[SUBMITTED] A World Worth Learning?

[Le Libertia]

Current Draft:

“A World Worth Learning?”

Description:
Ridicule has been directed at @@NAME@@ after an international study by the Cosmopolitan Tribune revealed that over 22 percent of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ didn’t know of the existence of the ongoing Lilliputian civil-war and nearly ten percent couldn’t identify @@NAME@@ on a world map. An arriving crowd of journalists, ambassadors, and ministers have made your office the destination to consult you on this matter.

Validity: Not really valid for nations that have no freedom of the press, high intelligence, or high public education.

Option 1: “We cannot be fazed by a group of snooty internationalist writers, who are simply jealous of our magnificent @@TYPE@@,” grumbles patriot Noah Knonscense, as he lights the newest edition of the Cosmopolitan Tribune ablaze and nonchalantly tosses it over his shoulder. “Who cares about some little war or a stupid map? I suggest we gather up and burn all the editions of the Cosmopolitan Tribune. Oh, and scrap all teaching of international subjects. Why waste @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ learning about other inferior nations?”
Effect: @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ are taught about the illustrious history of their nation and that 'there are some other people beyond the border'

Option 2: Head editor Elia Interlove rushes out towards the burning newspaper. “This issue could be so easily solved," she exclaims while beating flames, “if you all simply listened to the suggestions of other progressive nations!” Smothering embers, she adds, “Not only do international events influence @@NAME@@, but learning about other cultures and people increases empathy and understanding. A broadened educational curriculum and a government campaign for citizens to learn about the world will completely extinguish this problem.”
Effect: kindergartners in @@NAME@@ are surprisingly knowledgeable about the inter-political Lilliputian disputes of the past century

Option 3: “Though Ms. Interlove’s suggestions are well-intentioned, I doubt they will go far enough,” utters the Lilliputian ambassador disdainfully as he closes a book titled ‘A History of @@NAME@@’. "@@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ writers and teachers will never be able to do justice to our nation’s great culture and history. Only by traveling to our great nation and experiencing our culture will your ignorant citizens truly be able to understand us. @@LEADER@@, I urge you to only allow writers and teachers to teach about subjects from their country of origin, and encourage your citizens to travel abroad.”
Effect: @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ are told to leave the country if they express any interest in another nation

Option 4: “Don't you see the prime opportunity this situation presents?” whispers your Minister of Press Relations. “Surely, we can teach people about other nations...but why not add a little twist? We can ‘enhance’ the history and accomplishments of @@NAME@@ and its allies while highlighting the failures and issues of our enemies. It will help to maintain an unthinking—erm loyal populace who supports our glorious leader! Of course, we'll need to control the media to an extent to ensure our narrative remains consistent…”
Effect: horror writers often double as the textbook authors for @@NAME@@'s enemies

“A World Worth Learning?”

Description:
Ridicule has been directed at @@NAME@@ after an international study by the Cosmopolitan Tribune revealed that over 24 percent of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ thought Bigtopia wasn’t a real country and nearly ten percent couldn’t even identify @@NAME@@ on a world map. An arriving crowd of journalists, ambassadors, and minsters have made your office the destination to consult you on this matter.

Validity: Allows some freedom of the press, high levels of ignorance, and low public education.

Option 1:“We cannot be fazed by a group of snooty internationalist writers, who are simply jealous of our magnificent @@TYPE@@,” grumbles patriot Noah Knonscense, as he lights the newest edition of the Cosmopolitan Tribune ablaze and nonchalantly tosses it over his shoulder. “I suggest we gather up all the editions of the Cosmopolitan Tribune, and burn them in our town squares. Oh, and scrap all teaching of international subjects. Why waste @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ learning about other, inferior nations?”
Effect: @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ are taught about the illustrious history of their nation and that 'there are some other people beyond the border'

Option 2: Editor Elia Interlove rushes out towards the burning newspaper. “This issue could be so easily solved," she exclaims while beating flames, “if you all simply listened to the suggestions of other progressive nations!” Smothering embers, she adds, “Learning about other cultures and people increases empathy and understanding. A broadened educational curriculum and a campaign for citizens to learn about the world will completely extinguish this problem.”
Effect: Kindergartners in @@NAME@@ are surprisingly knowledgeable about the inter-political Bigtopian disputes of the past century

