Lit Societies in SW

Meh, no longer care about this - it's only frakking fiction!

 

More like it wouldn't be a good idea Jello - I've concluded I'm nowhere near inclined to this right now, another time, another day I probably would be - as that prior discussion we had some time back was a good one - and yes, you did get met halfway in more than a few areas in it- but right now? No. And it wouldn't be fun for you either.

I will say this though - it's a pity, because your most recent post (#53) reads a lot better than your older one and a good discussion would likely ensue from it. Am I thinking particularly clearly tonight? I'd say probably not. If the thread's still around and I'm in a calmer and better state of mind in a few days perhaps I'll pick this up but until then, wouldn't be a good idea.

 

Forgive me if I am putting words @GrandAdmiralJello's mouth, but based on what I have been reading I think that the real point of "contention" boils down to the definition of democracy. In a modern sense, democracy is short hand for free societes that have elected governments and espouse Western values. This includes federal republics like the United States of America and constitutional monarchies like the United Kingdom. They have many facets of democracy, but they are not "pure" democracies.

When Jello says things against democracy, he is saying he is not a fan of the original Greek-style of direct democracy, because it is simply about majority rule and doesn't offer strong protection to the minority opinion. Jello isn't a fascist or anti-freedom at all. My friend is a fan of the classics and very well versed in presenting opposing viewpoints to get good discussions going. He merely espouses and prefers older forms of representative governments that are more based on republican principles than direct democracy.

Democracy still needs to have checks and balances to prevent the tyranny of the majority as well. Hence why democracy, when mixed with republican values, tends to work better than any other form of government.

Anyways, that is my two cents. I should probably get back to posting about Ackbar or naval battles or somesuch.

--Adm. Nick

 

Really, you would cite Byss as an example of the Empire's benevolence? Sure, it was leisurely, because Palpatine was draining the life force of every last on of its 19.7 billion inhabitants to power his experimentation! It was a planet that presented the illusion of plenty while in reality snatching it all away. So sure, use the Byss example to highlight Palpatine's ultimate plans - the literal consumption of the life energy of the galaxy to feed himself as some kind of eternal nigh-omnipotent dark lord. That's going further than even Abeloth.

I must agree with this sentiment. Democracy is certainly not without its flaws, but it certainly seems to be the most just governance system we humans have been able to sustain. The sustain part is critical - an autocratic government can prove to be of greater efficency and therefore efficacy as a source of moral good but this is dependent on having a certain type of leader to take the reigns, a type of person that happens to be in extremely short supply. Further, such enlightened dictatorships are only viable up to a certain point in organizational scale. At some point they grow to big for even the best of dictators to properly monitor and vet his or her subordinates.

Now, it is worth noting that critiques of democracy in Star Wars are not the same as a critique of democracy in human societies on planet Earth. Star Wars plays by different rules, including species, scale, and the weird reality of multi-planet distribution. So the questions start to change and become difficult to grapple with. The Senate of the Old Republic was, at best, very loosely 'democratic' in any sense so the value of democratic principles must be weighed against their impracticality.

Personally, I can't see any form of galaxy-spanning government that doesn't really screw over somebody. The trick is to find a solution that minimizes this problem while maximizing gains in other areas.

 

It wasn't at all. Often the ruler of a sector's capital planet choose the senator. For example, in the Chommel sector, which contains thousands of star systems, the Human inhabitants of Naboo elect a king or queen and he/she choose a senator for the entire sector. The people of Alsakan (planet/system) elected the senator for the entire sector. Dac is ruled by a planetary Council that representates the Mon Calamari and Quarren populace of the planet and elects the senator for the thousands of system in the Mon Cala sector. In the Alderaan sector, the throne was claimed through inheritance where the king choose a the senator. But the majority of sectors got their senators through elections in the sectorial senate. Each sector has it's own senat where sub sectors are represented.

 

This thread's lack of faith is disturbing...



...this is the leader the people need.

 

Screw society, I'm gonna live in a SKY HOUSE.

 

Please. Ackbar's underwater house in a kelp bed is way cooler. Plus you have the option to use his stunning home on Victory Lake in Coruscant when you want to spend the weekend in the city.

Just so no one accuses me of getting off topic... democracy, republic, free societies, freedom, liberty, etc.

Though, now that I think about it, that could also be a list of Rebel capital ship names. DERAILED.

--Adm. Nick

 

KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

 

Can I come?

 

Yes. We shall live in our bachelor pad SKY HOUSE, as Han and Chewie were meant to do.

 

That is not an image I wanted to wake up to.

 

I'll bring the zoochberries!

 

Clearly, we have drifted away from the original question.
Which type of government would you support?

 

The fact that government officials are accountable to the populace as well as their superiors makes finding and eliminating waste and corruption much easier.

 

The Septim Dynasty, particularly under fantastic rulers such as Empress Katariah.

...whoops, wrong empire.

 

Valorum, the accusations of corruption, and his powers being limited. Eventually, the Vote of No Confidence.

 

Anything but Ayatollah Palpatine's. I'm not a fan of dark side theocracies in monarchy's clothing.

Hi Jay.

 

Galactic anarchy all the way.

I certainly wouldn't. That sounds a bit too similar to North Korea.