Tuesday, January 1, 2013

How the New Order Protects Your Democracy

I've often spoken of the New Order's commitment to preserving individual liberty, freedom of choice, and representative government. My election to the position of supreme ruler of highsec was 100% democratic. Still, rebel miners often express doubts about the legitimacy of my election, the imposition of the Code, and the fairness of New Order governance in general.

The rebels' objections stem from an imperfect, incomplete understanding of what democracy is and how individual rights manifest themselves in a practical context. For example, each person has a right to cast his or her own vote. This right was exercised when I voted as proxy on everyone else's behalf. This step was only necessary because the voters were, at the time, unable to cast a vote that would reflect their interests--which is the whole point of having a vote.

That much is common sense and, I think, pretty well understood. Yet some rebels take their objections a step further, and they call into question the legitimacy of my voting as proxy in the first place.

I recognize that the New Order and its Code naturally stir up varying emotions among the people of highsec. I myself am even the subject of the occasional controversy. I would caution those who have doubts, to put their emotions aside. Let's put the baggage away for a moment, and let reason alone sit before us. I'm confident that if everyone looks at the question in a thoughtful, rational manner, we can unanimously conclude that my sovereignty over highsec is the result of free choice and democracy, not some egotistical power grab.

Democracy is about more than merely having the right to an opinion. Democracy involves voting. But it can't stop there, can it? Voting, by its very nature, carries certain other requirements. You can't vote without some mechanism to cast your vote (paper ballots, marbles in a jar, computerized voting booths, whatever). You can't vote without some means by which to count the votes. Nor can you vote for a candidate without there first being some candidates for whom to vote. And would your vote have any meaning unless the candidates had some office into which they ascended, after having been elected? Would that office have any meaning without an institution of which it was a part? And would any of that have meaning unless there was some way to enforce the system's continued existence?

The "right to vote" sounds like such a simple thing, until you take a deeper look into what that right entails. Other rights must flow from the right to vote. Voting is meaningless apart from the existence of ballots, candidates, offices, institutions, and enforcement. Therefore, the right to vote also requires the right to ballots, candidates, offices, and so on.

Now consider the implications of these rights, as they apply to EVE and highsec.

As we all know, highsec is awash with bots and bot-aspirants. Having existed in a state of anarchy for so long, highsec is on an unsustainable course. Highsec life--if you can call it life--is increasingly automated. Bots and bot-aspirants can mine a lot of ice and ore, but they can't do much else. One need only visit the average system in highsec to see the truth of that. The systems are dead. Local is silent. Ore and ice are being collected, but there's not a trace of humanity.

How does democracy exist in such an environment? Where are the institutions? Where is the enforcement? For that matter, where are the voters? Only humans can exercise free will, not bots. Not even humans, if they are AFK. Everyone has a right to vote, yet that right necessarily depends upon the preexistence of so many other things--to which everyone also has a right.

If democracy cannot exist in highsec's current environment, and if the people have a right to democracy, then the people also have a right to change the environment. Democracy demands that highsec be saved from its current state. To be saved, highsec must have a Saviour. Highsec must have the institutions of an Order, which operates according to a Code, which is enforced by Agents of that Order.

Logic and reason leave no other conclusion: The principles of liberty, free choice, and democracy demand that everyone in highsec has a right to the New Order, a right to the Code, and a right to the Saviour of Highsec. These rights are inalienable. They cannot be taken away. No rebel or resistance movement, no matter how much they desire to oppose us, can deprive anyone of their right to be ruled by the New Order and receive the benefits of its leadership.

One Order, One Code, One Saviour of Highsec. No opposition or dissent. That is the meaning of freedom.

23 comments:

  1. \o/ Truly there is no other truth!

    -Pig

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL - egotistical maniac springs to mind..who wants to governed in a free play game.This is not a dictatorship.See you on the ganking fields...I shall disprupt you as much as is humanly possible..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good! At least you are willing to fight unlike most of these miners that would just complain about "griefing" and cry about why highsec is a place they should be allowed to afk in space safetly :D

      *psst get those miners to donate isk to you to fund your pvp ships*

      This is what EVE should be. *eats popcorn*

      Delete
  3. "One Order, One Code, One Saviour of Highsec. No opposition or dissent. That is the meaning of freedom."

    Every democracy needs an opposition that remind their leader on their responsibility for society. A society which doesn't allow an opposition is still a dictatorship.

    As a self declared democracy you are, had the peoples you are concquering a vote? Did you asked them before you invaded their homeworlds? Where can I vote? Why you didn't informed me the last time you voted?

    Instead repeating again and again the same empty phrases about your savior and salvation, do something for your political education. It's often boring but here you can actually learn how society and democracy really works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just like children aren't allowed to vote, those residents of high sec which aren't ready can't be allowed to vote. The botters and bot-aspirants surely would have damaged the outcome. I am glad that James 315 took on this great responsibility and cast his vote as proxy for all of us. He truely is the Saviour.

      Delete
    2. You're wasting your breath and typing fingers trying to use logic against James the freetard.

      Delete
    3. No you don't understand it's a role play. They pretend to be retarded (!I mean the ingame person, not they themselves!) and I have to convince them that they are wrong.

      None of the followers is so stupid to really believe that. There are always some who got trolled but not all of them. lol

      Delete
    4. You would be surprised, Anonymous.

      Delete
    5. "So you are saying if the peoples in a country vote to invade in an other country legitimate their actions?"

      You have to phrase a question with proper grammar, otherwise people will not understand what you are trying to clarify.

