The Story Of The Little Red President

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The Story Of The Little Red President
By HEM

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A Little Red President lived on a Farm called "Europeia". He spent almost all of his time going around the Farm in a picketty fashion, trying to improve life for everyone. Sometimes he planted seeds for crops, sometimes he pulled weeds out of the dirt, sometimes he made sure everyone had enough food.

He dearly loved the Farm and his fellow barn animals. He enjoyed the magic of seeing a group of people come together and build an active, social, fun farm. Nothing made him prouder than seeing all of his fellow citizens together having a good time.

A Horse usually napped lazily in the Spam Zone, not even bothering herself to scare the rat who ran here and there as he pleased. And as for the Pig who lived in #eurochat—he did not care what happened so long as he could eat and remain idle.

One day the Little Red President realized that so much more could be accomplished if he had some help. After mulling around the farm and thinking about it, he decided that he would appoint some assistants. A Cabinet, he would call them.

So he thought of the Pig—upon whom time must hang heavily and of the Horse who had nothing to do, and of the great fat Rat with his idle hours, and he called loudly:

“I need some assistants! Who wants to help me build this farm??”

Initially nobody stirred.

“Come on friends, we need to keep this farm together for people to enjoy!” The Little Red President yelled again.

Slowly, a few bodies came shuffling forward.

“Excellent!” The Little Red President said.

He pointed at the Horse, “You will be Minister of Fun!”

The Horse nodded, proud of his new title.

“You will be Minister of Responsibilities!” The Little Red President said to the Pig.

The Pig looked proud, and began walking around with a distinct strut.

“You will be Minister of Excitement,” The Little Red President told the Rat.

And the Little Red President sent them on their way, with a promise that they would help him build a farm that everyone could enjoy.

The Little Red President resumed his current tasks, and while he got occasionally distracted by more important matters, he mostly remained focused on the farm.

Then one day not long after, the Horse came to the President.

“I’m afraid I stubbed my toe when trotting around the barnyard today!” the Horse told the Little Red President.

“I’m sorry to hear that!” The Little Red President exclaimed.

“Yes, yes,” The Horse said contemplatively. “I’m afraid I will have to resign my position.”

“Resign?” The Little Red President said. “Surely you might consider continuing after taking a few days to nurse your toe!”

“No, No,” The Horse responded deliberatively. “I’m afraid I cannot.”

“Very well then,” The Little Red President responded. “I wish you the best.”

A few hours went by, and the Little Red President resumed his review of the grounds. He walked past a field where he saw some animals playing. He smiled, he loved the sight of his friends having a good time.

Then in the distance, he saw the Horse. The Horse was galloping down the Spam Zone fields, seemingly without a care in the world. He was making joyful noises as he played with his fellow animals.

I thought he had a toe that was hurt beyond repair, the Little Red President thought to himself.

Before he could think another thought, however, the Little Red President was interrupted by none other than the Pig.

“I’m afraid my voice has gone hoarse while yelling during the games today,” the Pig told the Little Red President.

“I’m sorry to hear that!” The Little Red President exclaimed.

“Yes, yes.” The Pig said contemplatively. “I’m afraid I will have to resign my position.”

“Resign?” The Little Red President said. “Surely you might consider continuing after taking a few days to nurse your voice!”

“No, no,” The Pig responded deliberatively. “I’m afraid I cannot.”

“Very well then,” The Little Red President responded. “I wish you the best.”

A few hours went by and the Little Red President was inspecting the facilities in the #eurochat barn. He was making sure that the foundations were secure and that there was a fresh coat of paint on the south side when he heard a noise.

Peering into the barn he saw The Pig, shouting excitedly with his friends. He was engaged in a heated debate, where the Pig’s crystal clear voice pierced the air at a frequency above everyone else’s.

I thought he had a voice that was hurt beyond repair, The Little Red President thought to himself.

Before he could think another thought, however, the Little Red President was interrupted by none other than the Rat.

