Question Time with Marokai and PS

[Marokai Backbeat]

How you would handle Reality Or Nothing problem if you were President right now?

This question thread was meant to get answers and attention, so I may as well answer this in several ways that I've been thinking.

First, if I was President, speaking in character, I would obviously support efforts (and do currently) to list Reality of Nothing as a terrorist organization, investigate it's roots, and take all the means realistically possible (so long as they're effective) at protecting the security of important buildings such as the GTO building.

But I have to speak out of character with a concern I have on this whole ordeal. I've always been a little wary of the GM's power and how it's used, and this whole incident makes me a little uneasy. Essentially the Game Moderator has the power to create, well, reality. What I'm talking about here specifically is the lynch mob going after Al.

Al started a silly little organization like Al always does. Yes it said "we are prepared to use violence" in it and such, but that sort of stuff always pops up in Atlasia. Xahar has started at least two "revolutions." The Southeast once tried to wage an economic war on the Pacific. I can't count on one hand the times people have talked about secessions since I've been in Atlasia. But Purple State never decided to pop up and start implicating actual members in these things.

I don't like that, potentially, at any moment, the GM is capable of just taking down actual members and essentially banning them from the game (treason, afterall) because of some in-character thing they decided to do. I'm fine with events and responding to them and playing along as we always do. But I don't like that we're basically all going along with someone having the power to damage actual members just by crafting a narrative around it. I really think it's something we should avoid.

[Marokai Backbeat]

If that's the case then I'm totally fine with it. But I just hope it doesn't get used without that prompting in the future. I want to keep as many people playing the game as possible.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Wormyguy acts like wormyguy. News at 11.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Wormyguy's comments in this thread are basically on the same level of what I've had to put up with the entire campaign so far, so I really see no reason why I should let it bother me.

Though I'd greatly appreciate it if our supposedly Active-in-Atlasia moderators could get around to them..

[Marokai Backbeat]

Also, for the record, I live on the second floor.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Oh, and before you all throw a hissy-fit I'm letting the first Wormguy post stand. It's an unpleasant little post that indicates that he's a mean and petty little person. But just as I think I'm allowed to voice that opinion of him, I think he's allowed to argue that things Marokai has shared about his personal life makes him unfit to be president. We did precisely that when we got BushOK removed as moderator. 

Carrying on with slurring standing epithets is vindictive trolling and is going to be infracted though. He's made his point and I'm not going to let it continue.

Seriously?

Can I just have one incident in this entire campaign where people decide to bicker me to death be wiped clean?

[Marokai Backbeat]

What's your opinion of the potential abolition of the office of Vice-President?

I think the Vice Presidency desperately needs something to make it more worthwhile for damn sure. I'm wholeheartedly opposed to abolishing the office, but frankly, if no one's willing to do anything about the position at all everytime something's proposed, we may as well toss it, because it's getting nowhere.

The VP position should have alot more impact than it does. It's really easy to pick running mates when the position has virtually no responsibility aside from tiebreakers. I don't want the VP to exist solely as a token position for prettying up the top of the ticket just because there's no political ramifications for a VP pick. We need to make the decision matter and we need to make the position matter.

I think ideas about giving the VP position more legislative responsibilities is worth discussing. There have been some in the past that have proposed giving the Vice President the full powers of a Senator. I, honestly, wouldn't be opposed to such an idea if it was ever on the table.

If we're going to do absolutely nothing with the position, we may as well make it separately elected. I don't want the Vice President to merely be the President's accessory. We need to break up the old guard's tradition of picking carefully selected VP's to balance the top or get extra votes. These elections are supposed to be about policy and an individual's ideas. I want to eliminate as many possible political tricks as possible.

If I'm elected I will seek a variety of proposals in regard to the Vice Presidency. Something has to be done with it.

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Thank you, sir. I hope everyone can roundly condemn his comments.

