From SuspireWiki

Description

This political exegesis was clearly laid out and printed by a computer. It's printed onto pieces of paper that are folded in half (making the final size 8.5 x 5.5), photocopied to duplicate, and stapled into individual booklets.

Each heading begins on a new page. The cover's marked with the Carthian symbol and a communist star, and the title and other information below it.

Text

Constructing the Collective: Order, Equality, and Peace in a New Carthian Experiment

by Simon Shea

Copyleft October 23, 2007. All rights reversed. Print what you like.

DEMOCRACY HAS FAILED US.

Democracy assumes that every citizen:

- is active in the government,

- has a stake in the results of the political process,

- is rational and even-minded, and

- is well informed.

Without these, elections are travesties--dominated by a hyperactive minority, weakened by apathy, controlled by fever-pitch emotions, consumed by misinformation...

It doesn't take tremendous powers of observation to see that these unfortunate circumstances are regularly the case, both within the United States government and our covenant's previous experiments in Atlanta. Plenty of individuals are not active in government and have no desire to be; these hollow, do-nothing, Lumpenproletariat Carthians are no better than Unbound. Plenty have ventured nothing, and refuse to do, expecting others to venture it for them. They have no stake in the process and therefore act recklessly. Plenty are still influenced by human emotion and fear; for these, they are changeable and vapid, and elections are no more than a popularity contest or a desire to see who's 'alpha male'. Plenty are poorly informed, manipulated by others.

And this is all assuming that the election isn't rigged!

We deserve better than this broken system that dominates our covenant's discourse. It purports to be fair, yet is as vulnerable to abuse and treachery as any other political system, if not more so. It gives disproportionate representation to the inactive Lumpenproletariat Carthians, who enslave themselves to their feudal masters. It is manipulated like putty, whether by wicked parties or wild mobs.

We as Carthians must avoid this peril called 'democracy' at all costs.

ONLY A SOCIALIST ECONOMY WILL SAVE US.

Though we may begrudgingly consent to being ruled by feudal city systems, they are nothing we would choose for ourselves, and we only agree to it out of a lack of present power to encourage anything more. This economy does nothing for us; city lords exploit us.

Even with Carthian magnanimity toward other Carthians, left alone to our devices we do little better. Though it does not occur on as large of a scale as within the city, here the rich exploit the poor, or use their status as the moneyed elite of the Movement to claim that they are making 'great sacrifices'--when others are simply unable to give to such a degree. Money and resources do not bring or reflect virtue, wisdom, or skill to lead, yet so many pretend that it does, pushing themselves into power or clamoring for a rich leader to carry them. Never mind themselves that often--not always--the rich, landed individuals grow complacent, reluctant to change the system they have benefited from, even for the common good.

Comrades! We must at the very least make moves toward a more fair economy, with the pooling of resources for the common good, and the providing for the well-being of each and every true, dedicated member of our vanguard party. Only then will Bestial selfishness begin to subside, and we will function as a classless society where individuals are selected for tasks based on wisdom, virtue, and merit rather than hollow temporal possessions.

THE INVICTUS IS NOT OUR ENEMY. WE ARE OUR OWN ENEMIES.

Too many Carthians rail blindly against the Invictus, ignoring the problems that besiege their own covenant--and, indeed, the problems other covenants present.

We do not, however, exist to oppose the Invictus. We exist to confront hegemony, oppression, and injustice against the masses, to build a stable, strong, orderly government with the people empowered. To blame the Invictus for all the problems we confront is inherently fallacious. How many Carthians are part of the problem? How many ignore their own principles and the good of the Collective for their own gain? How many do nothing at all?

How can we expect to mend this broken world we live in when we ourselves are broken?

Look at yourself. What are you doing? What are you not doing? What are you contributing to our Experiment, or not contributing? How does what you do line up with what you say, the societal virtues you espouse? Does your walk match your talk?

WE NEED A CARTHIAN GOVERNMENT.

We are not here to be an experiment in anarchy. We are not glorified anarchs with a pretty name. We are an experiment in establishing a new social order. To live as we do now is an embarrassment to our covenant's name. The state will wither away, true, but the world is not ready for that; individuals fight to preserve selfishness and personal property in the interim period, and who will confront them on such?

