Choose Your Own Government, Monday, Class #1

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Hello, my class, and welcome to a new semester and a new class with me, your professor. If you're not supposed to be in Choose Your Own Government with Professor Mal Doran, well, feel free to stay anyway, but you're probably missing valuable naptime. For those of you who chose to remain, you can call me Vala and I won't be offended in the slightest."

"Today's adventure in education will probably be rather minimalist. I'd like to know your name, the kind of government you grew up under and have experienced--please tell me about all of them if you've experienced more than one--and what kind of government you think you'd like to live under, or be a part of. I'd also like to know your thoughts about what a government or leader should do for its people. Then, I'd like you to split into three groups and debate why, and choose one government for the small group--a list of descriptions is here, and there are plenty for everyone. Scenarios will be forthcoming as classes go on, and each of your small governments will be responsible for solving the problems, then evaluating what did or didn't work in your approach. I will then be using these evaluations in my grading criteria."

"Also, I'm looking for a teaching assistant, if you're interested."

Comments

Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

Name, governmental experience, what you think governments are for, paper airplanes, etc.

Re: Introduce Yourself

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"I'm Eve. I grew up... uh... with whatever the hell you'd call what we've currently got." She shrugged. "I never bothered to pay attention. Probably should've."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"I believe this is technically a republican democracy," Vala said after a minute, "but don't quote me on that. Why didn't you pay attention? How do you think it works or doesn't?"

Re: Introduce Yourself

[notafairmaiden.livejournal.com]

"I'm Gwynn. My land is ruled by a monarchy."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Hello, Gwynn. What do you think of the monarchy, as a government. Are all its people represented fairly?"

Re: Introduce Yourself

[notafairmaiden.livejournal.com]

"When King Phillip has control, they are treated fairly. However, anytime Prince John does something and tries to seize control, they are not."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"My name is John Sheppard, and I'm from a representative democracy," he said. "Governments are a way of maintaining the social contract. Or something like that."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

Rolling her eyes, Vala said, "Mister Sheppard, I could have found that in a very boring book. What do you think a government is for?"

Re: Introduce Yourself

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John had in fact found that in a very boring book. He'd forgotten what a Vala class was like. "Okay, I think a government is for telling people who don't know better what they should do while trying to keep them safe. Better?"

Re: Introduce Yourself

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"Cedric Diggory," he said. "I have absolutely no governmental experience beyond knowing that the Ministry of Magic controls makes the rules and regulations regarding where I'm from. That's also what I think they do: make rules and regulations."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "Hello, Cedric. And how does this, er, Ministry of Magic get their power? Is there an election, or an appointment? What happens if people want a change in their, ah, ministers?"

Re: Introduce Yourself

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"Hello," he said and nodded. "As far as I know stupid canon, they aren't elected to their positions. The Ministry of Magic is composed of several departments wherein many people make their daily living. The Minister of Magic, the head of the Ministry, just seems to be a position that anyone can advance to."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

"My name is Katara, and I grew up under...uh, well, my father was the Chief of the Southern Water Tribes. I don't know what type of government that is."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Did everyone listen to him? How did he become Chief?" Vala was trying to be helpful. "How do you think he was effective as a leader?"

Re: Introduce Yourself

[southernbender.livejournal.com]

"Well, yes, everyone listened to him," Katara said, temporising slightly darn the paucity of canon omg. "But he mostly was in charge of the warriors, and my gran-gran was in charge of the village." She shrugged. "I think he's a good leader. I mean, the village hasn't been sacked, and the warriors are still alive...I think."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[remember5th.livejournal.com]

"I'm Evey Hammond," she started out quietly. "I grew up in London, England, twenty years from now. That's still so odd." She shook her head. "In any instance, my childhood was spent under a fascist regime called Norsefire, which I can best describe as the stuff of George Orwell's wildest nightmares. Nazis, really, in a lot of ways. Everything was controlled by Norsefire, and those who rebelled -- either actively, or passively through daring to prefer their own sex, or god forbid their religion or skin color be different -- were taken away to camps. Well. The lucky ones, anyway."

She cleared her throat, keeping quiet. "That all ended a year ago, my time. Since then, we have been rebuilding, creating a government for the people, controlled by a new generation of minds. One that isn't built on fear."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"How are you doing that? What kind of government have you chosen?" Vala considered her, deciding to tread carefully.

Re: Introduce Yourself

[remember5th.livejournal.com]

"Democratic socialism," she replied, making things up because canon left it open. "Well, anarchy for awhile, which was the intention. From chaos, natural order will form. From the destruction, we formed something of a democracy with its basis in socialism."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"My name is Karal Austreben, I'm a Sun-priest of Vkandis Sunlord." He was a bit at a loss, seeing as how his experience of government...wasn't. "Karse was once a monarchy, and is now a theocracy. I've spent time in Valdemar, which is a monarchy. Of the two, I prefer Karse. I believe government exists to protect the people who live under its rule."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Why do you prefer a theocracy?" Yes, she'd asked the priest.

Re: Introduce Yourself

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

He looked down at the floor for a minute, and when he looked up, he was smiling. "Because if it becomes corrupt, if the leader stops serving his duty and begins to serve himself, there is a god to remove him, and set someone worthy in his place."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[takingthedayoff.livejournal.com]

"Ferris Bueller. 100% American with all the trimmings of our fine democracy. Emphasis on the 'mock' wherever possible. It's important to keep a sense of humor about these things."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"What's your favorite thing to mock about the way the government in this country works?" Vala asked, preparing herself for anything.

Re: Introduce Yourself

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"I'm Anemone. Um, I think we kind of had an oligarchy - we were ruled by the Council of Sages, but then Colonel Dewey staged a coup, so it became a military dictatorship. He was a member of the royal elite, though, so it was also kind of a monarchy."

Anemone twirled her hair thoughtfully, still thinking. "But Dewey was an asshole and tried to end the world, so his brother killed him, and I think they're trying to found a democracy out of the general anarchy, but no one tells me anything."

Re: Introduce Yourself

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Do you prefer having things go on around you, or would you rather have a more active role in the process?"