[DRAFT] You're Ruining Our Image!

[Sammuramat]

Description: Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a lost ancient city near @@CAPITAL@@, with horrific barbarian traits like ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’.

Validity: Dictatorships only.

Option 1: “It’s incredible! These were highly sophisticated people!” raves muddy archaeologist @@RANDOMNAME@@, dumping a box of yellowing bones onto your desk. “I never thought it was possible to have a flourishing civilization without a strong leader like you, but the proof is there. We could live like that again! We don’t need dictatorship, we could… vote! We wouldn’t even need to bathe!”
Effect: %%NATION%% is reviving both democracy and togas

Option 2: “Isn’t our glorious present enough for some people?” sighs your national security advisor, casually sweeping the bones into a trash compactor. “It’s none of our business what people were up to a few thousand years ago. I never liked history classes anyway, all those dusty old fossils going on about ‘precedent’ like it matters. Stop these people raking up the past. It’s just digging up trouble.”
Effect: the past is a foreign country and @@NATION@@’s closing its borders

Option 3: “Why ignore the past when you can change it?” muses @@RANDOMNAME@@, local wacky professor. “I say we send out crack teams of archaeologists to dig up ancient sites and plant a few forgeries that prove you’ve always been our leader. Then, when some beloved citizen goes out with a metal detector… ooh-hoo, what’s this he finds? An ancient coin embossed with @@LEADER@@’s handsome visage!”
Effect: the history books on the shelves are always repeating themselves




I haven't written an issue in ages, but this just came to me, so

I considered having an option of just letting the archaeologists reveal the truth, but 1) not very dictatorship-y and 2) couldn't make it funny.

[Islamic Holy Sites]

I like this! But take my opinion with a pinch of salt, as I am in no way knowledgeable about issues.

[Eshialand]

Well, Nakari, you clearly haven't lost your issue-writing touch, because this issue just cracks me up! Honestly, apart from Option 3, where "local wacky professor" probably should be changed to "a wacky local professor" (yes, my usual role here in GI is "guy who complains about grammar"), this seems perfect, and if I got it in my issues inbox, I honestly wouldn't be able to tell that this was just a first draft.

[Outer Sparta]

This is a very interesting and unique take for dictatorship nations. I do like how there are some people who want to take inspiration from this lost city with taboo values like "democracy" and "freedom" compared to the advisors who want to keep history hidden. A couple of things:

1. For option 2, the effect line is good, but does it imply that the nation is closing its boundaries to the past or to foreigners?
2. I would add in option 2 that the national security advisor should implore you to arrest the archaeologists behind the discovery for trying to promote the democratic values of that ancient city.

[Australian rePublic]

Wait, option 4- who would believe that leader has always been leader? No society has ever tried that. Not even North Korea. This isn't 1984

[Fauxia]

Wait, option 4- who would believe that leader has always been leader? No society has ever tried that. Not even North Korea. This isn't 1984

Nations doing bizarre things happens. Not everything done in NS is precedented, and we do have issues that basically allow the nation to become Oceania.

Hello person I obviously have never seen on NS before. I'm too tired to trawl through, but I'd point out that the comma in the first sentence is very confusing and that there is no grammatical necessity for it.

I'm not sold on the premise, or maybe where you go with it, but what do I know?