NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm not sure if this question is more appropiate for the 'Technical' forum or 'Gameplay,' but I decided to bring it here. Now, I'm aware that pretty much everything about NationStates is supposed to be exaggerated, including UN rankings, but I still have some questions about the 'Compulsory Consumerist State' ranking. I believe this means that an authoritarian style government coerces it's citizens into regularly buying things and spending money in order to keep the economy up, yes?

It's not as outlandish and obviously ridiculous as the definition for the 'Iron Fist Consumerist' ranking and almost sounds somewhat serious, to me anyway. Are there any well thought out ideas someone would like to put forth as being a model (even loosely) for this type of RL government?

Here's is the definition most of you are familiar with:
Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of <insert pop. here> are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

Sounds rather extreme. Not necessarily "Fascist/Corportivist" model, but more generic authoritarian capitalist. If it were simply synonymous with 'Corporate Police State' or 'Iron Fist Consumerist, I take it, the category would not exist. Therefore, it is in fact different, correct? I ran a search through the forums and noticed people said that the USA fits the category. Personally, I find that hard to believe since the US government does not have a secret police force driving around in black vans making sure it's citizens are regularly buying things. I don't care how popular or fashionable it is to bash America these days, the USA couldn't possibly be a Compulsory Consumerist State. Unless I've read the definition wrong.

So what government then could be honestly classified as Compulsory Consumerist? Portugal under Salazar? Or was that Corporate Police State? Chile under Pinochet? Peru under Fujimori? Present day Singapore? Or has no honest Compulsory Consumerist State ever actually existed before?

I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and would appreciate sincere repsonses even more.

Oh, does anyone know how to decrease your trade deficit (according to NS Calculators)? Thanks.

OK. I think you're reading too much into it. The categories are based off your freedoms, Political, civil and economical. Each one is put into a supracategory of high, medium or low. Each supracategory is subdivided into five categories. There are 27 possible combinations of supracategories and each combination is assigned a UN Category.

Compulsory consumerist State means you have Low in Political Freedoms, Medium in Civil Rights and High in Economic Freedoms. This means that your country is a dictatorship with in-between good and bad civil rights with a good economy. Compulsory Consumerist State is just a label for that kind of government.

Perhaps, I could be reading too much into it, but it's a form of government I've never heard before and sounds like it could just as easily be described as Corporate Police State or something else.

I just thought the NS description for that type of government was interesting and was wondering if it was based off of any RL government.

Well... not every category is necessarily based on a real world government. It's more a matter of trying to find something that makes sense from the three-fold low-medium-high ranking.

I know I always say this, but ... there's a sci-fi story with just such a state. The main character has been pushed into psychosis through his inability to consume enough.

Suppose a well-meaning government insisted that, say, no car over five years old be allowed on the road because of its dangerous emissions -- a step on the road to compulsory consumerism?

Very interesting. Do you remember the name of the 'sci-fi story?'

Anyone got any ideas on how to reduce the trade deficit I mentioned earlier?

No, sorry, and I haven't time to hunt for it right now. If I do find it, I'll TG you.

As to the trade deficit, I think your best bet on this or any other manipulation of statistics would be to read between the lines in the "How to Write an Issue" sticky in the Issues forum and see what you can figure out. There's also the Spoilers list of issues. They don't actually give you any answers about what effects specific issues have, but they may help informed speculation.