Reds fanfic

[Miss Teri]

I was thinking of doing a fake AH.com discussion about an "The Interview" style film, about two Sec9 agents assassinating the head of an oppressive fascist regime. I thought about using Cuba, but that isn't as oppressive in modern day, so does anyone have a state that could work?

 

[The_Red_Star_Rising]

I was thinking of doing a fake AH.com discussion about an "The Interview" style film, about two Sec9 agents assassinating the head of an oppressive fascist regime. I thought about using Cuba, but that isn't as oppressive in modern day, so does anyone have a state that could work?

There is mention (either by Jello or someone else) of the Korean war analogue happening at the horn of Africa. So look there.

 

[E. Burke]

I was thinking of doing a fake AH.com discussion about an "The Interview" style film, about two Sec9 agents assassinating the head of an oppressive fascist regime. I thought about using Cuba, but that isn't as oppressive in modern day, so does anyone have a state that could work?

If its made in America it could work, it doesn't have to be honest about it being less fucked up. Its a movie, and I imagine comintern audiences would eat up a chance to see the exile regime attacked.

 

[Aelita]

There is mention (either by Jello or someone else) of the Korean war analogue happening at the horn of Africa. So look there.

How about white Rhodesia?

I don't really have any plans for that country, so it is fair game.

 

[Miss Teri]

How about white Rhodesia?

I don't really have any plans for that country, so it is fair game.

That sounds perfect.

 

[E. Burke]

Given recent events in our world Rhodesia really needs to get its shit kicked in. I'd rather see a big budget comedy mocking it, but if it has to be on a thread that few people ready on a website catering to a very niche taste so be it.

 

[The_Red_Star_Rising]

Given recent events in our world Rhodesia really needs to get its shit kicked in. I'd rather see a big budget comedy mocking it, but if it has to be on a thread that few people ready on a website catering to a very niche taste so be it.

So who's the bastard who gets filled with lead?

 

[E. Burke]

So who's the bastard who gets filled with lead?

I'm assuming that Rhodesia exists to the present as an Apartheid-Juche state, so I don't know, who lead Rhodesia?

 

[Miss Teri]

I'm assuming that Rhodesia exists to the present as an Apartheid-Juche state, so I don't know, who lead Rhodesia?

I was thinking of having a coup in the 70's, which overthrows Ian Smith, and replaces him with a more hardline military leader, who rules to present day, but has to deal with a persistent black resistance group, supported by the UASR and South Africa.

 

[E. Burke]

I was thinking of having a coup in the 70's, which overthrows Ian Smith, and replaces him with a more hardline military leader, who rules to present day, but has to deal with a persistent black resistance group, supported by the UASR and South Africa.

Yea full on DPRK is impossible without the unique conditions that existed on the Korean peninsula after the Korean war

 

[Miss Teri]

From alternatehistory.com Non-Pol Chat discussion "The Interview"

So, there has been some controversy surrounding the comedy film "The Interview." The film follows James Franco and Seth Rogen as American journalists, who managed to get permission to interview the military leader of Rhodesia. However, they are recruited by Section 9 to assassinate him. They are equipped with various weapons, and find themselves in the bizarre neo-Victorian world of White Rhodesia. The two are told not to contact the American armed resistance. However, through various hijinks, where they are unable to kill the leader, they find themselves with the resistance, who are in contact with a rogue general wanting reform. Together, they launch an attack, where they finally kill off General Smith. I have read so far that the South African National Party (in exile) has denounced the film (not surprising, given they had supported the regime, right up until their overthrow),but it has sold out tickets in South Africa, who have been supporting the resistance with UASR help. Now, I don't have any love for the traitor regime in Salisbury. Their crimes against humanity are well documented, and frankly, their culture is bizarre. Nonetheless, I feel that killing a real life head of state is somewhat disrespectful. Not to the old dingbat himself, but more to the real life problems that plague Rhodesia. From the widespread hunger to the extreme poverty experienced by most of the population (black and white), to the extreme acts of repression against opposition, it seems insensitive to me to satirize the madman behind these terror acts. Maybe it's just me. I haven't actually seen the film