Option 3: “Though Ms. Interlove’s suggestions are well-intentioned, I doubt they will go far enough,” utters the Bigtopian ambassador disdainfully as he closes a book titled ‘A History of @@NAME@@’. "@@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ writers and teachers will never be able to do justice to our nation’s great culture and history. Only by traveling to our great nation and experiencing our culture will your ignorant citizens truly be able to understand us. I urge you to only allow writers and teachers to teach about subjects from their country of origin, and encourage your citizens to travel abroad.”
Effect: @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ are told to leave the country if they express any interest in another nation

Option 4: “Don't you see the prime opportunity this situation presents?” whispers your Minister of Press Relations. “Surely, we can teach people about other nations...but why not add a little twist? We can enhance the stories of @@NAME@@ and its allies, while highlighting the problems of our enemies. It'll help to ensure a unthinking-erm loyal populace who supports our glorious leader!
Effect: Horror writers often double as the textbook authors for @@NAME@@'s enemies

“You Know Nothing, says International Community”

Description:
An international study conducted by the world-renowned Cosmopolitan Tribune revealed that over 24 percent of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ thought Bigtopia wasn’t a real country and nearly ten percent couldn’t even identify @@NAME@@ on a world map. A resulting torrent of ridicule has poured in from across @@REGION@@, ranging from calling the citizens of @@NAME@@ ‘slightly close minded’ to 'horrendously ignorant.' Even worse, a quarreling crowd of journalists, ambassadors, and officials have somehow snuck their way into your office, flooding your ears with an array of advice.

Validity: Allows some freedom of the press.

Option 1: “This whole situation is a just waste of our time,” grumbles patriot Noah Knonscense, as he lights the newest edition of the Cosmopolitan Tribune ablaze and nonchalantly tosses it over his shoulder. “We cannot be fazed by a group of snooty internationalist writers. They are simply jealous of our magnificent @@TYPE@@. I suggest we gather up all the editions of the Cosmopolitan Tribune, and burn them in our town squares.” Standing up, he begins to strut out of your office. Turning, he adds, “Oh, and ban all teaching of international subjects. I mean, why waste @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ learning about other, inferior nations?”
Effect: Citizens in @@NAME@@ are taught they're the only the only ones that matter in the world.

Option 2: Elia Interlove, the head editor of the infamous published study, rushes out towards the burning newspaper. “This issue could be so easily solved," she exclaims while beating flames, “if you all simply listened to the suggestions of other progressive nations instead of ignoring them!” Smothering embers, she adds, “A comprehensive incentive system with a broadened educational curriculum and a campaign for citizens to learn about the world will completely extinguish your problems.” Exhausted from her effort, she sighs a breath of relief.
Effect: Teacher insomnia rates have spiked as they are forced to create presentations about over 200 countries.

Option 3: “Though Ms. Interlove’s suggestions are well-intentioned, I doubt they will go far enough,” utters the Bigtopian ambassador disdainfully as he closes a book titled ‘A History of the World’, gently pushing it back on your bookshelf. "@@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ writers and teachers will never be able to do justice to our nation’s great culture and history. Not to mention the rampant biases they hold. Only by traveling to our great nation, interacting with our people, and experiencing our culture will your ignorant citizens truly be able to understand us. I urge you to only allow writers and teachers to teach about subjects from their country of origin, and encourage your citizens to travel abroad.”
Effect: Students in @@NAME@@ have to travel the world to pass their geography exams.

Option 4: “Surely, we could improve our reputation through more discreet manners?” whispers your Minister of Press Relations. “The Cosmopolitan Tribune is based in Brancaland. We could simply impose sanctions, hinting that more positive coverage would cause them to be revoked. Or, we could directly blackmail the newspaper. We could even create the Cosmopolitan Times, our very own international newspaper which showers praise upon our @@TYPE@@ and publishes ‘studies’ showing @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ as the best and brightest in @@REGION@@. The possibilities truly are endless…
Effect: @@NAME@@ threatens any foreign publisher who dares to criticize @@LEADER@@'s fashion.

