How to Make Friends and Influence People [Tuesday, January 14, 2014]

[sith_happened]

Anakin stood in front of the Danger Shop-generated conference room with a slightly sheepish (for him--you had to really be looking for it) expression on his face. "My apologies for missing our first class," he began. "I had two Force-sensitive children at home with the flu and was told by my wife that she'd divorce me if I tried to leave the house. I'm pretty sure she was exaggerating, but it's never a good idea to push a tired, sick mother."

He gestured around the room. "Welcome to How to Make Friends and Influence People," he said. "You'll be learning mostly through simulations and hypothetical scenarios. I recognize most of your faces and those I don't know I'll figure out as we go along."

Because introductions in a class with friends in the name would make far to much sense, apparently.

"Here's your scenario today: a recently passed bill in the government has severely cut into the profit margins of an important trade federation. In retaliation, they have imposed a blockade around the planet of one of the biggest supporters of the law."

Because that made sense.

"Because that makes sense. You are here to negotiate an end to the hostilities. Discuss with your classmates what you think would be a good compromise to offer the trade federation. You absolutely cannot promise to repeal the law, but everything else is fair game." Anakin clapped his hands together. "Begin."

Comments

Sign in [1/14]

[sith_happened]

Being friendly!

Re: Sign in [1/14]

[wildandbrave]

Cosette Fauchelevent

Re: Sign in [1/14]

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

Toby Logan

Re: Sign in [1/14]

[failsatspirit]

Korra

Re: Sign in [1/14]

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Joker Moreau

Listen to the lecture [1/14]

[sith_happened]

Wonder what Anakin could possibly know about making friends...

Re: Listen to the lecture [1/14]

[wildandbrave]

Force-sensitive . . . ?

Cosette was developing a plan for how to deal with situations like this, where people made references to things she didn't understand, and that was to file the information away and ask about it later if she couldn't figure it out from context.

Though mostly, right now, she seemed a bit caught off-guard by the assignment. Government negotiations? Already? Suffice to say that this sort of thing was not covered particularly well in the convent school.

Re: Listen to the lecture [1/14]

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

This was just a guess, but Jessica was assuming that Anakin's skill was probably more in influencing people than making friends. Random guess there....

Still, she listened intently.

Negotiate!

[sith_happened]

What should we offer the trade federation so they'll stop trying to starve people?

Anakin will totally accept "punching them in the face until they stop" as a suggestion.

Re: Negotiate!

[wildandbrave]

"Let me see if I have this right," Cosette said after a minute or so of consideration. "Forgive me; I don't know a great deal about politics yet."

Because when all you had as a frame of reference was a vague overall view of French politics in the early 1800s . . . ahahaha.

"This . . . trade federation is punishing people for supporting a law?"

Re: Negotiate!

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "Punishing the planet for what the Senator was doing."

Pause.

"I never said the federation was that bright."

Re: Negotiate!

[wildandbrave]

"I should think not," Cosette said with a hint of indignation. "What good does that do except make people suffer?"

. . . yes, Cosette, that's sort of the point.

Re: Negotiate!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Joker looked like he didn't understand the question. Oh, he understood the question, he just didn't understand the question. If you see the difference.

"Exactly how big is this trade federation's navy in comparison to your government's?"

Re: Negotiate!

[sith_happened]

"Not very, but try getting a massive bureaucracy to mobilize anything that large quickly, especially for a planet of only middling importance," Anakin said. "Thus, negotiations."

Re: Negotiate!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Okay, but what about what's already mobilized?" Joker asked. "I mean, you've got a squadron patrolling the sector, right? Looking out for pirates, making the Alliance presence felt, keeping the Batarians at bay, that sort of thing? You let a bunch of traders push you around like that, the rest of the galaxy's gonna see weakness and move in."

Re: Negotiate!

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

This was... not something Elsa had ever had to deal with, back in Arendelle.

"I suppose I would need to know a bit more about the government and the trade federation to really be able to come up with an appropriate answer," she hedged. "Striking a bargain with the Trade Federation that's starving innocent people doesn't sound like something that would prevent this happening again in the future, though."

Re: Negotiate!

[sith_happened]

"What do you think would work better?" Anakin asked.

Re: Negotiate!

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"They sound like criminals," Elsa noted, "persecuting the innocent for supporting the letter of the law. But how many of them are there, to be able to set up a blockade around an entire planet?"

The concept was huge and... well, staggering, really. How could anyone fathom something of that scale?

Re: Negotiate!

[ultron_junior]

"And the federation can't just attack the blockade until the federation pulls back?" Victor asked, then sighed. "Logically, I guess we have to give the Federation a partial exemption from the law. Like a tax loophole thing. But I don't really believe in negotiating with bad guys."

Re: Negotiate!

[sith_happened]

"Yeah, the bad guys tend to jump through those little holes so quick, don't they?" Anakin agreed.

Re: Negotiate!

[ultron_junior]

That first 'federation' should have been 'government.' Thanks for deciphering what I meant.

Victor nodded. "Plus it's a principle thing," he added. "You give in to bullies once, you're letting every other bully around know you back down easy."

Surprise!

[sith_happened]

Halfway through your discussion, the trade federation begins to fill the conference room with knock-out gas!

Because they're punks, that's why. What will you do?

Re: Surprise!

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"...Wait, so if we've decided to negotiate with the galactic criminals, why are we doing it on their own turf?!?! What kind of brain-dead MOUTH BREATHER thought this was a good idea!?!?"

Talk to Anakin!

[sith_happened]

Especially if you'd like to be a TA!

OOC

[sith_happened]

Less than a week left in the US. Oh noooooo.