Well, lucky for you, I have seen the film. It does look at the harsh reality of the Rhodesian fascist state, but also pokes fun at it. There is a scene where Franco's character (previously thinking that Rhodesia was not as bad as he thought,) actually ventures out, and sees the hollow fakeness of the Victorian world they are visiting. It isn't a great satirical comedy, or even an intelligent one, but it does acknowledge the tragedy of 40 years of white supremacist-military rule. Further, I do like Rogen and Franco, and they have good chemistry in this movie. The guy they got to play General Wells was good too. However, I feel the film doesn't deserve the level of controversy it's getting. Although, it does bring up a good discussion about American perceptions of Rhodesia.
In American culture, I think Rhodesia has replaced Cuba as the lead example of a capitalist-fascist dictatorship. Cuba used to be the villain in these sorts of films, and a lot of documentaries from the time used to list the atrocities committed by the military junta. Since Kennedy's reforms, however, and since they had given up any claim to the homeland, the American media has lessened its focus on Cuba, and turned to the failed Rhodesian state, which is universally hated. There are many comedies about the neo-Nazi tendencies, and the extreme fascist state. I hear that even Brits and French don't like Rhodesia.

Yeah, most of us don't. The really right wing members of the PA, and the Liberty Party, as well as the Afrikaneer expatriate community support recreating ties with Rhodesia but overall, when they declared independence from the AFS in 1978, and from the outside world after the fall of the Apartheid state in South Africa, we generally think of them as a failed capitalist state

You can add more discussion posts to this if you want.

 

[E. Burke]

From alternatehistory.com Non-Pol Chat discussion "The Interview"

My mom's side of the family are refugees from Rhodesia, and we loved it. The regime is so brutal and over the top that mocking it is the only way to deal with it. The film draws allot of its comedy from the actual absurdity of the whites. That scene in the ballroom where everyone freaked out about the black servant touching a white diner wasn't an exaggeration. That kind of thing literally happens. The regime is a comedy all on its own, until you remember how many people it's butchered. But if we don't laugh we cry, so its ok.

Personally, I think that its a mistake to fund the resistance. We should just support programs to move everyone who isn't a member of the ruling class out of the country. It isn't worth it to fight for the land, the regime has dispossessed everyone. The only reason it still exists is because South Africa refuses to open its boarder. I get why they don't, logistics would be a pain in the ass. But the alternative is spending millions on an endless bloody insurgency while people suffer.

 

[Miss Teri]

From alternatehistory.com Non-Pol Chat discussion "The Interview"

I watched it a couple of days ago. I admit, my familiarity with Rhodesia is limited. I know that it was the inspiration for Genosha in "The Mutants." comic books (You know, the island dictatorship, who captured mutants, and used them as military fodder and slave labor, before the MLF liberated it, and it became Erik Lensherr's base when he ran the team, and made it a mutant homeland.), and how briefly we covered it in school. You know, the independence conflict, the coup against Smith, the peace, its isolationism, all that nice stuff. That said, I rather liked the film. It was a bit over the top in regards to its portrayal of Rhodesia,(like the scene where General Wells shows Franco around his base, showing old momentoes from Generalissmo Franco and PW Botha) but it does show sensitivity towards the issue. I didn't realize how the dictatorship in the country was adversely affecting both blacks and whites. Forrest Whittaker was great as the resistance leader. I was shocked to see the large extent of the apartheid state. I also didn't know that the ZPLU has its own towns on the South African border for Zimbabwean refugees. I suppose it would be better for South Africa if it just opened its borders, rather than keep funding a resistance that isn't overthrowing anything.

 

[Miss Teri]

Here's something that maybe I could post on the main thread, because it does relate somewhat to WWII. Just tell me what you think, and what I should add or delete:

Excerpt from unedited interview with comic creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for The Cultural History of the Second World War, (1974)

Interviewer: Let's get into our main topic: how did Captain America come into existence?

Jack Kirby: I think Joe should answer this. He was the first to think this up.

