[DRAFT] Making A Good Impression

[Honeydewistania]

[title] Making A Good Impression

[validity] no censorship

[description] Controversy arose after the latest airing of the popular sketch show @@CAPITAL@@ Tonight Live. Brancalandian @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, known for @@HIS_1@@ satirical portrayals of political figures, impersonated you by saying "Hi! My name is @@LEADER@@, and I am responsible for the Maxtopian Civil War!". You have been advised to ride out the ensuing uproar in a supplies cupboard, where you can discuss potential solutions.

[option] As you close the door quietly, you see your lawyer @@RANDOMNAME@@ sitting behind the shelf of cleaning fluids, scribbling words onto a paper towel. "Ah, take a seat on this bucket. You see, @@RANDOMNAME_1@@ has said some tiny little fibs about you. Well, the best option is to just sue @@HIM_1@@ into bankruptcy. You get money, the truth is out there, and you won't be bothered by this buffoon again. Just sign on the dotted line."
[effect] lawyers file libel suits against anyone who calls @@LEADER@@ a meaniebutt

[option] "No need to go into all that trouble!" perks your rarely seen Minister of Roasting from behind a mop. "It's obvious @@HE_1@@ is fishing for attention. The simple solution is obviously to give it to @@HIM_1@@! In your next public statement, just make a crude joke about @@HIS_1@@ mother or about @@HIS_1@@ previous conviction for drunk driving in Brancaland. There is no way this could go wrong!"
[effect] @@LEADER@@'s diss tracks on political opponents have reached the top of the charts

[option] You then see General @@RANDOMNAME@@ sitting on the old stool you forgot existed, staring into space menacingly. "That clown has disgraced us once again! Last night's one really takes the cake, it wasn't even as bad as when @@HE_1@@ joked that we were rigging elections in Skandilund! It's not funny anymore! We should deport this buffoon back to Brancaland and ban anybody from making fun of a government official!
[effect] government spies infiltrate comedy clubs to weed out potential terrorists

[option] "SUPPLIES!" comes a voice from above. You see a figure jump from the ceiling and land on the floor as you scream in terror, before realising it's just @@RANDOMNAME_1@@. Before you can call security, @@HE_1@@ starts speaking. "Geddit? Supplies, surprise... I just surprised you... never mind. You're passing a great opportunity leader! I just made you viral in many countries with my performance, and you could make a few @@CURRENCY@@ of it! Posting a government update on your Twitcher account? Add a #IAmResponsibleForTheMaxtopianCivilWar. Going out in public? Wear a shirt that says "I was responsible for the Maxtopian Civil War, and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt. Think about it! Think about the MONEYYY!"
[effect] soldiers admit to war crimes by pasting their confessions on a mug

[title] Making A Good Impression

[validity] no censorship

[description] Controversy arose after the latest airing of the popular sketch show @@CAPITAL@@ Tonight Live. Brancalandian @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, known for @@HIS_1@@ satirical portrayals of political figures, impersonated you by saying "Hi! My name is @@LEADER@@, and I am responsible for the Maxtopian Civil War!". You have been advised to ride out the ensuing uproar in a supplies cupboard, where you can discuss potential solutions.

[option] As you close the door quietly, you see General @@RANDOMNAME@@ standing behind the shelf of cleaning fluids, snarling. "That clown has disgraced us once again! Last night's one really takes the cake, it wasn't even as bad as when @@HE_1@@ joked that we were rigging elections in Skandilund! It's not funny anymore! We should deport this buffoon back to Brancaland and ban anybody from making fun of a government official!"
[effect] a free ticket back home can be achieved by saying @@LEADER@@ has a funny nose

[option] "Shhhh! Keep your voice down!!" shushes the mysterious Intelligence Director @@RANDOMNAME@@, playing tic-tac-toe with mouse droppings. "Don't talk about last night. That @@MAN_1@@ is incredibly dangerous. Let's just say... @@HE_1@@ may not have been joking last night. Give me the order, and my team will grab @@HIM_1@@ and use our creative interrogation techniques to find out what @@HE_1@@ knows."
[effect] government spies infiltrate comedy clubs to weed out potential terrorists

[option] "No need to go into all that trouble!" perks your rarely seen Minister of Roasting from behind a mop. "It's obvious @@HE_1@@ is fishing for attention. The simple solution is obviously to give it to @@HIM_1@@! In your next public statement, just make a crude joke about @@HIS_1@@ mother or about @@HIS_1@@ previous conviction for drunk driving in Brancaland. There is no way this could go wrong!"
[effect] @@LEADER@@'s diss track on Valeria Drake has reached the top of the charts

[option] "SUPPLIES!" comes a voice from above. You see a figure jump from the ceiling and land on the floor as you scream in terror, before realising it's just @@RANDOMNAME_1@@. Before you can call security, @@HE_1@@ starts speaking. "Geddit? Supplies, surprise... I just surprised you... never mind. You're passing a great opportunity leader! I just made you viral in many countries with my performance, and you could make a few @@CURRENCY@@ of it! Posting a government update on your Twitcher account? Add a #IAmResponsibleForTheMaxtopianCivilWar. Going out in public? Wear a shirt that says "I was responsible for the Maxtopian Civil War, and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt. Think about it! Think about the MONEYYY!"
[effect] soldiers admit to war crimes by pasting their confessions on a mug

Tried my hand at a slightly more humorous issue

[Candensia]

I feel this draft doesn't do enough to establish why action is needed. If you've got a satirical show on the air, then why is it so shocking that a sketch was done on @@LEADER@@? You say that this particular sketch is controversial, but it isn't really clear why?

