last elections. Even Gallenteans don't take kindly to having politics intersect in an activity in which they'd probably much rather drive an LAV packed full of thermobaric explosives into a base, and are willing to express their displeasure with virtual gunfire and sexually suggestive character emotes in protest.

Honestly, politics is well down on my own news and media feeds in preference for arts, culture, music, technology, competitive gaming leagues and the plays of the day, business, defence, and armaments. Even when political developments do show up, it usually updates from my own District and local polity where I live. That's mostly just me keeping up with the latest legislative acts and judicial precedents that might impact my own life.

Now, getting back to the campaign of Kalen Ontbad, I will say that the District and polity in which I live in Everyshore does have a very low Minmatar demographic compared to the District in which Senator Ontbad was elected, on the border with the Republic. If Senator Ontbad was not involved or interested in political discussion and elected to his office by his constituents which include a large Minmatar demographic then I would say there would be a lot less awareness among others in the Federation, myself included, on the issues facing his District which relates to Minmatar. Such as overpopulation in polities caused by migration from the Republic, the inability of infrastructure and services such as health care or education to cope, and socioeconomic disparities caused by a lack of work opportunities.

These are real and important issues that are of concern and should be addressed.

However they can only be addressed because awareness is made of them due to the fact that Minmatar are not oppressed in the Federation. They are not systematically or institutionally discriminated against or excluded from the political process or holding the power that comes from elected office because they are Minmatar. Far from it, they are afforded equal rights to any other citizen in the Federation under the law, are enfranchised and empowered to vote for their own representatives, and those representatives are able to hold an office in the Federation of significant influence and power to act on the behalf of the interests of Minmatar in their constituency.

As such my interests in beginning this discussion (As poorly as I will admit I did) was to try and understand what I saw as a contradiction. To on the one hand express a lack of interest or desire to engage in political discussion necessary to the democratic process and then other assert that one is being marginalized or treated as, "Other".

I believe there exists a difference between voluntarily choosing not to participate in political discussion and democracy, and being institutionally excluded from participating in political discussion and democracy.

For myself then, if Mr. Egivand has decided upon the former when the latter is demonstrated not to be the case in the Federation then all I can conclude from such thinking when it comes to criticisms of marginalization towards himself or Minmatar in general is that it is essentially saying, "But you made me do it!" Instead of taking responsibility for the consequences of ones own decisions and actions.

Then....

12 Isk each

*GrumbleGrumble*

17

See if you had said that initially without what I considered attached non-sequitors that seemed to imply to me marginalization or persecution due to it, I probably would have been far less confused about what you meant.

So yes, your perspective is an understandable one and I can agree that political discussion in the Federation at all levels can get contentious or partisan. However, for myself I also accept that it is a product of people being passionate in what they think and consider important.

It's not like politics is the only thing people get passionate about either. I mean I just read an article about riot police having to be sent in to pacify a serious disturbance caused by rival fans of Jin-Mei pop idol groups.

So whether it's politics and ideology or the preferred variation of single virgin pop culture kayfabe it's just people being invested and committed to what they believe and what they enjoy, and hey because humans are social creatures they tend to create social groups around common interests, beliefs, and views with in-group/out-group dynamics.

I already said the Federation is a human society, but if people criticize it for the flaws of humans being humans then what does that make everyone else?