"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggy', until you can find a rock."
(Provenance uncertain, attributed to Will Rogers, among others)
We have previously opined on Micronational war. But, if (as was said by Carl von Clausewitz), "War is the continuation of politics by other means," and micronational war is effectively a non-entity, does this then mean that we don't need to worry about the niceties and social graces, that politics and diplomacy aren't required?
In the strictest sense, it can be argued that this is the case. After all, a micronation exists by the will of its creator(s), and doesn't require the assent or confirmation of other micronations in order to do so (although some seem to think that this is required for legitimacy, and continually seek to sign "treaties of mutual recognition" with as many other micronations as they can).
However... there is an argument to be made that micronations are (or at least should be) social endeavours. And, if that is the case, then it would follow that diplomacy would be an essential component of any micronation that hopes to achieve longevity.
First, within itself, a micronation can be described as the most intentional of communities, in that everyone who is part of your micronation is (hopefully) there because they want to be, unlike macronational citizenship - which is often more an "accident of birth" than any intentional choice. One definition of diplomacy is, "The art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way." Clearly, dealing with people sensitively and effectively will make them much more amenable to joining your micronation.
Secondly, We have made no secret on this blog (or elsewhere) of the fact that We are fans of MicroCon. The reason for this is because of the free exchange of ideas that occurs at this event - We always come away energized with new ideas and possibilities. However, a central aspect of this event is diplomacy, in the context of "The art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states." The more effectively you can practice diplomacy (whether at MicroCon or elsewhere), the more your micronation stands to benefit from the free interchange of ideas, information, and (in some cases) even goods and services with other micronations.
Thus, We would suggest that any serious micronationalist would continually strive to further their knowledge and experience in the art and science of diplomacy.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Monday, February 24, 2020
An Imperial Wedding
We got back home late last night from a weekend in Montreal, where it was Our privilege and honor to attend the marriage of Emperor Eric Lis of the Aerican Empire to his lovely bride, Jenny. We wish them nothing but happiness and health together for many years to come!
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Thoughts on "micronational war"
"War is the continuation of politics by other means."
--Carl von Clauswitz, On War
"War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"
-- Bruce Springsteen (among others), "War!"
Among other places on the Internet, We frequent a couple of different micronational-focused groups on Facebook. Periodically within those groups, someone who is new to micronationalism will join, and promptly "declare war" on one of the more established micronations. For the most part, these utterances go unheeded at best, if not heartily derided (along with the declarer). For many, that brief foray into micronationalism (and "gunboat diplomacy") is enough to send them packing, although some few either calm down or otherwise revisit their thinking and become productive members of the micronational community.
We will be blunt. We find the very concept of "war between micronations" to be absurdist at best, and problematic and harmful to the greater micronational community at worst.
We more generally liken "micronational war" to a "toddler slap fight" - amusing to watch from a distance, and while the participants may be emotionally distraught by it, there's generally no lasting physical harm.
Well, if there's no lasting physical harm, then what's the problem? The problem is, it makes micronations and their adherents as a whole look like idiots. Our micronational community will, as a "fringe group" of society, always be held to the lowest and basest conduct of its members. As such, any such displays of vulgar ineptitude only serve to cement in the minds of the public the idea that We as a community are a bunch of sad and pathetic role-playing egotists This harms Us by keeping away people who might otherwise bring fresh ideas to the community.
Therefore, let Us be clear: We have NO patience for "war" between micronations, or for those who would declare it.
--Carl von Clauswitz, On War
"War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"
-- Bruce Springsteen (among others), "War!"
Among other places on the Internet, We frequent a couple of different micronational-focused groups on Facebook. Periodically within those groups, someone who is new to micronationalism will join, and promptly "declare war" on one of the more established micronations. For the most part, these utterances go unheeded at best, if not heartily derided (along with the declarer). For many, that brief foray into micronationalism (and "gunboat diplomacy") is enough to send them packing, although some few either calm down or otherwise revisit their thinking and become productive members of the micronational community.
