unibot wrote: Discussion with Sir Paul at the 2014 NS World Fair. Jan 3 2014. http://w11.zetaboards.com/NS_World_Fair_II/topic/9955323/1/#new
Hot off the Press: A Q and A with Sir Paul
SEMINAR TRANSCRIPT
Jan 3 2014. 1-2 PM EST. Unibot: So, welcome to "Hot off the Press: A Q and A with Sir Paul" were honoured here today to have Sir Paul with us, Founder of PNN and Veteran Journalist. Many, including myself, consider him one of the best writers, journalists and all-around propagandists to have ever played NationStates. Hes also just a really cool guy from what Ive heard.
Ill be one of the MCs for this event. Im Unibot. Editor of The Rejected Times and NS News Express, in addition to being a general Sir Paul Fanboy. Communist Quinntopia will be the other MC. Communist Quinntopia was formerly Editor of NS Weekly and was also just as excited as me to have this opportunity to interview, the one, the only, Sir Paul.
When the Great War was at its most tense moments between two superpowers, the ADN and the NPO, Sir Paul was there, writing on the frontlines with his typewriter and his press pass handy. When The North Pacific fell, Sir Paul was there, when Francos Spain fell, Sir Paul was there and when Francograd fell, Sir Paul reminded us, things fall apart, in probably one of the most memorable news releases. He was right, of course, things do fall apart.
Today, our global political situation has fallen so far apart that NationStates has descended into another turbulent political divide, with Francoists and Defenders uniting against Imperialists and Independents alike. Arguably, were in the midst of a so-called cold war. While the war effort may be cold, the presses are hot hotter than they have ever been before. The Rejected Times, NS News Express, The Runes, SPINN, Lazarus Gazette, The Sherwood Post, NationStates Confidential, TEP News Service and of course, The North Pacific Wire and PNN. Were positively swimming in media every hour, were told what to think, who to think of and why to think of them. Were saturated in media and propaganda, the telltale sign that a political war has begun.
Therefore, Id like to think Sir Paul has a lot of things very relevant to say to us today, even if the Great War has long since ended. Theres still the same kind of relationship between the presses and power in NationStates and theres still a conflict going on a deep, far reaching conflict with political ramifications for all of us. So listen up! You might be surprised to find what you could learn, not only about the situation then, but also about our situation now the one we face.
Um now enough blabbing from me - they're here to see you! Hello, Sir Paul!
Sir Paul: Hello Unibot
Communist Quinntopia: Hi.
Sir Paul: I'm not sure I can live up to that introduction, but I'll do my best. There is one quibble I do have regarding "Journalism": I'd argue that at the time, I did quite a bit of Polemics. But after the death of Franco, I think I finally had the space to do journalism
And with your permission, I'd speak a bit about both.
Unibot: Of course. Sounds like a plan.
Sir Paul: For me, journalism should be the blending of primary resources and tertiary resources to create a thoughtful, insightful secondary resource.
What I mean by that is you have the event: Whatever is happening. But to be a journalist, you need the context -- that is the value added we bring. Anyone can take a cellphone video of train blowing up or a bomb going off. But the why, the how, the history... that background information is key.
For those interested in journalism, I'd argue you should do something else first. Get an undergraduate degree in something technical or geopolitical or what ever you're interested in then, get a masters in journalism.
If you spent four years understanding the middle east, you'll be a better reporter on that issue than if you just go to journalism school, same with fracking, There's more to journalism than just rehashing events or copying press releases. And when I was doing journalism in NS, that's what I tried to do.
For example, let's take the occupation of the North Pacific.
When ever a people are occupied, there are collaborators and patriots. Some in TNP worked with the Pacificans. Some fought the Pacificans. Part of the reasons they took years to get over the occupation was because they had a civil war with each other. After the NPO left, they were left with each other with the knowledge of who did what. You see this in Africa, the Middle East, etc. And until you find a way to deal with the winners and losers (which did happen), I tried to keep that context in mind in my TNP coverage.
With respect to the other profession I had, propagandist, the secret is ridicule, and truth, and absurdity and the destruction of reality. Let me take those one at a time.