[Australian rePublic]

What the fudge? This is an education issue and nothing else. Kids don't know geography? Focus more on geography in school. Why the fudge is anything else an option? Also, option 1, let me get this straight, this guy wants people to stop people teasing denonym for not knowing geography, by making it illegal for denonym to learn geography?

[Le Libertia]

What the fudge? This is an education issue and nothing else. Kids don't know geography? Focus more on geography in school. Why the fudge is anything else an option? Also, option 1, let me get this straight, this guy wants people to stop people teasing denonym for not knowing geography, by making it illegal for denonym to learn geography?

I mean, it is an education issue at the core, but its effect can easily stretch beyond this. It gives nations to opportunity to to establish how it deals with foreign criticism regarding its international ignorance. Either it chooses to ignore the criticism and focus on domestic matters, it renovates its educational system, it encourages travel and immigration, or it actively becomes belligerent against foreign criticizers. It is not just about geography class. Even in the option banning the teaching of international subjects, this could include banning world languages and even restricting access to information about the world. I think this issue covers Public Education, Intelligence, Rudeness, Authoritarianism, and Ignorance at the least.

Regarding option 1, I would say that you are thinking about it through the narrow lens that international ignorance is bad. In the perspective of some nations, caring about their foreign reputation or learning about the world is not important. They don't see the criticism as legitimate, and actually favor doing the opposite. Not to mention that fact that in many issues, an option to double down on potentially harmful behavior is given, which is what this issue does.

[Noahs Second Country]

A few issues come to mind when reading this issue, namely #40, #115, and #273. Just ensure that you can differentiate from these, and probably a couple I neglected to include.

The description, as well as the title, just reads as another 'your nation is ignorant' issue. I would try to make it more clear that the issue at hand specifically pertains to the citizens' knowledge of countries beyond @@NAME@@. I'm sure that most people ignorant of other countries still acknowledge their existence, the issue becomes ignorance of culture, ideals, history, etc..

I like option 1 quite a bit. I don't know if

Standing up, he begins to strut out of your office. Turning, he adds,

is really necessary though, as the option is already pretty lengthy and contains another piece of narrative information. Here's the way I would rearrange the option:

“We cannot be fazed by a group of snooty internationalist writers, who are simply jealous of our magnificent @@TYPE@@,” grumbles patriot Noah Knonscense, as he lights the newest edition of the Cosmopolitan Tribune ablaze and nonchalantly tosses it over his shoulder. “ I suggest we gather up all the editions of the Cosmopolitan Tribune, and burn them in our town squares. Oh, and ban all teaching of international subjects. Why waste @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ learning about other, inferior nations?”

The second option could be cut down in a similar manner by removing

of the infamous published study, rushes out towards the burning newspaper.

Why would @@LEADER have a book titled ‘A History of the World’ if the issue is @@NAME@@'s ignorance of other countries. I suggest changing the book title to something that clearly favors the home country.

Option 4 is a generic censorship option that I've observed in a lot of issues. I don't know if it belongs here, especially since it is very similar to option 1 in terms of the effects it would produce.

As for the effect lines, I think they lack something. You could definitely exaggerate effects a bit. For option 1, perhaps: citizens learn about the history of @@NAME@@ and 'the other people out there beyond the border'

The second effect line cites '200 countries,' which probably isn't allowed.

[Ko-oren]

Lots of great advice so far, so all I can do is nitpick some details. The way the issue is laid out now, the validity needs to be added to as well. Not every nation would have a problem with geography, like nations with high culture/high public education/high intelligence, or even high tourism (being dependant on foreign visitors), etc.

[USS Monitor]

I like the color-changing effect on your flag.

This draft is not grabbing me, though. It's OK, but it's not any better than OK. I think part of the problem is what Noah said:

A few issues come to mind when reading this issue, namely #40, #115, and #273. Just ensure that you can differentiate from these, and probably a couple I neglected to include.

The description, as well as the title, just reads as another 'your nation is ignorant' issue.

We already have a few issues saying "@@NAME@@ is ignorant, what do you do about it?" so you need to spice up the presentation if you want to add another one.

