Op-Ed The Evolution of Violence
What gives a government authority? Consensus by the people within its borders? No. The right for everyone to participate in its operation? No. Then what gives a government authority? Its monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. A hundred years ago, a human finally figured out what everyone great political leader knew. To rule, you need no consensus, just the force to enforce your rule. This is how the political order evolved. Humans do not do things because it is morally wrong, they do not do them because a higher authority will punish’ and even kill them, if they do. This is course of political evolution.
Then, evolution is a given. Everything evolves. Our species evolved to something greater than human allowing use to control that species and nearly every other species walking the sphere of existence. Everything evolves, even a society. There is no denying we have reached the apex of our physical evolution. However, one would not know it, seeing the dreck walking this city or the complete and utter bored chaos. For every moment there seems to be a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of action, there are long periods of boredom. We all use excuses, ‘We’re building.’ If this were the case, I would imagine you could have built enough allies and resources to accomplish what every great city and state has done: Established a functioning and capable authority. Our city has yet to do this. For its size and capabilities, it has failed to evolve and adapt to its environment.
Yet, this does not fully capture the maladaptation of the social and political order. For every idiot who screams, ‘Anarchy in the R.B.C.!’ there is lost opportunity at achieving something greater. Even in a political system, anarchy has some order. So, what is wrong with the current system? There is a basic fact to all society since our species and its mortal cousin learned how to make war: Groups exist in conflict, compete for resources, and try to press their interest on all others. So long as one of these types of groups exists, this describes the environment every society builds around at some level.
To argue our society does not have this would be foolish and ignorant. To argue that this does not describe the city since it was established would equally by foolish and ignorant. In the years since this city was established, there has been no lasting authority to reform this city into something greater. This city is a variation on a failed-state’ on a far grimmer scale.
What is a failed state? One that failed to establish a functional and working government within its own borders. If there is a government, it is within the capital city but there is no hope of stability control elsewhere. How does this relate to our city? There are many groups who have loyal followers and capable leaders, either clans or bloodlines. No one group controls any territory. There is no governance or forum, there is nothing. All that exists is those who wonder within the chaotic borders aimlessly, waiting for something to occur. Perhaps this city was once a state when Prince Capadocious was a name to fear or perhaps when Archangel tried to control the Halls of Binding and Severance.
The major problem is the lack of territorial control. Of course, there is no real gain to territory, as it has no resources to extract. Given our resources are easily accessible, you would think some group, somewhere would try, and succeed. Yet, attempts to create a greater authority since have not managed to achieve the effects dictators such as Alexander of Macedon and Julius Caesar have achieved. We have more resources, a longer life span, access to powers beyond their wildest comprehension, yet a failed state is what this society is. No clan exists that is strong enough to enforce itself as the central authority.
Why?
Of course, the question will come, how can you have order without consent? Consent is never needed to attain order, only force and violence. What makes a state a state? Max Weber said the monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. Many in the elite seems to have missed or refuse to attempt this. Everyone rather would claim, ‘Anarchy in the RBC!’ Despite the lack of a central authority, groups competing for power do exist here and one could create a central authority. However, there is no success. Educated guesses say certain clans are trying. After several years, what is the result? The occasional war popping up with no group having enough resources to maintain complete domination. We have city where boredom is the norm and petty soap opera dramas are what grab the attention. Yet, through violence, a group could shape this city to something far greater.
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Carpathia
~as attention darts to the disturbed human’s comment, her eyes drift closed as she calls upon her blood to peer closer into this Mortis creature~
–No such vampire.–
~eyes of nocturnal glimmer reopening to flash in fires of a henious discord~
I say we eat him.
~Carpathia Dragosee ~Valens’ Bride ~Yggdrasil