Joe Simon: Well, it was in 1939. We, like many others, were caught up in that post-revolutionary fever. You know, we were putting red flags everywhere, we were marching in the streets, we were tearing down old bourgois monuments. And during that time, one man became the villain.

I: Hitler?

JS: Yes. (Laughs). He represented everything that we opposed. Dictatorship, oppression, racism. I suppose that sudden flurry of patriotism and revolution spurred me to create someone who embodied those ideals and fought for them, especially against some one like Hitler. In a way, Hitler was the ultimate comic villain. You just couldn't compete with that.

JK: He's right. This was a time, when everyone was patriotic. You couldn't go one day without hearing words like socialism and revolution being thrown around. We were especially horrified by Hitler, because we were Jewish, and we met other Jews fleeing fascist tyranny. We would get news flashes about what Hitler was doing to Poland, and Russia. That's when we talked about the spirit of the revolution, and how we could embody it in the purely American comic book. That's when the idea of Captain America came about.

JS: Right. I made this quick drawing of this superhero with this very patriotic look. His costume was completely red and black, wearing a black mask, with this red wings on top. He had a large yellow star on his chest, and he had a shield with the sickle and grain on it. Sort of the ultimate socialist American soldier. I named him "Super American," but since Superman started the trend of Supers, I decided to name him "Captain America," because there weren't many captains around at that time.

I: Was Jack always the artist in mind for Cap?

JS: Well, at first, I considered having other artists make it. I had gotten the approval vote of Martin Goodman [then-publisher of Timely Publications], to write this, but it needed to be finished in a short deadline. I thought Jack couldn't work to get to the deadline, but he pushed to work on the book, and he was able to reach the deadline.

I: And it was successful?

JK: I'd say so. (Laughs). That cover of Cap smacking Hitler right in the face sold nearly a million.

I: What was the reception to Captain America?

JK: People loved it. We would get tons of fan mail for the character. The issues sold out regularly. It tapped a nerve with the revolutionary masses, who were ready to protect the world from Nazi fascism.

JS: There was one letter we were particularly proud of, that came from Fiorello LaGuardia, a prominent leader in Metropolis, who told us we were doing a fine job, and to keep up the good work.

I: It must of have been an honor, getting a letter from such a figure.

JS: It was.

I: So, how did you two write Captain America?

JK: We got some inspiration from the New Soviet Man. That sort of perfect Soviet man, that Superman and others got inspiration from. Cap is sort of a better fit for that, than Superman. He was the perfect proletariat hero. A guy of perfect physique, helped by his fellow comrades, ready to defend the revolution at all costs. I took some inspiration from my upbringing in the Lower East Side, in writing about this working class, revolutionary kid, Steve Rogers, who was born on May Day, who decided to go and fight for the people. He was then assigned to receive this formula, which made him the perfect specimen of man. He led a team of other humans, who would also hold some abilities, and would switch out with Cap. However, he, as the first amongst equals, would be the leader.

JS: He was the man of the people, for the people. He fought against tyranny to protect them, but he also needs their support to permanently defeat threats. He was their soldier.

I: Do you think that's why he became an icon?

JK: Oh, absolutely. He was fighting the battle in Poland before we even entered to save our Russian comrades.

I: How did the supporting cast come along?

JS: Honestly, I had only one of the guys who was also Captain America named. That was Bucky Barnes, named for a classmate of mine. It was only later that we were able to fill out the cast with other able bodied men.
[...]
I: What do you think of the Captain America books of today?

JK: I haven't read many of them, since 1971, when I left Marvel. Even before then, from 1957, Sam Wilson was more [Stan] Lee's character than mine. Honestly, who ever is writing the story should do what they feel is best for the character.

JS: I haven't kept up with the character. However, I feel that he, and the values that he embodied, of revolution, democracy, and socialism, are still valuable and especially important in this age, as we reach turbulent times.

I: What are you two up to these days?

JS: I have been doing work for Harvey and Riverdale comics. I did a few stories for the Fly for Riverdale, and Spyman for Harvey. I am also working on a story for the Fighting American for ADC Comics.

