Roleplaying
2004 Archive
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Seminars
| When: | 30 October 2004 |
| Who: | Adlai (as Mike), Megumi |
| What: | Megumi meets a bureaucrat named Mike, and Megumi reveals her ideal 'nation'. Discussion ensues. |
Foo.Bar.Com
A cybercafe like no other, instead of just catering to the tech-savy with a wireless connection or having pay-per-minute computer stations, Foo.Bar.Com has free access for everyone. If you've got a laptop but no wireless connection, there's plug in stations for dialup or high-speed. If you want to use one of the Foo.Bar.Com computers, there's no charge, as long as you buy a drink or something to eat. And in the background at all times there is playing a sci-fi movie or reruns of old sci-fi TV shows.
What few realize is that the Foo.Bar.Com cafes are a means for Jean to watch the trends and ideas of humans who deal with technology the most.
Mike is standing at nearby the the counter, frowning at the menu. He looks a bit fried, and unconsciously looses his tie. "Pizza? Pizza sounds good," he mutters to himself.
Mike shakes his head out and walks forward. He talks to the clerk for a bit, and orders his dinner, such as it is. Once he's ordered, he pays for his meal, takes the plastic cup and waits for his pizza to come up.
Megumi pushes the doors open to Foo.Bar and slides inside. She glances over to the counter briefly, before focusing her attention to the other counters, checking to see if there is any space...and once she sees that there is some, she heads up to the counter. If she doesn't get a drink, it ain't free.
Mike nods briefly to the teenager, apparently the only other one in here other than the guy behind the desk. He sits down and starts on his pizza.
Megumi orders a soda and looks over to Mike. "Mm? Oh, just here to eat, huh? Don't have a laptop or something?", she doesn't sit down yet, she doesn't have her soda!
Mike nods and replies, "I will be using one of the store computers. I am afraid working for the government does not pay enough for a laptop. Well, other than perhaps one from the early nineties, the ones that were about the size of a human torso?"
Megumi says, "Uh. Really? You should ask for a raise or something.", she heads to a closeby counter and sets her computer down, and pops it open, "What do you do in the government? Decide which ways the missiles head?", she boots up the computer and leans back in her seat.
Mike shakes his head as he continues to eat his pizza. "Nothing so glamorous, I am afraid. I take care of registration forms. Concealed weapon permits, zoning permits, that sort of thing. I suppose if someone had a missile in the state that they told the government about, I might be in charge of registering it." He boxes up his remaining pizza and heads towards a nearby staff computer. "And you?"
Megumi says, "Ohh, is that so? That's pretty interesting.", she slurps on her soda, and murmurs, "Oh, I just go to school, you know? Unfortunately, most of the University Teachers should be sacked, but I try to gather up some knowledge using their resources, if not their minds."
Mike smiles a bit at that. "If you find it interesting, that is more than I. But it pays the bills. Actually, I am hoping to go back to college in a few years, once my financial situation is stabilized."
Megumi says, "Well, you are the one who 'gives' special freedoms to the people, no?", she sips on her soda and starts typing on her computer. She glances over to Mike every so often but she doesn't seem too worried about mistyping at her laptop. tictictictic.
Mike loads up internet explorer and gmail on his computer. "Well, I suppose so," he says with a somewhat amused tone. "Permits also strictly delimit what you can do, but I suppose they are an exception to the default 'you do nothing' state."
Megumi says, "Mmhmm, if someone older than me wanted to have a concealed weapon, you could keep them from getting it, -or- let them do it. Unless they were willing to break the law and stuff, anyway.", she types a bit more at her laptop, clearly a touch typist. She pushes the laptop backwards and to the side after a few moments before adding, "So you think it's boring, what do you plan on your job to be after you're done with College again?"
Mike says, "It would be a bit harder than that to get the cee-double-u permit than that, as it requires prior identification." He opens an email, frowns at it, and moves on to the next. "Well, hopefully, get a job in psychiatry. My original major was abnormal psychology."
Megumi says, "Just saying," she waves a hand...and tries to get a look at Mike's email! Hohoho! Inquisitive lady! "There's a lot of different psychological problems. Did you know that homo-sexuality was once considered a psychological abnormality? I learned that in a class."
Mike does not bother to conceal this one; it is simple spam. He does, however, cease continuing to read through his e-mail. "Yes. An unfortunate creation of cultural bias. The first psychiatrist to speak out strongly against that bias died recently, also unfortunately"
Megumi wrinkles her nose, and doesn't bother to conceal her seeing of it, "Ugh, I hate that.", she switches her laptop to newgrounds. hehehehe. "Oh? Who was he? You've got me curious now, I was not aware there was one who did so."
Mike gives a name that his player knew a few months ago, but is having a distinct problem remembering now. "Well, someone had to take a stand. If they did not, how would the erroneous conception be changed?"