The most powerful force in the universe is not compound interest, but ridicule. Humans are social creatures, and validation by our peers is programmed into us. You see this when the non-conformists conformists by pre-packaged subculture at Hot Topic. Keeping that in mind, you can use validation to shape views. The appeal to popularity, when used right, is an incredible fallacy. For example, let's talk about Jaywalking. In the 1900s, people crossed the street wherever they wanted.The street was for everyone. The car lobby tried to get people out of the street, but the people lobby ignored them. In the end, Triple A of Southern California finally figured out how to make walking in the street verboten.
First, they created the term "jaywalker" -- comes from the term "country jay" as in, you are an ignorant bumpkin who doesn't know how to walk in the city.
Then, they had boy scouts in uniform give people crossing the street midblock cards about how they are dangerous idiots. They held public courts where people who jay walked were berated by a "judge" in front of people who laughed at them. It was ridicule that killed the pedestrian. And ridicule is how you can diminish positions antithetical to your own. But you have to do it right, or you're just an asshole.
And that's where truth comes in.
I try to have a ring of truth in everything I write. If there is no truth, then there is no buy in. At some point, you have to have a firm place to stand. Something that we can all agree on. Your opponent will have that as well
The trick, of course, is the trajectories. What conclusions can you jump from your position and from their position? And this is the absurdity. When confessing NPO sins, I would always start with the most absurd charge against us and go toward reasonable.
"Yes, we eat babies.
We also subjugate millions,
and indoctrinate them,
and build nations,
and bring culture,
and built a community,
One that is stronger than anything Thedoc built.
One that has expanded and is an inspiration for thousands,
and brings energy and life to the game.
etc."
When did I start telling the truth? When was I being absurd? I'll certainly never tell. But you go the other way with your opponents. Take their positions, and extend them to their logical conclusions. If you do that with anything, you eventually realize it's absurd what they are proposing. Virtually everything written on the ADN by me followed that template.
And so, is the Alliance Defense Network noble defenders? Or are they hunting a white whale and trying to displace a community more vibrant than the one defended?
I'll leave that to history to decide.
Unibot: Our audience had many questions: we'll ask a few for you now and then open you up to the mad-house. I can say though - your lecture was fantastic. Matt wanted to ask the first question.
Sir Paul: Yes sir?
Communist Quinntopia: Hello, Sir Paul. OK, I have the first question for you.
What was the process like for getting a story and breaking one then? Who would often be your sources? How did you go about an article from start to finish? How long would it take?
Sir Paul: It depended. We did some breaking news and some investigative pieces. Some came from the Pacifican security services: When we did the reports on the Pacifics, we interviewed the delegates but got a lot of background from our intelligence bureaus.
Again, primary + tertiary = secondary.
Oftentimes, you would just wait for update and see where the flow of nations was going. Who was raiding who?When I had a staff, I'd review and edit the final copy, but things moved pretty quickly. Only very occasionally did someone give me a dead-drop of information. Did that answer your question, Matt?
Communist Quinntopia: It did answer my question. If you're finished, then I shall refer to Unibot for the next question.
Unibot: One of our viewers was wondering why The NPO and the ADN were going at it, neck and neck, in media competition? To sway the undecided? Morale? Or was it just settling a deep rivalry? What purpose did fighting using the presses, serve?
Sir Paul: For me, there are really two NPOs.The era before Franco's death and the era after. The era before was nothing but concrete and barbed wire. It was literally us against the world and the few allies we managed to scrap together.
We wanted the world to see us as the legitimate rulers of [the] Pacific and part of that is to have culture, to have activity, to have rule of law. An active press is a huge part of that. My articles were probably the number one reason any non-Pacifican had to come to our forums. Coming to our forums creates legitimacy, even subliminally. You start to see people, not enemies. After Franco died and we pushed back the final assault over his dead body, The PRP was founded. Just one year after the Day of Order. And the world was ready, for the first time, to really listen to us. They accepted we weren't going away. They accepted we had a line of succession and the barbed wire came down and we got more allies and we turned a corner. ADN was Ahad, NPO the white whale.
