An Examination of Extra-Universal Systems of Government

[Ephraim Ben Raphael]

Question: Are there ever like interdimensional religious crusades? Like, could someone from a TL with, say, a Messianic Rainbow Serpent Aboriginal religion show up and start preaching in a Nazi victory TL unannounced? Also, is there trans-timeline contagion?

It's happened. There's an alliance of "middle powers" with about 20th-22nd century technology that has some backing from one of the high-tech universes who try to prevent trans-universal invasions- whether religiously motivated or otherwise. Of course they can't or won't stop everything, so they mostly just protect their home TLs. They also launch the odd intervention of their own.

I meant to mention it in Philosophy, but I don't I ever got around to explaining that the portals automatically get rid of contagions when you pass through, otherwise there's be trans-timeline plagues every week. That doesn't protect people who travel to other universes in person though.

I imagine people showing up to a totalitarian state that is aware of interdimensional travel unannounced have life expectancies that can be measured on a watch.

Well sure, that's also true.

 

[Deleted member 108228]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.



We have, but usually it was a member of the internal opposition who was in exile.



It is indeed. We've had a couple of nuclear wars, but nothing where civilization actually broke down to any degree.



There are indeed. While things were very bad in the area of California where they were located, they were less bad elsewhere, and of course far better in parts of the world that were neutral and un-involved in the war. In fact if you look at the map you'll notice a slowly recovering Oregon to the north of Jefferson where the state government survived.

The RIAM is the "Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of the Multiverse"- a fairly chill group of anarchists from the Nutshell who back opposition/revolutionary groups in different universes against authoritarian regimes.




Crying got it, although "Don't use the Nutshell to conquer other universes" isn't a rule, and has happened on occasion. People frequently mess with other universes- the RIAM has a small presence here via a local affiliate- for good or ill. It's a bit like our world- you have screwed up countries in places like Africa. Sometimes they get help from NGOs, sometimes they get help from wealthy well-intentioned foreign governments, sometimes that help is actually "help", and sometimes more powerful countries mess with them for personal gain or the lulz. Also new universes get connected to the Nutshell at random intervals, so it could be that this world is fairly new to the multiversal community.

Is there a Combine?

 

[rvbomally]

Is there a Combine?

The Combine (and similar factions) has access to its own timeline-hopping tech, so they probably don't deal with the Nutshell.

 

[Ephraim Ben Raphael]

Is there a Combine?

The Combine (and similar factions) has access to its own timeline-hopping tech, so they probably don't deal with the Nutshell.

There are dystopian empires that have used the Nutshell's gate technology to conquer other universes. A couple of them showed up in Philosophy. There is technology to open portals directly between universes- the robots make it, and no one knows how to replicate it on their own- but you have to have the tech in place on both ends first so usually invasions require first invading the other universe via the Nutshell, and then opening up a gate on the bridgehead. Plenty have worlds have used it open up peaceful trade and largely bypass the Nutshell though.

 

[water123]

I'm reading through Philosophy now, and then I might try to write something. Honestly, the Nutshell itself is interesting enough that it could be written about even more than in Philosophy

 

[rvbomally]

I'm reading through Philosophy now, and then I might try to write something. Honestly, the Nutshell itself is interesting enough that it could be written about even more than in Philosophy

It is interesting. My headcanon is that it was built by the Second Empire of Man from Space Cadet.

 

[Worffan101]

In all honesty, the way the Commie South is described, it sounds a lot like modern OTL USA race relations (i.e. no de jure discrimination allowed, but lingering de facto inequality). So not perfect, but a lot better than any other realistic surviving Confederacy could possibly be.

 

[rvbomally]

In all honesty, the way the Commie South is described, it sounds a lot like modern OTL USA race relations (i.e. no de jure discrimination allowed, but lingering de facto inequality). So not perfect, but a lot better than any other realistic surviving Confederacy could possibly be.

Yep, it’s the OTL South with a red coat of paint. Hell, you could put Comrade Prejean’s words in the mouth of a GOP candidate and, sans the Marxist basis, it would sound normal. Given the alternatives for a victorious CSA, it does sound like paradise.

 

[Worffan101]

Yep, it’s the OTL South with a red coat of paint. Hell, you could put Comrade Prejean’s words in the mouth of a GOP candidate and, sans the Marxist basis, it would sound normal. Given the alternatives for a victorious CSA, it does sound like paradise.

Huh, I figured it was more like the modern USA as a whole, it's really that bad? Well, still a lot better than other Confederacies.

 

[Deleted member 108228]

The Combine (and similar factions) has access to its own timeline-hopping tech, so they probably don't deal with the Nutshell.

But wouldn't they be a threat, also what's the Nutshell

 

[rvbomally]

Huh, I figured it was more like the modern USA as a whole, it's really that bad? Well, still a lot better than other Confederacies.

Well, the better parts of the former CSA.

 

[Ephraim Ben Raphael]

There'll be a new chapter intro coming out tomorrow.

 

[Worffan101]

I'm writing something and @rvbomally is doing the map, working on the write-up now.

 

[frustrated progressive]

Southron Popular Republic
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Say it with me: EVERY MAN A KING!