[Marokai Backbeat]

While I know you might find it easy to criticize me over not updating the wiki with literally a few pieces of legislation, I've been away from Atlasia for a few days because I've had my fill with all the bickering. (Oh, and the person you "requested" update the wiki instead, lol, you're very subtle.)

Since my campaign started I've been overwhelmed with nothing but bitchfest after bitchfest and controversy after bogus controversy. At every point of something I've done in this campaign, I've had some thorn in my side trying to bicker me to death over it. NCY sycophanticly defends Tmth over his errors, Tmth tries to attack me over little things that he eventually turns out to be wrong on, Snowguy bickers with me over how long my responses are in the debate thread, Wormyguy tries insulting me with personal information (which is also, you know, wrong), you stir the pot over the UDL primary and people accuse me of being some sort of mob boss, Bgwah takes the petty bickering over to Purple State here in this thread. It goes on and on. No one gives me any break and tries to argue and bicker over each individual little thing that never has to deal with policy. These are just things off the top of my head. I didn't go back to try and highlight my point by searching posts. 

Purple State and others in private know my frustration with it all in private, and if I didn't take some time off before the campaign moved into the homestretch, I'd go on a killing spree.

When people want to battle over policy and ideas, I'm always up for the fight. I love those fights. They're battles of ideas with the people having the best ideas and those who can explain them best coming out on top. But battles of personality I can't win, and battles of fake bitching I can't win. I can't fake what I do.

So yes, I took a break for a few days, and didn't eventually get around to updating the wiki with the legislation you can count on one hand in the entire 30+ days since the last time the statute was updated. Forgive me for not keeping up with such a busy legislative body.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Statute page haven't been updated for a month, not just "few days". That's one.

While I know you might find it easy to criticize me over not updating the wiki with literally a few pieces of legislation,

....

So yes, I took a break for a few days, and didn't eventually get around to updating the wiki with the legislation you can count on one hand in the entire 30+ days since the last time the statute was updated. Forgive me for not keeping up with such a busy legislative body.

[Marokai Backbeat]

You can cry victim all you want, Marokai. But you're the won who destroyed at least four friendships just to make things "interesting." You're the one who called the JCP "disgusting" for running its own ticket.

The JCP ticket was literally formed on personal animosity toward me and made up of two people who lied right to my face on more than one occasion. People whine until they're blue in the face about how evil I am but no one ever even bothers to point out the fact that Oakvale said he would run with me, then said he wouldn't run with me because he didn't want to run for anything, then ran for President, on Snowguy's urging specifically because Snowguy told me he was pissed at me and didn't want me to win. Or bothers to point out that Snowguy himself said he didn't want to run for anything either.

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I posted snippets about two private conversations when people were full of BS and I couldn't take it anymore. I'm not going to stand for people to outright lie in public like that or try to pretend they feel a way they clearly don't. You people treated Kalwejt like crap behind his back, but now you're all acting like he's 'back home' or some other nonsense. It's absurd.

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Fritz had nothing to do with my decision. Why is it that no one can just deal with the simple rationale that I didn't think the previous political balance of power was good for the game? I explained precisely my reasons for founding the UDL. If I had stayed in the JCP I wouldn't have dared to primary anyone. This insane notion that I slashed my own political base so I could, and this is where is becomes crazy, have more power, is completely contradictory. If I wanted power I would've stayed in the JCP, where people would've voted for whoever the JCP ticket was without question, end of story.

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And you know what, that's totally fine, if everyone stops the pretense about policy. If everyone stops this pathetic act about actually caring about any possible administration or acting like they want to 'solve the tough issues' facing Atlasia. I'll drop my focus on policy proposals when people stop pretending they actually give a damn.

