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  • Subject: Chapter Spotlight!
Subject: Chapter Spotlight!

I'm not that active, but never dead.

The second installment of the Chapter Spotlight has arrived!
This Chapter Spotlight goes to the political savy Chapter Body Politic. Body Politic has been around for a while, and has shown great maturity in it's discussion of Politics. If you are looking for a place to discuss your opinion on current politcal situations, but are angry that you can't do it in the Flood, this is the Chapter for you.
It was founded on the 6th of February 2005 by Reiginko, making it over a year old. It is almost a nation unto itself, with it's own Constitution , which can be changed by putting forth and voting on amendments. It's political structure is a Constitutional Monarchy, much like Britain or Canada's current organization of government. The original "King" was Reiginko, but he abstained, and though offical voting Sir Fragula was crowned the new the King.

The full Government is as follows:
King & Chief Justice: Sir Fragula
Prime Minister: Socialist

Cabinet Minister: Kingcream
Cabinet Minister: Texas Ben
Cabinet Minister: Security Officer
Cabinet Minister: keifburna

The Prime Minister is basically the Master Mod, and Cabinet Ministers are normal mods, in Bungie.net terms. They all have more jobs and responsibilies than that though, as Body Politic deals with more serious issues than if Halo 3 is coming out.

GodsProphet had the Honour of interviewing Sir Fragula, and here it is below:
Posted by: Gods Prophet
Starting off, what does Body Politic do? What is it's purpose?

Body Politic was created last year as a chapter for mature political discussion. I like to think it serves as a valuable part of Bungie.net, siphoning off the heated discussions that might otherwise end up in the main forums.

We discuss anything that's relevant to government, civil rights, economics and the like. Religion though is a controlled topic, lest our threads get derailed by arguments which have no answer.

Who can join this chapter?

Anyone can join, providing they pass the following criteria: "no idiots". The join process is supervised, and I give each applicant a quick account perusal to make sure they're not obvious trolls. Someone with a racist name, for instance, wouldn't be allowed in. Same goes for impersonations.

What is so good about Body Politic? What draws you to it?

Basically Body Politic is good because the subject matter is good; of course having a lot of dedicated members helps! Politics is always happening, and given the extremely international composition of our membership there's always something interesting that someone wants to say. When the big international stories run dry the Canadian elections show up, or maybe it's a new European Parliament law being discussed, or even something crazy happening in Australia regarding the monarchy. Of course if push comes to shove we can always go back to good old staples like the Iraq War...

Do you see many political arguments breaking out into flaming or is it well controlled?

It's inevitable that arguments will break out when you're talking about politics - I've been guilty of it myself. The trick is to know when you're going over the line, or to know when a discussion is going to end in flames and pre-empt it with a warning or a thread-lock. It is sometimes difficult to not be too zealous with the rules. Being English I'm used to a very confrontational style of political debate, which is fine when I'm arguing with other Europeans, but to many American members it can come across as rude and arrogant rather than par for the political course. You only have to look at the difference between the House of Commons and the US Senate! Because of that I've found a compromise of styles is required, so that both sides might find things either slightly restrictive or slightly too liberal but neither side is up in arms about it.

Of course from time to time a minor flame-fest can be good for reinvigorating the political passions, but it's important to make sure nobody feels victimised, which has happened in the past.

Do you (as a chapter) tolerate views from every part of the political spectrum?

Hmm... Almost always yes. I personally won’t allow people to air far-far-far-right views. By that I mean -blam!-/-blam!- style racism and the like. If you want to argue that certain racial groups, religions or nationalities are "sub-human" you can do so outside of Body Politic. Other than that all views are welcome - Communists, Capitalists, Islamists, Confucianists, Anarchists and all the rest are free to participate.


What sort of things do you discuss? Is it modern politics (current affairs) or old politics (historical) etc?

For the most part current events dominate, and that's as you'd expect. There is a degree of discussion on future politics though, one example being a thread asking how future colonies should be governed, or how our own governments should deal with space exploration. Theoretical debate usually turns up within the current affairs threads.

Is the forum very active?

Quite active, yes. We have 267 members as of today [02/03/06], and whilst many no longer post regularly, there's still a large core of active participants. There are seven threads right now which have been posted to within the last 24hrs, and of those the lowest post count is 18 and the highest is 151. I don't think we've had a single day go by without at least 10 new posts being made, and the average is far higher. It's obviously not as active as somewhere like The Flood, but for a chapter I'm fairly sure we've got one of the higher activity ratios.

What is the internal Politics like? For Example, what is the job of the Prime Minister? What other security roles do you have?

Well, Body Politic is organised as a constitutional monarchy. Originally we had Reiginko as the king, and through a series of elections I was voted Prime Minister. When Reiginko decided to take a less active role within Bungie.net, the crown was passed onto me, and a further series of elections resulted in Socialist being made Prime Minister.

