This week's poll was suggested by jacob66. You know all those 4X games where you control the world or a civilization? Would you want to do that in real life?

You can submit poll ideas here
http://www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=3903

Previous Poll Results:
Question: Would you rather be
Choices:
Deaf - votes: 2970 (89.6%)
Blind - votes: 344 (10.4%)
There were 3314 total votes.
The poll ended: November 20th 2021

So mute > deaf > blind


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A just ruler amongst tyrants

If you vote yes, you're delusional and in desperate need of some self-awareness.

Coincidentally, torturing every human with it should be the first item on any newly-omnipotent ruler's agenda.

-edit-

Just realized that the question and the answers don't really align. Point above is aimed at those that think they "could make the world much better".

Last edited by Jooles at 7:54 am, Nov 21 2021

No, that's too much work and pressure. The pressure part is the issue. I don´t want to go down as history's greatest monster. Something about roads and good intentions... I already have a job when I manage a library with 4 people under me and almost no fucking money. I ain´t herding 7 billion cats.

My Non-Japanese Live-Action adaptations poll suggestion was apparently a curse now that Cowboy Bebop turned out to be a near historic trainwreck. I expected nothing but goddamn.


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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

How are we defining "completely and totally" here? Every government in human history has had some level of failure to impose its will on the populace.

Anyway, the answer is a yes under most circumstances that could reasonably fit that phrasing. I'd impose a modest wealth tax on people worth over 10 figures, pocketing a small percentage and devoting the rest to general welfare/charitable endeavors, then eliminate the position of world dictator, turning power back over to the nations that currently exist.

I'd be rich, there'd be no large-scale hatred directed towards me as a result of my minimal policies (less risk of post-abdication assassination), and it's unlikely to result in any significant upheavals that weren't already en route to happening.

Probably not. I don’t believe in one person making decisions for the entire world. If the alternative was someone else doing it though, then yes. There are too many corrupt despots already. At least I know that I’m unqualified and could delegate the work to people who aren’t, like my new bestie Jacinda Ardern ❤️



I watched the trailer and saw that Spike is middle-aged and felt weirded out. I’m now imagining a timeline where he was a florist for 20 years before joining the syndicate, because no one with his lifestyle should have been able to survive so long.

Somehow I doubt every single person who answered "yes" is the one true perfect leader the world needs.

I answered "no" simply because I'm perfectly aware I'm nowhere near capable of governing the entire world. And I doubt anyone is. The idea alone is laughable.

That so many would think otherwise is actually unnerving.
What the hell? Surely we could not be that full of ourselves.

I'd rather not, what with it being a hassle, but…
Given what utter shit the world is like, and how the people in power don't even think of doing even the most obvious things to fix things…

Yes.

I'd do my best, to delegate as much as possible (also I would, of course, have multiple teams of researchers, analysts and information gatherers [as well as re-hauling various systems in science to make them better and more free from corruption and bias], to give me the most solid and objective possible information, to base decisions on), and do my utmost to try to teach people to be at least halfway decent and non-stupid non-fools, so that I'd no longer need to
…though I imagine that would take a few generations.
Might not manage it, unless I manage to find a way to halt/reverse ageing, but after say…
50 years?
After that long, things might start to get stable, and I could just give it over to democratic rule.
Well, ideally.

Humans have the potential to not be immoral, dishonest, idiotic, foolish, wilfully ignorant scum
…and with proper education and some few other things (such as a bit of obligatory community service, once every few years, for example), you might have some number of people choosing to fulfil that potential, of being at least halfway decent. (hopefully even some being more than just halfway)
…and if you get a majority of decent people…

Do I think I'd be the perfect ideal ruler?
Hell no!
But compared to the alternatives:
Absolutely!
As things are, with even the best countries (that doesn't incl the US, which is among the worst) run by immoral/amoral, idiotic morons, and are completely atrocious, and they're going towards human extinction, for the sake of not suffering a reduction of short-term profit…
I fail to see how I could possibly make things any worse, than that.

I don't have an arrogant overinflated view of myself.
No. I have just realised that everyone else is atrocious.
(kinda like how I realised I was unusually good at English [in this non-English speaking country], not due to realising how good I was, but by realising how much worse everyone else was. I've later realised that I learned it as a First Language, so… of course I'd be better at it)

I'm generally anti-dictatorship, but…
with how terrible everyone is (not just politicians, but also the voters who vote for them), and how everyone is immoral, dishonest, idiotic, foolish, wilfully ignorant scum…
I'd not be against the one person I know to be at least halfway decent, i.e. me, taking over the world. (not that there is any chance of that happening, of course)
Not quite something I'd have said, all that seriously, before I became a misanthrope.

Oh, and given the "no personal cost" bit, I am assuming that I am able to be a "shadow"-ruler.
I.e. no one knows that I am the one who is in charge. I order the guy(s) who is/are "officially" the ruler(s).

Last edited by zarlan at 9:50 pm, Nov 20 2021

I picked no.
The scenario is a little confusing, but the goal of ruling the world is so comicbook ish. What's the point? Most people can't even manage their own households or lives. Imagine playing The Sims and having to micro manage everything but multiply it by a million; screw that.

No matter what intentions you set out with or your supposed good heart or w.e, you are going to be corrupted. Especially since there is no consequence of you being killed, it'd become like a videogame where you can sacrifice little units and they become a number. Even dictators have to worry about keeping the people happy or under control so there is no a mass rebellion or assassination attempt on them.

I am sure we all have our own ideas on how we'd improve the world by eliminating corruption, improving food distribution networks etc, but that's the short term. I don't even mean fifty years later, the world would probably become boring as I highly doubt people would keep opposing voices around long.
There are a lot of mentally ill people online, I am pretty sure the world would be worse because some lunatic would seek to deal out their twisted ver of justice of people he dislikes.

