NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Please Note that most of the information provided in this thread is readily available in history books about Platonic and tourist information, it is also almost entirely accurate with only slight discrepencies.

IC:

The Commonwealth of Platonic and it's colonies were found originally on a basis of freedom from oppression, and freedom of expression. In it's previous history it had been rife with war, crime, and short sighted, power hungry leaders. When control of the government was eventually seized in the last of many bloody revolutions the leaders of the revolution realized that something would have to be done or the entire cycle would begin again, likely within just a few years.

Fortunately by this point the military was sick of fighting as was almost the entire populous so they had a period of relative peace in which to put forward there reforms. The reforms were based on some very simple principles which are listed here.

1) An educated populous has all that it needs.

2) In order to sustain equality, everyone regardless of race or sex should have equal access to education.

3) An educated individual should have a say in government with out fear of reprisal.

Along with these reforms the former name which had been thrust upon the country by it's neighbors was replaced with the name Platonic. This was to help symbolize a new era of cooperation and good will. The success of this system was at first limited, but as the educational reforms took hold and the newest citizens saw a country they could live in with out fear while persuing their dreams the reforms took root. These prinicples were altered subtly over the years and now are only really a foot note in Platonic's History, however their original premise remains as a strong part of Platonic's social, civil, and Political Structure.

Shortly after Platonic's birth as a country the original founders named Polus Kirk, Caern McDouglas, and Karen Psikes realized that although their ideas were strong they didn't deal effectively with the general attitude of materialism and greed that were prevalent in Platonic at that time. Having the pattern of other socialist nations to look at the three realized that this was enough to signal an eventual death knell of the society they were working so hard to create. Something would have to be done, and so it was. Over the course of the next several decades Platonic's education systems and government started pushing the ideas of individual social and intellectual growth over economic growth. Some critics at the time and even now decried this as propaganda, and social engineering. Regardless of the method however the efforts were successful. The current nation of Platonic contains a happy, exceptionally educated, socially progressive people. The downside of this is that Platonic's economy is rather weak, however due to careful government control everyone has their basic needs seen to and limited material luxuries are available to those willing to work for them.

Platonic's government is quite large due to the constant role it has in everyone's lives. Fortunately however Platonic has avoided most of the problems large governments face. A large portion of this is because of how much the average Platonic citizen's life is interwoven with the government. Truly speaking the general society and government of Platonic are heavily interwoven. Everyone, in one way or another works for the government, and due to the education they receive is aware of exactly how important their role is to keeping their government, country, and way of life working effectively. Corruption in the government system is kept to a very minor role due to a low desire for economic goods, and a realization from education that crime is generally a risk not worth the reward.

The biggest problem Platonic currently faces is an expanding population. To help alleviate this it has expanded its area to Mars. Since it has a generally pacifistic nature Platonic is unwilling to expand it's areas through the use of force. Platonic’s current solution to this problem originated almost 200 years ago, at that point some of Platonic's larger cities were already growing very large and negatively impacting the environment. At that point a famous ecologist named Bailey Smith met an astrophysisct and architect named Lauren Itsch. Over drinks that evening they discussed the population density crisis, working together they came up with some really loose ideas that ended up being solidified over the next several years as they built an immense long-term plan for dealing with Platonic's population growth. Through a combination of more scattered, smaller population centers and building designs that minimized the environmental impact of these centers. These changes allowed the population to be much more evenly spread and also minimized the sprawl effect on the environment. This plan also involved creating a colony on a nearby world. The only problem is the colony on Mars ended up being smaller then previously thought, this means that unless a larger land mass is found the over population issue will start cropping up again within 100 years.

OOC: This is an article in well known Platonic news magazine call "You and the News"

Political pundits through out Platonic have been eyeing a growing political group that seems to glorify violence and war. Oddly enough although the group is non violent it's very much at odds with the current political ideals. There are continuing worries that the group may start engaging in violent behavior at some point. A recent interview done with one of the leaders of the group has shed more light on their motivations and actions to date. The interview was done with Simon Xavier by our political corrispondent Janice Ponds.

JP: The first question I have for you is rather obviously, what does your group really represent, and why.

SX: Well Janice, our beliefs are centered on the very basic concept of Might makes right, Platonic's society may seem successful to the casual obeserver but a harder look reveals a great deal of weakness. Frankly we don't wish to be a part of this, and although Platonic's a great country we feel it could use some serious change, which we are trying to create.

JP: Simon, thats very interesting indeed, and frankly hammers at the very roots of what almost all Platonic's citzenry believes in. What do you have as supporting evidence of this?

SX: Really it's very simple, Platonic has gotten "lucky" the government is successful in creating a working society of this size because it fails to fund certain areas entirely. Defence spending specifically. Although we have gone unattacked over the past two centuries due mostly to our pacifism and helpful attitude towards other countries it's only a matter of time before another power hungry nation views Platonic as ripe for the picking. As things stand now Platonic appears to be unable to protect itself.

JP: Personally I hope to never see something like that happen, but the question is, what specifically do your views do to solve this, and what sacrifices would have to be made?

SX: A very valid question, Our views are toward obvious military build up and training, every citzen should be able and willing to fight and if necassary die for their country. Simply put, if you want to keep it, you better be willing to fight for it. This would give us the military clout to keep other nations from infringing on us. One of the best ways to lead is by example, and to that point that is one of things we do.

JP: That would generally be considered a very radical approach, have you considered a more gradiual shift, or some sort of comprimise?

SX: Janice, under normal circumstances compromise is a valid political strategy, but simply put things are to lax for that now. Most people think that the battle of survival was won centuries ago, but if the battle of survival was a book we would only be on the second or third chapter! To put it simply, we don't have time for compromise Platonic's weakness will be it's undoing!

JP: Those are some strong words indeed Simon, one final question, what is the name of your organization? Also how can people find out more about it?

SX: Our name is "Poltron's Children", and a quick net search will give access to more of our documentation and how to contact us.

JP: I see... Thank you very much for this interview Simon, I wish you good luck and knowledge.

SX: Thank you very much for having me Janice, and the same to you.