Political Take Overs and Elitism in eRepublik
Day 1,197, 04:21
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Published in USA 
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by
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by Socialist Freedom Org
Day 1197 of New World
The following guest editorial was submitted by Smily132, one of the founders of the Socialist Freedom Party:
My theory on Political Take Overs and Elitism in eRepublik.
by Smily132
To all of my korean readers: Please keep in mind that this was intended for a global audience, and it isn't necessary an attack on the current government.
To all other readers: This is more in depth and serious than you can normally expect out of me.
Preface
I have never had a hard time understanding why “PTO” groups do what they do.
I have had a hard time with them taking what I believed was mine.
I was first introduced to the radical notion that PTO’s don’t exist when I was living in eSouth Korea and the Theocrats (a branch of Dioists) had taken over the country. They would often argue that the citizens who had lived in eSK before they came had no more right to the country than anyone else.
Up until recently I really had never thought of it that way, and thought it was an interesting way to look at things. I didn’t believe in it necessarily. It wasn’t until many months later that I started thinking about how much merit this idea actually has.
I started connecting it with my loathing for the elite class in countries like eUSA. I’ve had many first-hand experiences dealing with different “PTO’s” both as a regular citizen and as part of the elite that I can draw information from.
Logo of the theocrats
Chapter 1: The PTO
I do not believe that what people call “political take overs” (PTO’s) as they are known in eRepublik exist. Nevertheless, I will continue to use the term PTO throughout this article for lack of a better term.
A “PTO” is not one foreign group stealing the place of a group that rightfully belongs in power. Rather it is one group replacing another equal group.
I believe that everyone in the game belongs to at least one group. In most large countries, citizens are born into the group that consists of most of the other people in their country. Most governments will gladly supply various public services to the people in their country because they view the people of their country as part of their own group.
In small countries it is a different story. Small countries are much more prone to “PTO’s” as most people refer to them. Generally these “PTO” groups are groups that spawn out of larger countries for one purpose or another. Most commonly, they are looking for a new home because they got kicked out of their own home.
They want to use the country for their own monetary gains, or they want to help their country/super alliance by asserting power in a country. eRepublik is game of groups, and most importantly it is a game of conflict between groups. It is inevitable that these conflicts will happen because each group has their own self interests and they often butt heads with the interests of other groups.
The real problem with people complaining about groups that come to take over a country is that they aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong.
The citizens who live in a country who are being PTO’d really have no more entitlement to their country than anyone else.
They obviously want to maintain their power and stability, but it does not mean that they are fighting a righteous battle. All groups want to do just as much for their people as any other group. People often make the claim “TH3y R st34lin’ 0uR C0untri3z” or something to that effect. The only problem with that statement is that it never was yours to begin with.
Chapter 2: The Elite Class
The ones that have the biggest issue with “PTO’s” are the elite class because they have the most to lose from a “PTO”.
In most countries, the elite class successfully persuades their close followers to join their crusade against a “PTO” despite the fact that the life of regular citizens remains mostly unchanged when a new group is in power.
The elitist class often takes great measures to make sure their power is maintained. There is more to it than just power. Often times the elite class has a great deal of time and money invested in the country as well and they don’t want to see that go to waste.
In eUSA, for example they even have an election committee called the “Federal Election Committee” to make sure that the elite class stays in power.
In my opinion, this is a very bad thing for the majority of the country because under my theory it is almost like the eUS elites are treating their regular citizens as part of a different group that they are trying to keep out of power. Quite frankly that is exactly what it is for.
Have you ever wondered why the same group of circle jerking friends (along with a few new people who sleep with the current elites to work their way in to the elite class) have always been in power?
The elites deciding what to do with the country
Could it just be that the author is just some butthurt reject?
I have been in the elite class before, I was second in line (1st, had I not passed on the torch voluntarily) to the throne of eSouth Korea about a year ago.
I know what it is like to be part of the “elite class” that I so deeply loathe.
I know what it is like to have everything you have worked for taken away from you.
Yet, through all the frustration I can completely understand the motives of PTO groups. If I didn’t have other loyalties it would be -- dare I say? -- “fun” to be part of a PTO.