We will be blunt. We find the very concept of "war between micronations" to be absurdist at best, and problematic and harmful to the greater micronational community at worst.
We more generally liken "micronational war" to a "toddler slap fight" - amusing to watch from a distance, and while the participants may be emotionally distraught by it, there's generally no lasting physical harm.
Well, if there's no lasting physical harm, then what's the problem? The problem is, it makes micronations and their adherents as a whole look like idiots. Our micronational community will, as a "fringe group" of society, always be held to the lowest and basest conduct of its members. As such, any such displays of vulgar ineptitude only serve to cement in the minds of the public the idea that We as a community are a bunch of sad and pathetic role-playing egotists This harms Us by keeping away people who might otherwise bring fresh ideas to the community.
Therefore, let Us be clear: We have NO patience for "war" between micronations, or for those who would declare it.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Show me the money...?
"Show me the money!"
-- Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire, "Jerry Maguire", 1996
The trappings of micronationalism are, sadly, not free. Scepters and crowns and capes and wax seals and medals all cost money. Even decent parchment for printing proclamations is not the cheapest of royal office supplies. If you're already independently wealthy, micronationalism can be a fine hobby! For the rest of us, though, it can be another expense in already-stretched household budgets - and unfortunately, it's not tax-deductible!
Queen Anastasia of Ruritania has presented at MicroCon in the past about embracing a DIY ethos in micronationalism, but unfortunately her talks are not available online. A lot of it comes down to re-using materials found at thrift shops, such as modifying a bread basket into a crown by removing the bottom, or "blinging up" furniture with gold leaf and gems to make them more opulent.
There are problems with this approach, of course:
- You are reliant on what you can find at your local thrift stores, where the selection can be sporadic to say the least. While We have found several good items locally, We have yet to find anything approaching a throne in Our local thrift shops, for example.
- You need some artistic vision and ability to do some of the more creative modifications that Queen Anastasia has demonstrated in the past (and kudos to Her for Her obvious abilities in this area!).
- While thrift stores are cheaper than buying retail, they are still not free. For micronational leaders under the most severe financial constraints, this may not be the best approach.
To that end, many micronations look to earn "hard currency" from any of several groups, including
- their own citizens
- other micronations
- micronational fans or "camp followers" (a specialized audience to be sure)
- the macronational world
One of the most obvious ways of raising funds for your micronation is by selling goods. There are a number of micronations that earn hard currency via this route. Some choose to sell "tangible" goods, such as the famous salt mines of Molossia. We have heard of other micronations who participate in small-scale agriculture, growing and selling fresh and dried herbs from their gardens.
Some micronations also sell what I would call "micronational-specific" goods, but care must be taken that you are not embroiled in "macronational" scandals or accusations of forgery. We must particularly caution against the sale of "citizenships" or "passports", which have been used in the past to prey upon the hopes of refugees. However, putting that concern aside, a market does exist for micronational goods, including:
Additionally, the Internet has opened up a number of possibilities for revenue streams. For example, Slabovia has a small "kit shop" on the Cafe Press website where Our people (and visitors) can buy Slabovian-branded merchandise, and the state gets a small cut of the purchase price. Websites and blogs can participate in Google Ad Manager to get a small cut from every visitor. The micronation can become an Amazon affiliate, and earn a small commission every time one of their citizens buys something off that site. If you've got talented citizens, perhaps you can start up a YouTube channel and air videos, although monetization on Youtube seems to set a high bar for entry. Regardless, there are a number of online options that can generate revenue streams for the determined micronationalist.
Finally, there is the realm that nation-states tend to claim for themselves - taxation. Very few micronations embrace this in any meaningful way, but Slabovia has a completely voluntary 50% tax on lottery winnings if its people win anything in the lotteries in their host countries. It's entirely voluntary, as We said, and doesn't bring a lot of money in. But, if one of our citizens should come into a large windfall and tithe half of it to the state, We certainly won't say no!
