Difference between revisions of "The Zoogie People"
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The focuses of the government have very little to do with the lives of its citizens - education, to a point, aside - and so, in a sense, it is a reversion to the classical liberalism of the real world's 18th and 19th centuries. The government leaves most of the tasks of typical neoliberal governments to private industry, with government oversight and certain limitations. In other areas, what little government spending there is focuses on commerce and maintaining a healthy economy, and defense, maintaining a healthy military. There is also some spending on administration, but due to the size of the government, this spending is minimal. | The focuses of the government have very little to do with the lives of its citizens - education, to a point, aside - and so, in a sense, it is a reversion to the classical liberalism of the real world's 18th and 19th centuries. The government leaves most of the tasks of typical neoliberal governments to private industry, with government oversight and certain limitations. In other areas, what little government spending there is focuses on commerce and maintaining a healthy economy, and defense, maintaining a healthy military. There is also some spending on administration, but due to the size of the government, this spending is minimal. | ||
| − | + | '''Case in Point - ''' | |
With regards to government oversight of traditional neoliberalism government roles, there are two primary case-in-points to consider. First of all, the environment. Zoogiedom is not a very densely populated country, and the government sets off significant portions of the land that are to be untouched except by government-approved researchers. There is also a fair amount of preserves; the curious thing to note is that both of these mandates are not actually enforced by the government but by corporations. | With regards to government oversight of traditional neoliberalism government roles, there are two primary case-in-points to consider. First of all, the environment. Zoogiedom is not a very densely populated country, and the government sets off significant portions of the land that are to be untouched except by government-approved researchers. There is also a fair amount of preserves; the curious thing to note is that both of these mandates are not actually enforced by the government but by corporations. | ||
Revision as of 17:08, 28 October 2004
| |
| Flag of The Zoogie People | |
| Motto: Usus libri non lectio prudentes facit | |
| Map of Zoogiedom | |
| Region | Isles of Arden |
|---|---|
| Capital | Jaganda |
| Official Language(s) | [Zoogietic Extended Latin] |
| Leader | Michael Hanelis |
| Population | 2,000,000,000 |
| Currency | Limos (lime) |
| NS Sunset XML | |
This is the pending and official work-in-progress page for my nation, the Zoogie People. Feel free to contribute or discuss it in the discussion tab.
Contents
Overview
Terrae liberae Zoogidi Plexis, generally known to the world as 'The Free Lands of the Zoogie People,' or, more simply, as Zoogiedom, is a massive island nation located on the easternmost edge of [The Isles of Arden.] It has a rich history that runs at least for three or four thousand years, and a unique culture that make possible a complex political system that is in use today. The nation will be hitherto referred to as 'Zoogiedom.'
Location and Geography
Please note, first of all, the age and therefore inacurracy of the current map; it should only be used as a rough guide. City names and areas are in incorrect places, or wrongly named altogether. A new map is pending, but it is unknown how soon it will arrive.
Zoogiedom has greatly varying climate zones, with frost-covered wilderness in the northern regions, to year-round tropical warmth around the Mythelian Islands (incorrectly labelled Metellian Islands on the current map.) Zoogiedom is primarily defined by the 'mainland,' seen on the map as the largest contigent of land. To the Southwest are the Mythelian Islands, in which the greatest amount of foreign influence is centered; it is here that lies Embassy Row. In the Southeast, the island Tagyr (labelled as 'Jaggedy,' its literal English translation) and the fort Taqyr is an important military stronghold and establishment. To the far east is the region known as the Three Islands, through which all invading forces from outside the Isles of Arden must cross.
Mythelian Islands
The Mythelian Islands are the home of Embassy Row, beautiful scenery, inactive volcanoes, and tropical beaches. It is Zoogiedom's foremost tourist attraction as well as Zoogiedom's foreign relations center. The National Air & Space Museum is located here, as well as showcases of rival aerospace corporations Zoogie Aerospace (not a crown corporation) and Star Systems.
Tagyr
Whereas the Mythelian Islands are referred to as the foreign center of Zoogiedom, the small island Tagyr is a formidable military stronghold. Tagyr was made a military stronghold to facilitate the Navy's ability to patrol the trade routes in times of war, and to provide strong military assistance to the Three Islands region in the case of a foreign invasion.
Tagyr is legendary for Henson Harbour, a renowned naval base on the western side of the island, which is home to the 1st Naval Fleet. It is also known especially for Taqyr and the Tagyrs. Taqyr is the name of the primary military stronghold on the island, and the Tagyrs are the namesake of the most elite units of the military; comparable to Raysia's [ELDERS].
Three Islands
The Three Islands' primary significance is its extensive military strongholds and its position as the last line of defense for the mainland. Here a great deal of defensive military force is deployed in the event of an attack on Zoogiedom from outside the [Isles of Arden.]
Culture
Zoogiedom is composed of one ethnicity - Zoogiedus Plex, the Zoogie People. In the ancient times cultures may have intermingled, which probably accounts for the overwhelming genetic diversity seen today, but over time all have been assimilated into one distinct culture.
As was the case of the ancient Romans, virtues such as honour were valued greatly, and the vices of greed and laziness were frowned upon. Throughout Zoogiedom history this has always been the case, and as a result the people of today still cherish these virtues, essentially making possible a system in which people for the overwhelmingly most part govern themselves.