JK: I'm working on an independent work, called The Fourth World, about this new mythology of gods, based off the revolution against the old ones. I have released the first few issues, and intend to work towards a conclusion sometime soon...

So, what do you think? Should I ask to post this on the main thread?

 

[The_Red_Star_Rising]

I'm morbidly impressed by how Rhodesia essentially threatened war if the movie was released only to once again show it was more bluster than bite when it ended up doing nothing when opening day came. It certainly was a provocative movie and not exactly the purveyor of the highest brow comedy, but I think the Americans were right to show the film and I think my country was right to dismiss the Rhodesian state's demands that the Soviet Union not show the film. The fact that the Soviet Union's response to the demands was so amazingly snide in their dismissal of the Rhodesian demands was just an added bonus.

"This Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has no intention of prohibiting its citizens from seeing the Interview and holds the empty threats made by General Smith and his sham of a state in contempt. We shall not be bullied by the demands of a petty Tyrant and condemn this newest addition to a long line of games of brinksmanship by the oppressive and discriminatory regime in Harare."

It's a pretty amazing put down and I can't think of many more states that deserve it than Rhodesia. As for the movie, it's certainly not the Great Dictator and I think that the Interview would have probably sailed into the mists of obscurity if it weren't for the stink Generalissimo Smith rose over it, but in spite of this; I think that its going to be remembered as one of the more important films of this decade. Not for its content, but because of the Comintern's refusal to let a tinpot dictatorship bully it just because it took issue with having the piss taken out of it.

While related to the topic, this is nonpolitical chat, so I'd advise not treading on that particular road. I've already gone ahead and moved the chatter about Rhodesia as a state to its own thread and I'd appreciate you all taking your politics and pushing it over there.

Moved to alternatehistory.com discussion "Why is Rhodesia still there?"

Remind me why we continue to tolerate Rhodesia's existence? It's high past time that it find itself in the same ash heap that the Axis powers did and that a People's Republic of Zimbabwe be stablished.

Rhodesia's got mad backing from its neighbors and the other African Capitalist states. Might not be the biggest shindigs in the world individually but put the chain of bourgie* states together and you've got a mess that China, the Latin Alliance**, us, the Americans and the rest have been p unwilling to poke. 'Specially with the mess of the Congo wars behind us.. Then you gotta go and deal with Rhodesia having approximately five metric fuck tons of chemical ballistic missiles pointed at basically anyone they don't like. They're not kidding when they say they've got enough ordnance to make their neighbors regret a war with them. And while their gear is behind the curve they've got a shit ton of it and they've got a defense grid ready to bite any offense in the ass.

Like laugh all you want at their parks of old as shit AMXes and WW2 to facelifted mid cold war British tanks and their mostly third gen and hella underfueled air force. Make as many jokes as you want about them keeping around world war two era artillery tubes and needing hand outs from the rest of the African members of the ASE/Imperial Federation/FBU Empire/Commonwealth of Nations/whatevs you wanna call it to keep themselves fed and fueled. But they've got a fuck huge army of brainwashed angry racists who can cause a lot of havoc before their tanks run dry or throw around a defense that nobody would be forgetting any time soon. Oh and they've got the A-bomb, and you totes don't play around with that.

Call this Chilean ignorant but where does Rhodesia get the whites, the money, and the industry to make that kind of a military machine? As far as I'm aware, they don't allow Blacks to join the army and they're a pretty small country.

Rhodesia isn't quite as impovershed as its stereotyped to be thanks to heavy investment from foreigners. Though it most certainly isn't going to be appearing on any wealthiest nations of the world lists. And while the per capita wealth is rubbish, you've got one part of the population that maybe gets to take one apple out of the whole orchard they tend to for themselves, the poor whites who get ten of those apples, the middle classmen who do okay for themselves, and then the filthy rich upper classes; both the old money White elites and the new money Indians and Black Diamonds from other countries. They pass out honorary white titles like candy to wealthy investors.

