Intergalactic Summit

Perhaps instead of disciplined or collectivist I should have instead said regimented. Caldari children are not given much choice in what education they receive or career they choose. It is decided by their parent corporation based completely on the child's ability and the corporation's needs.

As I understand it, education for a Minmatar child is about self-discovery. They determine for themselves which profession they are best suited to as they decide which Circle's to join and when to leave. I believe this is what I meant by the Minmatar being more individualistic. An adoption of our education system would require a large reform of this tradition and more tribal oversight.

Change is often not easy, fortunately it also can yield significant benefits. The Caldari model has demonstrated an ability to rapidly produce results, I think that should be examined and utilized if possible. Not an edict or statement I have any power to enforce, just the observation of a concerned citizen who wants the best for the future of the people of New Eden.

If anyone ever wonders why a Minmatar can be ridiculously passionate, even the most logical and rational ones amongst us, it's because when we do something, we really want to do it, and we are wholly invested both emotionally and physically in it. The most brilliant Brutor strategist typically got into that role because he or she really wants to do it under the belief that this is how he will best contribute to his community. The best Sebiestor engineer got to be that way entirely by his own volition, because he really, really wants to become the best engineer there is and he wholly believes that this is how he can best contribute to his community.

When you combine self-realization with a very strong sense of purpose, supported by the belonging in the community, you get a very, very passionate person.

And when you many of these people in a small square meter, you can expect them to squabble. Alot. Heatedly. To the point of throwing chairs at each other. And then they will all go get a stiff drink in the same bar afterwards.

I think there is no need to explain why even starship designs originating from the Republic era tend to be more generalists than specialists.

Spot on. I know that I've thrown a chair or two at a family member during a 'heated agreement' about some business matter or another, namely my mother or my older sister, who both like to act as if they know more than they do.

In any event, this is one of my favorite things about being Matari (mainly within the Republic) that I don't really see anywhere else: the deliberate mixture of passion and intellect. Of course, you can see it in individuals in other societies; different pockets of people here or there, but it's only in clans where I've seen such a marriage of these two concepts as a deliberate part of socialization. If I had to put a name to it, I'd say that most of us have learned to interpret the intellectual world emotionally.

For instance, if you come to any Loglur Clan Table gathering, you would probably not believe that you were in the presence of a bunch of shopkeepers and small business owners who are making important financial and policy decisions that effect entire families. The talk is loud, boisterous, and kinda seems like it goes all over the place. But if you're really listening it, you'll hear little details about the business being passed along, investment and marketing decisions being debated, price indexes and family investments being discussed in detail, etc.

It's all in there, but instead of being discussed in the more conventionally stoic way in which logic and numbers tend to be talked about, the discussion takes on a more improvisational and emotional tone. Income projections snap to life, economic concepts have depth and weight, like something you could feel and touch. I wouldn't claim this way is any better or worse in general--like Pieter said earlier, each culture has a system that works best for their needs--but I would say that it's a pretty nifty feature of being Matari and I think goes a long way in describing our flexible approach to the intellect.

I would just like to say that I would never throw a chair at my mother.

She's got all these hidden little trapdoors all over the station she'd just dump me down, if I did.

Heh. They're not booby traps, though, they're access conduits. Mom's made it to Chief of Maintenance.

Interesting points everywhere!



I agree with this wholeheartedly, though I think that the Republic is a little ahead in the order in that the populist movement has already been created in the form of enslavement. That scab, revived by continued slave raids and the economic instability that you mentioned, can always be pricked by those who are interested in using military spending as a piggy bank. I certainly think that economic stability can help, but as we've seen from some Matari capsuleers in particular, the animus towards the Empire is a button ripe for pushing.




Yes, but--

I think that these investments--especially in the areas of infrastructure and resource networking--are needed, but I don't think that it'll wash if it's presented in this more traditional economic form. I think that it's workable elsewhere in the Cluster, but from what I've seen in the Republic the underlying concepts of labor and capital movement and collection that undergird this type of development is just too divorced from traditional clan life, and that's where a program would have to begin.

For instance, typically, labor within a clan is divided by way of interpersonal familial interactions. One knows one's place in the clan, tribe, and larger Republic economy through a series of interactions and experiences throughout one's life. Given that, it would be difficult to create a stable and predictable labor pool that could be put to work from a central position outside of the tribe. As it is now, labor is often determined within tribes and then people are often self-motivated towards work that falls outside of tribal economic sectors. It's worked well so far, but in order to leverage that workforce on a more consistent basis, a new method of informal collection at the clan/tribe level would have to be found. There is an opportunity for the clan circles that Elmund mentioned earlier to play a part, but as it stands now, those are much too unregulated and informal (one of their major strengths) to play a part in a traditional labor market. However, there are openings there I believe, bearing in mind that all of these challenges vary by tribe to tribe and sometimes clan to clan.

The Nefantar and Starkmir refugees (as well as some Thukker) are another matter altogether since they tend to even lack the informal tribal connections that most clans use to marshal their economic resources. I'm watching some of the new 'clans for the clanless' that have sprung up over the last few decades with interest. Clans such as the Ogunkoya may be able to act as a haven for a great deal of refugees and help marshall their resources, provided that's the direction in which those clans decide to go.



I agree that a free market is pretty much set up for suckers, and luckily, I think a lot of Matari have a feel for this fact, especially Vherokior. However I think our greatest protection actually lies in greater trade with the rest of the Empire that takes advantage of our natural ingenuity and interpersonal focus. This is partially due to the fact that those tend to be natural assets that Matari share that any Vherokior merchant can attest are fantastic for commerce, and partially due to a general lack of expertise when it comes to traditional protectionist practices among the financial community in the Republic and a decided lack of interest in learning more. I certainly think that some protection of industrial and consumer good markets is a good idea, but in general, I think it might occur through an increase in bureaucratic interference.

This conversation reminds me of Arrendis' earlier point about the Republican form of government being a bit of a sham that the tribes use when we want to and disregard at other times. I think that describes our relationship to modern Gallente economic practices as well.

This conversation definitely makes me tingly! I mean, who doesn't like a good conversation about international economics?