New Dornalia
25-05-2007, 02:36
New Dornalia Broadcast News
"The Number One Independent News Channel In New Dornalia."
'Robby's Kids' by Tom Wallace
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It's a new trend noticed in the "Workers State." In a land that should be embracing Socialist solidarity, collectivism, and cooperation, Shimura High School in Fullerton, California, Earth SSR seems to be a far cry from it.
Such is the case at lunch. Gone are the old days, with silent lunches and lectors reading Marxist lore. Now, students like Lina Tanizaki (who insists on being called "Lina" and "Ms.," not "comrade" like her predecessors used to be) and her friends chatter away, displaying flashy clothes, jewelry that would have made Lenin wince, and chatting about birthdays with a lack of Communist lingo. Uniforms exist, but are due to be phased out; the reason is that they are seen as "opposed to the interests of fostering a True Dictatorship of the Proletariat."
"My mom can't quite relate to me; it's like whenever she comes to visit the school for a band concert, or to pick me up from a dance, she always frets about 'Oh, these kids!'" Lina told us.
To this, her mother replied "Well yes, I do do that. I went to that school, and I have to say I can't even recognize it anymore. I mean, the trappings are still there, but honestly--what they're teaching my kids now is different. They don't emphasize the Marx that much now, and they teach more of the liberal arts. And I don't just mean the school, either."
Indeed, a look at Lina's room shows the symbols of the good life. A new computer, HoloNet ready with the newest holographic interface and NSAIM active. A massive array of boy band posters and stuffed animals. High count thread sheets and fine furnishings, no doubt from a discount furniture sales shop. After all, what matters is that it should look nice--cost is a secondary concern, especially to a middle class family like this.
The Tanizakis are a microcosm of the changes in New Dornalia. Since the rise of MacIntyre, hardline economic planning and ideology was rejected in favor of a more flexible "True Dictatorship of the Proletariat" that emphasized personal liberty, the rights of man, and especially--the right to engage in commerce as long as it didn't hurt your neighbor. Intended merely to revive the Dornalian economy and stave off political collapse, it instead unleashed a torrent of social changes, which combined with first contact with alien species, have steered the Workers State not in the direction of the Socialist Demagogue, but the Wall Street Investor. Especially among the young.
"The Number One Independent News Channel In New Dornalia."
'Robby's Kids' by Tom Wallace
--------------------------------
It's a new trend noticed in the "Workers State." In a land that should be embracing Socialist solidarity, collectivism, and cooperation, Shimura High School in Fullerton, California, Earth SSR seems to be a far cry from it.
Such is the case at lunch. Gone are the old days, with silent lunches and lectors reading Marxist lore. Now, students like Lina Tanizaki (who insists on being called "Lina" and "Ms.," not "comrade" like her predecessors used to be) and her friends chatter away, displaying flashy clothes, jewelry that would have made Lenin wince, and chatting about birthdays with a lack of Communist lingo. Uniforms exist, but are due to be phased out; the reason is that they are seen as "opposed to the interests of fostering a True Dictatorship of the Proletariat."
"My mom can't quite relate to me; it's like whenever she comes to visit the school for a band concert, or to pick me up from a dance, she always frets about 'Oh, these kids!'" Lina told us.
To this, her mother replied "Well yes, I do do that. I went to that school, and I have to say I can't even recognize it anymore. I mean, the trappings are still there, but honestly--what they're teaching my kids now is different. They don't emphasize the Marx that much now, and they teach more of the liberal arts. And I don't just mean the school, either."
Indeed, a look at Lina's room shows the symbols of the good life. A new computer, HoloNet ready with the newest holographic interface and NSAIM active. A massive array of boy band posters and stuffed animals. High count thread sheets and fine furnishings, no doubt from a discount furniture sales shop. After all, what matters is that it should look nice--cost is a secondary concern, especially to a middle class family like this.
The Tanizakis are a microcosm of the changes in New Dornalia. Since the rise of MacIntyre, hardline economic planning and ideology was rejected in favor of a more flexible "True Dictatorship of the Proletariat" that emphasized personal liberty, the rights of man, and especially--the right to engage in commerce as long as it didn't hurt your neighbor. Intended merely to revive the Dornalian economy and stave off political collapse, it instead unleashed a torrent of social changes, which combined with first contact with alien species, have steered the Workers State not in the direction of the Socialist Demagogue, but the Wall Street Investor. Especially among the young.