That said, read this article.
Perhaps the author doesn’t
realize that only those who make their living fanning the flames of racial
unrest make comparisons to chattel slavery.
It’s a degrading comparison any time it’s made, it insults an entire
group of people (Americans, not just African-Americans), and it is a mark of an
intellectually bankrupt argument. Only
those who have been defeated by logic, evidence, and experience make such
claims. It’s possible he wasn’t aware of
this.
Secondly, his “evidence” is
circumstantial at best, and built around a narrative that he chooses to believe
as a member – and donor – of Test Alliance.
Do you know why alliances were asked to leave the CFC? Failcascades resulting in ½ of the
corporations leaving, changing the nature of the alliance. Failure to show up for CFC operations despite
wanting and receiving spoils from prior campaigns. Basically, not pulling their own weight.
No one can deny that Goonswarm
is the first among equals. Why is
this? Is it because they’ve tricked
everyone else into believing their equals while they’re being flogged? No.
It’s because the Something Awful forum and culture was one that
established a number of strong personalities, personalities who were
well-suited to coalition-building. Yes,
without Goons, the CFC wouldn’t exist.
They built it, they established a “coalition of equals” concept and
proved the functionality over the course of years.
Note that bit…. proved the
functionality. The CFC exists because
Goons said they would treat everyone as equals
and…they…lived…that…promise. The
alliances of the CFC handle their own internal affairs. They can go to war as they see fit, provided
it’s not a blue (which they’ve all consensually set blue). They can establish any internal policies they
wish. All that is required is that they
provide pilots for coalition wars.
Why do they do this? Is The Mittani some sort of Svengali who is
manipulating his allies? Of course
not. They do it for two reasons, and two
reasons alone. The first is fights. The CFC alliances are PvP alliances, and they
want to kill people. The Mittani
provides this, as well as the logistics that make sov warfare happen. Goons offer coordination of diverse
alliances, and do it well. With the CFC,
you gain victory because of coordination and organization. That’s what they provide, in addition to
their own pilots.
The second reason is territory,
including moons. When wars end, the
spoils are divided based on the participation.
Alliances that contributed pilots, operations, and logistics are
rewarded, and those who did not perform are not. In this sense, spoils are divided based on
merit and worth.
That is not slavery. That’s a confederation attitude. The Mittani gets his kicks leading this
effort, but the CFC alliances follow him because he delivers on all his
promises. If he started being a space
tyrant, his allies would stop showing up and his power would evaporate. The true skill of The Mittani is that he is
keenly aware of this. Fidelity keeps the
CFC together.
But Gevlon brings historical
precedents into the argument, so let me give you a more apt comparison. The CFC is the thirteen US colonies at the
implementation of the Constitution in 1789.
A multitude of states gathering together for common cause, defense, and
profit. Yes, some states are more
important (Virginia, New York, South Carolina, Massachusetts) and others less
so (North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey).
I’d say Goonswarm is Virginia – populous, powerful, and wealthy,
providing many statesman. But Razor is
Massachusetts, a state boasting a proud history and strong foundation. And FA is South Carolina. On occasion, the union might lose a Georgia
(who never participated in the second Continental Congress that drafted the Declaration
of Independence), but those states who show up and remain – at their core – the
same alliance are always welcome.
Test would be Canada – they
opted out of the union and never bought into the “alliance of the willing”
model. The difference is that while
Canada was saved during the Revolution by Benedict Arnold taking a bullet at
the Battle of Quebec, Test had no such good fortune.
But this lengthy response
already does more service than an argument that resorts to racial imagery deserves. Nor should the Test Alliance that performed
so nobly at 6VDT deserve such a ranting travesty of agirprop as racial demagoguery as appeared in that post. They performed honorably, hardly deserving the insult of being referenced in such a shameful post.