“I’m afraid my tail was injured while hanging out in the Republic Square chicken coop,” the Rat told the Little Red President.

“I’m sorry to hear that!” The Little Red President exclaimed.

“Yes, yes,” the Rat said contemplatively. “I’m afraid I’ll have to resign my position.”

“Resign?” The Little Red President said. “Surely you might consider continuing after taking a few days to nurse your tail.”

“No, no,” the Rat responded deliberatively. “I’m afraid I cannot.”

“Very well then,” The Little Red President responded. “I wish you the best.”

A few hours went by and the Little Red President was finally heading to bed when he found himself surrounded by a crowd of his friends.

“Why has the farm been so quiet?” a crowd of horses, rats, cows, and pigs demanded. “Why hasn’t the barn been painted? Why are the fences in desperate need of repair? Why aren’t the other farms showing us the respect we deserve?”

“I’m sorry,” The Little Red President said. “I’ll try to take care of it tomorrow!”

“You better!” The crowd said. And off in the distance, the Little Red President saw the Rat, the Horse, and the Pig playing scrambling off to the #eurochat barn where they would play games that involved yelling, running, and hanging from one’s tail.

 

[Aexnidaral]

I've personally felt that "real life concerns" have been used as a crutch often when one is not up to the job. Clearly, I don't think it's the case all the time, but I'm positive that it is some of the time.

When people cite "real life issues" as their reason for resignations, it is often treated like the third rail and not touched, for better or worse.

We will likely never know when one is really affected by real life issues versus using it as a crutch. Habitual offenders are more likely to be guilty of it, but the truth is we will never really know.

Ah, the internet version of "I'm resigning to spend time with my family."

 

[Drecq]

I've personally felt that "real life concerns" have been used as a crutch often when one is not up to the job. Clearly, I don't think it's the case all the time, but I'm positive that it is some of the time.

When people cite "real life issues" as their reason for resignations, it is often treated like the third rail and not touched, for better or worse.

We will likely never know when one is really affected by real life issues versus using it as a crutch. Habitual offenders are more likely to be guilty of it, but the truth is we will never really know.

Ah, the internet version of "I'm resigning to spend time with my family."

Thats what I plan on being my stated reason when Im found in the (now defunct) Senate Offices coercing interns into providing me with sexual favors. You know, the old GOP classic.

 

[Skizzy Grey]

I've personally felt that "real life concerns" have been used as a crutch often when one is not up to the job. Clearly, I don't think it's the case all the time, but I'm positive that it is some of the time.

When people cite "real life issues" as their reason for resignations, it is often treated like the third rail and not touched, for better or worse.

We will likely never know when one is really affected by real life issues versus using it as a crutch. Habitual offenders are more likely to be guilty of it, but the truth is we will never really know.

I think it's fine to give people a lot of space when they say they need to resign for personal reasons. When they step back into the fray, however, they should expect questions about why they stepped away, and why they don't expect to have to renege on their commitment again. This is what we have failed to do. As a consequence, we don't have a good sense of who is committed and who isn't, which in turn causes us to default to old hands when elections come around -- because hell, it feels like we can count on those folks (though truth be told, we've got old-timers with long track records of not following through).

 

[XIV]

My resignations came from medical issues; namely my suicide attempt and the fact that I was facing a surgery I was told might take me up to a month to recover from (because the spine is a tricky area), and I know some recent resignations have come because people aren't feeling mentally up to the task of being a minister; or they've got their own health issues or sicknesses in their families that they've got to deal with, and some people have resigned because their coursework or their jobs are taking up too much time and they don't have the time they thought they did to contribute. It's unfair to chalk that up to 'not wanting to do the work' or 'not having pride in what they're doing'.

And in every case it's much easier to take three five minute periods a day and "pwn the spam zone", or to hang out in discord on your phone during your free time to chat with your friends; it doesn't mean that person is lazy because they're doing that instead of dedicating time they don't have, or which they can't dedicate, to massive projects in Europeia.

