[CP Entry] The Watchmen of eCanada

Day 515, 10:18 Published in Canada Canada by vincent chaotic

The Watchmen of eCanada

Throughout most of our history, eCanada has been dominated by the cult of personality, and in some cases, the cult of personality disorder. The powerful Canadian economy, military and society was built on the backs of hard working eCanadians like you and me. But while the collective consciousness of eCanada has a legitimate claim to our inheritance, so too do particular individuals. One may notice the increase in “top 10 eCanadian” lists popping up throughout the media recently. While these articles are occasionally controversial and essential to the preservation of our history as a nation, if they have a failing it is that too much emphasis is placed upon ranking. Who is the greatest eCanadian? Who is the most famous eCanadian? What were their accomplishments? What were their failings? All of these are legitimate questions, but they make one glaring omission: personality. In a nation so dazzled by the beautiful orator, the cunning politician, and the outspoken citizen, we would be remiss if we did not examine the personality traits of those who so captivate our attention.

Now, some of you may also notice the sudden increase in “Watchmen” inspired avatars, from Augustus’ Comedian to Banachs Rorschach. The general assumption is that these avatars were selected because of a certain preference for the character after seeing the recently released film adaptation. But upon reading the graphic novel, and just seeing the movie, I have discovered that these eCanadians and many others who have captured our attention share many of the personality traits of the Watchmen characters. Thus at the risk of sounding stale by reviewing our prominent citizens both past and present, this essay shall examine the personalities of some of our greatest citizens, so that we may be the ones who Watch the Watchmen of eCanada.

Augustus Baldwin - The Comedian
The first and most obvious personality connection comes in the form of Augustus Baldwin. After declaring himself a superhero with a batman-like theme song in congress around the time of the Hungarian invasion, Baldwin took as his own avatar the profile of Edward Blake the Comedian. I cannot help but smile as I see the parallels between eCanada’s sarcasm-soaked orator and the dark victim of the Watchmen storyline. The two are highly controversial, seen simultaneously as a reflection of the best and the worst of eCanadian society depending on who you ask. Baldwin is perhaps one of the most patriotic and outspoken of all of us, and has the intelligence to back it up, much like uncomfortably right-wing Blake. Never far from the seat of power, Augustus and Blake can be seen as G. Gordon Liddy type of characters, using questionable tactics to achieve their goals without any concern for the effect on their self-image. Augustus was one of the few who saw the true face of eCanadian politics, and has morphed into a parody of it, confident that he will be the one to get the last laugh.

Banach - Rorschach
The comparison of Banach to the blot-masked Rorschach may seem like a stretch of the imagination initially, but if one plunges deeper into their personalities, one can see substantial similarities, besides both having names that end with the Scottish acronym “ach.” Rorschach is described as being a master at improvisation, using whatever objects he has on hand in his fight against the scum of society. But whereas Rorschach is a MacGyver-like killing machine, Banachs improvisational skills come in the form of his literary talent. As we have seen in the current contest, Banach has been able to take topics he seemingly has little experience in, and turn them into articles that rival writings of even the most specialized media mogul. Examination of Banachs writings throughout the years, and of Rorschach’s Journal reveal two men with a profound insight into the English language, with the ability to create poetry out of even the darkest, or ridiculous subject matter. We can thus look at V1 as the eRepublikan equivalent of the Keen Act, which forced vigilantes to retire. V1 too resulted in the retirement of many former Beta users, but Banach and Rorschach continued unabated. Banach remains the oldest and most active eCanadian in our nation, and though he now speaks of retirement, we know that he will not be gone for long. One can also see similarities between Banachs life in eRepublik and the conflicts Rorschach has been involved in. For example, think of Banachs falling out with eCanada after his resignation as Prime Minister, doing little to antagonize the public, members of the government instead chose to lash out at him over his decision. In response, Banach levelled devastating critiques of eCanadian society, much like a young Walter Kovaks’ righteous assault on two boys who tormented him in his youth. But the most prominent parallel between their two personalities is their defined concept of right and wrong. Banachs primary goal according to his to his wiki entry was “…to promote honesty by not breaking a single Erepublik rule and promoting an example of fair play to citizens in Canada.”1. True to his word, Banach has long been the sworn enemy of multi’s and trolls, dating back to his early conflicts with Cesar Augustus, then known as Dr. Jaytlez. 2. Or his current critique of the CSD Party Elections. When you think of Banach, you may instantly think of one of Rorschach’s signature phrases: “Never compromise even in the face of Armageddon.”

Tom Hagen/Prussian King - Dr. Manhattan
Honestly, this one is too easy. While Tom Hagen may not be notable for walking around in the nude, calmly flashing blue junk at anyone in visual range; his personality and his actions bare (pun intended). an obvious resemblance to Dr. Manhattan. In terms of his own public image, Hagen is known for his calm, logical critiques of the problems faced by eCanadians, while possessing the Admin powers needed to solve many of them. Much as US military doctrine became centered around Manhattan in The Watchmen, with ultimately disastrous consequences given his absence, Tom Hagen became the center of the eCanadian forums and the Canadian Paradox Party. Not only did he create and administrate the off site facilities for a significant amount of time, but said forums too experienced disastrous effects upon his self-imposed exile, leading to the infamous “parliamentary fires.” Much like John Osterman, Prussian King was prominent in his chosen field, but not yet the presidential superman had intended to be. I do not recall Prussian King ever being completely disintegrated, but one day his persona changed much like that of Osterman’s, ceasing to be Prussian King and returning to the world as Tom Hagen.3. From there he would go on to be an essential player in governmental politics until he reached the pinnacle: the eCanadian presidency. But like Manhattan’s own tragic self-exile to Mars, Tom too left eCanada to fend for itself in December. It’s doubtful that he gave anyone cancer, but he left just the same. But just as the world of the Watchmen would not have been possible without the advent of Dr. Manhattan, neither could eCanada be what it is today without the life and work of Tom Hagen.

