Opinion: Do Not Let Halfcat's Plea Fall On Deaf Ears

The death of SimDemocracy need not be an inevitability.

Are we simply doomed to repeat history? 

As a critic of that view and an active member of SimDemocracy, I detest the idea that one of the community's worst eras may once again rear its ugly, soft coup-shaped head. Yet it seems that the building blocks for such a return have already been set in stone; in the wake of Halfcat's departure, it is imperative that we heed his warnings and fight to save our sim.

The majority of current citizens are unaware of the previous attempts due to over 80% of server members having only joined in the last 3 weeks—a fact that the former CLP are using to their advantage. In past years, members of the "Civil Liberties Party" have colluded to attempt to overthrow the government or replace the judiciary with supporters on several occasions. The allegations made in the recently-dropped charges are only the tip of the iceberg. Additionally, members have previously contributed to a toxic atmosphere, even working together to harass political opponents or people who simply disagreed with them. 

As Halfcat noted in his statement, the CLP's plan to take over last time involved "creat[ing] a new party, with a friendlier face that claimed to fight for the rights of new people. They would then replace the judiciary with people loyal to them, and finally replace the Supervisors so that there would be no one left to stop them."

The charges against Kelvin and others were based on allegations of a conspiracy to make alternate accounts ("alts") to flood the server, elect a friendly president, and solidify their power by attacking and replacing the judiciary. This, if true, would be clearly illegal—the use of alts in this manner (both to vote multiple times and, in Mooklyn's case, evade a ban) is prohibited by the Constitution and Criminal Code.

In co-opting the "New People's Party," however, they found a solution to that issue: by taking advantage of the SimDem population roughly quintupling in the span of a week, they could create a powerful party with support from real voters who were completely unaware of their previous actions. Gone was the illegal element of their scheme and, with it, the potential for obstruction.

The steps to achieve their goals are already in motion. Kelvin, who is part of the ex-CLP aligned "Fucking Best Party" and was a CLP member involved in previous unfavorable activities himself, has recently proposed a new law in the Senate that increases executive powers and makes it easier to remove judges and supervisors, the two groups best equipped to prevent a power grab.

Given the history of such attempts by prominent members of the FBP and NPP, it is reasonable to fear that this is the beginning of another shot. What's most disheartening, however, is the lack of action against those who have allegedly committed the highest crime in the server. The dropping of all charges was a major blow to public confidence in the government, affecting both the AG's office and the only-recently elected President Imade.

This low-stakes democracy simulation online has been successful for nearly 6 years due to the potential for participants to experience politics, friendship, and fun in one place. The sim has survived through tough times due to the tenacity of its members and the rules and norms that guide it. However, as Halfcat so neatly put it, "when the crime of trying to destroy SimDemocracy isn’t punished, then none of that other stuff matters. It’s no longer fun, because there is no point."

Without fun, without a point, what is there to gain or lose? There can be no enjoyment if the core of the community is destroyed, tossed aside to boost the egos of a select few through exerting their power in a Discord server. 

We must not allow these destroyers "victory over the barren wasteland" because doing so accepts that SimDem is destined to become barren. SimDem has never been more popular and to squander such an opportunity would be a catastrophic loss. After all, we are just beginning to feel the effects of the catastrophic loss of Halfcat, an influential and frankly indispensable member of our community, and he is only one person. The loss of our community, even of our recognition of it, must be avoided at all costs.

For these reasons, we must take every opportunity to oppose the power grab legislation, the political influence of the suspect members, and any other attempts to harm SimDemocracy. As much as Halfcat's departure affects us, we must carry on by ensuring that his posts are filled with people dedicated to the health of the server, not partisan games and power plays. We must ensure that toxicity and corruption do not become commonplace and push more people away. Finally, we must push for further investigation into the actions behind the dropped charges and improve public confidence in our government.

Resistance at all levels is the only way to keep SimDem as it should be: fun, not failed.