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Originally posted by BruisersMom:
Deapite you grammar mistake, I got your point anyway. It's a good point. I like it when people disagree with each other. It makes the discussion much more interesting than if someone makes a comment and everyone agrees or keeps their opinions to themselves if they disagree.

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Originally posted by Diego:
Of course, I'm not surprised that there is little response to this thread. It's kind of a logical trap. People could respond "Yup, that's a good sentiment, it's nice to argue." But that would be the sort of agreeing that would be most boring.

On the other hand one could disagree and say that it's a bad thing to disagree which would then reflect poorly on whoever posted that message. Hmm, next time I'll have to start a more controversial or otherwise objectionable thread!

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Originally posted by truthseeker:


To summarize: diverse characters in a complex world + a diverse audience who appreciate complexity and enjoy engaging in stimulating conversations at a level comfortable for them = FFF.net
QED

The woods are the only place where I can see a clear path.

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Originally posted by kukoo:
I think the Alliance is a mixture of both. It is the worst aspects of the two current parties rolled into one. It is as if the special interests (maybe the forerunners to the Blue Sun Group) took over both parties and pushed them into one. The point of a 2 party system is to balance each other out, and the absence of a second party is what makes the Alliance so scary and powerful. "

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How about I neatly sidestep your logic trap by hypothesizing on why people of such diverse beliefs/ backgrounds/ etc. would all be drawn to Firefly, and why they would also be inclined to carry on intelligent conversations about their differences?

My theory is that because FF is, at its center, about widely diverse people who come together and form a family, the audience base is widely diverse because we can all find someone to identify with, or we identify with multiple characters for different reasons.

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Originally posted by kukoo:
"This may be slightly off-topic, but I have always thought it was interesting how Firefly Fans seem to be at such opposite ends of the political spectrum. I believe the reason why is in the way Fans view the Alliance.

Liberals tend to view the Alliance as the end result of the path the Bush Administration has set us on. Declaring that the Geneva Convention isn't applicable to the war, creating a new name for prisoners and criminals so they can throw the Bill of Rights out the window and hold them indefinetly, being able to shroud key policy meetings in a viel of secrecy so that the public cannot determine how decisions were made and the build-up and reckless use of the Armed Forces. Under this theory, River and Simon were probably listed as "enemy combatants" by the Alliance.

Conservatives tend to view the Alliance as the end result of too big a government with too much control over our daily lives. i.e. too many social programs and laws regulating behavior and business. Mals quote about governments being there to get in a mans way would support this theory.

I think the Alliance is a mixture of both. It is the worst aspects of the two current parties rolled into one. It is as if the special interests (maybe the forerunners to the Blue Sun Group) took over both parties and pushed them into one. The point of a 2 party system is to balance each other out, and the absence of a second party is what makes the Alliance so scary and powerful. "

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Originally posted by MacBaker:
I agree with you, but I also feel the current two party system is deadlocked and stagnant. We need a viable moderate third party to shake things up and swing votes between the partisan "liberal" and "conservative" parties that have the country's voters so divided.

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The real winner here, isn't the voters, it's "The Blue Sun" (the corps and special interest groups) that both parties cater to like the whores they really are! We are heading towards that "Alliance", and the only way to really avoid it, is to demand a third party that makes sense, and one that represents the voter, not big money contributors and special interest groups!

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I think we all want pretty much the same thing, but we don't really know if our government is capable of meeting those needs. Some believe the Democrats, while others put their hopes with the Republicians, and some (like me) don't think either party is capable of the leadership we need, or really cares what the average American thinks. We get divided over issues, but we all want a world that is safe! Where jobs are secure, and inflation and taxes don't bury us! Where our children get good educations and have the opportunity to live peaceful happy productive lives. We aren't really that different. We all want what Mal wants! Freedom and "Serenity"!

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I feel the need to point out... especially now, that there is an army of avatars out there posing as Sci-Fi fans... but they are not.

They are part of a sort of "whisper campaign" to spread their "message" out onto the Net. This includes Right Wing operations out of Republican think tanks to FOX marketing weasels trying to create anti-Joss sentimate online.

Don't think for a second this BBS isn't a hotbed of paid opinions. It is.

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Originally posted by Ghoulman:
I feel the need to point out... especially now, that there is an army of avatars out there posing as Sci-Fi fans... but they are not.

They are part of a sort of "whisper campaign" to spread their "message" out onto the Net. This includes Right Wing operations out of Republican think tanks to FOX marketing weasels trying to create anti-Joss sentimate online.

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Originally posted by zoid:
And to think, people have accused me of being a conspiracy theorist. I humbly bow to my obvious master...

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Nowadays, the Commies in China are pretty laid back, dogma-wise. They merely demand that people not threaten the government, complain about the government, or publish uncensored news

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Originally posted by LtNOWIS:
So, Kukoo thinks the Alliance is the end result of the 2 party system, and SheperdQ thinks they're the result of business greed.

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Originally posted by Diego:
Hello all,

I just wanted to comment on one of the things I find fascinating about reading the discussions here in Browncoat World. That is the diversity of the fans who post here. It seems to me, although this is a very subjective observation, that Firefy Fans are amongst the more heterogeneous groups in sci-fi fandom.

I mean no offense to other science-fiction fans, but I think that many of them get into a very follower-oriented mind-set. Many seem to act like sheep always ready to believe what is told them or to end arguments with appeals to authority. It's the liveliness of the debates here is a wonderful thing that seems to set this group apart and to keep minds open. Case in point- the recent thread about the morality of the Independents. It's good to question the "good guys". I rather doubt that anyone who questioned the perfect benevolence of the Federation would receive a warm welcome on a Star Trek site.

A lot of the divergence in our beliefs are over interpretations of the show we all love. Is there one system, or multiple star systems? Is the Alliance really as evil as our heroes seem to believe? But some of our differences are about the real world. It looks like we have a full spectrum of political views with many sides making intelligent and passionate points about their deeply held beliefs. Sometimes it gets dirty or even petty, but I'm glad we browncoats can have these discussions.

Anway, I just wanted to share my pride in our eclectic little community. Feel free to argue the point if you like! ;)

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