Oakvale has barely proposed anything, Tmth is unsure of what to propose beyond wholesale plagiarism or the no-brainers, so yeah, you're probably right. I'm not going to deny that at the end of the day, no one seems to care about the deeper parts to Atlasia. But if that's the case, I want people to have the balls to say it out loud instead of being two-faced about it. If Oakvale wants to run on the "we're awesome people and Atlasia is just for fun! wooo!" platform, I am all for him doing so. Most JCP members would vote for him no matter what, anyway.

But until people are honest about their true feelings, I'll stick to publishing platforms and arguing over what people say they actually care about.

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By the measure of "candidate with the prettiest smile and awesomest groupies!", you're probably right. Since that's what this campaign has devolved to, I'm 99.5% sure I'm headed for defeat.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I posted snippets about two private conversations when people were full of BS and I couldn't take it anymore. I'm not going to stand for people to outright lie in public like that or try to pretend they feel a way they clearly don't. You people treated Kalwejt like crap behind his back, but now you're all acting like he's 'back home' or some other nonsense. It's absurd.

Hah. Is posting private convos really a game you want to play, Marokai? Because you will lose.

I can't think of anything embarassing I wouldn't want let out to the public at this point. I've said before and I'll say it again: No one needs to get permission from me to post anything I've said to them in private. My comments are an open book and I'm honest about them.

And the only thing I've PMed that I'm embarassed about is when I was PPT and I sent out messages to Senators titled "Supafly PPT Marokai givin' you a pimpin' message." I don't know what had gotten into me that day.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I don't see anything wrong with what I said. Like I mentioned before, I didn't say anything until the race was over and done with. The only thing I take issue with is people accusing me of trying to stop Snowguy from becoming PPT, which is a lie, since I didn't comment until after it was settled. "Trying to stop Snowguy from being PPT" implies I tried to derail it during the process, which, as evidenced here and elsewhere, I didn't do.

The only thing I did there is openly say what any other candidate would've been thinking, in that instance.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Cycles in this game are so interesting. Was it one year ago where the right was tearing itself to shreds in a similar way? And now it's the left's turn. Spend two years in this game and you've truly seen it all.

I assume this will all be papered over in a few months.

One thing for Bgwah to mull over: you need to choose whether this is a game to you or whether it's personal. If it truly is a game where fun is paramount, then Marokai's actions should not ruin friendships and my decision not to join the JCP is just another turn of events. You relish the chance to personally attack people far more than one should if it is truly just a game.

I've mentioned it before back in the day when I spent time criticizing the LNF. Alot of those who seem to clamor "it's just a game!" the loudest tend to take the game personally more than anyone else. I may have been wrong about who I was criticizing back then, but it certainly seems to ring true for some. Sadly.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I was unaware that my friendships with both you and Bgwah were conditional on my presence as a JCP member.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Forgive me for not keeping up with such a busy legislative body.

You can't even keep up with a slow legislative body. Imagine how awful it'd be if they had been especially active this session!

Marokai, you're job as AG should be above running this campaign. Part of that job is updating the wiki. You know how long it took be to do it? 30 minutes. And don't try and say you haven't had time, because everyone know's you have plenty of time on your hands to spend half an hour doing your only job right now.  If running this campaign is tmth (too much to handle) and detracts from your real job, you should either resign or drop out of the race.

Like I said, I took time away from Atlasia for a few days and didn't see Kalwejt mention it. If he actually wanted it, he could've PMed me, or sent me a message on AIM, both of which he didn't do. He then immediately ran to you, my political opponent, to do the job instead. He clearly didn't care that much about it and just wanted something to counter any complaints about Snowguy's poor tenure as PPT. (As if me not updating the wiki with legislation you can count on one hand is actually a blight on my record.)

[Marokai Backbeat]

I was unaware that my friendships with both you and Bgwah were conditional on my presence as a JCP member.

You know exactly why I am no longer your friend.  The stuff you've pulled with people that care about you is unforgivable.  So don't act like this is just some petty thing about the JCP.  This is about you doing some rotten things to people so you can get your way. 

Keep playing victim, Marokai.

