Caldari Corporatism: Profit and Social Benefit

Well-- only, it’s not quite so simple, Mr. Quatrevaux. Gesakaarin-haan isn’t wrong that the corporate system is actually pretty functional-- it works okay, or it would have crumbled by now (it’s been under enough stress for sure!). That said, the Heth regime was in some ways a near thing.

But, yeah, Gesakaarin-haan’s correct: “social benefit” is a form of “profit” for a State megacorporation. Arguably, it’s the type that matters most. (Forgetting this is apt to lead to Executor Tibus Heth [or equivalent], Round 2.)

The question (to me) is whether the Caldari are really very well-served by the other stuff going on around the State. There’s a lot of nostalgia for the past, and the Raata Empire in particular-- but, also, a lot of very active (if implicit) rejection of the Gallente and all that they stand for.

Take aesthetics: important enough to both Federation and Empire to have a utility all their own, yet so aggressively rejected by the State that it’s hard to justify as simple utilitarianism. Would a Raata artisan really have taken pride in harsh lines and pragmatic look without ever having met a decadent Gallentean aesthete to rail against? If the Gallente had been more careful in their critique of and influence over Caldari culture (CDS-- “Cultural Deliverance Society”? Really, ancient Gallente?) would the Caldari really be so afraid of cultural exchange, not only from, but also to, their client cultures?

It seems that for the Caldari to truly be free, they need to get past the humiliation of being found and uplifted first by the Gallente, and of what came after. Otherwise, they’ll be fighting forever to escape the Federation’s shadow.

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I’m not arguing that the system is broken. I’m arguing that it’s in perfect shape, and the fact that many people get shafted by it is a feature, not a bug.

Pride is a pandemic nowadays, it seems.

Besides, you’ve said this in response to a comment I made about the nature of Caldari culture having not been addressed yet in this thread. Should I then interpret this as such: the Caldari practice a strict, harsh, and objectively harmful societal structure only because they’ve framed it as such in opposition to their perception of the relative freedom of Gallente culture?

Well-- you saw Gesakaarin-haan’s justification for the nonentities, Mr. Quatrevaux. One person’s shameful waste is another’s idea of tidying up. I think he’s over-generalizing by a lot, but we are talking about stuff at the level of whole societies here. It’s hard to make policy that’ll fit every case. Rulers do well to make it fit most.

And, well … would you really argue that the Federation doesn’t shaft people from time to time?

Haha! Ever and always!

I’m not sure about the “objectively harmful” bit, Mr. Quatrevaux. I know there are bits of it I don’t like much, enough to stand publically as a dissident … for what little my opinion’s worth. It might be that there’s more going on than I understand.

But, yes, there’s a lot about the Caldari that’s best explained as a reaction against all things Gallente.

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No, and I haven’t said anything like that at all. But we don’t pretend to have a neat social latter that fits everyone except for “those who refuse to conform”, as he put it. We just try our best at governing through the freedom of choice.

And to put this in perspective, I’ll point out that I grew up in a culturally rich but financially impoverished Minmatar enclave in the Federation. No one has to explain to me the imperfections of the Federation.

That’s… not a culture.

A repulsed withdrawal from one culture is not a culture itself.

It’s anger. Justified anger, mind. But if that’s what the State is leaning on… you all really need something more than that.

I didn’t claim it was a culture, by itself, Mr. Quatrevaux. I did mention the nostalgia for the Raata?.. Pre-contact, Iron Age Caldari Prime. That’s what most of the modern Caldari State is predicated on. The resentment’s in the footnotes, the margins, the lining-- plainly there, but never the primary text.

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I’ve been asking you about Caldari culture, so I assumed your responses to me were about Caldari culture.

Guess we’ve been having two different conversations.

Hm. This is maybe just a momentary misunderstanding, though.

There’s a lot about the Caldari that is almost certainly a reaction against the Gallente. That doesn’t mean it’s all, or even the majority. Mostly, the Caldari are dead-set on being who they’ve always, in their conception, been. There’s a lot there, including an entire religion-- close kin to my own.

Just, being themselves also means rejecting what the Gallente tried to tell them to be. That rejection, and particularly the force of it, has had, perhaps, a distorting effect.

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I admit that might occur hypothetically. However, hypotheticals don’t always reflect reality.

Traditions and culture are important because they promote social cohesion and communal bonds. Commonality in language, history, norms, and worldview is more conducive to collective effort than allowing for a wide divergence from them within a society. As such, I am obedient to, and uphold Caldari traditions and culture out of a sense of solidarity and duty to my fellow Caldari citizens.

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Is the social ladder a product of the reaction, or is it something that’s existed since beyond the Federation’s influence?

The caste system? Oh, it’s ancient. I’m pretty sure “Tech” wasn’t one of the originals, though. “Executive,” neither.

Although, since you can change caste between generations or even in the course of a single life, it’s kind of less a rigid caste system like I understand the Jin Mei have and more a sort of loose set of job descriptions.

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I would remark that there does exist a definite collective memory of resistance in the State due to being under the influence and control of a foreign cultural, economic, and military hegemon for centuries. The adoption of a Caldari cultural personal identity was one form of resistance to foreign hegemony. The creation of the State and the pursuit of Caldari collective economic and military hard power was another.

Having already historically experienced foreign domination, I doubt there exists much political will or social capital to repeat it again in the State.

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Respected Hevaima Gesakaarin, CEO

Thank you for your dedicated and publicly shared reflection on the nature of Caldari corporatism. I am not going to respond to every argument made; I’ll rather breath it in and contribute some personal thoughts from my limited perspective and biographical situation.

