[voice]

[ryuuzaki]

[Ryuuzaki's low voice is accented in a way that people from places other than the U.K. might think of as "generically English," and when the message begins, his tones are pleasant and measured without being effusive.]

Hello, everyone.

The Ingress has brought us to the Moira from any number of places. When I meet someone, I can't say whether our similarities will outweigh our differences, or vice-versa... when you're this far from home, even small commonalities can seem important. It's led me to be curious about the broad strokes of everyone's backgrounds.

[A pause, as he approaches his real question.]

What can you tell me about the government in the place you came from before this? Both the form of government and, if possible, specific names of leaders.

If it wasn't your original home, I'd be interested in hearing about that, too, even down to what year it was for you.

If you'd prefer to answer privately, that's all right with me. I can promise you my discretion.

Thank you.

Comments

voice

[sheriffing]

Why are you asking about the government?

[She might be willing to talk, but let's start there.]

[ryuuzaki]

It's a way of establishing commonalities without asking anything explicitly personal, which people might be more reluctant to discuss.

On the other hand, I have to admit that I'm curious about whether our current situation represents relative freedom or relative oppression for some of our crewmates.

[sheriffing]

Who says it can't be both?

[Even if it's freedom for some of them, they're still being oppressed by being trapped here.]

[vengeance_driven]

The old country, Yugoslavia, is now many countries. American government is a shitty example of democracy. The president is Joe Lawton.

[ryuuzaki]

I've never heard of Lawton, although Yugoslavia has broken into several countries in my world, too. Serbia and Herzegovina, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia. Does that sound about right?

[deal]

It's been a while since there's been any form of government, where I'm from. I don't even remember the name of our last leader.

[There's a pause, and she sounds a little unsure as she gets out the next part.]

Why do you want to know?

[ryuuzaki]

It's a way of establishing commonalities without asking anything that will necessarily be personal, and it may show some general patterns in everyone's backgrounds and expectations.

[This is only the secondary reason why he's asking, but it already seems like someone mentioning van Rijn is a remote possibility... which is for the best.]

Was there some sort of crisis to cause the breakdown in governance?

[ersatzeverything]

Government. Wow. A government would be nice. Maybe. Depending on the government. I think I'd give feudalism and dictatorships a pass.

Where I'm from we have a main course of gangs and violent anarchy, with a side order of despotic mayors.

[ryuuzaki]

I'd have to agree with you, although I suppose it's a matter of perspective.

How long has it been like that, to your knowledge?

text;

[smoothaf]

Why don't you start?

[ryuuzaki]

To begin with, there's no central government on my Earth... the United Nations is more of an international advisory body. There are several hundred nations, most with their own government. Some are more functional than others.

Does any of this sound familiar?

text.

[wallcrawls]

democracy (federal constitution); bipartisan + bicameral w/ a single head of state + government (president); fptp electoral system.

[ryuuzaki]

American? Who's the President?

[voice]

[mttbrandlegs]

[What an interesting question. Mettaton decides that, out of curiosity's sake, he'll answer it. What could it hurt?

The voice that responds to Ryuuzaki's query reverberates with a distinct metallic ring.]

The government in the Underground was a monarchy, presided over by our king, Asgore. I don't think knowing anything that simple requires discretion, darling! But what does this base information really do for you?

Furthermore, may I know about your government structure as well?

[ryuuzaki]

Oh, I'm afraid I've traveled quite a bit... I can't say that I'm particularly attached to any one governmental structure. I'm a British citizen, however.

[This is technically true, but that isn't always the passport he presents, nor do any of his passports have the same name, or his real name.]

The government there is parliamentary, with a constitutional monarch... that is, she occupies a ceremonial and advisory role, but elected officials generally do the actual governing.

What kind of king is Asgore? He seems to have more power than a constitutional monarch would, but how does he use it?

[hellsbel]

[ah, the sweet academic smell of an anthropological survey. can't pass that up -- the questions don't look to infringe on any particular privacies, and science must be done, after all.]

That's a unique way of establishing commonalities. [the sharp face and cheerfully ironic alto are ambiguous as to gender, but the accent might be placed as educated Midwestern American, albeit far removed by time.] I'm from the 31st century, as Earth-origin might calculate it. My home planet, Beta Colony, is governed by a constitutional egalitarian democracy established after the generation-ships landed but before wormhole travel was discovered; it's been relatively stable for almost 800 years. They were in the middle of a... heated... election cycle when I was brought here, with the incumbent on her way out. I haven't lived there for decades, but I still hold citizenship.

[ryuuzaki]

That's very interesting.

[It is, and it's the first answer close to anything like the one he's actually been looking for, but that may not mean much in the scheme of things... it depends on the details. The comment about wormholes rather than jump drives suggests not, but still....]

Generation ships? Would that be something like a colony class ship?

[warandpeace]

I'm originally from Japan, post World War II. Yokosuka. Japan has a constitutional monarchy with a parliament. I came to live in America, a democracy in my world too, during the Vietnam war before returning home. I lived in Central America training rebel troops in the years after the Cuban missile crisis, late sixties, early seventies, moving from country to country with a mercenary group for some time.

Currently I live abroad still but there continues to be nuclear tension during the cold war. Russians have invaded Afghanistan and there is increased ethnic intolerance in Africa and religious unrest in the Middle East.

[ryuuzaki]

All of this sounds familiar to me -- similar enough to my own world. I've spent some time in Japan.

Has there been a revolution in Iran yet?

text;

[sturmunddrang]

That depends entirely on first, how you define where we come from, and second, whether you're willing to be half was giving in return of information yourself.

[He doesn't do anything unless he's getting something out of it, thank you very much.]

[ryuuzaki]

Of course.

How do you define where you come from?

text

[a_shadow]

Didn't anyone ever tell you politics is one of those forbidden topics?

[ryuuzaki]

No.

If they did, would you listen, or would you wonder why they were saying so?

voice

[quixotically]

Government is... a funny thing. The region I've spent the last year in... There was just a war fought over it. One side was called the New California Republic, and they modeled their government after Pre-War America. The other was Caesar's Legion, who were like... supposed to be modeled after the Romans, but it was more like -- well, it's complicated, but the part that matters for the question is that it was a dictatorship, I guess. And there was... someone else who wanted to take over the area, too, and he wanted to be a dictator, too.

None of them won. Instead, we just... don't have a government. We should probably pick one, though.

[ryuuzaki]

That sounds complicated.

[Government usually is, but not necessarily always as complicated as that: some times and regions are relatively peaceful when viewed from a distance.]

When you say Pre-War America, which war do you mean?