My Viewpoint on Party "Diplomacy"

Day 1,925, 23:51 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Dratharr Silkins

Hello. I am Dratharr Silkins, an individual of the eUK who happens to be a real-life American student. You may address me as Emperor - but Empie works just as well. I don't write with an agenda - I write because I want to. If you have a problem with my opinion, please do state it in the comments. No apologies for any butthurt I cause. I'm a rather new player, so I think in some ways my opinions carry less clout, but in others they're very relevant - moreso than some of you veterans out there. I'm not saying your voices mean nothing, but what I mean is this - I'm newer than you, and for that reason, I represent a totally different demographic. Please do not think this is merely propaganda or what have you. I represent myself and only myself. I cannot express to the extent that this newspaper is *not a political entity.*

I decided, upon a whim, to write this article with little imaging and formatting, just to express my opinion (read as: objective fact) on the current state of eUK party "diplomacy." Or, more accurately, the bullshit that makes up the financial battle for control of the media to usher in more players to your party, whatever it may be. This isn't a single party thing. It's also not a black-and-white good-and-evil moral issue. This, friends, is an issue of what you prioritize in a party and what you prioritize in a community media.

One party in particular (which I happen to be a part of), New Era, and specifically its leader Goku Jones, seems to take the brunt of the anti-buying campaign. That is, a campaign against "buying" votes and voters, with vote buying being most controversial. Goku has admitted to buying votes and has defended it in what I believe to be an honorable manner. He has not denied his vote buying. No one states that Goku is the only vote-buyer, but it seems the anti-buyers only bother going after Goku and New Era. Vote-buying and anti-buying campaigns are not single-party events. They are both widespread. Attributing either campaigning against vote-buying or vote-buying itself to a single person or entity is ludicrous. The ethical problems behind vote-buying could be argued until we all die of old age or forget to pay our Internet bills, but regardless of whether this gray area leans white or black, do not persecute (or if you prefer, prosecute) a single person for this.

My personal opinion on vote-buying is that while it can be considered an underhanded practice, ultimately, spamming articles about it (the upper extent of what could be done against it) would help nothing, and denouncing the people who do it helps nothing. That is not to say it should be ignored, but it is to say it is not a major problem, or at the least it is not a major problem which can be properly fought against.

The latter half of the propaganda system we know as "party politics" could be simplified into the word "supply." I would venture to say that this, besides military stance and minor differences in taxes, is the one difference between parties. Again, the most prominent example (and one often denounced) is New Era, which has 30 GBP wages for all members and routinely gives out food and weapons (and some prominent members give through the British Army MU). In New Era, I barely have to provide anything for myself (though I often do, as there can only be given so much). But before I start going against my commitment to personal views and go into propaganda, let me return to a broader view of this subject.

Supply is a semi-universal concept. Nearly every party claims to keep the new player alive, full, and seemingly most of all, rich. This is the main incentive a player has in joining a party. Unlike the real world, parties do not deal with social issues such as religion, abortion, torture, justice, and a myriad of other dumbass things which actually have nothing to do with the success of the nation (not that justice and torture are to be ignored, mind you - they are just not essential subjects). The main objective for a party in eRepublik, I think, is to give you what you need and to ensure you produce more so that everyone as a whole can have more food, weapons, and of course, fun. The differences, beyond supply, between parties seem to be completely superficial to me, the new player, the young impressionable mind. The only thing I can seek to judge parties is this concept that by joining this party I get a small bit richer than if I joined that one. This, ultimately, was the reason I joined New Era, and it is the reason I will stay. I will go where I profit, and I think many new players will do the same.

There is a lot of flaming and infighting between the different figures of the eUK and their respective parties, but it seems like none of it really matters. You can defame individuals and groups all you want, but people will do and go to that which makes them a profit. It seems the success of the party is less about the party itself and more what the party can give you. There is no morality nor any conscience - only the cold, hard coin. This flaming and spamming and trolling and ultimately, looking like an idiot is completely and totally pointless. When your party provides more than the competitor, it will get more than the competitor. If this bothers you, speak about it, but as far as my opinion is concerned, words mean less than meals and mass destruction.

Thanks for reading, eUK, and stay respectable in my comment area please. I don't believe I was disrespectful, so I expect respect from you. Three cheers for eUK and three cheers for prosperity.