Nite Owl II - Alexander Rearden
Now admittedly, Trenton Rendell prominently displays the avatar of Nite Owl II, but the personality of Dan Drieberg’s alter ego is best compared to our own economic guru Alexander Rearden. When one considers Nite Owl II, we see a man who is lost without the glory and the excitement of the life of an adventurer; a man who was at his prime when he was battling the underworld and solving mysteries. This is not far off the mark of our own economic guru. But whereas Dreiberg found himself shattering the faces of knot-tops, Rearden finds himself in a brawl with economic uncertainty, inflation, and the demands of the CAF. Rearden found his home in the Canadian Progressive Front, eventually taking a leadership role therein, much like Nite Owl II’s commitment to the Watchmen, or Crimebusters of comic fame. After serving as General of the CAF and a host of other governmental positions, Rearden soon found himself delegated to a retired state after the election of Zanalan as Prime Minister. 4. But when brought back to his Finance Minister status by the Bruck Government, Rearden once again found himself at ease in the political limelight; more content with the mask of the economic guru than he ever could be in the skin of a private citizen.

Coda - Silk Spectre II
My interviews with General Coda of the Canadian Armed Forces were truly enlightening, as they have revealed just how much her own career and personality synch up with that of the second Silk Spectre. Now first off, I will specify that I do not refer to any form of relationship with either Alexander Rearden or Tom Hagen; and no Augustus is not Coda’s father, so dispel those images from your head immediately. The Silk Spectre was initially groomed for the role of heroic adventurer by her own mother, the original Silk Spectre, Sally Jupiter. Laurie herself had no interest in the role, instead taking it to please her mother. Coda herself has admitted that she had no interest in becoming the First Lady of the Forces she is today, but was instead groomed for the role by then-General Bruck in order to pave the way for his own presidential aspirations. But like Laurie, Coda’s lack of interest in the position has been widely offset by her own natural skill. The “Smiley General” she has vastly improved the experience and effectiveness of our armed forces, and much like Laurie Jupiter, Coda has built a network of friends in a very specialized field. Coda does not enjoy the limelight that is cast upon her in her role of General of the Armed Forces, much like Silk Spectre cares little for the sensationalism of her own profession and the lack of privacy it affords. But neither does that deter them from utilizing the skills that got them to where they were.


Ozymandias - Adam Sutler
I first noticed the similarities between these two characters when I noticed Sutler’s latest shout: “A world at peace... there had to be a sacrifice.” 5. This is of course one of the phrases from promotional artwork for the Watchmen. At first I laughed as I thought of the connection between the two, after Sutler, only Dominik would be the most likely person to try and throw Augustus out of a high rise window; but as I began to consider the effect the man had had on the nation, both the good and the bad, I began to see how apt the statement was. In the world of The Watchmen, AdrianVeidt was one of the most powerful men in the world, both economically and politically. He built up his personal empire based upon his own intelligence and reputation established as a masked vigilante in the 1960s. In looking back at Sutler’s early life we see a similar pattern: a man who established his reputation in the violence of the Can-Am war, and rose to a position of prominence based on his own apparent intellectual abilities. 6. While I hesitate to call anyone “the smartest man in the world,” we all must admit that any man who held power as long as Sutler could not have been a complete moron. Like Ozymandias, Sutler was and to some degree still is among the most respected men in the history of the nation. Economically, Veidt amassed a private fortune, enough to buy out any and all of the competition if ever it came down to that. Sutler too had amassed a massive corporate network, building the national economy around massive zaibatsu-like corporate empires like his own. Like Veidt, Sutler retired to much public fanfare and adoration just prior to the Keene Act-like V1. But in recent times, the country has seen another side of Sutler. Consider the phrase “A world at peace, there had to b a sacrifice.” This paints a picture of a man who believes that the ends justify the means, or at the very least, that his ends justify his means. To Ozymandias, this meant that he was willing to sacrifice millions of human lives in order to prevent the destruction of the entire world. Sutler himself released information on an alleged covert network operating throughout the period of Beta, the nature of which is still in question. 7. What is known is that this organization was often used to damage enemies or neutral nations to fulfill either personal or national goals. This picture is taken to an even darker hue by the various claims of multi-accounting by the former president. If true, then it would seem that like Veidt, Sutler played upon us the greatest practical joke in history. Claiming to wish to protect Canada from multi’s, cheats and takeovers, he may have become a multiing cheat to take over, and found himself the first victim of his own constitution. Adam Sutler is as much a controversial character as the Watchmen’s Adrian Veidt, but depending on who you ask, they may be tragic heroes, or tragic villains.

- Vincent Chaotic

1. http://wiki.erepublik.com/index.php/Banach
2. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/the-og-someday-we-gonna-break-free-part-2--777793/1/20
3. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/a-word-from-the-party-headquarters-779863/1/20
4. http://wiki.erepublik.com/index.php/Alexander_Rearden
5. http://www.erepublik.com/en/citizen/profile/183632
6. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/the-norsefire-party-is-born--237261/1/20
7. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/ecanadian-heritage-minute-c-e-r-b-e-r-u-s-canada-s-silent-guardian-719729/1/20