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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:35
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OK, Spiffor pompous time now.
As some of you may now, I have just finished my dissertation about the political influence in the real world of Democracy games. It's a topic similar to the real-world influence of virtual parties. Basically, I have researched on what difference a so-called cyberdemocracy made for the political attitudes of its members. I truly think I am a specialist in this question.
What have individual political attitudes to do with the current thread? So far, Internet has changed very little to the way politics work. The only spectacular change is that it has raised the efficiency of large advocacy groups. Most alter-globalization protests (like in Seattle) use the 'Net considerably. That's about it: Governments work the same, Parliaments work the same, political parties work the same, even the media work the same (the blogosphere may make a real difference in the future though). The only way Internet could significantly change politics, at least for now, would be to change people's individual attitudes.
A virtual democracy (so called "cyberdemocracy") is the real place where people can change their opinions on political matters. I mean, political opinions can evolve in contact to the OT far more than in contact to some EverQuest2 forum. However, my focus was not the political opinions (on abortion, on gun control...), but on potential for political activism: is a cyberdemocracy a school for having an activist personality?*
The results are not overwhelming at all: a close contact with virtual democratic discussions, decisions and processes made a little difference, but not much. People are more likely to feel politically competent (that they understand and can act in politics), but that's about it. It's really not a drastic difference.
*Actually, I focused on three things: democratic ideals & values, potential for activism, and generalized trust in unknown fellows. Only the potential for activism is relevant to this thread.
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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:35
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[/Spiffor pompous time]
End of my academic specialization. We now resume our usual program of wild speculation 
I oppose the idea of making the CPA a real party. And I oppose the creation of an Apolyton party even more. In my opinion, a political party has clear principles about what should be done. And Apolyton has none. I mean, we have completely different people and opinions here, and I don't see any idoelogical unity between people such as David Floyd, Che, Malevolent Light or Imran 
At the CPA, we're far more united. However, we differ on some very important tactical and political issues. Odin and I are market socialists (he more than me). Azazel is an absolute planner. Serb is a Stalinist, while Che is a Trotskyist. If we were in the real world, we'd be arguing (and probably visiously so) about these differences. There's a reason why the far left has become tiny sects pretty much everywhere, and some leader's big ego is not the primary one 
If we turned the CPA into a real political party, our activists(myself included) would have to abandon their commitment to their current real parties. We'd manage nothing else than creating a new sect, an extra tiny one this time. Besides, considering that our sect wouldn't even be ideologically homogenous, we'd quickly leave the RLCPA to go back to the party that is closest to our ideologies.
Where the CPA (and moreso 'Poly) is useful, is not where a political Party is useful: Neither 'Poly nor the CPA can organize political action to push for change. However, they're great means to know each other, and in particular to know each other's political cultures. 'Poly is a fantastic discussion salon, if you wish. It is instrumental in understanding who the others are (although it dramatically lacks in third world people or of proletaries). As such, it can make us more intelligent. At least, that's why 'Poly is so dear to me 
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17-03-2005 02:28
Doh, got it mixed up with the Populist Party.
And I donīt think that a name change for the CPA is going to change much, even if I agree that the word "communist" is badly tainted.
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