We have also looked with small envy at Patreon, where you can literally have people give you money every month in exchange for "behind the scenes" extras. We suspect, however, that only the very largest micronations could aspire to build a following via this route.
-- Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire, "Jerry Maguire", 1996
The trappings of micronationalism are, sadly, not free. Scepters and crowns and capes and wax seals and medals all cost money. Even decent parchment for printing proclamations is not the cheapest of royal office supplies. If you're already independently wealthy, micronationalism can be a fine hobby! For the rest of us, though, it can be another expense in already-stretched household budgets - and unfortunately, it's not tax-deductible!
Queen Anastasia of Ruritania has presented at MicroCon in the past about embracing a DIY ethos in micronationalism, but unfortunately her talks are not available online. A lot of it comes down to re-using materials found at thrift shops, such as modifying a bread basket into a crown by removing the bottom, or "blinging up" furniture with gold leaf and gems to make them more opulent.
There are problems with this approach, of course:
- You are reliant on what you can find at your local thrift stores, where the selection can be sporadic to say the least. While We have found several good items locally, We have yet to find anything approaching a throne in Our local thrift shops, for example.
- You need some artistic vision and ability to do some of the more creative modifications that Queen Anastasia has demonstrated in the past (and kudos to Her for Her obvious abilities in this area!).
- While thrift stores are cheaper than buying retail, they are still not free. For micronational leaders under the most severe financial constraints, this may not be the best approach.
To that end, many micronations look to earn "hard currency" from any of several groups, including
- their own citizens
- other micronations
- micronational fans or "camp followers" (a specialized audience to be sure)
- the macronational world
One of the most obvious ways of raising funds for your micronation is by selling goods. There are a number of micronations that earn hard currency via this route. Some choose to sell "tangible" goods, such as the famous salt mines of Molossia. We have heard of other micronations who participate in small-scale agriculture, growing and selling fresh and dried herbs from their gardens.
Some micronations also sell what I would call "micronational-specific" goods, but care must be taken that you are not embroiled in "macronational" scandals or accusations of forgery. We must particularly caution against the sale of "citizenships" or "passports", which have been used in the past to prey upon the hopes of refugees. However, putting that concern aside, a market does exist for micronational goods, including:
- stamps
- coins/currency
- "war bonds" or other negotiables
- honours such as knighthood or a noble title
Additionally, the Internet has opened up a number of possibilities for revenue streams. For example, Slabovia has a small "kit shop" on the Cafe Press website where Our people (and visitors) can buy Slabovian-branded merchandise, and the state gets a small cut of the purchase price. Websites and blogs can participate in Google Ad Manager to get a small cut from every visitor. The micronation can become an Amazon affiliate, and earn a small commission every time one of their citizens buys something off that site. If you've got talented citizens, perhaps you can start up a YouTube channel and air videos, although monetization on Youtube seems to set a high bar for entry. Regardless, there are a number of online options that can generate revenue streams for the determined micronationalist.
Finally, there is the realm that nation-states tend to claim for themselves - taxation. Very few micronations embrace this in any meaningful way, but Slabovia has a completely voluntary 50% tax on lottery winnings if its people win anything in the lotteries in their host countries. It's entirely voluntary, as We said, and doesn't bring a lot of money in. But, if one of our citizens should come into a large windfall and tithe half of it to the state, We certainly won't say no!
We have also looked with small envy at Patreon, where you can literally have people give you money every month in exchange for "behind the scenes" extras. We suspect, however, that only the very largest micronations could aspire to build a following via this route.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
A couple of quick links of note
As promised, the second article on medals and honors has been posted on Prole-nounce, which is Sandus' journal of the arts. The article can be found here.
More excitingly, the website for MicroCon 2021 has gone online, and can be found here!