None of us are infallible, we are all emotional creatures, and we all have biases, that is not a good combo for grand undisputed ruler with no other power keeping them in check.

I would hate being world leader. We do need to speed up on global warming, so I would take it with the main goal to solve that. If deemed possible I would also remove all nations and setup a new global government, having extreme military budgets removed would be helpful.

Nah. Being a near alcoholic, chain-smoking, death-seeking bounty hunter living in the end times with the space mafia after your ass is a great recept to reach your late 40s. Yeah. Spike and Vicious are part of Club 27 for a reason and Harold is simply too old (outside of being miscast) and out of his element to do the stunts. Crazy cuts, extreme closeups and clear doubles are used. Not that I wanted mid-40s Keanu Reeves to have done it 10 years ago but he could have made the physicality work. And some of the zaniness.

The best-chosen actor out of the miserable lot is the new Jet Black and he gets to play an 80s caricature of a too old for this shit black guy. His divorced dad energy now transformed into him being just that and I have to stop here or I would end up writing 10 thousand words on why the show is racially insensitive at best and racist at worse. Actual blacksploitation, orientalism and a fundamental misunderstanding of the dystopian setting of the OG show and why the China mafia that was modeled after the Qing Dynasty ran the world and not the Yakuza are the highlights. It is now controlled by John Noble... like WTF is this? His son (!!!) Vicious, a main character and in every ep, might also be the worst main villain in such media. Bebop is a show from 98 but could have come out last week, minus the 4:3. But then again, Snyder is bringing that back! Zack Snyder´s Cowboy Bebop... could have worked. The 2021 show comes off as a relic from the mid-90s and is a Hard-R in the worst way possible. My 3/10 review on IMDB feels a point too high. The last time an adaptation of Japanese media pissed me of this much was Berserk 2016/17. Thank Zod that Arcane Act 3 and The Great S2 came out at the same time.

Hideo Kojima stopped after just 1 ep and he LOVES trash. Smart man. I only saw the pilot in full but clicking through the rest to have context for the many YT and podcast takedowns to follow was way too much. Like sipping raw sewage. I wish I could go full Thunberg on these showrunners. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood. I was 14 then but whatever.

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

No. Capability issues aside, that would be a horrible life. I'd rather keep enjoying my insignificant existence than shoulder the whole fricking world.

Come to think of it. The world controller in Brave New World and the The Architect (what a cool idea done so...meh) in The Matrix weren´t evil and made more functioning words than we have. Don´t be surprised if Galadriel´s reason to reject the One Ring is the only logical outcome. The Bakshi version of that scene. One of the few truly great bits in that adaption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jltwAEQ4kGg

Juuni Kokki (Novel) ends up being about our topic btw. A shame the anime "only" got 45 eps. Still worth seeing even if the story just stops. Don´t we all know that feeling? And Good luck finding a successor to do your duty. Genghis Khan ended up with his grandson Kublai Khan taking over and being as "great" with his son holding the reigns in between. Such success stories aren´t the norm.

________________
I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Mm, but most people don't have tons of underlings to help one manage it.

You'd only have to micromanage the things, and to the degree, that you choose.

That's why I'd do my best to get people around me, who are as competent as possible, who would challenge me, as well as multiple teams of researchers, analysts and information gatherers (including opinion polls, BTW) …as well as a team of experts on how people can get corrupted, who set up systems, rules, frameworks etc, to prevent/reduce/warn any hints/risk of corruption.

…and if I manage to get things to be proper and stable, and have educated the people into being decent people, who are properly rational and informed, they have seen the obvious benefits of the various things I've done, and are fully aware of how/why they are good…
Then that short-term should become something that will continue, under a free democracy.

…and if I took over the world, I'd set things up, as an ideal democracy, except with me as a dictator, on top …so that, when things seem good and stable, with a decent, moral, rational, well educated and informed public, I can simply remove the top dictator-layer of the governance, and simply let it run as a democracy …and finally be rid of the annoying burden, of ruling the world.

In a world where critical thinking and questioning authorities is strongly encouraged, where mindless obedience removes any chance of getting any high-ranking positions/jobs, and where the ruler sometimes listens to and adheres to what the critics say (if it makes sense), where opposition to the ruler and cries for democracy is perfectly well accepted…
Would opposing voices really stop?

Even with any possible flaws my rule would entail (and I can't rule out the possibility that I'm a bit twisted, after I've become a misanthrope. Though I can rule out being a lunatic), I couldn't possibly make things worse, than how they are now.

…which is why, for all its huge flaws (mainly how stupid the public is), democracy is still the best possible form of government.
And dictatorship is pretty much the worst.
Having great amounts of power, in the hands of one single person, is a bad idea.

…with the exception of having me rule the world, that is.

Last edited by zarlan at 2:07 pm, Nov 21 2021

The books are great, but the anime…
I couldn't bear to watch more than a single episode of the anime. It's just too wrong.

Becoming a monarch, in that universe, would be a very terrible curse… Your stuck with it, for life …and if you start getting corrupt, you can't just step down or anything. You've got to either stop being corrupt, somehow (and you can't go off and take a vacation somewhere, to get un-corrupted. You keep being the monarch) …or die.

No, Absolutely not.

I wouldn't mind creating some sort of omnipotent / near-omni god to do it with some instructions or something like that, but I'd never do it myself because even before I consider that my biases would likely get in the way pretty quickly if I had to face it every day and I'd want to be absolutely certain that couldn't happen, I detest fame and would 99 times out of a hundred prefer to just be some anonymous guy living a fairly standard life. If that makes sense.