And while they claim to have an adverserial relationship to the Western European Union*** and friends for any number of reasons; they really do kiss a load of arse to get their allowance money. They know the main thing that stops them from falling to Communist revolution is what amounts to foreign charity, so they're not going to jeopardize it by doing anything too stupid like press an offensive they'd know they'd lose. Now as to where they got all their people; well, when it looked like the FBU and the wider commonwealth was going to throw the pro-apartheid bunch under the bus for the sake of preventing an openly hostile South African government from taking power, you went and got a lot of the racist twits packing up and moving over to Rhodesia where they were welcomed with open arms, often encouraged by European governments who didn't want them tarnishing their reputations but didn't have the stomach to put them down. Then you had the colonial government encouraging the whites to pop out as many kids as they could and the more unstomachably racist types from 'round the world settling down there as well.

Basically it was the promised land for gits.

Edit: And bear in mind that while I said its not quite as desperately poor as many people imagine, its still a shit place to live. If it weren't for the immigration of lunatics I'd imagine its present population would be maybe fifteen million and now its packed with somewhere around twice that. The affluent people are affluent as always, but if you're poor, you're really poor. Thanks to the draft and a lot of the poor whites seeing no better career than the military and you've got more than two and a half million of them in the army, a staggering chunk of both their total population and the population of their "racially enlistable" young males, all having their heads filled with poison. They try to rotate the draft because even they're not crazy enough to think they can keep that much of their population, nevermind their artificially smaller "desirable" population, but its a serious strain on their economy, particularly because they're not a particularly large country either. You can recruit across western Europe and scrounge up more than thirty million for military service; no biggie, we've got more than three hundred million folks here so we've still got plenty to work elsewhere. Can't say the same for Rhodesia proportionally.

What sort of rationale do they use to justify a military that big? Even the Soviet Union decided it couldn't keep up a ten percent militarization rate for its people forever.

Firstly, they are terrified of being encircled by communism and socialism and felt very alone when South Africa decided to vote a Socialist party in power after the FBU told the pro-apartheid folk to take a hike rather than risk them sparking a powder keg, believing Latino, East Asian, Eastern European, or American troops would be amassing on the border at any moment. The fears were overblown yes, the ANC was not a party that preached war and their leader was a strong opponent of the idea of a military industrial complex, wanting to build his rainbow nation and show the world a golden path of peace and common prosperity. Unfortunately a lot of people just saw that he was an avowed socialist and assumed he would be the vanguard for a wave of revolutions.

They made a connection between black rule and Socialist take over (one that became increasingly ridiculous as the dominionization of Africa went on) in their own minds, feeding into their already racist beliefs. The populations of racist refugees ranging from Afrikaaners who couldn't accept the FBU siding against them to ex-Klansmen who thought that the best chance they had to practice their beliefs was to find the most racist place they could, Fascists scurrying from their defeat in Europe, and people who just plain liked their cut of the jib settling there probably didn't help. In spite of the big scary neighbor not being even a fraction as powerful relative to them as America was to Canada; somehow, they managed to react to their southern neighbor having a government they didn't like even worse than Canada did.

Despite most of Africa remaining solidly blue (along with most of their neighbors), they believed that they had to prepare for becoming a capitalist island of white rule in an ocean of black socialism. Already fat military budgets grew and they set up a system to let them recruit as many people as possible without crashing their economy. Despite becoming an embarassment to the Capitalist bloc at this point, they became strategically valuable thanks to having a massive and fanatical army they could ship around the world to bludgeon the sides of conflicts they were against and shore up the sides they supported while openly keeping their distance. Rhodesian troops were considered among the most reliable in wars and conflicts around the world, with USA and Thai troops to my knowledge being their closest rivals and they were incredibly eager to ship them out to prove Rhodesia's worth to the blue bloc (and thus get more air pumped into its economy and support against internal revolutionaries). Similarly, they were considered to be important in keeping their region of Africa blue.

Since their most important asset was their military, they just kept it as big as they felt they could get away with since it was what kept the big boys of the Capitalist bloc from just dumping them.

Hah, look at all these Socialist misconceptions. Can't even get their facts on one of the best developed states in Africa straight. They wouldn't need the army they have if the reds would stop threatening an anti-white purge the moment they took over. Do you need me to take out all the statistics of the atrocities that the rebels have done? Oh wait, it's okay if its to "free the proleteriat". Even with a red sword of damocles overhead, they've gotten pretty far.