Finally, I am working on several different articles to post, including thoughts on micronational war, micronational diplomacy, and various techniques used by micronations to get "hard currency" to support their projects. Watch for those articles soon!
More excitingly, the website for MicroCon 2021 has gone online, and can be found here!
Finally, I am working on several different articles to post, including thoughts on micronational war, micronational diplomacy, and various techniques used by micronations to get "hard currency" to support their projects. Watch for those articles soon!
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Quick update to a previous post
We'd mentioned that We had authored a pair of articles for Sandia's online magazine, prole-nounce. The first such article is now available here. When the second article is posted, We will also provide a link to that one.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
What does your micronation need?
We are moderately active in a couple of micronational-focused Facebook groups. It seems like every week, someone pops in and says something along the lines of "Hi, I want to create my own micronation, I need help with...." (basically everything).
Okay, first off, please go to this site, there are lots of resources there for starting your own micronation, including a model constitution, some "food for thought" to get you thinking about the form of your micronation, and a few other interesting links. Plus, it was set up by the President of Molossia, so he knows something about what he's talking about.
Moving past that, what makes you a micronation? Personally, We like to define a micronation as an "intentional community" - the usual definition is that it's a "planned residential community, designed from the start to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork". In this instance, though, We would prefer to remove the word "residential", because not all micronations live together under one roof. Other than that, though, the definition works for most micronations - they are planned communities that have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork."
From this, you might be able to infer the most important component of a micronation, at least as far as We are concerned - people. Like-minded people, gathering under a common banner because they want to be there, to hopefully build something larger than themselves.
Can you be a micronation of one? Sure you can! However, you're going to be awfully busy being the "chief cook and bottle washer", as the saying goes. The more people assisting you, the more fully you can explore different facets of nationhood. You don't need to have twenty thousand citizens like Ladonia, but having at least a few friends along for the ride will make things easier in the long run.
In fact, We would argue that having too many citizens can be a detriment to micronations in some instances. For instance it makes it difficult for everyone to take a truly active role in the running of the micronation - and may in fact encourage the "riding of coat-tails" in some. Additionally, depending on how you are allowing people to become citizens, it's possible for an organized group to "stuff the ballot boxes" and take over your micronation, subsuming what you've built up. We are not saying these things are necessarily show-stoppers against having a large micronation, just that you should be aware of the potential for these abuses, and create safe-guards well in advance.
Okay, first off, please go to this site, there are lots of resources there for starting your own micronation, including a model constitution, some "food for thought" to get you thinking about the form of your micronation, and a few other interesting links. Plus, it was set up by the President of Molossia, so he knows something about what he's talking about.
Moving past that, what makes you a micronation? Personally, We like to define a micronation as an "intentional community" - the usual definition is that it's a "planned residential community, designed from the start to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork". In this instance, though, We would prefer to remove the word "residential", because not all micronations live together under one roof. Other than that, though, the definition works for most micronations - they are planned communities that have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork."
From this, you might be able to infer the most important component of a micronation, at least as far as We are concerned - people. Like-minded people, gathering under a common banner because they want to be there, to hopefully build something larger than themselves.
Can you be a micronation of one? Sure you can! However, you're going to be awfully busy being the "chief cook and bottle washer", as the saying goes. The more people assisting you, the more fully you can explore different facets of nationhood. You don't need to have twenty thousand citizens like Ladonia, but having at least a few friends along for the ride will make things easier in the long run.
In fact, We would argue that having too many citizens can be a detriment to micronations in some instances. For instance it makes it difficult for everyone to take a truly active role in the running of the micronation - and may in fact encourage the "riding of coat-tails" in some. Additionally, depending on how you are allowing people to become citizens, it's possible for an organized group to "stuff the ballot boxes" and take over your micronation, subsuming what you've built up. We are not saying these things are necessarily show-stoppers against having a large micronation, just that you should be aware of the potential for these abuses, and create safe-guards well in advance.
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