Oh please. "Care about me." I was useful as a JCP right-hand-man. It's not like I insulted your mother and then tried to post Bgwah's address on my way out, for Christ's sake.

[Marokai Backbeat]

If it wasn't a political maneuver, you wouldn't be here faux-shaming me over it.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Oakvale: Evaded calls to publish any sort of platform or outline of policies for weeks.

Tmth: Unfamiliar with a variety of laws, consistently dodges questions about his proposals concerning the debt and asks others to do the work for him.

Marokai: Didn't update the wiki with five pieces of legislation.

MAROKAI BLUE: TOO RISKY FOR ATLASIA.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I was unaware that my friendships with both you and Bgwah were conditional on my presence as a JCP member.

You know exactly why I am no longer your friend.  The stuff you've pulled with people that care about you is unforgivable.  So don't act like this is just some petty thing about the JCP.  This is about you doing some rotten things to people so you can get your way.  

Keep playing victim, Marokai.

Oh please. "Care about me." I was useful as a JCP right-hand-man. It's not like I insulted your mother and then tried to post Bgwah's address on my way out, for Christ's sake.

Case in point.  Got any other nasty, personal things to say?

If you actually took offense to that, you are one of the most oversensitive people on the planet. There was no insult in there whatsoever, and certainly nothing "nasty." It was "I don't know what on Earth I did to make you people hate me so much, because all I did was form another party. I didn't actually try assassinating you."

Tmth: Unfamiliar with a variety of laws, consistently dodges questions about his proposals concerning the debt and asks others to do the work for him.

I have no problem admitting I don't know every Atlasian law under the Sun, and I doubt you or anyone else does either.

However, you're second line is completely and utterly false. I have a list of proposed budget cuts to the military which I sent to Badger about a week ago, and he has promised that within the week, he'll have some numbers back to me on the effects. I'm not going to post those numbers publically until I know what their effects would be, but if you'd like to hit me up sometime on AIM or private message, I'd be more than happy to work with you on them, as I'm sure you'd be willing to provide some insight.

And Marokai, the fact that it was only 5 or so pieces of legislation makes it even worse, because that could have easily been taken care of in less than an hour. You neglected to do one of the easiest jobs in Atlasia - updating the Wiki.

We get it.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Oakvale: Evaded calls to publish any sort of platform or outline of policies for weeks.

Tmth: Unfamiliar with a variety of laws, consistently dodges questions about his proposals concerning the debt and asks others to do the work for him.

Marokai: Didn't update the wiki with five pieces of legislation.

MAROKAI BLUE: TOO RISKY FOR ATLASIA.

VOTE FOR MAROKAI BLUE:  IT'S HIS TURN!

People from the JCP hardly have the right to criticize anyone else for "waiting in line."

[Marokai Backbeat]

I see that I have been made into a, uh, villain again, or something. Funny how those things go.

Jealous?

[Marokai Backbeat]

Ha.  Like you even waited in line.  You created a new party to avoid just that.

This still makes no sense to me. I demolished my own power base just so I could have more power. My, how diabolical my ways are!

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No, you don't get it. I completely understand why you guys are upset at me. And there's not another person on Earth who tries to make amends for their actions and soften the hate than what I've tried to accomplish. I recall saying to you, and everyone else, "what do you want from me? what can I do? name it" but there's no point. I could offer you my life in servitude of you, but you have no desire to make amends.

And if that's the case, that's cool and I understand. But you can either say you're really sorry about the turn of events and act disappointed and even furious at me and that you wish it could all be smoothed out and we could work together, or you could just drop the pretense about feeling so sad about it and just hate my guts until the day you die. But you can't act like you hate my very existence and be entirely unwilling to change that attitude at the same time you try to pretend like there's anything I could've ever done or could still ever do to redeem myself to you.

What you mistake for narcissism is just me giving up because I see it as a completely hopeless endeavor. It's not me being evil.