The main problem with Rhodesia is its belief that state intervention is needed to contain a red tide. Were they to open the flood gates of the freemarket they'd leave the pipe dreamers of the African red states in the dust. But that such a statist place can survive with every effort by the Marxists to knock it down shows how empty Communism is. But of course, no socialist state has ever been established without foreign intervention, even the Russians had the Germans infesting them with Lenin to knock them out of the war.

All because no intelligent freethinking man who hasn't been brainwashed by the left would delude themselves into thinking a system of theft from the successful is preferable to the force that drives all prosperity. Even with its unneeded and deplorable interventionism, Rhodesia has the right idea on how to put down its leftist cancer and prevent envious thieves from playing robin hood. Were every so called "Capitalist" state so bold we wouldn't need worry when collectivists nearly vote in Labor or Communist parties in their greed and laziness.

Perhaps if the Rhodesians were more educated they'd realize their mistake and come to the same conclusions that greats like Rand and von Mises did and shed the dead weight and provide an example to the world and pull the rug out from beneath the Comintern instead of enabling the bad habits of the masses. I'll just have to settle with waiting for the weight of the calculation problem to eventually crush the comintern and continue to enlighten others.

Oh would just shut up you smug Liberty voting twat? Go masturbate to Ayn Rand somewhere else. And maybe instead of blaming old people on their pensions for why you can't build a twenty four karat gold statue of yourself you can go finally get a clue about why Liberty hasn't even come close to winning a single blasted election in ever. Starting with how its impossible for you to be oh so smart when 90% of your brain is devoted to fellating yourself. Jesus Christ, at least the Commies don't sniff their own farts.

Have you ever read any books on economics that aren't bloody Austrian? Because Austrian economics stops at the first unit of economics and assumes spherical cows until they're blue in the bloody face lol. I mean, are you already forgetting that the math objectivists thump for austerity is based on a spreadsheet error? You are literally spouting the same cockamamie bullshyte that socialists do against bank bailouts and defense spending, only you've wrapped it around in a cult where everyone thinks they're the next Crassus. Lemme tell you, someone's still gotta scrub those toilets mate. And I guarantee its going to be a fat slob like you.

I'm rather confused, I thought you were both anti-communist?

I'm a tried and tested Tory, maybe they don't teach you the difference in China, but as a Tory; the one thing I find more annoying than a Socialist is a Liberal, who all went and got pissy about becoming irrelevant after the great war and then found Rand and some Swiss fart from Switzerland and became the most stuck up bunch of irrelevant losers you've ever seen.

*Bourgie: Slang term for Bourgeoisie, as an aficionado of American slang, Guile has gone and adopted it for her own use.


**Latin Alliance: A confederacy formed out of Spanish speaking communist states. Not truly a state so much as an alliance (and looser than the WEU at that), the Latin Alliance was formed with one primary boogeyman in mind; Brazil and her satellites. Brazil has always cast a large and deep shadow over South America thanks to her exceeding the rest of the Continent's population combined and ruling a full third of the continent's landmass and with Venezuela and Bolivia remaining under Brazil's sphere of influence and with a direct line to Western Europe through their Carribbean dominions and the Guyanas, Brazil remains a deep concern even to this day even as political troubles are becoming more apparent in the titan of South America. Founded by Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Colombia and later joined by Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay with Mexico as ab observing member, the Latin Alliance has become something of a cultural forum to celebrate the South and Central American experiments in Socialism. Having the giants of Mexico and the UASR nearby of course, reduced the need for militarization, and they are generally recognized as falling under the UASR's direct sphere. And the Alliance has not totally eliminated problems between the South American nations.