Megumi says, "Oh I wouldn't know, maybe a bloody revolution or something.", she leans forward and asks, curiously, "So do you sleep with guys? I don't care much if you do or not, just curious."
Mike shakes his head again, blinking a bit at Megumi's sheer depth of questioning. "At the moment," he says self-deprecatingly, "I do not sleep with much of anyone. Voter registration rolls are up, up, up, on the political hot list."
Megumi says, "That's too bad, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy says you guys have good fashion sense.", she stares at her computer screen, drums her fingers against the table, and hrms, "...That so, though..? hmm... Don't you think it's weird that most of the voting is done near Halloween?", she flashes Mike a smile.
Mike shakes his head. "No, that's not what I meant... oh, well. In any case, I do not think so; it was probably deliberately arranged roughly around harvest time so that people would not be focusing on food shortages when voting. That, or the usual bread and circuses routine."
Megumi says, "You don't seem to like your job.", she gives a sigh at her computer screen, "Hurry up and open up, sheesh....", she glances over to Mike, "Bread and circuses? Isn't that Caesar?"
Mike nods. "It is a roman saying, at least; I believe it belongs to Caesar. In all honesty, I do enjoy my job, boring or no; it gives me an excellent look at people, abnormal psychology or normal. It is merely somewhat stressful around this time fo the year."
Megumi says, "Of course, what with all the mudslinging around. Who is your favorite candidate, by the way? Is it Bush? If it's not Bush, you don't have to say. I'm sure you don't want to be taken out by his hit squads, right?"
Mike is starting to look somewhat overwhelmed. "I am certain that he does not have hit squads, yet, although voting against him the wrong way in other parts of Texas might be dangerous, I suppose!" He smiles and tries to deflect a bit. "Are you eligible to vote this year?"
Megumi laughs a little at that, "Oh, really? Oh well. I am old enough to vote, though I do not believe I -will-. All the politicians that have a chance of winning are corrupt anyway."
Mike frowns. "If you do not vote, you are still responsible for the outcome," he points out. "You have the choice to choose the least corrupt, or to write-in a candidate that you think would not be. As a citizen, if you feel the politicians are corrupt, you must act to discourage corruption by voting against it. By not voting, you encourage corruption- because it is not an issue for those who do."
Megumi Says, "The 'one person matters' spiel is actually bullshit.", simply, "The stupid majority will always outweigh the intelligent few. If I vote, one of them will be elected, if I don't vote, one of them will be elected. From a purely factual standpoint, I will need the support of many others to make my vote matter. And those many others would have to be spread out against several states, enough to carry a majority in each. It is not the problem of those who do not vote, it is the problem of those who do. It's pretty simple when the system is controlled entirely by majorities. Those who vote for Kerry and Bush and don't think about alternatives. -They're- the problem with the system. If they go, then there will be a reason to vote again, otherwise there isn't really.", she pushes her laptop viewscreen back a bit.
Mike shakes his head. "It is not. THere is no group of voters that does not consist of individuals. No, your vote may not change the election by itself, but simply disregarding it because you will nt win immediately is the equivalent of not racing because you will not win the first race. If you do not run each time, you will never move." He shrugs. "As for the mindless voting, yes, that is a difficulty. People who see a lack of opportunity for change are something of a problem, yes?" he asks with a bit of a smile.
Megumi waves a hand, "A race is different. It is not the equivalent because there is no scale of racers that is the scale of everybody in the United States. Most people are stupid, some people are smart, and even if all the smart people agreed and voted for the same person, or became candidates themselves, the two party system alone shuts them out. Until a multiple party system that does not rely on two pre-established 'main' parties that get all the coverage, voting is ultimately useless. Secondly, just because I do not vote now, that does not mean I will not vote later. I do not have to practice to become a better voter. In order to really bring about change, the mishaps of the two-party system have to be made clear to everyone to the point that third-parties are the only alternative. The mudslinging Kerry and Bush fling at each other is all a part of the game, you see. It doesn't matter who wins, because they make you fear whichever candidate so much that you vote entirely for Kerry, for example, to kick Bush out..out of fear. And this keeps n going so that even people who believe otherwise would not vote for whom they really want in charge.", she beams, "Oh, change is possible, but not for me. I don't have enough money.", a wink.
Mike smiles. "I am fond of the idea of a multiple-party system," he says. "It would require major changes to the constitution that would rely on the smaller states surrendering power, but, it is an interesting dream, is it not?" He shrugs in response to the rest of your objection. "In this case, it is not a matter of being a "better" voter, but changing the concentration of the vote. By actively voting, either based on the candidates, or your goals, or your principles, you change the nature of the electorate. Not much on your own, but if you do vote, you may join others."
Megumi says, "An interesting 'dream', anyway.", she returns to her soda and slurps on it thoughtfully. "That's true, but I don't think many people want what I want for this country."
Mike's eyes turn to you and sharpen a bit, interested. "What do you want for the country?" he asks.
