I have been working with The East Pacific’s Ministry of Culture since before September 13, 2019. I was one of two Deputy Ministers for 50 days. Then, once my predecessor, Sedequia, departed, I became Minister. I’d like to think I’m doing a good job. Now, I’m the Minister of Culture in The Free Nations Region as well[sup]1[/sup], and I already have some ideas. I’ve been in this game a while, I’ve done well, and I’ve loved it every step of the way. Yet still I find the very concept of Culture, at least in regards to NationStates, difficult to define.
For the new Executive Application, I wrote “The Ministry of Culture is the source of engagement and general fun for the entire region, an expression of our regional identity and, of course, culture. Culture is tasked with involving and entertaining the community through polls, events, competitions, games, and other shenanigans carefully crafted to cultivate creativity and talent, promote various on and off-site activities, and spread joy to the general community. Within this Ministry, creativity is currency, and as long as you can contribute your thoughts and ideas you can assist in achieving this task.”[sup]2[/sup] And that’s true, but it doesn’t really define Culture, it just defines the workload.
From a technical standpoint, it seems to me that Culture is a collection of traditions, themes, and events that are original and unique to the region.
Traditions make up Culture by being tried, tested, and repeated events and motifs. Caek became a tradition when our government’s founder 1 Infinite Loop imported a battle cry from Phantasy Star Online as a link to the past[sup]3[/sup]. People found it funny and it was repeated and repeated some more until it became a tradition. It is original and unique to our culture.
Themes make up Culture in a similar way. A good example of theme is our regional flag, which was made by the illustrious Church of Satan[sup]4[/sup]. Green, black, and yellow are colors that have been in use since the days of 1 Infinite Loop, where they were used to represent life, death, and “that reward which waits beyond for you”[sup]5[/sup]. After being used for so long out of respect to Loop, the pairing of colors has become The East Pacific’s theme.
Events are the obvious one. Be it simple games like Skribbl.io or Spyfall, engaging events like a dispatch scavenger hunt or Bring Your Own Puppet day[sup]6[/sup], or even bigger picture items like Burning Marsupial, Paradoxical, or other festivals, events are the hands-on component that keeps Culture afloat. Without them, there wouldn’t be much of a need for such a Ministry in TEP, or anywhere else.
So sure, Culture is a collection of traditions, themes, and events, but surely that’s not all it is? It isn’t, and don’t call me Shirley[sup]7[/sup]. From a more creative standpoint, Culture can be seen as a collection of anything and everything that engages the community.
From this point of view, Culture is more than traditions, themes, and events. It’s all the people, all the jokes, all the RMB posts, all the conversations, all the RP, everything. Anything that has the chance of engaging the community, of bringing them closer to the community entire, of making them want to stay, even for just another day. The East Pacific is strong in this type of culture, because everything we do is geared towards the prime directive of having fun, which is why our region is so enticing for people who want the same, and why you’re here forever[sup]8[/sup].
Of course, the great Neil Gaiman once said, “If someone tells you what a story is about, they are probably right. If they tell you that that is all a story is about, they are very definitely wrong.”[sup]9[/sup]. And he’s right. I know from experience that Culture is quite a subjective subject. When dealing with a department that deals with creativity and fun instead of journalism, or diplomacy, or recruitment, or R/D gameplay, or World Assembly proposals, it is easy to get lost in the abstract, rather than the concrete. So maybe the concept of culture is as unique to a region as culture itself. It’s all open to interpretation. Isn’t that part of the fun?
[sup]1[/sup]: NationStates | Error
[sup]2[/sup]: https://i.imgur.com/VqVfL22.png
[sup]3[/sup]: 1 Infinite Loop: The Interview (2014) - The East Pacific - Tapatalk
[sup]4[/sup]: Regional Flag Contest Voting - The East Pacific - Tapatalk
[sup]5[/sup]: The Explanation of the Crest of the EP - The East Pacific - Tapatalk
[sup]6[/sup]: NationStates | RMB Post
[sup]7[/sup]: Don't Call Me Shirley - Airplane! (9/10) Movie CLIP (1980) HD - YouTube
[sup]8[/sup]: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/633351482128728066/640136261700681739/unknown.gif
[sup]9[/sup]: Quote by Neil Gaiman: “If someone tells you what a story is about, the...”
