The myth of cowardice
of all the words thrown around in this war, I think the most irritating must be "coward".
Both sides are guilty of it, and at a superficial level it works as propaganda. If your enemy is using a tactic you don't like, being able to make your opponent look cowardly for using it can look tempting as a way of gaining a footing in the PR war.
The problem is that it gets used in contexts where it simply makes no sense. Cowardice, if used properly, suggests more than a lack of bravery. It suggests the opposite of bravery, of being willing to accept any consequence as an alternative to pain. An alliance that, for example, refuses to honour an MDP because it knows it will get beaten up, is cowardly.
Because the label of coward is so incredibly toxic (especially after the incidents immediately prior to the Karma war), being able to label someone a coward becomes an incredibly powerful PR weapon, and thus moves that aren't in and of themselves cowardly get painted that way. I'll present an example from either side in this conflict.
Strategic use of peace mode is not in and of itself cowardly. I'm in peace mode right now as I reload and ready myself to get back out on the battlefield. Being able to shield nations until they are strategically useful is not automatically a cowardly act. Of course, there are cowardly uses of peace mode, as I'm sure everyone will agree, but peace mode itself is simply a game option to be used as nations see fit.
Calling in allies is not in and of itself cowardly. I'm growing increasingly bored with the line of argument that runs "LOL, Doomhouse are doing so badly they had to bring in friends!". This is a political world that runs on alliance building every bit as much as nation building. Denying yourself the help of your friends is as nonsensical as denying yourself the use of aircraft, or refusing to accept aid. Friends are a resource, and a valued one. The use of any resource is to be carefully considered, but it shouldn't be rejected just because someone thinks it is "cowardly". People who crow about one side or another "having to" call in friends are in effect jeering at the other side for having friends to call in.
I understand the use of rhetoric in the game. I understand that a well placed word can turn opinions just as readily as a well placed attack can turn the tide on the battlefield. However, let's retire the "coward" thing unless it's actually applicable. There are still plenty of stick insults you can use for each other.
It's not like I asked you to stop calling your enemies dishonorable.
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