The Observer's Perspective

Sorry. :-(

Saying sorry is hard because people - all people - are inherently prideful. Humility is hard to come by, but if one legitimately has done something wrong (and I speak from both IC and OOC experience here) there is no greater feeling than that of being forgiven.

I think the best example of this from my history is from the Menotah incident when I literally begged Joey67500's forgiveness for mistrusting him in the face of rampant accusations against his person. He forgave me, and after about a couple days of wrapping my head around it (I'm kinda thick ) I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Perhaps NPO could come to feel the same way. Perhaps not. I don't know what their mindset is.

The NPO has said many things (including apologies for certain policies) and been met with the brick wall of 'words are cheap'. I think the emphasis place on anti-Pacificanism by some can be better explained in other ways.

Uralica: That is a very good point, and there are going to be those in NPO who don't feel bad. But I am specifically addressing those who complain about the Anti Pacifican attitude.

Vlad: As I tried to explain, an apology means nothing without action behind it. YES, words are cheap, but they are only cheap until something is done. Frankly I'm sorry to say I've seen no change in NPO policy yet apart from what has been forced in treaties. The article you posted seems like just another excuse to explain why people are angry with your actions.

EDIT: to respond to both parties

That is a very good point, and there are going to be those in NPO who don't feel bad. But I am specifically addressing those who complain about the Anti Pacifican attitude.

Yeah, it's obviously not a brush-paint job. NPO is still made up of hundreds of individuals, and last I checked they aren't exactly a hive-mind.

Also Vladimir, you do make good points. Some people just don't know how to let go. To be fair, it is as hard as admitting one was wrong, because letting go also goes against the grain of humanity's inherent prideful nature.

very true, but if the NPO wants to see a change, they need to work at it themselves. Admitting you are wrong is hard, but it is also the first step to recovery.

I hate to reply to such an obviously thought-out piece with such a simple response, but the answer to why the leading alliances haven't forgiven the NPO isn't because it hasn't apologised and changed, it's because it's strategically advantageous for them to paint the NPO as (still) being the evil monster hiding under the bed.

There are several alliances in particular who have become very drunk on power very quickly and they aren't ready to sober up yet, so by talking up the threat of the dangerous and menacing NPO they are able to keep the loosely affiliated blocs and relationships that give them such a free reign over the world together.

From what little I can see from afar, the NPO has made changes in leadership and foreign policy. These changes are generally ignored or dismissed out of hand however, because they don't sit well with scare tactic that many have apparently bought into - that the NPO is still that same alliance that we all need to fear.

I suspect that an apology would be treated in the same way by those pushing the scare tactics - dismissed out of hand with accusations of "insincerity" or "a lack of substance" no doubt - but it's possible that others might accept it, which would present an interesting situation. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens!

very true, but if the NPO wants to see a change, they need to work at it themselves. Admitting you are wrong is hard, but it is also the first step to recovery.

Precisely. Of course, going by what Vladimir has said, they have done so in some specific areas, although for others this may not be enough.

well you are right Aimee. Another aspect I didn't get into was that IF the NPO apologizes, the current powerbloc has no excuse for calling them dangerous. In essence, the current alliances are using the position that the NPO hasn't changed to intimidate the members (as you said). But if the NPO apologizes, the reasoning the bloc gives its nations for that tactic is shot out from under them. It would then make the current power bloc the bad guy. See what I mean?

I thought the Karma beatdown, $10,000,000,000.00 and 350,000 tech in reps covered all past actions. Now you want to pull a gRAMlins and get them to say sorry nearly a year and a half after the war or they cant get that clean slate. What a joke.

Thank gawd for evil monsters under the bed, may they grow to inhabit the hall closet and the other wardrobe.

Whatever it is you think we've done, I, the Emperor of the New Pacific Order, says, "Sorry."

Does that make you feel better?

I'm going to guess, "No." Probably because it was insincere. I can tell it's insincere, because I didn't mean it when I said it. And I didn't mean it when I said it because there was no meaningful dialogue between us. And there was no meaningful dialogue between us, because you haven't chosen to come to us with whatever issues you seem to have, but rather post a demand in a blog post. Come talk when you want.

Emperor Cortath, I, Snibbmaster, accept your apology. You see, I frankly couldn't care what your alliance chooses to do. I am not a belligerent. Simply an observer.

Now I wouldn't dare compare the actions of the NPO to Nazi Germany

"I'm just asking questions!"

I am not sure where you have seen the NPO lording it over others in the post Karma world. If you haven't seen change it is probably because you are not looking hard enough.

The anti-Pacifican attitude is a holdover from their previous practises. However, it is not nearly as prevalent as the NPO (and Vladimir, in particular) would like people to believe.

Look at a typical NPO announcement. What would have previously garnered page upon page of "o/ NPO" or "Boo NPO" is now largely ignored by comparison. There are no debates occurring within them. (Perhaps because the quality of said announcements has been sub-par for some time?) People do not hate the NPO. They do not even think about the NPO. And why should they?

In the minds of many, Pacifica is irrelevant. While I don't believe this to be true, the fact is that there really isn't anything (now) to differentiate the NPO from any other alliance. The special place they once had is gone, and it will not be coming back. This no doubt irks them, hence the reason mild or constructive criticism becomes "You have an abiding hate of Pacifica."

Whatever it is you think we've done, I, the Emperor of the New Pacific Order, says, "Sorry."

Does that make you feel better?

I'm going to guess, "No." Probably because it was insincere. I can tell it's insincere, because I didn't mean it when I said it. And I didn't mean it when I said it because there was no meaningful dialogue between us. And there was no meaningful dialogue between us, because you haven't chosen to come to us with whatever issues you seem to have, but rather post a demand in a blog post. Come talk when you want.

Caveat: All 'dialogue' will be on the NPO's terms, and if they don't like what you have to say or who you are they will vandalize your Embassy (as happened with Nordreich) or launch a multi-page personal attack on you (as happened with VE).

But yeah, other than that, they're totally open to talking to folks.