Overview:
Coming soon...
Society
The Defesian society is a unique one. The State does not or claim to have total control over the people's lives. The current government is only kept in power because most of the people are too ignorant and preoccupied to form any form of coherent protest. Their lives are filled with petty distractions like gambling, prostitutes, and constant "community support programs" for whatever war the Mainland may be in at the time. Whether or not there is an actual war on means nothing. They are forever locked into an almost medieval society, toiling away with obsolete tools while the military pumps out more state-of-the-art equipment.
Women:
The opinion on women and their place in society varies from community to community. The more conservative see them as the "Mothers of our Future", and demand they stay home to raise the "future generations" of Defesians. More tolerant communities allow them - if they are not married or have kids - to take up any job they wish and are capable of doing. But for the majority, life is the same.
Long ago Defesian sociologists observed that in other countries where women are kept below their male counterparts, it is easy to predict when trouble is stirring. Things like washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and other household appliances all made life easier for women and gave them more free time. Instead of spending a few hours washing the households clothes my hand, it can be usually be done in just half an hour. This leaves her with free time, and people with free time are considered dangerous.
The obvious answer was to restrict their access to these "luxury" goods. Since all goods are rationed by the government this was simple enough already. Only a very limited number of appliances like microwaves or washing machines are dispersed amongst the people. They are forced to use primitive tools and devices and spend hours upon tasks that people in other parts of the world can finish within minutes. This takes away the free time from the women, and prevents them from getting an education or even pondering life. How could a young mother hope to join a prestigious college, for example, when her daily chores involve washing all her clothes, that of her husbands and children, all by hand?
Men:
There are two classes of men in Defese. There is the lower class and the upper class. There is no middle class, that would be dangerous. A Defesian can either be educated and (moderately) free, or stupid and tied to their workplace like slaves. A middle class would demand things like education, adequate health care, or even government reform. Therefore the rich/poor divide is great.
The bottom class make up a predicted 92% of the population. They are seen as nothing more than a resource to be exploited. They are the ones that toil away in factories and farms, working in dangerous environments. Civilian factories use equipment that would be considered dated during the Industrial Revolution, but the workers sincerely believe that they are using all the State can provide for them.
Upperclassmen make up the remaining 8% of the population. They are the politicians, the Generals, the factory supervisors, or the Nobility. They are the only ones with access to universities and learning, but even then that access is limited as much as possible. The teaching of foreign languages is only allowed if absolutely necessary, and other "dangerous" ideals like democracy or the Internet are kept in the dark.
Children/Teenagers (growing up in the Empire):
Children are held to the highest degree, which Chancellor Tyresku Dasvoadi made clear in a speech during the execution of two accused child molesters in 1934.
"...Children are the future of Defese, and they are to be protected and cherished until they mature into glorious citizens ready to give everything to further the Cause..."
But when one digs deeper, they find that all of the nonsense spewing forth is utter garbage.
It is common for the father to beat his son with whatever he happens to have on hand. It is not uncommon to see young males with bruises down their arms and backs.
"An easily visible bruise lets him know his place." - Defesian phrase
The mother is told to spank her daughter, because beating a little girl would be seen as the same as brutally murdering her. If none of this works, and the son or daughter eventually grows into an intelligent teenager, he's likely to commit suicide due to the constant bullying that stems from his lack of enthusiasm to the simple minded games or ideas of his peers. And if he does, no one will care because by committing suicide, an atrocious betrayal to the State, he has forfeited his right to even be remembered by his peers. All records of him that people can get their hands on will be burned, and it will become taboo to repeat his name.
Education
Education is only available to well off families. It is the idea of the State that educated masses are more inclined to seek outdated ideas like "equality" and "civil rights". They are more prone to question their actions or the actions of their government. Therefore the lower classes have a severely limited access to education. They are herded into decaying buildings where a handful of teachers - usually just dignified babysitters - keep them silent while "educational" videos teach them the basics of the Defesian language and simple math. Attendance is not mandatory, and it is only provided until the child is 17 years of age. Upon graduation - which they're just told to go home, there is no ceremony - they often know no more than an elementary student would know in a more free society.
Sexuality
Sexuality is a complex subject, so is not often touched upon by most Defesians. However, homosexuality is seen as a moral perversion. The entire purpose of a family is to produce children and add more generations of Glorious citizens. A homosexual couple is incapable of having offspring, so the fact that they have the audacity to ask for the same rights as normal couples is seen as a great offense. It has not been uncommon for homosexual couples to have their apartment room invaded by an angry mob, or murdered on the streets.
This is not entirely the fault of the government. The State only demands that children come out of relationships, there are no official or even unofficial laws, statements, or anything else about the LGB community. This leaves the people to decide for themselves what they want done. So at best they are tolerated, and at worse they are rounded up and burned alive.
Some say that it is the controversy regarding homosexuality that keeps the government from taking a stance. The State is afraid that by criminalizing it or openly supporting it, they may alienate a large chunk of the people. It's considered best to simply ignore it, and let the people deal with it themselves.
Crime and Punishment
There is a notable lack of civilian courts. There is only the Court of Morality which is a check and balance to the Executive branch, and the Tribunal Courts which is involved with military matters. People are told to deal with trouble makers on their own, and there are not even any regular police patrols through residential neighborhoods.
One would think that this would eventually lead to explosive anarchy as murderers, gang-bangers, and thieves swarm the streets. But this leads to another unique part of the Defesian society. Throughout their history Defesians have shown a fierce communal attitude. They are adept at policing themselves, often forming their own neighborhood watch organizations. Of course there is a massive black market that offers vice and corruption, but that is exactly what the State wants. An organized mafiya or criminal family wouldn't profit from utter chaos, so they keep things in check while the ICDF (Inner City Police Force) patrol only industrial and commercial districts, protecting supplies and discouraging looters.
Most criminals who are caught and not immediately beaten to death by the Watch are dragged to an ICDF building for punishment. There are no courts, because the word of the people is taken in stride. If a mob drag a bloody man before the doorstep and tells the ICDF that he committed adultery, who can say they are wrong? After he is cleaned up and ID'ed, the criminal is shackled and dragged into a public setting, usually a park, and tied to a post on a stand so that all can look up and see him. ICDF officers wielding megaphones broadcast his crimes and the desired punishment while handing out tools like rakes, butter knives, and hammers to the inevitable crowd.
The crowd is told they have 5 minutes, and are encouraged to mutilate the tied up criminal as much as possible without killing him. To the people it's seen as a friendly challenge from the State, to see how bad they can maim the person before the State can finally dish out the real punishment. Families often bring their children to show them what happens when they're bad, and try to have their sons join in on the "fun".
Once the time is up, the body is covered in gasoline and lit on fire, whether it's alive or not. More often than not it's left their to hang until people begin to complain about the smell or the space is needed for another show, then the body is taken down and dumped into an open pit outside the city with other criminals.