***Western European Union: Recognizing that the other western European states were so interconnected to the FBU they may as well have been extensions, the WEU was chartered as a confederacy of non-communist European states that would be more tightly bound than the wider Alliance of Free states and the Empire. By now the capitalist nations of Europe are so tightly knit they may as well be considered part of the FBU metropole, as they share the same currency, military organization structure, have closely tied together commands, have open border and unified regulatory environments, and even convene in a wider WEU parliament. As the FBU has by far the largest population, colonial holdings, and economy out of any member, it has often been labeled as simply a way for the FBU to turn western Europe into another part of its empire; From Sweden to Sicily and from Portugal to west Germany. The WEU continues to worry about the Soviet bloc of the Comintern, but with the reduction of the Soviet military and the militaries of those in her sphere following the great Liberalization as they converted into Professional All-Volunteer armies; the WEU has largely focused on hostilities with the UASR, though the rather minimal reduction in the size of the Soviet Navy has still resulted in intense paranoia from the WEU and the other regional blocs of the Alliance of Free states.

 

[MernStahl]

I love how RB bashes the Objectivists. And is that toilet line from Bioshock by any chance?

Comintern: "We hate Objectivism!"
FBU: "Yeah? Well so do we (stop embarrassing me Rhodesia)!"

And Britain and France spearheading a European union? Cold War makes for strange foreign policy.

 

[The_Red_Star_Rising]

I love how RB bashes the Objectivists. And is that toilet line from Bioshock by any chance?

Comintern: "We hate Objectivism!"
FBU: "Yeah? Well so do we (stop embarrassing me Rhodesia)!"

And Britain and France spearheading a European union? Cold War makes for strange foreign policy.

It is.

And I figured that as perhaps the quintessential Tory he'd probably be a believer in Georgian Economics (as it seems that ye olde Tory paternalism survived while Thatcher's neoliberalism never got off the ground) and he's listed as religious and probably likes his societies to be nice and orderly. Meaning he'd find the smug Fedora tipping Atheism and blind worship of the free market and adoration of Chaos in society (limited only to token involvement from government in crimes of murder/theft, national defense and judicial matters) from Objectivists to be as intolerable as Socialism. Plus, for every objectivist who's got Senator Armstrong like charisma, you've got a million greasy pseudointellectuals who are annoyingly full of themselves who've managed to turn themselves into a joke on the internet. And the charismatic ones, like Senator Armstrong, are generally also batshit insane.

Like the line between Fascist Economics and Scandinavian esque Social Democracy can seem rather hard to differentiate at times in the FBU and western Europe as a whole. The political system is mildly fascist in how the electoral system seems designed to try and encourage one party to hold a near perpetual majority government and there are unpleasant shades of authoritarianism. However unlike Fascist Italy or 30s-40s Imperial Japan, the FBU and the other western European states at least try very hard to look like an open democratic society where the rule of law is heavily respected. Generally I'd envision that on one end you have pre-70s Portugal which is obviously an outright fascist state, while on the other you have Scandinavia which tends to be the most open society out of the capitalist part of Europe.

The FBU proper as said, is structured rather like modern Japan. It is a staunchly corporatist society and authoritarianism is present, but an observer from our world would still probably label it fundamentally a free society. I'd personally call it as Jello presents it as a Conservative or Tory Democracy to distinguish it from the term "Liberal Democracy", mainly due to the systems in place to try and maintain the status quo.

As for the rest of Western Europe forming into a union with the FBU, when the big scary Soviet bear is separated from you only by a rather thin line of Socialist states that try to be mediators in the Comintern's internal bickering (I'd say East Germany, east Austria (Though Austria might be wholly capitalist or communist), Yugoslavia, and Albania definately comprise this faction in the comintern, Turkey, Greece, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine are also possible members) and the Americans and Chinese are also unfriendly (though I perceive China as the most opportunistic of the big powers of the comintern, willing to make deals with Capitalists to build itself up), the lesser capitalist states of Europe will grow increasingly more reliant on the FBU.

