The Empath Guild

[GeneralTacticus]

I consider the Drones to be a dysfunctional part of the populace that need to be reeducated and rehabilitated so that they can be more productive citizens.

If the Drone's riot, then they are destabilizing the society and therefore are NOT part of the populace.

But the populace don't need keeping in line. The drones are the ones we need to watch out for, and if they aren't part of the populace, we don't need the to keep the rest in line.

[GeneralTacticus]

Oh, and Drone riots can have legitimate reasons, such as poor living conditions, lack of rights, or unjust war.

[Archaic]

That's not how they're portrayed in the games, and you know it.

[GeneralTacticus]

That's not how they're portrayed in the games, and you know it.

They're portrayed in the game as a problem, which they are, for the faction they afflict. That doesn't mean they don't have legit reasons for rioting.

[Archaic]

Oh give me a break. They're portrayed as southern redneck hicks.

From the SMAC Manual

Drones are the unskilled, unsuitable and disgruntled among your people. They're lazy troublemakers, and they all carry weapons. Drones also have a profound effect upon social order inside a base. See Drone Riots, p. 63.

[Pandemoniak]

Capitalist game programers propaganda, thats all. We all know that Drones are the working class made unhappy by those who takes benefits of their work.

[Archaic]

Which is why you can have Drones under *Planned*, hmmm? Sort of seems to kill your theory. Face it, what's said in the Game Manual is fact. You can't just throw bits out of it because you don't like what it says. Deal with it.

[Pandemoniak]

This so called "manual" is only propaganda. Planned economy keeps the people much happier than free market anyway. According to your own theory, free market would make "lazy troublemakers, [who] all carry weapons" all amongst our bases. Thats what I call evil morganite propagandism.

[Archaic]

Yes Pan, that's right, everything that disagrees with you and is a factual document which you can't disprove is propaganda.

Don't worry, the men in the white suits will be here shortly......

Seriously Pan, are you just plain stupid or something? I'll turn your own arguement around on you. FM has no police whatsoever, meaning more disgruntled citizens who wouldn't normally riot now can, and have access to firearms. Planned has the same disgruntled people (Generally more in fact, since personal liberties are enfringed upon), but enforces the peace using a strong police force.

[Pandemoniak]

Okay, so these peaceful citizens made drones by free marketers are just pacifists who went get a weapon to defend peace ?

[Archaic]

Don't twist my words. That wasn't what I meant and you knew it. Al that is is lying.

The citizens made Drones under Free Market are the same people who would be Drones under Planned if not for the big nasty policy and their infringements on personal libities.

[FlameFlash]

DBTS, I'm thinking that trading should be on an equal basis... though if they're willing to offer us a better tech for one of our lower techs, I'm all for that...

[AdamTG02]

As far as I can tell, personal liberties are protected in any Democratic form of government, whatever the economic system.

Democracies allow citizens to participate in government, and forego
oppression and the stability it confers in favor of growth and efficiency.

Democratic governments with Planed economics are no different.

A semi-market economy kept in check by fierce governmental regulation

sounds like the government is limiting economic freedom, not personal liberty. In contrast, in Free Market,

citizens rendered suddenly poor by the actions unscrupulous moguls may revolt against their energy-fattened masters.

Sounds to me like the unrest in FM is not the result of the absence of social repression, but of the inequities inherent in any purely capitalistic economy. Capitalism is to some extent a system for transferring wealth from the less able to produce to the most able, and ability to make huge amounts of money is often the result of ruthlessness and luck, rather than merit.

I don't claim that my take is definitive; what do you all think?

[Maniac]

I agree with you Adam! Those capitalists should learn a left economy does not equal a totalitarian politic, just like a free market does not equal a democratic government.

[Frankychan]

uh-oh, this has turned into another "Archaic vs. Everyone else" debate. GeneralTacticus and I were just having a little conversation (no malice, mind you. Just a simple lighthearted talk) when all of a sudden, the maelstrom appears over the horizon.



Anyway, GeneralTacticus to get back to what we were discussing...

True, our Drone's may riot for seemlingly "just" reasons, but should they turn to destroying our facilities if it comes down to it? The Drone (when it comes to full blown sabotage) should be cut out of our society by proper enforcement of PK police units or even stepping up our garrison. If this is the case, then we should watch the rest of our people (drone/talent/etc) so that more Drone's are not created.