Re: [BNW] population statistics

["Ewan" <e.chilton@bcftcs.ac.uk>]

> I see it as the opposite. At a basic level you have the attitude: "What do
> I care if the guy to my left has a different skin color than me, the guy
> to my right is 8 ft. tall and threatening to twist me into a pretzel if I
> don't 'respect' him!"
> Likewise with so many deltas on the loose and other problems there would
> probably be a certain amount of "you have to know how to take care of
> yourself" attitude. That's why almost everyone carries a gun. This would
> lead to less prejudice towards single mothers and women's rights as they
> would be "taking care of themselves."
> In a world as un-sure as this fashion and style and such might be much
> more free-wheeling. If you are constantly nervous about being attacked by
> deltas or nuked by russians, you'd probably be a lot more willing to try
> new things while you had the time.

remember that these people live in a dictatorship, no elected officails that
means everyone is trying to please the person above them to get a better
job, not get sacked etc. kennedy replaced congress/supreme court with his
lackeys and they would replace the people below them etc etc. now take your
average cop, sure hes probably a nice enough guy, but the sarg is chewing
his ass off to get a better arrest ratio so that he can look good to the
super ohow in turn is chewing the sarg's ass becuase the mayor is in trouble
with the party and wants less crime in his town. Now that cop hasnt got a
trade union or anthing to back him up, if he mucks up the sarg can just give
him a shitty job or sack him. why should he care if some punk he arrests is
the wrong guy? hes probably guilty of somthing. Not that it matters becuase
with out a high priced lawyer with party connections he will rot in jail for
sure.

now what about your average joe, middle class works in a computer firm, his
boss wants a big government contract but theres no way hes going to get it
unless his company is towing the party line and not going to be an
embarresment to which ever government offical hes bribed to get his contract
looked at by the right people. You think that average joe is going on any
womans rights marches? what about pro life movement or civil libertys? what
if hes suspected of being a commie becuase hes joined some left wing liberal
group? hed get the sack as soon as someone found out about it becuase these
would all be touchy political issues that governemnt types in dictatorships
dont like to touch with a barge pole.


> I think a lot of this, however, doesn't apply.
> A big part of BNW is that all these bads things that are happening (delta
> prime breaking into your house, being taken away in the middle of the
> night, delta battles, etc.) happen to "them" (them being the
> bad-evil-non-registering-defiance-deltas). Most of the bad parts of
> kennedy's america don't effect the average reg. much. That's why the
> general population let all this stuff happen, because it didn't effect
> them. As long as they were good little americans and didn't develope
> powers then they would be fine and everything would be hunky-dory. Of
> course there is the risk of getting attacked by some of those
> evil-defiance types, but that's why they have their shining protector DP
> around.

Nope, I just cant see this happening the america of the BNW is described as
a macarthy era cold war state, what if that reg wants to get a book on
socailism out of the library? what if is a high school kid out after dark
with his girl freind? all these liberal thinking people will be oppressed by
the state. no-ones going to give you a job if you get black listed as a
trouble maker, or defiant sympathiser and if they suspect anything theres
nothing to stop the police busting your head.

> Driver's license/ social security card comes to mind. There could just be
> a special red R (scarlet letter?) in the corner that indicates a
> registered delta.

'sorry officer I never learnt to drive' and social security? sounds like red
talk to me boy! jyou some sort of commie?!? hey bobby-joe! looks like we
caught ourselves one of them there commies! "huyk huyk whats that pa? why I
allways wanted to shoot me one of them thar commies! let me shoot him Pa aww
go on"

> But DP only breaks down your door if you are an un-registered delta (or
> are harboring one)

yeah right officaly they might do but with no independant auditing whgo the
hell is going to stop em doing what ever they think is nessasary to get that
delta. your neighbour seen you take a stranger into your house? maybe youve
let your tounge get a little loose and said that defiants arnt too bad,
maybe your long lost cosin is wanted for some reason and they reckon he just
might turn up for tea and biscuits

> Why would police and primers abuse their powers?

money, status in the party, they are being blackmailed over a falsified
report or some other crime

This would really hose
> the propoganda that they are there for the reg's good and they would
> probably get majorly chewed out if they went around abusing their
> authority (at least openly enough to get caught).

by who? thier boss? what dose he know?

"sarg theres some reg at the door says he was beaten up by some of our DP's"
"huh? looks like they didnt do a good enough job! put him in cell #5 and
dont be to gentle! cant you see im trying to fill out our weekly preformance
review? now let me see.. complaints... none heheh I'll get that promotion
yet"

> Besides it is mentioned that the Primers live in very spartan surroundings
> more a kin to the military than a luxury hotel

yeah but would the regs see it that way? remeber its thier taxes that are
paying for all this stuff

> Well I don't think deltas get much of a trial.
> Prosecution: he's a delta and unregistered.
> Judge (no jury): off to the Fortress with him.

<snip>
> And the legal system probably wouldn't much changed for regs, mabye some
> stiffer fines and penalties, but the court system wouldn't be severely
> changed from ours (and you don't see us citizens rioting and wearing drab
> clothes, apathy goes a long way).

I dont see how you can have the jiudical system both ways, that judge is
appointed by some government lacky. you think hes going to go easy on a
criminal? and lets face it anyone who is dragged into court is going to be
seen as a criminal. That judge has got to think about how hes going to look
if he lets somone go. what if the person is accused of a crime against the
state like being a communist sympathiser? you think that judge wants to be
seen as being soft on him? Anyone who hasnt got connections with the mafia,
government or a rich corporation like triumph is going to jail faster than a
speedster on speed with  speedy nike trainers on


Ewan