Pizza, Elitism, and The Game: A Manifesto For Everyone
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by Blank Keating
There have been many articles and comments this month about the long renowned legacy of elitism, and questioning the dangerousness of Pizza the Hut.
I've seen a fair share of articles from newer players inquiring as to why Pizza the Hut is so dangerous. Why him letting in enemies of the state in the past for political gain is so terrible. The reason is simple to understand in two principles: the power of PTOs, and the balance between being constructive and pessimistic.
First of all, PTOs don't happen overnight. They're not quick decisions a crazy Serb and a couple of his buddies cook up on the fly. They are long and arduous processes. To start a PTO, a bad guy must only get a single seat in congress, which is why we have blockers. From that one seat, a hostile congressman can let in enough bad guys to win another seat in a small state. This continues exponentially until 66% of congress is controlled, allowing them to control the presidency as well.
A PTO is hard to stop once the ball is rolling, and impossible to break out of once it reaches 66% penetration. The only thing to do then is to hope for mercy while you fight for your enemies and deal with 99% taxes that go into the pocket of your PTOers. Ask a friendly Australian if you don't believe me, who were in this dilemma with Indonesia last year. That is why PTOs are dangerous, and why they are hunted down fervently.
The reason PTH is dangerous is because he will stop at nothing for power. Even the most conniving, conspiring, power hungry congressman in office today has some semblance of constructivism: there is a universal unspoken code of what is going too far for power. Don't let in Serbs, don't steal money, don't make proposals without debating. Easy stuff. PTH has no code, no optimism, no constructiveness: everything he does has an ulterior motive, and anything he gives he will hold against you when it's necessary. He's the kinda guy who would burn a house down just so he can rebuild it his way. If you dispute this, go browse through his old articles and try to find some positive mentions of other eAmericans in there. It will be remarkably difficult, especially if you leave out the backhanded comments.
Little known fact: when I was president, I actually gave PTH a shot to redeem himself in the eyes of the government, more than anyone else did in a year and at great risk to my reputation. I let him be the ambassador to Greece, a small position with a country he has good relationships with. Instead of doing his job, he poofed up his job title, talked to diplomats from other countries as if he was the Secretary of State, tried to weasel into secret channels behind my back, and after I talked to him about it, went to destroy the relations we had with Greece which I hired him to upkeep. Class act, eh?
Topic #2, Terrible Elitism. Terrible elitism is a long-running joke in the eUS ever since it started to be used as a blanket for everyone in charge a good year or so ago. However, newer players come along, and it becomes necessary to explain why the concept is so laughable in eRep.
Even though it's fun to compare RL to the game, our Congress and Executive are not the common-man-crushers of RL. First of all, they don't make $174,000 for doing what they do, in fact, the common congressperson never touches a dime - real or cyber - in their tenure, provided they donate their medal gold to the CBO as custom, and aren't part of the CBO themselves.
People in the government stay up until 4 am watching battles for NSC, or spend their afternoons doling out food and weapons to new players. They don't get vacations, feasts, grants or salaries. They work for the game because they like the people they know in it, even if they're vastly underappreciated by everyone else. In fact, the only thing that stops eRep government workers from working harder than actual ones is the one month term duration.
Hopefully this provided you with some insight into the mind of the "other side". Remember that this is a game with no end, and there is a person trying to get their definition of winning behind every name. My doctrine is this: The government, the departments, the military are all constructs that we built for each other, filled with every name, group, argument, collaboration and change that has scraped the game since 2007. Being hungry for power inside these constructs is part of the game, being hungry to destroy them and make your own is selfishness.
Until next time,
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Comments
Elitism is a big deal.
v+s
Good article Blank.
Also, so close to a MM!
Great article, although you'll get trolled to death for it.
Good article. Tell it like it is!
Excellent article! Shouted!
Actually, I have to disagree with you on the terrible elitism bit.
It's true congressmen aren't paid, however, they're often part of some government group and they stand to personally benefit by more funds being steered their way. It's a clear conflict of interest, and that's normally what makes people so angry. It's also why they were given the title "Terrible Elitists" in the first place. They're people working in the government, voting to give more to the government which only a small minority are a part of.
I should also mention that deershark was elected democratically and Pizza the Hut prefers to run unopposed, therefore he is a enemy of America, Freedom and Democracy.
That is all, can't wait for your next article.
Well, people in parties and MUs will always try to get more money for their things, but it's transparent whenever they do so, so not much malice can come from it. It's always been that way as long as I can remember, since official JCS vs. ST6 times.
Also, not to mention that his party which his supporters say he "created and recruited for", he stole from NoS to begin with.
I find it odd that PTH has been crucified as a dangerous man who is letting in serbs or what not to PTO our great country. Last time I checked, congressmen can only approve citizenships
PTH has never been a US congressman.
That fact begs the question: Who are the real people letting in enemies to PTO our country? Is this another example of the elite's propaganda?
Yeah I agre with sobeit, your description of "elitist" is a bit off base. I think the "catchphrase" elitists (which I think is f**n retarded btw) stems from the fact that many Congressmen are systematically reelected term after term. The hold power positions and a lot of them hold unelected positions for months or even years regardless if they were even elected to Congress.
Its a bit "closed" one could say. Take Cromstar and Evry just for example. I know and like them both, both are smart, dedicated players, BUT they have held power in national policy regardless of public opinion or elections for a long long time.
Jus' sayin. Thats where all this "elite" nonsense comes from, some people feel slighted, others feel entitled.
Trust me there is nothing "elite" about Crom. Lol jk buddy, you boss playa.