      Delete
    6. "As a self declared democracy you are, had the peoples you are concquering a vote? Did you asked them before you invaded their homeworlds? Where can I vote? Why you didn't informed me the last time you voted?"

      Yes the peoples had a vote. Didn't you read? James 315 voted on their behalf. As proxy. They did indeed have a vote and it was cast.

      It's not up to James 315 to inform you of an upcoming vote. If you weren't afk and were paying attention, you'd have known.

      This is conclusively WHY James 315 needs to vote as your proxy I think.

      Delete
    7. You are way too tense my friend. Relax and enjoy the ride.

      - Guybertini

      Delete
  4. "Elections alone do not make a democracy."

    *Barack Obama, Cairo 2009

    Watch the documentation Tahrir: Liberation Square and learn.

    ReplyDelete
  5. not a democracy. not even representative democracy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

      According to wiki democracy comes from greek and loosely mean "people's power" and of course bots or bot aspirants are not qualifying for people. Easier to understand now eh?

      Delete
    2. Thank you brother for the link.

      Wikipedia: "Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives..."

      New Order aspirant: "Just like children aren't allowed to vote, those residents of high sec which aren't ready can't be allowed to vote. The botters and bot-aspirants surely would have damaged the outcome..."

      A society where the ruling party excludes the opposition from votes isn't a democracy.

      You want blind faith in James and his New Order, but you self distrust and incapacitate player, you say, who want your order.

      Your so called election is nothing more as a well played show.

      Delete
    3. I agree with you, but you see in order to vote you have not to be afk something like i have no keyboard, and i must vote.
      The problem is in the very moment you choose to be afk you also choose the consequences, but for some people this is too hard to understand. They are like spoiled children, oh noes this guy is bad please CCP do something. And they whine, whine, whine and as a result the CCP break the game for the other players.

      Delete
  6. No well run Democracy allows felons or the insane to vote.

    Botters are the felons of New Eden, and anyone who AFKs while undocked in this game is probably insane.

    Agent Trask

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the felons are those with the lowest sec status.

      i don't mine afk, but i never received a chance to vote.

      not that i care... i don't mine ice and my home system is far from your influences

      Delete
  7. The idea of a democratic governance is theoretical. There have been no successful democracy-style governments. Most European and North American governments are a democractic republic. This means there is a center leader, (President, Prime Minister, Furer,) but also a group dedicated to representing all majority groups and minority groups. Seeing as players who afk mine or bot mine are players who have accounts that exist, and who seem to be in the area you have decided to govern, then they must be represented by a representative they have nominated and elected in a process independent of all other governing bodies, majorities, or minorities. If these step have not been taken, then your claim of democracy or of a democratic republic are false. The government you are attempting to implement would be an autocracy. Autocracies are much less effective because a lack of accountability of leadership and the fallability of a human leade with complete power. Leadership with no Balance or disruption to their power seem to go a bit overboard as you all probably now see. Example countries would be Syria, North Korea, South Africa (1960-1995), Peru, Venazuala, Iran (Theocratic Autocracy*), and Bangladesh. As far as "proxy voting" goes or "national absenty voting" (assuming the outcome of an election due to an obvious outcome) it is not an actual governmental practice, but again only theoretical. If no actaul voting was conducted, as it now seems, then you are only governing through military dominance or the people you claim to govern don't see you as enough of a threat to their liestyle to actually address. So it seems to me that while you are "trolling" (doing and saying things just to get a rise out of people) with the best of the internet bloggers and bored college dropouts, you are insignificant. I suggest anyone who is effected by this james 335 to ignore him and let his megalomania run its course. With time every goverment has undergone drastic change or has become obsolete. Wait him out, remind him he really doesn't matter all that much, and go about your daily lives and im sure he and his followers will get bored and go somewhere else.

    Respectfully, Jeff Dent
    Proffessor of Political Science and 1960s Funk
    Con
    Eastern Oregon University

    P.S. Do people still believe that wikipidea is a viable source to cite? I mean really? My 8 year old knows not to use wikipidea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Respectfully,

      You misspelled professor, Proffessor.

      Bing Bangboom
      Agent of the New Order of Highsec
      Belligerent Undesirable

      Delete
    2. My apologies Mr. Bing Bangboom, I submitted the post on an Ipad and must have bumbled a key. Good to know this Order has no way to argue logic and reason but to play spellcheck. People from this Order are the exact reason I beg students to finish college. At least then Mr. Bangboom might have been able to create an argument about the topic. Instead he tries to devalue my logic and expertise by pointing out that I am human and may have clicked the F key twice instead of once. I atleast expected some clever run around about James being Eve onlines Jesus, and therefore he has the right by Eve God to bother others fun with his indepth Eve Online roleplay fantasy.

      Respectfully, Jeff Dent
      Professor of Political Science

      Delete
    3. Can I be a professor too If i sign my post as such? I have to admit this attempt is creative, even if the lack of paragraphs, bad grammar and an overall misunderstanding of what James 315 is doing and saying kind of give it away.

      No one bothered to counterargument because you have no argument and no point. Just a few real world examples who has no value in a videogame, and a few personal insults at the end of your post that no respectable professor would ever think of saying. And you even sign with "respectfully"...hilarious.

      Anonymous
      Professor of Butthurt Miners
      University of Common Sense

      Delete
  8. if mining wasnt so boring less people would afk mine

    ReplyDelete

Note: If you are unable to post a comment, try enabling the "allow third-party cookies" option on your browser.