Options 1 and 2 seem like hugely disproportionate responses for "sane" options. Deportation? Kidnapping and interrogation? We are dealing with a comedian, not a terrorist, right? Wouldn't you start with a trusty cease and desist (if you believe you've a case) or propose firing back (as in option 3). Then after those mostly-reasonable options consider something crazy?

[Honeydewistania]

I feel this draft doesn't do enough to establish why action is needed. If you've got a satirical show on the air, then why is it so shocking that a sketch was done on @@LEADER@@? You say that this particular sketch is controversial, but it isn't really clear why?

Options 1 and 2 seem like hugely disproportionate responses for "sane" options. Deportation? Kidnapping and interrogation? We are dealing with a comedian, not a terrorist, right? Wouldn't you start with a trusty cease and desist (if you believe you've a case) or propose firing back (as in option 3). Then after those mostly-reasonable options consider something crazy?

That is a good point, thanks.

[Honeydewistania]

I feel this draft doesn't do enough to establish why action is needed. If you've got a satirical show on the air, then why is it so shocking that a sketch was done on @@LEADER@@? You say that this particular sketch is controversial, but it isn't really clear why?

I put draft two up.

Also for the satirical show, I guess because such a blatant and shocking lie has defamed you. And its controversial cause of other controversial stuff like rigging the Skandilund elections. etc

[Cretox State]

I think it might work better if you frame the defamatory comment as being so vile that no one dares say it. I don't think it's possible to come up with a specific phrase about Leader that people getting the issue are likely to react to.

[Australian rePublic]

Did Maxtopoa percieve this as a threat?

[Honeydewistania]

Did Maxtopoa percieve this as a threat?

That's something to think about. Maybe that could be an option

[Drasnia]

I still think the example you gave for the impersonator is not nearly shocking enough to be an issue. Look into Sacha Baron Cohen's work. He has been mired in controversy for his whole career because he does exactly what this issue is trying to iterate.

[Honeydewistania]

I still think the example you gave for the impersonator is not nearly shocking enough to be an issue. Look into Sacha Baron Cohen's work. He has been mired in controversy for his whole career because he does exactly what this issue is trying to iterate.

Can’t believe I didn’t think of him. I’ll change the premise a little.

[Honeydewistania]

Just asking, would a premise of having a Sachs Baron Cohen person interview a senior government person with his fake persona and accidentally get the government official to say something controversial be a better premise than having the Comedian being rude to @@NAME@@‘s anthem or motto or something?

[Cretox State]

Just asking, would a premise of having a Sachs Baron Cohen person interview a senior government person with his fake persona and accidentally get the government official to say something controversial be a better premise than having the Comedian being rude to @@NAME@@‘s anthem or motto or something?

Probably. The you can frame it around lying as well as leaking.

[Honeydewistania]

Just asking, would a premise of having a Sachs Baron Cohen person interview a senior government person with his fake persona and accidentally get the government official to say something controversial be a better premise than having the Comedian being rude to @@NAME@@‘s anthem or motto or something?

Probably. The you can frame it around lying as well as leaking.

Bumping to see if anyone else agrees with this

[Westinor]

I think the first sentence of the description reads fairly clunky by itself, and can be incorporated into the rest of the description like so - "Controversy arose after Brancalandian comedian @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, known for @@HIS_1@@ satirical portrayals of political figures, impersonated you on @@CAPITAL@@ Tonight Live saying, "Hi!..."

Also, "where you can discuss potential solutions" is redundant, and you could probably replace it with "where you stumble upon several disgraced political figures", or something along those lines. I just feel that clause needs to be repurposed and is too awkward on its own.

[The Grand Dolphin]

Probably. The you can frame it around lying as well as leaking.

Bumping to see if anyone else agrees with this

The problem I could see with that approach is that it might be difficult to implement and might muddy the premise. It also requires having quite a few options, as (a) interviews, (b) fake personas, (c) government spin, (d) reporting, and (e) controversy would all need to be covered.

I still support the idea of the comedian saying something so terrible no one dares mention it, sort of like the issue with the shark and the oil refinery. You could even change the comedian to a retiring politician at an important summit spilling dirt on everyone and everything, with the options including increasingly ridiculous insults being hurled between the speakers. Sort of like Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Edit: Whoops, treat this like a Cretox post.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

[description] Controversy arose after the latest airing of the popular sketch show @@CAPITAL@@ Tonight Live. Brancalandian @@RANDOMNAME_1@@, known for @@HIS_1@@ satirical portrayals of political figures, impersonated you by saying "Hi! My name is @@LEADER@@, and I am responsible for the Maxtopian Civil War!". You have been advised to ride out the ensuing uproar in a supplies cupboard, where you can discuss potential solutions.

I can't imagine that an impersonator's satirical impersonations are going to cause controversy in this context.

The only context I can think of where impersonating a nation leader would be a problem would be in a nation where political satire is broadly forbidden, like China. I can't help but think the issue would be better framed in that context.

Also, I don't think you should gender the impersonator. LEADER's gender isn't known, and if someone was impersonating you cross-gender, that'd be more newsworthy than the throwaway Civil War line.

All in all the story doesn't hang together that well right now.

[Honeydewistania]

I see. I’ll continue working on it