One of the big mysteries I want to clear up is why the Republic would choose Shakor over Midular. I mean, the weight of popular opinion behind the Sanmatar is enormous.
I've spent so long attributing it to some... cultural character flaw. Like they just lacked the patience and foresight to take the long, slow, difficult but successful path over the quick, easy and futile one. That was short-sighted and prejudiced of me, and obvious in hindsight that I shouldn't even entertain such ideas. So instead, I'm looking for more fitting possible explanations.
Here's one. I described slavery as being "endemic" in the Empire. This observation was immediately the subject of a flat denial by pilot Nicoletta Mithra. Her specific quote was in fact the simple statement "Slavery is not endemic in Amarr society."
Now Mithra's a zealot, that much is obvious from just that one sentence, and it would be totally unfair to judge all of the Empire and the people within it by her obviously deluded standards. But it makes me imagine the number of times that the people who are willing to open a dialogue with the Amarr have been met with that kind of outright denial of reality.
How frustrating would that be? I could feel my fists itching even before she was done with that sentence. Extend by a year, ten years, a century, three! At least I've never yet met a Gallentean who denied that the bombing of the homeworld ever took place, though I've met plenty who think that the U-Nats underreacted and that Caldari Prime should still be a Gallente world, and probably even renamed.
I can understand zealotry and jingoism. I can't understand how a person can say in all seriousness that something isn't happening which provably is.
Makes me wonder about Midular even more. She grew up Matari, was born and raised to know about and ultimately experience exactly that kind of contemptuous dismissal of reality. She can't be less sensitive to this stuff than I am as an outsider and observer with only six days of exposure. But she still kept the faith that a diplomatic solution was ultimately viable and the best way forward.
I can't decide if that's inspirationally idealistic, or heartbreakingly naive.
Save. End.
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