A Depressing Moral Dilemma

Day 1,384, 05:33 • Published in Canada Canada • by Rigour6

40 days since last I published, and to be honest, it's because I've been focused on real-world things, but also because I haven't been jazzed at what's been happening here.

The disappearance of Wally Cleaver (and I hope he's OK) was sort of the latest what-can-happen-next circus of eCanadian politics, but there was a silver lining in the cloud for once, and it was the elevation of Treian to CP. I have seen T at work for a couple of years now, and he's always impressed me as a straight shooter, skilled player, and guy with the interests of the team at heart.

Now comes this:

http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-treian-cp-the-reality-of-things-1856247/1/20


I'll state for the record that I take Treian at his word. I am going to assume, despite the weird circumstances that seemingly led to this juncture, that his intentions are as they are stated there.
I understand and give him credit for making the fine calculation that this is the lesser of two evils.

As a voter, this creates a moral dilemma. If I disagree with the policy mix of Aeriela, I am being forced to vote for Rolo, on the faint hope that this time, Rolo will keep his word.

If fool me twice is shame on me, what would fool me three times be? And what is this, Number 4?

Remember the Wes Lewis CP fiasco? Has there been any real indication that the Rolo we see today is a changed man from the Rolo we saw then?

I believe that Rolo on some level wishes to rehabilitate his reputation. This is why he has become such a relentless poster on the issue of other's more minor misappropriations of funds. He wishes to be lumped in with the petty thieves, rather than excoriated as the greatest single thief and betrayer of the nations' trust in eCanada's history. It may well be that this proposed partnership with Treian is a way for him to show good faith, and make his way back. Unfortunately, it may also be another opportunity for Rolo to, whether for the lulz or in furtherance of his, "See, there's nothing wrong with the thief, it's the stupid victims who are to blame" argument, to wreak mayhem yet again.

I am a great believer in reconciliation, and I have expressed my concerns in the past about how the whole Rolo thing went down. But we are at where we are at. If Rolo wants to rehabilitate himself, or to take his place as one the skilled and leading team members which he deserves to be, there is a much simpler way than another wild leap of faith by the rest of us. It is, as it has always been:
1. Return of the outstanding balance of stolen gold
2. A full and frank apology for the malicious destruction of team assets which Rolo did while in a position of trust
3. Voluntary serving of any sentence remaining as imposed by the courts.


He does that, he'd have my vote and more: my respect. It takes a very big man to admit he's been wrong; so big, you almost never see it. Rolo could be such a man.

For now, the dilemma remains. As one voter, here's how I'm resolving it:

I think, in the long run, far more harm has been done to this team by thefts from people in positions of trust, than has ever been done by poor policy.

Poor policy has resulted in the complete loss of the nation, to be sure, but when the policy was reversed, we recovered. The thefts have been a continual cancer, sapping morale, hurting recruitment and retention, creating distrust, fueling flame wars, and generally making this place an unpleasant place to be. I never minded losing a war to a declared enemy. But the wounds inflicted by friends, those scars still sting.

Sorry, Treian. If it was your name on the ballot I'd be enthusiastically voting, and offering the last hospital I was able to make as a donation. But I cannot bring myself to put an X next to Rolo's name on the hope that this time he's not playing us. I'll state for the record that I really hope I'm wrong about this, and that my fears for once are unfounded.









SR Volume 31, Number 1