Your Spains, Portugals, Italys, Switzerlands, Swedens, Denmarks, West Germanies, west Austrias, Norways, Irelands, Netherlands, Belgiums, Luxembourgs, and assorted city states are all going to need the FBU. Similarly, as Western Europe and the white dominated Dominions of Britain are going to be the initial kernel for the industrialization they'd need to do for their colonies to keep them loyal and to grow their markets in barring the western European empires industrializing their colonies well ahead of schedule (Maybe Britain made the Imperial Federation work; I dunno), the FBU will want to consolidate that rich European metropole. Unlike OTL where the European branch of NATO wasn't entirely dependent on America to survive (though NATO would probably lose any conventional war for Europe hard given the force disparity), these other European states basically have no future without the FBU. While the idea of a Western European Union might start out simply enough, the sheer monolithic dominance of the FBU is going to ensure that in the long run, they're all going to turn into extensions sooner or later. Particularly for states who only exist now because of the FBU like West Germany. The main obstacle to a full annexation of course; would be the tremendous headache that would result politically (mashing France and Britain was complicated enough), making a suprastate dominated by the FBU is much simpler.

Sooner or later, their policies are going to be so dominated by what the FBU sets that their independence is something of a formality.

Also, Churchill himself thought that making a European union would be a good idea. You're likely to see the FBU consolidating non-communist Europe towards itself even before things go south once Labour gets kicked out of power. The first seeds would even appear before world war two, though mostly in the low countries and Portugal and possibly Scandinavia.

 

[E. Burke]

Bioshock Infinite controversy

What do people think about this game? I understand that allot of Commies found it to be distasteful. Not as distasteful of robbing people of their rightly won property, but victims of the communist mental disorder aren't known for their rationality. I get that the leader of the Vox Populi was modeled after the erstwhile anarchist Emma Goldman, or at least her younger self. However, I feel like the political commentary is really secondary to the personal story of Comstock-Booker. Its about these two men and their mutual self destruction.

If the story was really about politics it would have dealt directly with the American revolution. Instead its set before the revolution, and deals with an internal conflict. Booker-Comstock destroy themselves in the hope of redemption, but only partially. Booker becomes and alcoholic, while Comstock becomes a new man. However, it isn't until the accept true suicide that the cycle is ended.

I think this controversy is akin to the hullabaloo over The Interview. However, its a shame that in this case its a legitimately good game is at the center, rather than a mediocre comedy.

 

[E. Burke]

I've been elected to the County Soviet

Kalki: its a bit less complicated in practice, partially cause we are used to dealing with it all our lives. Even if you aren't elected to anything in your life, you participate in some form of self government since you were able to understand it. I was first involved in "politics" as a member of my local Pioneers Club, at 8. Granted, it was heavily adult run and our power was limited but it was framed as part of being a citizen and as learning how to be a Socialist Democratic Worker-Citizen. Its as much a part of our identity as eating burgers.

So I just got elected as a representative to the North Jersey Regional Soviet. The system here is different, and a bit less complicated. Here I'm a member of the Youth Committee and our main responsibility is representing youth interests. We are more like a bourgeois parliament I guess. Less management and more power to party leadership. Its the first time I've encountered "big names". Albeit regional big names, but still. Joseph Ferriero was an interesting guy, the old Italian whip of the Democratic-Republicans. He's a got a tough guy reputation, the enforcer of party discipline. Its true, I'm glad I'm an SEU member, and that we're in alliance with him. Hes not a guy I'd want to cross. I also met Robert Gratoc, the state leader of SEU. He's the guy who brokered a deal with the DRs. We work together on a shared reform agenda, mostly around anti corruption. The issues are left over from the Second Cultural Revolution, a semi racist kickback system that keeps minorities out of power in favor of an Italian-Irish powerstructure. This is tied to the Silk Workers Union and some other cultural institutions. Ferrioro has been a devestating anti corruption fighter, using his bully-tough guy demeaner to get it done.

In our reality Ferriro the leader of the Bergen County Democrats who was arrested for corruption.

 

[Miss Teri]

I've been elected to the County Soviet

I think I understand that. Politics is somewhat less important here in the FBU. Yes, you vote in the elections, and all that, but getting involved is less emphasized from childhood. You only really get involved when you're 18 or older. You also have to be 18 or older to be elected an MP. Generally, I avoid politics, but I do participate. I used to vote Conservative, but switched to Labour due to the increased focus by the PA on national security.

So, what youth issues does your committee focus on?