At the end of the day it comes down to one group feuding with another, and these feuds will continue for as long as eRepublik is around.
~Smily132
Citizen of South Kromania
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Comments
"Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under."
-- H. L. Mencken
An H.L. Mencken quote. I love it!
From Ceres, Chapter Forty-Three by L. Neil Smith:
"The ends do not justify the means. The means help to insure that the ends are just."
--The Diaries of Rosalie Frazier Ngu
The stated reason for the backroom dealing that goes on with the "Top 5" parties are to elect the best Congress possible. Obviously with the same people being elected over and over this is not the case. The system has diverged from its intent. We are not looking out for our long-term survival. Without newer players being elected to Congress and learning how it works through the more experienced Congressmen, what do we expect to happen when the more experienced Congressman are no longer elected? This could happen whether they leave the game or "the people" are able to outperform the Snipers that the Party Presidents use to insure that their selected candidates win. With the current system corrupted, it is time to recognize that the only ones who have the right to determine how many people any particular party has in Congress are the voters themselves.
Will we allow "the people" to elect our Congress and, through those means, insure that the ends are just -- or will we continue to let the Party Presidents succumb to the pressure of those currently in power and keep electing the same old Congressman, ignoring the fact that they will need to be replaced by experienced and knowledgeable candidates someday?
So true words... The unfortunate thing is, 90-95% of the eRepublik player base cannot ever comprehend the idea put forth here. They don't have the right mindset to begin with, since eRepublik has more nationalist players due to the selection bias.
Actually, the reason that "elites" try to stop PTO's is because PTOers usually cripple the nation with new tax rates, and send all the cash to themselves (historically).
Subscribed. Great article. Nice to see a rational point of view.
V + S. its human nature to fear the unknown. The problem with PTO'ers is that they usually come to the country and start their political campaigns immediately before we get a chance to get to know them. You're right about the elitists having much more to lose than 80% of the population, which is why their reactions to potential PTO threats are much more dramatized. "ALL R BASE R BELONG TO US, NOT U." - Elitist.
Original article
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/my-theory-on-political-take-overs-and-elitism-in-erepublik-1695232/1/20
v
SFP should be allies with iNCi
This is very thought provoking. As one who could justly be labeled part of the elite in a small country often under PTO threat (past CP, present PP, 8x in Congress, multiple Cabinet and military positions), I have to admit that, even though I really believe my primary motivation is to serve my community, I do fight for my own party to stay in power and am somewhat distrustful of unknowns. This is complicated by the fact that I am openly a RL American sent to eBelgium in an ATO effort many months ago. It can be really hard to rid ourselves of RL mind sets even in an imaginary New World.
smily's original article:
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/my-theory-on-political-take-overs-and-elitism-in-erepublik-1695232/1/20
the original article is great! and the comments section over there is worth reading too.
Thanks for a good article, smily132!
man i am amazed!!!
well done very well written. after a long time someone deserves my subs
This is a neat perspective and one that many people haven't considered. Way to go.
I've been part of more than a few aggressive take-overs in my day, and this article is 100% true. (Not that our intents were bad...they were just different than the current govs).
And yes, it is _very_ fun to be part of a PTO. Thanks for the great read.
The problem is that with PTOers and PTO's the new "owners" usually do not care if the population of the nation they took over thrives or dies off. This usually means that country treasuries are stolen, businesses destroyed, nations run into the ground or "swapped" to the PTOers home nation.
Those left in the ruins of the nation that was victimized have to attempt to rebuild while dodging more PTOs.
Citizneship was supposed to solve the issue of PTO's but it became just another tool for the PTOers to use. Now instead of needing to orginize a mass amount of people to PTO a nation, you simply grow new voters, usually multies, and vote yourselves into power.
PTO's hurt the game to the extent that new players looking at their ruined nations walk away because they dont know why their country is in shambles, their top 5 media is in a strange language and why when they work 50% goes to the country accounts which are then sent to (Insert country here).
Your rant against elites is rather funny because while its partially true it also contains enough errors to ensure that the elites can still sleep easy at night knowing their power in any country is absolute.
This is simply amazing writing by my e-wife.
Smile on, Smily