Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Organization Thread]

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

Guys, a while ago somebody offered me a caravel, and I agreed to pay them. I forgot who it was though, and how much we agreed upon Please send me a pm and we'll sort it out

Btw, I understand war broke out? Sheesh, poor Eisenhower retires and this is the result...
What is the turn order exactly?

And, just to let you all know: I am going away on a 10-day holiday on the 30th. I have arranged a sub.

yea i thought it was particularly funny given Eisenhower's farewell address... Well done BTW. What a great read! I was getting sad that we were missing nice stories, just a lot of Statements, but no stories (excluding Inca of course )

Anyway I digress... Turkey is first bloc, America is 2nd, assuming we are going with blocs. If we are, the timer is fine the way it is. If we are not then please increase to 48 hrs.

[America (DoE)]

Thanks man, glad you liked it

And yeah, particularly funny....very funny indeed, haha....

[Aztecs (DoE)]

OOC:

Sorry to say it, but I find the pictures with the Russian story not belonging on the forum.
No problem with the story, but I could do without the pictures.

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

I wasn't offended by the pictures. But then again I am almost never offended by pictures. The fact that Russia was able to get them means they are freely available. The whole point is to tell stories IC. That being said, taking offense in general is a highly subjective matter. What offends one will not offend another. So I guess one way to go about it is to PM the person and say "Hey that pic really hurts or offends me personally" rather than publicly rag on someone's post. These posts take time, thought and creativity and I don't want anyone to be made out or implied to be engaged in some kind of wrongdoing or insensitivity because of their choice of pics. That's not fair.

[Inca (DoE)]

Wouldn't be the first time I found myself somewhat offended by what others had posted... PMs are the place for that, though; I don't really respect attempts at creative censorship in the org thread.

[Native America (DoE)]

http://apolyton.net/showthread.php/196801-Destiny-of-Empires-Diplo-Game-Story-Thread-11-August-2011?p=6014825&viewfull=1#post6014825

This post by the Aztecs about all the oil songs is the post of the month, possibly of this part of the game! Made me laugh it did!

[Arabia2 (doe)]

India has sent me his pw and asked to queue up some things. I told them to ask someone else, but if they won't/can't I will log in at the end of this turns and do it for them.

[Aztecs (DoE)]

This post by the Aztecs about all the oil songs is the post of the month, possibly of this part of the game! Made me laugh it did

Thanks a lot ...

I posted it with a smile myself

[Aztecs (DoE)]

On the pictures:

next time I will PM. And I did not intend any creative censorship.

But still, holocaust pictures are too much in my opinion.

[America (DoE)]

Guys, just a quick note, as I noticed some PM's: I am about to board a plane, and will be away for ten days. I have given my sub (that sounds a bit kinky ) full authority to do what he feels is best. Can't wait to see what the world looks like when I get back
Have fun y'all!

[Russia (DoE)]

Have fun too, and take care.
(And bring back some pictures of topless chicks when you come back )

[America (DoE)]

Thanks!! Haha, and I'm going to India, so pictures of topless chicks might be a bit of a challenge, but I will do my best for mighty Russia

[France (DoF)]

I know I have no place in this thread, but just a quick note on those pictures as I occasionally scan the stories of DoE.

The harshest realities of the world can be hard to look at and they evoke strong emotions in all of us, as they rightly should. Yet if those pictures shock and offend us then perhaps they also jar a reflective moment of the true horrors of war and human suffering that still exist in the real world. The pictures themselves should not offend, it is the acts that caused them to be taken that should be condemned.

On the other hand, I am unsure of what the dead in those pictures would feel about being used as a propaganda tool in an imaginary world created for our amusement. I am very much against all forms of censorship and I think I have posted pictures of similar sort previously, yet I am left with a feeling of being torn. On the one hand such pictures show the true face of the consequences of war which we should have the stomach to look at, on the other hand we should treat the deaths of those people with a due reverence.

I don't even know what my point is, but we should not scream censorship, nor should we be desensitized to such things, while at the same time we should very much remember that those pictures show some real person's miserable tragic death, and perhaps using their visages for the purposes of propaganda in a game is a bit desensitized. I am not suggesting censorship in any way, we should be free to post what we wish and if people take offense then it is usually their problem as the threshold of being offended is so subjective. However, we should perhaps consider giving the poor people in those pictures the courtesy of not using their fatal suffering for our fun.

Yet, there are so many reasons for using pictures to convey meaning, I know I often only skim posts without any pictures and to convey with writing the feelings evoked by such pictures is very difficult, especially for those who may not have English as their native tongue. What is my point? Don't really know. But I felt I needed to say something on the issue. Maybe that such posts are partly acceptable, but should not be used whimsically?

Peace.

[Russia (DoE)]

Just now I realized that documentary pictures from the real human history, found on the first page return while searching for "starvation" can indeed be offensive for someone. "Disturbing", "scary", "stressing" yes, but "offensive"?

Anyway, I'll change them, as it is far better no one to get possibly hurt his feelings.

[France (DoF)]

I was not offended (though others were), but I feel strongly that we can not limit our postings to that which can not possibly offend anyone, for by doing so an easily offended person (hypothetical) would then tyrannize our expression. Instead we should discuss why we feel offended to better share our thoughts on the matter.

Things that are offensive challenge our notions and are therefore of a certain value for they not only expand our understanding of each other, but as we put into words our reasons for being offended we expand our understanding of ourselves.