 

[Crying]

Crying got it, although "Don't use the Nutshell to conquer other universes" isn't a rule, and has happened on occasion. People frequently mess with other universes- the RIAM has a small presence here via a local affiliate- for good or ill. It's a bit like our world- you have screwed up countries in places like Africa. Sometimes they get help from NGOs, sometimes they get help from wealthy well-intentioned foreign governments, sometimes that help is actually "help", and sometimes more powerful countries mess with them for personal gain or the lulz. Also new universes get connected to the Nutshell at random intervals, so it could be that this world is fairly new to the multiversal community.

I said that "Don't use the Nutshell to conquer other universes" wasn't a rule.

 

[Skallagrim]

Well, the xenophobia is unpleasant and the near-refusal to acknowledge that race even exists almost certainly allows racism to continue - that might even be why the position was adopted, so that they could reconcile their socialism with their prejudice against black people - but otherwise it doesn't sound too bad. Definitely one of the least dystopian Socialist entries in this thread.

Yep, certainly not smiles and sunshine, but I do present this from the point of view of government officials. I considered getting a PoV from an opposition member, but I didn't think I was going to make this an EEUSG entry.

A more charitable interpretation would be that they genuinely believe it. It makes for a nice contradiction with current tendencies on the political left in OTL (lots of argumentation along the lines of 'systemic racism' and 'oppressed groups'). This Southron Popular Republic goes the exact other way, reasoning that if we're all equal, then the notion that one group must be protected to a greater degree must be incorrect.

Basically, it could very well be that the SPR is against 'positive discrimination' on the basis that no discrimination must ever be allowed, no matter how well-intended. One may agree or disagree with that position, but to dismiss it as a purely cynical policy might be too hasty. Or am I too much of an idealist, giving the SPR the benefit of the doubt?

 

[rvbomally]

A more charitable interpretation would be that they genuinely believe it. It makes for a nice contradiction with current tendencies on the political left in OTL (lots of argumentation along the lines of 'systemic racism' and 'oppressed groups'). This Southron Popular Republic goes the exact other way, reasoning that if we're all equal, then the notion that one group must be protected to a greater degree must be incorrect.

Basically, it could very well be that the SPR is against 'positive discrimination' on the basis that no discrimination must ever be allowed, no matter how well-intended. One may agree or disagree with that position, but to dismiss it as a purely cynical policy might be too hasty. Or am I too much of an idealist, giving the SPR the benefit of the doubt?

I don’t think that’s too charitable. What I was saying is that, as officials working in the government, they would have a rosier view of what the government believes and what it can/has achieved.

 

[Ephraim Ben Raphael]

Chapter 8-

Being a consideration of Nationalist and Fascist forms of government


One of the most interesting areas of research in psychology regards group formation. Take a group of strangers who have never met, put them in a room together. Have them pick a name, a mascot, a symbol, and a favorite song. In only a few hours you can create a group sufficiently tight-knit that they will compete- sometimes savagely- when presented with a different group that they are in competition with for even a nominal prize. This, reduced to its most basic level, is the foundation for nationalism- in-groups and out-groups…


…Most nationalists argue that nations have always existed, and that it is only at a certain point in the development of a civilization that national consciousness can emerge. They make vast historical arguments, pointing to the history of their nation’s language, the ancient roots of its culture, and the distant origins of its religion. A counter-argument is that nations are a relatively new invention, coming into existence only when nationalists themselves begin pointing out to a population the details that separate them from others. These include a flag, a coat of arms, a language, an anthem…


…Regardless of the origin of nations, nationalism as an ideology has certain universal characteristics. All nationalists identify the existence of nations- although they can disagree widely as to the criteria by which a nation should be defined. These criteria can range from geographic (“everyone living on this island is one of us”) to racial (“everyone of the correct phenotype is one of us”) to religious (“all members of our religion are also part of our nation”) to stranger criteria such as support for a specific competitive athletic team. All nationalists want to maintain their national identity, and to either seek or retain the sovereignty of their nation from outside influence- sometimes this includes cosmopolitanism within the country. Usually nationalism is motivated by a desire to rectify a perceived injustice towards the nation question- for instance independence from a foreign conqueror…


…Fascism under various names is a version of nationalism. While nationalists exalt the nation and seek to both glorify and strengthen it, they are not necessarily hostile to other nations nor are they automatically authoritarian. Fascists seek to define the nation as a single organic entity, for which authoritarianism is an acceptable and in some cases desirable means to overcome threats and challenges such as war. While fascism varies as much as nationalism in its definition of the nation and is not necessarily hostile towards external nations, its perception of the nation as a single whole make it automatically hostile towards national minorities and non-national groups within its borders…

 

[traveller76]

This was something I wrote originally foe EEUSG, decided against posting it because I had another idea for adding to the socialism and communism chapter, then decided to add it again when I realized we're not sticking to any number limit to entries per chapter. Enjoy!

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View attachment 365950

I would like to see more of this world.

 

[Ephraim Ben Raphael]

The first entry to the Nationalism chapter will go up tomorrow. It will be a Georgist country in sub-Saharan Africa.