Months of diplomacy, writing, and articles made that happen. I don't think we could have gotten there if Franco hadn't died. Besides, it's fun to have an enemy. And ADN made good ones, as I hope I made a good one. ;-)
Unibot:
There's a civil war going on in a major region in NS right now - with one side looking to gain legitimacy and I think there's a lot of interesting parallels here with that situation. That was fascinating, thanks Sir Paul. Matt has the next question.
Communist Quinntopia: Indeed I do. Another one of our viewers wondered if you ever intended to make a push for Emperor of the NPO?
Sir Paul: As I don't have a nation anymore, unlikely. Besides, Emperor of the NPO is the hardest job in the game and I just don't have the time anymore. You also have to manage people.
And I find I'm happiest making my sing-along videos and writing my articles. But I did do a lot in the Pacific. I was architect of the PRP. And the institutions I founded lasted at least as long as I was there. I'm not sure how they're doing now.
Unibot: You were of course in the original NPO government with Francos Spain, InfernoIce (TAO?), Poskrebyshev, Bertram Stantrous, Mammothistan and Unlimited. This may seem like a rubbish question, but no one else here has had that chance, so Ill ask: what was that like? How did the government run? Who did what? Explain how a crisis would go down with that Senate. Share a story with us!
Sir Paul: Wow, that. 10 years ago. Ok. The Pacific of that day was all about security most mid-level officers in the Pacific were actually spies.
It's actually a really good place for them, because they work really hard. The ADN did most of our grunt work and everyone who was a senator was a senator because of security work. Even me. I was not given the mantle by Franco because of my pen. We didn't do that until the days of the Republic.
There was also much discussion on issues but it was agreed that we would always be united in public.The North Pacific merger was really difficult. I was always a bit of a dove. Mammothistan was a bit of a hawk and the debate of legitimacy through war or peace was always had. If we did take and hold TNP, it was argued that they'd have to deal with us. In the end, we finally got to acceptance.
Unless the Pacific Army's back. You know, in text, it's hard to tell when I'm done. I can't use gesture and tone to indicate finality.
Unibot: I want to thank you so much for joining us, Sir Paul - it was an honour, a pleasure and the proper way to kick off this NS World Fair. Milograd, the most recent PNN Director, has a question for you - and then we'll open this channel up for public discussion, if you can stick around I'm sure people will want to chat and there may be some here you know too.
Sir Paul: Sure.
Unibot: Milograd, you have the floor!
Milograd: Yo. So, if you had to pick a few of your favorite pieces, what would you say they were, why would you say it, and how did you approach writing them?
Also, speaking as a Pacifican, would you consider reviving SP (assuming you can) and dropping by on the RMB? The reactions could be fun.
Sir Paul: I enjoyed the series on the Pacificas, because I got to work with and meet many neat people. It was also fun to bin different types of government. But honestly, when I look back at my old work, I hate it.
I've grown and changed so much as a writer in 10 years.
Milograd: Is series on the Pacificas referring to the State of the Feeders? I think I recall that, if so.
Sir Paul: Yes. But quite frankly, I've changed and grown as a writer. I honestly think my most recent piece is always my best and that's how I can keep going.
Milograd: I can definitely empathize with that.
Sir Paul: I dont' know my stuff is bad, so I'm not ashamed, feel ridicule, and stop or, at least, I hope I'm getting better every day.
Unibot: We can probably let the madhouse open, I think?
Sir Paul: I'm chairman of the Senior Industrial Regents, Senator appointed by Franco, Architect of the Republic, Founder of PNN and August Revolutionary.
I can handle a forum. Yes,confidence is also key, but keep a contrarian voice around so you don't by your own line.
*Sir Paul drinks a glass of water*
Whenever you're ready to begin.
Unibot: Well! Milograd, release the hounds!
What followed was a casual open conversation between Sir Paul and the crowd (some forty or so players).
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Hot Off the Press: A Q&A With Sir Paul
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Hot Off the Press: A Q&A With Sir Paul
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