Ed Bartlett of Baen’s Barflies had this to say in an discussion about legality and morality in Germany. The guy who started the discussion was ‘Ulrich’.
Now, it was a good point for the discussion, but an even better point for the creation of alternate universes.
I was stationed in Germany from ‘84 to ‘87, and unfortunately Ulrich’s position is all too common among his fellow citizens.
There was a phrase I kept running into when I was over there; “Crazy Americans”. I didn’t really understand it at first, I mean, we weren’t _that_ crazy. Some heavy all-night partying now and then (Ok, on a regular basis), but hey, we were young GI’s overseas. What did they expect?
But after many long conversations with them, I realized that wasn’t what they were talking about at all. We were “crazy” because we had a healthy skepticism about the sanctity of rules and regulations, a trait most Americans share. Our country was born of Rebellion, and to this day we respect those that are willing to stand up for the little guy, to buck the system, to question everything. An often annoying trait to be sure, but one I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Most of the Germans I knew never understood this, in fact it seemed to bother them on some fundemental level. The phrase “Rules are made to be broken” is an anathema to them. They’re the _Rules_. Period. Not to be questioned. Something I found rather disturbing when understood the mindset.
There was a case of a young GI when I was over there that put this in perspective. He was sitting in a Gasthaus (tavern), having a beer and minding his own business, when the police arrived. They proceded to beat the snot out him (no such thing as a police brutality law in Germany), and hauled his ass to jail, where he spent the better part of a week before being released.
The charge? None. Case of mistaken identity.
Legally there was nothing he could do about it, due to the Status Of Forces Agreement between the US and German governments. Those are the breaks.
That didn’t stop us Americans from getting a little cheesed about it. The Germans on the other hand simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “That’s the law”. The fact that the law was _wrong_ didn’t enter into it. The Powers That Be had spoken.
I was a callow youth when I arrived in Germany, and one of the things I wanted to know was how something as horrifically evil as Nazism could have ever taken hold. 20 years later I realize that it could happen anywhere under the right circumstances, but in Germany’s case there’s an underlying mentality that made it more palatable.
This may be a gross overstatement, simplification, or stereotype, but to this day I’m convinced that the overwhelming majority of Germans _need_ to know their place in society. As long as the laws are clearly posted they’ll go along with them, because they know where they fit in the grand scheme. A nice neat pigeonhole for everyone, whether or not those spots are fair, or just, or right. It’s a concept we Americans find mind boggling.
Now, this could be used as a ‘visit the new place’ and they keep saying things slightly off, and you think its a joke…until…uh oh…you realize you’re hip-deep in trouble, and they weren’t joking. It could also be useful for two alternate realities like the Farmland setting. In one, the locals think like the verser. In the other, the locals only appear to think like the verser but on some very important issues they are totally different.
September 23rd, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I somehow feel as if this is an appropriate spot to recall my articles on Law and Enforcement in Imaginary Realms at Places to Go, People to Be.
http://ptgptb.org/0009/law01.html The Source of Law discusses how legal systems and laws come into existence.
http://ptgptb.org/0010/law2.html The Course of Law discusses legal procedures and suspect rights, and what it takes to get a conviction.
http://ptgptb.org/0011/law3.html The Force of Law is about punishment, how we justify it and how we perform it.
I still think it a very helpful tool for the design of societies.
–M. J. Young
September 25th, 2007 at 8:33 am
MJ,
Indeed.
When the ‘Gamemaster’s Guide to the Multiverse’ is printed, you should include those three.
One of the key elements to learn for a Multiverser GM is how to create worlds quickly and differently, but still having an internal logic to themselves.
Because its not enough to print a hundred worlds because thats not near enough for the Verse (which makes the 18 plus placeholders we have seem pretty pathetic).
Krillis has complimented me on my world design, and denigrated his own. He says he has broad ideas in sketch form. Now, he’s a smart guy…he’s the guy who helped me with my Latin in WAW: Evansdale, but someone like him could use the help provided by your articles in order to put some healthy meat on the skeleton of a world they have.
September 25th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Which is why I’m going to copy-paste your reply to my RPOL game.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Last night I started work on that new section of the support site, unofficial and fan support pages, and I included those links; I’m pleased you approve. The section is not up yet, because I need to rummage through the links and leads you gave me to build your page for it.
I just took the time to re-read those articles myself, as I had not done so in a few (mumble). They seem helpful even to someone who already knows all that, in that they apply the concepts to potential settings pretty well, I think.
–M. J. Young