Megumi says, "I have a few separate dreams. For President, I'd pick Jonathan Stewart, he makes me laugh. As a whole? I think Texas should regain autonomy from the rest of the country. I think it would be best for everyone involved."
Mike laughs. "As a federal employee, allow me to disagree with the latter. Why do you think it would be better, though?"
Megumi says, "Oh, 'fcourse, I'm hardly trying to force my opinions on you.", she tilts her head, "Mm..well, it's not really just for Texas, but many states are simply opposed to each other. California and Texas are the leading Democratic and Republican states respectively...So if they always disagree, why should they be in the same union as each other? It'd be a lot simpler if all the 'always vote Republican' and 'Always vote Democratic' states were separated to provide some new thought into the organization, it'll force multi-party systems on both groups. And we wouldn't be able to bully the rest of the world anymore either because we won't be the unipole."
Mike shakes his head. "Why would that provide new thought? By subdividing the same rough group? It might make for some internal changes in the same direction, but you would not get the new ideas from the clash of conflicting ideas. Multiple venues of thought create new ideas. It is not happening now, however; the current clash is over the basis of all thought."
Megumi says, "No, you see, by dividing the main group up, you give more power to the minorities. Texas will still be a large state with power, but the other smaller and more moderate states will most certainly have more power. When I say 'new thought' I mean 'newly supported thought' that would probably lead to 'new thought' if the more sidelined viewpoints get experimented with."
Mike says, "I prefer to see things as a unified whole, I suppose. Everyone working with the larger group. I do not think that it would cause a greater effect for minority viewpoints than the current system, unless the newly created countries have radically different systems. The minority in a state would be in roughly the same position in their internal elections as they would be in the electoral college, except that their opportunities for outside transfer would resultantly be limited by new border laws and regulations. Where they flow freely- where identity is tied not to just the here, but the whole, multiple viewpoints have multiple ways of expression. Ideas from California about health care and homosexuality move freely, rather than competitively, to mix within Texas; Texan ideas about gun ownership and police enforcement transfer to California, and it is a discussion between separate units within the whole. The democrat in Texas can point to California not as a wholly different culture- although there are significant differences- but as a part of a larger, orderly unity. The republican in California can point to Texas' tax laws and business dealings, and not be dismissed as an utter traitor. If they became separated, broken off from the whole, there would be entirely new levels of distrust between them. The sidelined viewpoints can, and do get experimented with in this country; usually on the state level, but there are pushes to the national, occasionally. The problem with minority viewpoints as I see it is two fold- first, the electoral college system, especially with the 'reversion to congress' rule virtually ensures it; seond, the power of the political parties as national units exceeds local concerns. I would fight that not by spitting up the unit, but by splitting the parties. Unfortunately, that is still a 'catch twenty-two;' the ones who have the power to change are the ones who need to be changed. Still, sufficient fiascoes like the one in 2000 and they may not have a choice."
Megumi blinks at Mike. She looks absolutely stunned for a few moments. There are a lot of words there. Throughout the speech she sometimes looks a little impatient, perhaps having something to say to individual points rather than the whole, but eventually she manages, "Look at it mathematically. As has been proven by the latest elections, the sides are practically evenly split between Democrat and Republican in electrorial terms. A house divided against itself cannot stand...Unless there are two houses. The moderate states would have the controlling power due to outnumbering the massively focused republican or democratic areas. I don't think new border laws and such would be a terrible concern either. After all, the European Union allows people from different countries to travel to each other's countries without much hassle. It could be done the same way here, except through states. I doubt there will be a civil war over it or anything like that."
Mike laughs a little "No, it can not, as it is at the moment. That is the very basis of the current crisis. Crises ike that have ways of resolving themselves- to either the Repubican basis or the Democrat. I suspect that within a few decades the current party make up will be be radically changed- or replaced."
He smiles and adds, "So there will be a change, one way or another, I suppose."
Megumi frowns, "Well, y'know... A few decades is a long time in most people's heads. Planning that far ahead, or even being willing to wait that long is sorta....I mean, you can work for something your entire life and die -naturally- before anything comes of it."
Mike nods. "But it is the time that is important. As it stands, the transformation would more than likely be ordered, for the most part. If it were to happen now, the only way there could be transition is by violent, sudden change."
Megumi says, "Oh, I loathe violence," with a sigh, "Too bad, too bad.", she closes up her laptop wistfully, not bothering to save anything.
Mike pats you gently on the arm. "Oh, I would not worry. You will see changes on a constant level moving up to that point. The political conflict will continue- it is out of the synthesis of those ideas moving within the whole that will produce the final result."
Megumi puts the laptop back in the case, glancing at her arm as it's patte,d "Mm. As you say, sir," she stands up, however, and adds, "All the same, I have to get going. It was...very interesting talking to you," she bows her head briefly.
Mike nods. "The same to you as well. I think you will do well with the resources available to you at your school, even if not with the teachers."
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