We can and must continue our individual projects. But some projects--be they for intra-covenant support or larger city efforts--transcend the individual, or even the coterie. To efficiently coordinate projects that span the covenant, we must form a government that spans the covenant.

We are all diverse in our beliefs and opinions, as well. One of our greatest characteristics is our penchant for free and open debate, something that I sincerely hope would be preserved under whatever government is established. We must search for a consensus toward a common ground, but we must not silence ourselves in search of such a consensus. We must all put forward our opinions and then, when this is done, compromise and find common ground, and concede points, so that we may unite under one banner--the banner of our Movement!

Other covenants will know if we lack leadership and direction, even if we arbitrarily give someone the paper title of Prefect. In a time of external political chaos, when our Experiment is awash with new, unestablished members, other covenants may sense our weakness. We should do our best to mold the new government into something that matches our dreams--ranging from securing Primogen spots, to recruiting new members, to offering advice--but our incursions, though neither violent or chaotic, may still seem disruptive. In the case of paranoia against us, we need a strong Carthian government to serve not only as a channel for negotiation, but as a discouragement, so we receive no violent reprisal for our non-violent effort. It is easy to strike against a lonely man, but how easy does it become to strike him when he is surrounded by his brothers?

The economic reforms I propose, as well, will not exist until a strong socialist government exists. Until we can use the authority of the government to pool our resources, nothing will come to pass; people will remain too selfish, and not respond to individual pleadings. A dictatorship of the proletariat must come to pass, for the fair distribution of resources, and the beginning of true economic equality and empowerment.

Therefore, we need a strong, unified, Carthian government, one that will transcend coteries and syndicates, and will provide a centralized support network and framework wherein we can work as individuals and receive the backing of the group.

WE MUST ORGANIZE WITH ALL HASTE.

For too long the Experiment in Atlanta has been idle. Now, with our rapid influx of new members, we have an opportunity for a new beginning, that we must seize forcefully!

I maintain that at we must hold a meeting, with all haste, to debate civilly and express our ideas within an open forum. At that meeting we should select a smaller committee to hammer out the details of a government to represent the people; to leave this matter to the entire Movement to discern will be a slow, cumbersome process, rife with democratic chaos, though it is vital that the final result be presented to the Movement as a body for their general consideration. Governing behind closed doors breeds resentment and leaves a government unaccountable to and disconnected from its people.

I am open to compromise and change (despite some accusations I've received from my detractors!) but I maintain several points regarding what I think should result:

First, we are in sore need of a Prefect. At some later point, when we have more members, we can supplement our Prefect with a council, or tribunal, but at this point that's non-essential. (With an Experiment this small, everyone serves in that tribunal role, regardless of the presence of a formal tribunal!) But unless we have some executive branch our government will suffer, be slow and ineffective, and be absolutely faceless to the outside world. It is my humble suggestion that a Prefect be selected, via consensus--not pure democratic process--once annually.

Second, I hold that democracy, particularly in its purest forms, is untenable. Again, the Lumpenproletariat Carthians within our Experiment will drag us down. Opinions should be weighted based on the opinion's merit, and the merit of the individual who presents them. Free speech is important, but poor ideas need not be considered. Those who contribute nothing to our Movement should not have a stake in its governance, and, indeed, should not receive any benefits given by membership in the Collective. This will not only preserve our political stability but will encourage vibrant action.

Finally, we need an equal pooling of resources and assets toward the common good. Compromise is, of course, an option, but I warn that anything short of radical Carthian economic reform will result in according inequality, and class divisions within our Experiment.

SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS.

We wish for a voice in the city's government, both the voices of our individual members and those of the larger whole. We seek order, stability, and peace. We seek the empowerment of the proletariat masses, and a government that is strong, efficient, and fair.

We do not seek anarchy. We do not seek violent overthrow. We are not presently seeking to implement these changes on the city, but instead within ourselves. We do not seek war, or chaos, or death, or the destruction of any covenant.

This document is not intended to be a constitution, but an exegesis of ideas. It is, of course, not perfectly formed, but we are an Experiment that tempers our ideas with time and action.

Brethren, I implore you to join with me in organizing our covenant and ushering it into a new age!

- Simon Shea

Atlanta, GA

October 23, 2007