Anti-globilization, ironic, isn't it.. Options

[Dog]

While Shadowrun portrays super-powerful megacorps manipulating everything that consumers think and do, isn't it funny how the sixth world has become much more fragmented than the one we live in?

I guess this is because of the fantasy element. IE's and dragons and other thinking species that are creating new societies.
Maybe the globalization of culture is what the matrix represents.
Or maybe with all the new and diverse societies, the megacorps couldn't hold together?

This is just a fledgling idea in my head, and I don't intend for it to step on any real-world political toes. But I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[Jrayjoker]

A big piece of the anti-globalization thing was the VITAS outbreak and UGE. It caused a lot of isolationism and fear. Two very powerful variables in the anti-global world.

[Panzergeist]

Cyberpunk is just not a realistic vision of the future. Corporations supplanting nation-states as the world's big powers? No way. The governments wouldn't let that happen. The only way I can see corporations taking that kind of power would be in places where nations aren't already established, like in space or ocean-floor colonies in international waters.

[hermit]

A company in Russia tried to pull that stunt, tried to claim power. The remainders of it are now under state control, and the company's founder and leader is now looking towards rotting in a concentration camp for the short rest of his life. Ultimately, all the money in the world will not stop the guys with guns, if they're out to get you.

In that respect, SR is unrealistic. And especially the balcanisation in Europe (GERMANY SB) stinks big time. But what the hell? Suspense of disbelief is always a part of a RPG. I mean, come on, a dragon buying a company? Please!

[SL James]

[Deamon_Knight]

Is that Irony James?

[Edward]

Corporations having practical control of a government could happen. Governments are already at least as strongly influenced buy campaign contributions and other kickbacks as they are buy the electorate.

It doesn’t help that threw there media holdings big business can easily influence the electorate.

The current trend against secure employment makes me doubt that nation corps will become a reality. If a corporation tried to force influence over a popularly elected government then there would be problems, all the government would need to do would be declare strikers able to claim social security and run a short advertising campaign and the corporation would not have any workers or customers. Even if they couldn’t afford the social security an advertising campaign would divest the corp of basic consumers.

In order to achieve the influence SR corps have you need corporate citizens as they exist in SR. but you need people that think like that first. They existed 50 years ago. Workers that would get a job and stay with the company until retirement, getting promotions or salary increases based on performance (or preserved performance) as it is in SR.

But the current trend is for low job security and changing employer to get a more advanced position or better salary. This dose not create the kind of employ that will support there employer beyond the terms of there employment, and that is the kind of support that you would need to gain the kind of powers cyberpunk corporations require. But to get that kind of support you need your employees to think well of you.

Edward

[Link]

[hobgoblin]

[Critias]

[hermit]

[hobgoblin]

well, in sr you have the backing of the law when it comes to corp armys. and for that matter extraterritoriality.

oh and russia have allways been and seems to allways be a dictatorship, no matter if its a tsar, a communist party leader or a democratic president at the helm. so for whoever in charge to take down anyone, any time if they feel a threat (real or not) is a known fact.

[hermit]

[Panzergeist]

I don't see how cyberpunk was any more realistic in the 80's. Sure, governments were getting economically conservative and easing up on corporations, but that doesn't imply that they would have kept giving corporations more and more power until governments became powerless. That's just a classical slippery slope fallacy.

[Dog]

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of cultural fragmentation than political. SR seems to describe a lot less of the everybody eats McDonalds, speaks English, wears a tie to work, celebrates X-mas (instead of Christmas), and wants a new car than things seem to be leading to. (....and this was happening in the 80's too.)

These days, you can find influences of our(? forgive my generalities...) western culture in any part of the world already. But in the 6th world, you have places like the Tirs, Amazonia, the Orc Underground, Pinkskin tribes, and COTD that are contradictory to this trend.
Do we just chalk that up to the awakening is used to give us more diverse plotlines, or is there more to it? Is there a message there, or am I giving the writers too much credit?

[Jrayjoker]

It was a logical extension of the current situation in the 80s. Japanacorps were becoming more and more powerful in the eyes of a weak economied west. The zaibatsu was the general form the corps took and it was very hard to compete with a company that loaned itself money, made all it own components, mined all its raw materials, etc.

Now, it is not nearly as threatening, so we are less likely to consider it an option.

[hermit]

[Edward]

Culture will always fragment.

Globalization or corporations communications and travel make things a lot more mixed up but there are still subcultures if you look for them.

As well as American influences in Australia at least I can notice growing central European and Asian influences. When I was young about 75% of international food halls had an active Asian store. (There rest had one but it was closed due to lack of business). Now the small one I frequent has 3 (Chinese, Japanese and curry). The larger has 6.

Even watching American TV lately I see a lot more Chinese take away than burgers (although your Chinese takeaway containers are very different to here).

And there aere new cultures developing around music or social interests and a desire to be different. Culture is losing its locational definition and becoming a choice started buy ones parents and continued (or changed) buy an individual. Buy the middle of this centaury (the time SR starts) I believe that in terms of cultural placement SR wont be far off (the lager cultures will be different, presumably there will not be such strong corporate cultures or metahumans playing at having there own distinct cultures but location will matter less than interest.

This can be a light of a dark prophesy. But I am convinced it will come to pass, one way or another. And as always in this age, it will be the vocal minority that points the way.

Edward

[Dog]

hey Hermit: http://www.mercycorps.org/items/1742/

JrayJoker: Don't take this as my opinion, but there're lots of anti-globalization activists out there who never considered Japanese corps to be a threat. Like I said, I was thinking cultural globalization. I don't think it's unfair to say that's a North-American influence. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned megacorps.

I'm just trying to refine the purpose of my post here. Cultural globalization of the real world vs. cultural fragmentation of the sixth as a possible theme in the game.

I welcome your comments, guys.

(Talia, you're way better at expressing this stuff. Where are you when we need you most?!)

[hermit]

Dog: So they donate money to them to compensate for exploiting some of them for cheap assembly of their products. Doesn't exactly make rural China thoroughly westernised, unless I missed something. :)

I was referring to the lack of their culture there being the same as ours, as you implied. These people will never in their life eat at McDonald's, if only because they cannot dream of affording it. McD counts as a classy place in India, you know (but Pizza Hut moreso, since the Rich and Beuatiful really love Pizza over there).

Globalisation is only superficial anyway. Take Europe and the US, for instance. Yeah, we have the same dominant skin colour, wear somewhat similar clothes and have both a favour for some brands, labels and products. But culturally, that's about all we have in common.

Not that European nations are homogenous to begin with.

[Cynic project]

[Birdy]

[hermit]

[arcady]

[hobgoblin]

and the allconsuming question, what makes a person a person :silly: