Spend a moment in my shoes...

Day 1,234, 13:31 • Published in USA USA • by Israel Stevens
[Editor's note: I don't speak for everyone. Personally, I think this whole thing is ridiculous, and the result of a very few people's egos.

So here we are America. At war with ourselves. It doesn't matter who's fault it is. Or who is to blame (well, it does, but not here). I want to share with you how the rank and file of the military view this conflict. I want you to take a moment, and walk through our shoes.

You hear all the time, how awesome of a community the military has. And what a tight knit group of people we are. It's true. The military doesn't encourage disagreements, like Congress does. And this leads, in large part, to our togetherness. We are all predisposed to think (mostly) alike. So when we are attacked, whether real or perceived, we stand together. As one unified voice.

Combine that cohesion, with the fact that for a large part of the military, this is their home. And it is their only home. Most of us are not Congressmen, nor Ambassadors, nor Secretaries, nor Party Presidents. Most of us are only soldiers. And we are here because this is the part of this crappy game that we love. So, when it gets attacked, what you have is a large, unified voice, that vehemently defends their home.

Take a moment and think about your own favorite part of eRepublik. Everyone has one, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Now think if the Admin swooped in and changed it. Or removed it.

Imagine if Admin decided that Congress wasn't needed anymore. And did away with the Political module. Many of you would be threatening boycotts, writing letters and threatening to quit. In other words, you would be reacting strongly, trying to defend your favorite aspect. And the military wouldn't care. Not because we hate Congress, but because politics is not where we derive our fun from this game. It's indifference, not a Congress vs. Mil thing.

Remember when Admin changed the media so that you could only publish in your citizenship country? Many people were outraged (and rightfully so).
For a lot of people, writing articles in support of our foreign allies, and trolling our enemies was their favorite part of this game. Remember all the excellent troll articles after epic victories? But when this was changed, people reacted strongly, in defense of their favorite part of the game.

We are not as far apart as you may think. The main difference is that the parts that you love the most, are in game functions. And the part that we love, is outside of the game. Admin can't swoop in and change our structure. Only our peers can.

And that's why this stings so much. The people trying to change, and disrupt our favorite aspect of this game, are members of the American Community. They are not some nameless and faceless Admin in the sky. These are names that we recognize. And people that we've known, or worked with, or admired. And that what makes this hurt even more.

I don't hope to change your opinion on this conflict. All that I want you to do, is look at it from our perspective. And to take a moment and think about how you would react to your favorite part being destroyed. In other words, spend a moment in our shoes, America.