Essentially the Prime Minister deals with all the everyday tasks like forum supervision. He's allowed to nominate a number of Cabinet Ministers with similar [but more limited] powers. My role as King is to look after the big matters like perma-bans and constitutional matters. I also get final say in everything, though like a good monarch I do prefer to let things be decided by consensus. The entire chapter is governed by a constitution, which everyone is bound to comply with. Except in extreme situations that also includes me.

Do you provide any additional content for the chapter other than forum discussions? If so, what sorts of things?

That's an aspect I'd like to see expanded upon to tell the truth. We do have a few articles in our resource section, but not that many.

Are there any plans for the future that will spruce the chapter up a bit that we can look forward to?

Well, as I say I'd like to see the resource section expanded. We've got a series of organised debates planned, where arguments take on a more structured and theoretical approach. Other than that I'd just like to see us growing at the rate we are at the moment.


Many, many thanks to Sir Fragula for his willingness to participate in this interview and for his time.


So if you're looking for a good (and sometimes passionate) political debate, head over to Body Politic. Long live the King! ;)


Finally, we at The Council Chambers would love to take Chapter nominations! You can PM them to myself, just another fan, Pimp at Sea or join the Chambers and post them in the stickied thread.


-MAZ

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Body Politic was choosen by members of The Council Chambers because of it's unique system of government, large base of active members, it's intelligent discussion, and how long it has been a chapter of the Bungie.net Community.
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Previous Spotlights:Mjolnir Battle Tactics
Games in Action

[Edited on 3/3/2006]

  • 03.03.2006 8:34 PM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Its a good group, just be ready to bring it if you decide to take part in the "Talks".


  • 03.03.2006 8:53 PM PDT
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Only the paranoid will survive!

No, it is indeed the third.

  • 03.03.2006 9:14 PM PDT
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The third of many, we hope.

  • 03.03.2006 9:16 PM PDT

I'm not that active, but never dead.

[i]Note to Moderators: Thanks.[i]

[Edited on 3/4/2006]

  • 03.03.2006 10:47 PM PDT

Another great spotlight, well worth the read.

  • 03.03.2006 11:03 PM PDT
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Body Politic keeps me out of trouble. Whenever I want to yell about politics on the public forums I go to this group. Come to think about it, it has been a while since I posted there and made Socialist mad at me. XD

  • 03.03.2006 11:51 PM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Posted by: kd5shw
Body Politic keeps me out of trouble. Whenever I want to yell about politics on the public forums I go to this group. Come to think about it, it has been a while since I posted there and made Socialist mad at me. XD


i have had to resort to other means to get my fix.

Almost had Shishka mad at me.

So yeah anyone who likes to "debate" then join BP.

Sometimes its ruff, but the challange is what made it fun.

[Edited on 3/4/2006]

  • 03.04.2006 4:55 AM PDT

-Quaere verum.

Got a report? Use the report tool or send a pm.
Chairleg Productions presents: 'Console Wars' and 'Games as Art?' (also on Halo Waypoint).

Yup, another great spotlight for a more than worthy chapter. Congratulations to Body Politic. long may you live!

Oh, i think AlexZander also forgot to mention that you can e-mail your chapter/group nominations to [email]ChapterSpotlight@gmail.com[/email]

  • 03.04.2006 6:20 AM PDT
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My friend, you would not tell with ſuch high zeſt
To children ardent for ſome deſperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum eſt
Pro patria mori.

Ahh, thanks guys. It's always nice to be appreciated.

  • 03.04.2006 7:21 AM PDT
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News? Podcasts? Machinima? Active forums? Competitions? Jaffa Cakes!? OMG!
Thee Warriors!

Best. Mod. Ever.

Good spotlight

  • 03.04.2006 1:05 PM PDT

"It's like a cake filled with pies." -Pete "Mango" Parsons

Seventh Column Contests

Awesome spotlight and got what it deserved. This group can be rough sometimes, but the key here is to keep your cool. I think I come very close to loosing it everynow and then but in the end, it's always the same. It's a good group only if you're into politics and debates. This group is also a good source for gaining news.

  • 03.04.2006 6:15 PM PDT
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Only the paranoid will survive!

Heh. We all let loose one time or another, but there are always apologies exchanged in the end and that's all that becomes of it. I say the trick is to know when you're wrong, and admit it. Partisan politics do not rule. Or something along that line =)

  • 03.05.2006 7:02 PM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

That was the idea.

  • 03.05.2006 7:38 PM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Well instead of people being split down the middle with what they thought, it was one big mix of ideas.

A mixing pot.

  • 03.06.2006 3:02 PM PDT

Nice review.

  • 03.06.2006 7:48 PM PDT

¤´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·`GT : podumas (Member Since:11/12/2004)

body politic is a great chapter!

  • 03.07.2006 5:32 PM PDT
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Do you have what it takes to become a ninja? Join Ninja Academy
Prepared to learn the way of the jedi? Join
KOTOR

Congrats.

  • 03.08.2006 10:58 AM PDT