Just my 2 pennies.
Why are articles this good so hard to find?
excuse my grammarz its early 😛
back to my breakfast.
Voted :3
To give a full etymology to terrible elitism, it first started with a group of SEES-types who identified as "elitists" and generally trolled about and occassionally sniped people into congress. They put monocles and top hats on their avatars, if you remember that. People like Emerick and Glove were the original "terrible elitists".
After that kind of organization split up and quit because they'd been around for ages, military purists (like the JCS before the congress rule was revoked) and more recently, the PTH gang used it to blanket most of the "politics" portion of the game, at least nationally in the Congress and the Executive. This is where more people started identifying themselves as it, and others slurred it more often against random people. It became less of a group identity and more like a joke.
Now it can really mean anything, it's departed far enough from it's original meaning (and the actual definition of elitist) to where it can be used in many contexts. I meant to address the common PTH gang blanket, such as the one Elizabeth Jones is using nowadays.
vs
Ajay has been in Congress before EJ.
Not on his current multi, but others.
Great article
Don't let in Serbs but hordes of Turks is ok ???
oh,please
Good article, black.
Yes, cause Serbs are our worst enemy, while Cyprus and INCI are allies.
I actually don't agree with INCI evading IES either, when they have.
@EJ: http://www.erepublik.com/en/country/USA/citizenship/applications/approved/414
@RO: 1) What Vanek said, 2) I never said it was ok
INCI has been our domestic and national ally for some time, while the Serbs and Huns PTH let in had the express intention of PTOing America, just look at their names ffs ^
lol..EJ...doesn't even remember PTH being in congress...u really need to learn, what and who to fight for.
Elitism is alive and well in eRep. The best example I can give is those that achieve power and influence in this game and won't step down to allow others the same opportunity. This happens all the time in the Fed party. Some of the people considered leaders there, don't do a damn thing and still expect their voice to carry weight. The other leaders fiercely protect these people and maintain their leader status past the point of them deserving it based on reputation only. There are too many people living off their past successes or hard work.
Voted.
KEATING I found a typo.
You meant to say 69% penetration.
wurdddd
@KB: I'll readily admit that I was only speaking for national politics here (Congress and Executive), as I've never gotten involved deeply in party politics. PP have always seemed uniquely vicious compared to most of the game, whether it was internal or towards each other, something I never really "got".
There will always be people who stick by their guns and only help their friends, however, they've always been the minority in my time on the national stage, and their combativeness keeps them out of the higher echelon.
@CRoy: y u so crazy
Is this situation in erep reflected from rl America?
receive an extremist Muslims from Asia, train them and send them back
and what eventually happens? all that returns like a boomerang
Now you have at least 3 of 5 top articles in the turkish language in eUSA
cyprus is/was all greek and what we have now in erepublik?
God forbid that in rl! God forbid!
Right cause pth can win 60 seats in congress, win pp elections from every party, and get potus all in the same month. And last time I remember you gave pizza some foreign position, you admitted it was a joke or something
@RO: I don't get it. And the Turks in Cyprus are working together with the Greeks, last time I checked.
@Lexone: What part of "long process" did you not get? And the joke was that I didn't call it "ambassador" I said "envoy" or something, because his ego wouldn't allow him to have an entry level position.
Romans said -si fueris Romae, Romano vivitomore; si fueris alibi, vivito sicut ib-
-If you are in Rome, live in the Roman way, if you are elsewhere, live as they do there-
with due respect for the Turks and others who are not Americans
When I see the article in the American media space in Turkish, without English version of it it`s offends me,I considered it like a provocation
B K you mean this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus
it is a tragicomic
Voted.
Turkish media was a big deal when they first came here, but really no one minds anymore since the media module went to hell, and most of the inci post English versions now too.
wrt Cyprus, I'm talking about ingame.
So 2 years to get to uswp size, and by then it will take maybe 3 more years to get 66% of congress,then that should be enough to win potus election.
There is a difference between power hungry and having power
s0beit +1
Cerb is actually a Serb
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/stand-up-america-look-at-the-corruption--1858321/1/20
Elitism is a label used by those out of power, who once they assume power, become the elites and behave exactly like those they ousted - in both eRep and RL.
Don't let in Serbs but hordes of Turks is ok ???
oh,please
x2
Well written
@Wally Wilson
For the most part that is true. Where you and I differ is that that I believe there a special few who are able to let their power go and walk away from its trappings. It is these people who are able to exemplify the difference between elitist and non elitist. While they hold power, they use it responsibly and they know when it is time to step away. That time is often when they realize that they are not like them or they don't want to be like them anymore.
Yo s2 negro
v70 s981
yo, ma niggah.. keep da fayeth!
voted
@Kara Beth. From empirical observation the general norm is that as soon as the "outs" get "in" they act just like the old "ins" did, or often even more tyrannically. eAustralia went through a similar anti-elite period. When the anti-elites assumed power they disappeared from view, the government went to hell, and they ended up robbing the treasury. When another anti-elite assumed power (he was eventually banned for multis) he began threatening the Senate and wrote long paranoid articles about how everyone was out to destroy his administration - he was impeached.
Therefore, I take the anti-elite uproar with a great deal of cynicism knowing that in many cases its simply a us-against-them power grab.
There are some, like up, who have genuine concerns, but if I may, just be careful who you ally with.
v
"The government, the departments, the military are all constructs that we built for each other, filled with every name, group, argument, collaboration and change that has scraped the game since 2007."
All that forceful stroking since 2007! I hope no one was too badly scarred! 😛😛
that's what lotion is for