Also, this is a lot of words for the amount of information we get:

An international study conducted by the world-renowned Cosmopolitan Tribune revealed that over 24 percent of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ thought Bigtopia wasn’t a real country and nearly ten percent couldn’t even identify @@NAME@@ on a world map. A resulting torrent of ridicule has poured in from across @@REGION@@, ranging from calling the citizens of @@NAME@@ ‘slightly close minded’ to 'horrendously ignorant.' Even worse, a quarreling crowd of journalists, ambassadors, and officials have somehow snuck their way into your office, flooding your ears with an array of advice.

I think it would be better if it was more streamlined.

[Le Libertia]

Thank you all for the input. Here's the new draft.

“A World Worth Learning?”

Description:
Ridicule has been directed at @@NAME@@ after an international study by the Cosmopolitan Tribune revealed that over 24 percent of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ thought Bigtopia wasn’t a real country and nearly ten percent couldn’t even identify @@NAME@@ on a world map. An arriving crowd of journalists, ambassadors, and minsters have made your office the destination to consult you on this matter.

Validity: Allows some freedom of the press, high levels of ignorance, and low public education.

Option 1:“We cannot be fazed by a group of snooty internationalist writers, who are simply jealous of our magnificent @@TYPE@@,” grumbles patriot Noah Knonscense, as he lights the newest edition of the Cosmopolitan Tribune ablaze and nonchalantly tosses it over his shoulder. “I suggest we gather up all the editions of the Cosmopolitan Tribune, and burn them in our town squares. Oh, and scrap all teaching of international subjects. Why waste @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ learning about other, inferior nations?”
Effect: @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ are taught about the illustrious history of their nation and that 'there are some other people beyond the border'

Option 2: Editor Elia Interlove rushes out towards the burning newspaper. “This issue could be so easily solved," she exclaims while beating flames, “if you all simply listened to the suggestions of other progressive nations!” Smothering embers, she adds, “Learning about other cultures and people increases empathy and understanding. A broadened educational curriculum and a campaign for citizens to learn about the world will completely extinguish this problem.”
Effect: Kindergartners in @@NAME@@ are surprisingly knowledgeable about the inter-political Bigtopian disputes of the past century

Option 3: “Though Ms. Interlove’s suggestions are well-intentioned, I doubt they will go far enough,” utters the Bigtopian ambassador disdainfully as he closes a book titled ‘A History of @@NAME@@’. "@@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ writers and teachers will never be able to do justice to our nation’s great culture and history. Only by traveling to our great nation and experiencing our culture will your ignorant citizens truly be able to understand us. I urge you to only allow writers and teachers to teach about subjects from their country of origin, and encourage your citizens to travel abroad.”
Effect: @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ are told to leave the country if they express any interest in another nation

Option 4: “Don't you see the prime opportunity this situation presents?” whispers your Minister of Press Relations. “Surely, we can teach people about other nations...but why not add a little twist? We can enhance the stories of @@NAME@@ and its allies, while highlighting the problems of our enemies. It'll help to ensure a unthinking-erm loyal populace who supports our glorious leader!
Effect: Horror writers often double as the textbook authors for @@NAME@@'s enemies

[Ko-oren]

It's very well improved. You'd best spoiler the old draft in the OP and add the above text in, so people know where to find the newest version.

The text is much more streamlined, the options make sense and they address the premise directly while also forming a coherent story.

Option 3 is a bit limiting, essentially forcing @@NAME@@ to hire foreign teachers every single time a foreign topic is brought up - unless you want that to be the effect, of course.

[Le Libertia]

It's very well improved. You'd best spoiler the old draft in the OP and add the above text in, so people know where to find the newest version.

The text is much more streamlined, the options make sense and they address the premise directly while also forming a coherent story.

Option 3 is a bit limiting, essentially forcing @@NAME@@ to hire foreign teachers every single time a foreign topic is brought up - unless you want that to be the effect, of course.

Okay, thanks for the feedback. I'm actually fine with Option 3 being limiting in that manner, as it was intentional.

[Le Libertia]

Bump. Any suggestions?