It's no surprise to me, because I've heard this on multiple occasions from newer members, that the legitimate reasons for resigning are also compounded by the fact that even 'okay' terms are often derided and looked down upon by Europeia; who would want to stay on in a position where they know they're not going to amazing and the end result is going to be people telling them that they should have resigned or been fired? Nobody. Now, on top of that, when they do resign we're telling them that they're lazy and don't want to do the work.

I doubt you were one of the folks HEM had in mind. You left for a time, then eased back into regional activity gradually.

When someone runs for office or accepts an appointment soon after citing RL pressures as the reason for resigning from public office, it invites questions. Maybe the person just didn't want to do the first job. Alternatively, he/she may be too quick to make commitments that he/she cannot keep, such that we should expect the second engagement to end similarly to the first. Or maybe there are good reasons for resigning one position and accepting another soon after -- but we would never know, because some people pitch a fit when we discuss this issue even in general terms, let alone ask pointed questions to a nominee or candidate, so we let it slide. And the region suffers. And newer members are denied a chance to contribute, because when we have an unexamined problem with people not being sufficient committed, we instinctively default to on old hands whom we assume have proven their mettle -- even though some of them are really just deeply experienced at making commitments and not following through!

Kudos to HEM for sparking a much-needed discussion.

I realize I'm not one of the people HEM had in mind when writing this post, the people HEM had in mind were Kaboom, Sam, and Siol; the fact that he didn't name them directly doesn't stop people from drawing the line to the three resignations that occurred this term. One of which occurred only hours before HEM was "inspired" to write this piece. The fact that I'm not being directly targeted by the Vice President's frustration and venom doesn't mean I can't sympathize with people who have chosen to put their personal lives before service to the republic; even, and especially, if they've chosen to stay active in the community following their resignations.

I've said this to several people who've approached me in private about my reaction to this, but I would have had a much different reaction had this not been framed in the narrative of a condescending children's story laced with personal attacks and defended by the shoddy 'lol satire' tactic. If HEM had taken the time to write an actual article addressing the problem and trying to understand why people feel compelled to resign en masse almost every term, I would have applauded it. Heck, even if it had been framed as a speech calling for understanding for the fact that resignations hamper an administrations ability to complete all of the projects it aimed to complete, that would have been a step up from what this was.

There seem to be a fair number of people here who actively wish to find ways to affix malicious intent to this article. That makes me sad, because I guess it means there are people here who are predisposed to dislike me and want to believe the worst? (This does not refer to objective criticism I have received, of course).

There is no direct line between this fictional satire and real people in the region. That's why the "Little Red Hen" parallel was a good vehicle for discussing the problem. There is no barn. There is no farm. The extent to which "real" Europeia was incorporated was in the most banal and generic ways imaginable (i.e. "eurochat" or "spam zone"). That was intentional.

I don't have the numbers on whether people are resigning more today than they were five years ago. I have sensed a definite uptick over the last half year, however, and I'm not the only one. That could indicate a number of things. There are plenty of valid points of view. Mine is that our region would probably be in a better place if some Ministers could hold the fort through some minor RL turbulence.

Am I right? Maybe not, I have no clue because we aren't allowed to talk about it. It seems that even those who breach the topic in the vaguest, most opaque terms are fair game to be labeled "venomous" and god knows only what is being said behind the scenes.

I'm not perfect. I don't have all the answers. But I think we should be able to talk about it, because no member will be able to enjoy the more casual sides of this region if nobody is left to serve the region.

Perhaps then you should actually try to talk about it, instead of writing overly cutesy "satire". A frank discussion, an actual article, would have been better than this.

 

[Deepest House]

Skizzy, you make an important distinction.

 

[Lethen]

A lot of interesting points made, many of my thoughts already expressed by others in this thread. I pretty much entirely agree with Skizzy and HEM's underlying sentiments.