Firstly, I feel that when I met strangers from outside the Caldari corporate culture, many had the tendency to pity me for my predetermined career path and little prospect for improvement in status, salary, or change of occupation (before becoming a capsuleer, of course). What they really struggled to understand was the fact that meaning of life may come from purpose and not necessarily the other way around.

Seondly, many parts of proclaimed Caldari culture are nostalgia, resentment, or populism to me. But this holds true for all other major societies as well. I feel that there is a very strong tendency in our days to break all and everything down to a question of cultural identity and difference. Actually, this moves something very deep in my ‘Caldari heart’ which leads me to say: This is not the efficient way to solve the problems we face. We can do better and we should have the courage to do so.

Thirdly, as long as I served in corporations in a low-ranking position I was very well aware that I am the scale by which to measure those corporations’ merits and respect they deserved. There is this unspoken understanding between superior and subordinate that the first is measured by the dignity of the latter and the latter is the key to the dignity of the first. I always felt the full force of my corporation backing me up and lifting my spirit even in times of great pressure and personal crisis. This is a healthy social body where concerns of personal social status or career path become a vanity.

Lastly, there are the so called non-entities. A few years back I would not have spoken about them, not even among my closest colleagues. I think they are a great challenge to the corporate system. Some respond with a harsh rhetoric of exclusion. Some are trying to work towards inclusive agendas. The problem itself is insignificant from a certain point of view. However, I believe top decision makers in the State are more and more less likely to take this easy road. It is the focal point of criticism and should be addressed properly in order for us to improve.

I hope those rather erratic and less systematic thoughts help to flesh out some aspects of the discussion.

Sincerely,

Haria Haritimado

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For myself, Caldari culture has been a continued strength and benefit in the struggle for survival. The communal bonds culture has engendered has allowed for the creation of the modern State. A unified social identity is not a detriment to me, but a benefit, by creating a sense of commonality and community between Caldari.

However, if nostalgia, resentment, and populism is a feature of Caldari culture, then it is a feature upheld by trillions of Caldari. Changing it would require convincing them why their beliefs are wrong.

The issue with non-entities is the lack of data regarding them beyond acknowledging their existence. They might be an issue, they might not be, there does not exist the data to make an informed decision regarding their status. I would also admit as far as criticism goes, the existence of non-entities does tend to be factually misrepresented or overblown.

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Although upon consideration: a country and government is always just an abstraction or illusion in many respects. If enough people get together and believe in the same concept of country (culture, traditions, patriotism) and government (laws, use of power) then you get a functional society.

The Caldari State has its own particular abstractions regarding country and government that are the result of a majority seeking to deliver a functional society. I think in many cases, the utilitarian approach to a functional society has worked in the State – the greatest benefit for the greatest number. It has also most likely proven deleterious to varied minorities, whether ethnic or otherwise. We don’t have to uphold particular abstractions though, since they can be amenable to change if enough desire that change to occur in society.

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The idea of a “Great Social Good” can be just as exploitative as wealth extraction under the right circumstances. In this case it’s simply sacrificing the autonomy of the masses for the sake of institutions, will the masses often benefit from this? certainly, for many, Caldari standards of living are quite high, but the important factor here is if the institutions require you to suffer then you most likely will. It’s not up to you whether or not you are granted the boons of the States economy or crushed under it’s gears. Another issue is the idea of a “Meritocracy.” This concept is a favourite of State apologists, and in all fairness it is a strong justification on the surface, if one is suffering appalling conditions as a Non-Entity or even just a low ranking corporate citizen, it’s their fault for being their, in the same way one who is at the top of the Corporate hierarchy clearly earned their position, and so also cannot be exploitative. The problem with this position is that Meritocracy really isn’t possible in a material world, theirs to many factors. Education in the State still has varying quality based on the Caste of ones family. First born children do have a noticable statistical edge over younger siblings, children with disabilities are often cast out by their parents at birth and never even given a chance to participate in Caldari Society. Ones ability to “Climb the corporate ladder” is also greatly affected by ones superiors and their personal biases towards you. Now let me also clarify I have very little positivity towards the Gallente’s “Alternative” model. It’s a different exploitation to how Caldari Society operates, but it’s hardly something to aspire to.

Social benefit and meritocratic governance are Caldari ideals. Ideals often are not realised in reality – they require an ideal, often imaginary or romanticised world after all. However, I much prefer having ideals to aspire to than not, even if they fall short, because having ideals fosters principles to adhere to.

The Caldari State is not perfect, I don’t think anyone in it would say it is. However it does accomplish mostly what it is designed for: social benefit, meritocracy, political order, and the rule of law.

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Perhaps. But those words have fluid definitions, who decides what is beneficial and what is not? who decides what is a praisworthy activity and what is a waste of time? Who decides what is political order? and more importantly why are these things defined they whey they are? The State is a social structure, and so it is going to be built according to which group has the most influence over it. An ideal is built by humans and will thus always be secondary to the humans who made it. It will always be based on an individuals or groups conception of what those words mean and not the “Whole Societies” benefit.

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I would just also add that there is no State without Caldari and there is no Caldari without the State

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I think I already pointed out that society and government are abstractions. Beyond a certain point, such as immediate family and community this holds true, a system is created is created that becomes far larger than the individual to grasp coherently. However, just because a society can become abstract doesn’t mean it doesn’t deliver benefits to its individuals. If society didn’t deliver benefits such as the protection of life and private property, economic prosperity, or collective defence then people would not want to be part of that society.

“Society” is always going to be a construct determined by its constituent members. How it functions, such as the delegation of powers, is determined by those members in accordance with their beliefs. As such yes, the State is a social structure, so it’s going to be structured in accordance with the beliefs of its majority who are Caldari.

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It’s structured according to the beliefs of those who hold the most power within the State.