[Noahs Second Country]

I still feel like the description isn't particularly convincing. As I've stated earlier,

I'm sure that most people ignorant of other countries still acknowledge their existence, the issue becomes ignorance of culture, ideals, history, etc..

Perhaps using a historical event or alliance rather than geography in the description will help.

[Le Libertia]

I still feel like the description isn't particularly convincing. As I've stated earlier,

I'm sure that most people ignorant of other countries still acknowledge their existence, the issue becomes ignorance of culture, ideals, history, etc..

Perhaps using a historical event or alliance rather than geography in the description will help.

There are many issues that arise when moving outside of basic geography. First, it is difficult to convey those aspects you mention in a manner that can easily and universally be identified as blatantly incorrect by the reader. I'm not sure that any reader can just glance at a mislabeling of a fictional nation's culture, history, alliances, or ideals and correctly identify it as incorrect without further elaboration in the description. Depending on government type and such, NPC nations could be either enemies or allies. And going outside of geography makes some of the motivations in the options somewhat contradictory. If I were to use Blackacre, for example, instead of Bigtopia and argue that citizens did not realize they were historical enemies to @@NATION@@, then none of the options would really align with the issue at hand. A patriot would value identifying the enemy, there's less incentive to spend more money learning about an enemy nation, etc.

EDIT: And maybe, the @@NATION@@ citizens think Bigtopia is a province, city, or continent...it doesn't have to necessarily mean complete nonexistence?

[Noahs Second Country]

I still feel like the description isn't particularly convincing. As I've stated earlier,

I'm sure that most people ignorant of other countries still acknowledge their existence, the issue becomes ignorance of culture, ideals, history, etc..

Perhaps using a historical event or alliance rather than geography in the description will help.

And going outside of geography makes some of the motivations in the options somewhat contradictory. If I were to use Blackacre, for example, instead of Bigtopia and argue that citizens did not realize they were historical enemies to @@NATION@@, then none of the options would really align with the issue at hand. A patriot would value identifying the enemy, there's less incentive to spend more money learning about an enemy nation, etc.

That's not necessarily what I had in mind. Obviously, if the historical events in question pertained to @@NAME@@ in some way, citizens would be more aware of its existence.

For an irl example, an American may not be aware of the euro or the EU in general, since the US isn't directly involved at all, and euros are not commonly used inside of the United States. However, in other nations, EU affairs are probably much more significant. Then the argument becomes what you portray in the issue here: Why do Americans need to be informed of foreign affairs?

As for the reader recognizing NPC events of historical significance, I don't see that being particularly hard. I'm sure the reader will understand the potential significance of the Bigtopian Civil War, or Merigovinian Genocide, etc.. We have multiple issues that already assume there have been historical events in NPC nations, and some even directly reference them. You don't necessarily have to discuss the values behind these events, as long as the reader understands that they are events that would/have clearly caused waves among the international community.

[Le Libertia]

And going outside of geography makes some of the motivations in the options somewhat contradictory. If I were to use Blackacre, for example, instead of Bigtopia and argue that citizens did not realize they were historical enemies to @@NATION@@, then none of the options would really align with the issue at hand. A patriot would value identifying the enemy, there's less incentive to spend more money learning about an enemy nation, etc.

That's not necessarily what I had in mind. Obviously, if the historical events in question pertained to @@NAME@@ in some way, citizens would be more aware of its existence.

For an irl example, an American may not be aware of the euro or the EU in general, since the US isn't directly involved at all, and euros are not commonly used inside of the United States. However, in other nations, EU affairs are probably much more significant. Then the argument becomes what you portray in the issue here: Why do Americans need to be informed of foreign affairs?

As for the reader recognizing NPC events of historical significance, I don't see that being particularly hard. I'm sure the reader will understand the potential significance of the Bigtopian Civil War, or Merigovinian Genocide, etc.. We have multiple issues that already assume there have been historical events in NPC nations, and some even directly reference them. You don't necessarily have to discuss the values behind these events, as long as the reader understands that they are events that would/have clearly caused waves among the international community.

These are fair points. I've made some edits.

[Le Libertia]

Bump. Any last suggestions?

[Le Libertia]

Submitted.