This mindset has also two other major ramnifications; first, the view of military. To be in the military is considered a virtuous and honorable thing, to such a point that recruiting for the armed forces was never a problem. The Zoogiedom Military, particularly as a result of its recent downsizing, has become a selective institution - not all those who apply to join are accepted, although the general acceptance rate is high.
Second, Zoogiedom has always placed a very high value on education. Even today, when the school system is largely privatized, an overwhelming percent of the national budget is poured into the government overseeing of the nation's education.
Although largely atheist today, this culture descended from a religion of sorts - not a traditional monotheistic religion, but something slightly remniscient of the Roman polytheistic beliefs, with certain extensions. As a result the citizenry has firmly engrained a common sense of morality, and therefore crime is largely unknown.
A side effect of this is that those criminals that do exist stick out - and feel like - a sore thumb.
Language
While in roleplays characters of Zoogiedom are seen, obviously, speaking in English, the official language of Zoogiedom is known as Zoogietic Extended Latin. It is essentially a continuously evolving, modernised derivative of classical latin such as is fit for use in today's society.
Of particular significance is the word Plex, Plexis, (noun, m) which is an irregular and separate word from Plex, Plicis, (adj, late) however much they may resemble one another. There is speculation that it is derived from the suffix 'plex' for multiplicatives, but this is not certain.
Plex, Plexis, an irregular i-stem noun of the third declension, is used only with 'Zoogiedus' to translate as The Zoogie People. Therefore, plex literally means 'people,' but is subtly different from populus, -i (m) in terms of character and texture. Note that Plex may not be used to describe other cultures or peoples.
Motto
OTIVM SINE LITTERIS MORS EST ET HOMINIS VIVI SEPVLTRA
VSVS LIBRI, NON LECTIO PRVDENTES FACIT
Zoogiedom is unusual in that it has two national mottoes, although the latter is generally listed as the official motto for purposes where only one may be listed. Both of these are representative of the cultural mindset of Zoogiedom, which places high value on education and virtue and lower value on acheivement and glory in itself.
For 'v' read 'u;' these translate to 'Leisure without literature is death, or rather the burial of a living man,' and 'The application, not the reading of books makes us wise.'
In particular a despised philosophy is that of 'The end justifies the means,' hence the greater significance attatched to the second of the two mottoes.
Anthem
The national anthem of Zoogiedom is 'Pro Plexi,' which translates to 'For the (Zoogie) People.' Out-of-context wise, think of the music in terms of a (fairly simple) arrangement entitled 'Belgian paratrooper march.' Light and airy.
In the past the declared national anthem was 'Little Boxes.' While this charming bit of music is undeniably an ... interesting piece of music, it has been decided that it is unfit for a national anthem and therefore please bury all vestiges of posts declaring it to be the Zoogiedom national anthem in the back of your heads.
History
There should be a separate page made for [Zoogie History].
Alliances
There should be a separate page made for [Zoogie Alliances] as well.
Government
Zoogiedom is currently operating under a quasi-libertarian government; however, it is not quasi-libertarian by definition. The foundation of Zoogiedom is a government by the people; and as people's views shift over time so does the government. Zoogiedom's government system facilitates swift changes as the general opinion wills it.
Current Administration
The current administration is, as aforesaid, quasi-libertarian and headed by Michael Hanelis of the astoundingly small Cherub Party. There are a number of policies of note, to be discussed in the following paragraphs.
First, the view of the government was reshaped after a leftist/socialist period. The concept that citizens are perfectly capable of governing themselves has come into play, and as a result the size of government has been greatly reduced. Government programs such as healthcare and welfare were also slashed tremendously, while education spending had a gigantic leap comparatively.
The focuses of the government have very little to do with the lives of its citizens - education, to a point, aside - and so, in a sense, it is a reversion to the classical liberalism of the real world's 18th and 19th centuries. The government leaves most of the tasks of typical neoliberal governments to private industry, with government oversight and certain limitations. In other areas, what little government spending there is focuses on commerce and maintaining a healthy economy, and defense, maintaining a healthy military. There is also some spending on administration, but due to the size of the government, this spending is minimal.
Case in Point -
With regards to government oversight of traditional neoliberalism government roles, there are two primary case-in-points to consider. First of all, the environment. Zoogiedom is not a very densely populated country, and the government sets off significant portions of the land that are to be untouched except by government-approved researchers. There is also a fair amount of preserves; the curious thing to note is that both of these mandates are not actually enforced by the government but by corporations.
Education is also maintained such. The considerable amount of money poured into education is used for the basis of the government oversight portion; actual education is provided for the most part by private industry, although province charter schools are not uncommon. The standards for education are provided by the government; these are solely developed by government programs and experts. The actual educating is done by the corporations. A roughly analagous situation is ETS, which produces admissions tests such as the SAT that are used for colleges nationwide. Roughly.
To many, it is truly an absurd system; however, historically it has always worked, at least in Zoogiedom. In a way, it may be considered as a sort of 'honour system,' placed for corporations, and capitalistic and free-market as Zoogiedom society is, honour carries enormous weight and plays a huge role in everyday life. The Zoogies are particularly and exceptionally nationalistic and united by their cultural identity. 'Zoogies' is more than a cultural identity, it is a belief,if you will, and this is what makes Zoogiedom unique.
A quasi-similar situation exists in, most notably, [Letila]. The Letilans are also united by common customs and morals, and fiercely committed to common goals, and thus can a total anarchy thrive there.
