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Welcome back to Twenty Questions, excuse me if my usual chipper demeanour is missing, you see this instalment isn’t your average, I wasn’t dealing with a simple antagonist, I was dealing with someone complex, possibly burdened by perception, power, and past choices. Whether people want to admit it, his ancestry could be viewed as a necessary force in the ecosystem of our world.
I’m forgoing the inclusion of a foreword, they were offered and greatly appreciated, however I believe it’s best for the subject to speak for themselves, and for you, the readership to make your own minds up as to how it is perceived.
For the sake of context, there is a significant amount of deep diving into journals and should be viewed as past tense, at times it may seem jarring, as always, the answers are only as good as the questions asked, and I appreciate the significant efforts that have been offered.
Read on at your own risk.
~ Jim
1. Can you give me an honest assessment of your lineages (Godfather Spike) experiences, some 149 days, that recently ended in Chicago?
S: To start, I will at times be cryptic to protect some people going forward (if I don’t mention you, don’t be offended, it’s for a reason) … But anyway… Well, that last run specifically was done out of spite… It was an okay run, but there was a lot going on in background that I was juggling. First, I was juggling Ligambi dealing with some personal issues and his inability to be around so much. Jimmy did his best to step up to the plate fortunately, but when you have a bunch of guys with the Ligambi name on them, and their main boss is sleeping, it’s rough. Lots of people were already pissy with him over what happened in the late fall regarding his push to attack Petah’s city half-cocked and half-baked, and it wasn’t easy to defend his shortcomings after. Riina was also very busy elsewhere, but only for a short period, maybe a week or two here and there, so I don’t really understand any jabs at his activity.
New York was very solid thanks to Santo and his team. Philly had activity issues admittedly, but not on LF’s part. LA was obviously dicey early on, mostly due to some of the issues mentioned regarding Ligambi’s ability to be around and some bad choices before he was moved to just Detroit. Striphe’s LA was thriving. Vegas was very good overall for that last bit as well.
The main thing to know is that as a whole we were tired. Things were pretty stale. There’s no real denying that, but we were doing what we could to try to keep some sort of fire going. For well over a year, mass suicide, reset, and other options had been discussed by everyone in power… There had been several meetings in May/June to discuss it. The last doomsday plan was set for some time after June 21 (JTG and I had our 10 year anniversary, it was cute). We pushed it to July 1 for me to get GFC. I was against it overall, but had made a promise to go through with it if it was decided collectively to do so. We decided not to do it for various reasons. I thought the way Bjorn/Revan/Blur did it was kinda lame honestly… but what really held us back was 1. Feasibility (rebuild mode kicking off in a reset scenario, preventing us from being effective in our pursuit and other factors). 2. Not everyone would sign on for it. 3. I thought it might have some other negative effects on this world. 4. Did not want to kill loyal people if they weren’t going to go through with it. Personally, I wanted us all to die in a real war, as it just so happened. It just took forever for that to happen.
So instead, we decided to just keep on keeping on, but by revamping a few things. Ligambi was read the riot act throughout May and June, and in late June he was asked to step down shortly before the demise of everything. We wanted Detroit to be reinvigorated with people. It just needed a bit of a shuffle. Other cities were being asked to rethink how they were designed… To put more active people up, and have not so actives phase out. But overall, a lot of people didn’t really have their hearts in it by the end (and several people in leadership had personal issues they were dealing on the outside), which after over two years should make sense. We were building sandcastles against the tide, again and again. I mostly was coasting.
I saw most of the threats on the horizon (Dixxon, Katerina, etc.), but some people didn’t care or didn’t handle them timely. I did not see Darwin being a plant admittedly. I thought he was a friend from years ago, and he seemed to like us all on a personal level especially Striphe, but in the end that was a confidence game, which is fair play, albeit a little creepers. It happens and to quote my sweet First: Now I know where I have you. I was wary of Bollix, but Striphe really liked him so we were giving him a shot. Striphe did great though, but smol. It was a whatever at that point.
We had already won everything again and again, beaten into the sand(castles). On the war, the other side fought well, despite the unfortunate and numerous friendly fire deaths on our side and the notable leaks, and I do congratulate them for this round. May they have the same luck in rebuild and friendly fire. I’d offer a sincere and respectful handshake to Morty. We lost fully. Onto the next fight, whenever that may be, while I float around on a beach by the island of Elba, longing for my Josephine and her scent.
2. How do you reconcile your success with the trail of emotionally unstable lineages left behind in your wake?
S: You mean like Aether or Revan? Kidding. Or do you mean like the lineages that were on my side that are now likely under a microscope? For the most part on the latter, everyone was well aware that when it ended, it would be brutal, and there would be pain on our side in some way. That they would be suppressed, bullied, and otherwise. It’s the risk of being in power. It is also why some wanted to keep a grasp on it for as long as they did. They knew the end would be rough and whoever took over would be unkind, for our atrocities. People might complain that we kept it too long and so on, but the reason for keeping it for many is just that, not wanting to get the shit end of the stick or abuse. There is a cost for blood, more blood. Henrietta does not discriminate whose eyes she eats, the same as the Gentlemen do not change fate.
3. Your line has often acted before others even notice the danger. Is that intuition, paranoia, or something else entirely?
S: A mix. Some of it is just gut. Some of it is analysis. Some of it is that there are leaks and people don’t realize they have leaks (Ask Darwin or Bollix etc). We did well for a very long time removing threats, and we only made a few mistakes in terms of executions. I admit, we did make a few… But sometimes you have to crack some eggs to make a cake or whatever. The few mistakes, dead innocents, we made were pretty clear. I’d be curious if someone felt they were killed for no reason, outside of those few, like that one guy we kept thinking was Dia when he was being ultra pissy dalmy. Lists aren’t really a thing, unless we were told about a specific threat and had to scramble up suspects. Isabella’s paranoia and fabricated fantasies are a joke; sitting there with a skunk on her lap saying, oh what a pretty kitty. I won’t give away too many trade secrets though.
You need to kill people under you if you don’t trust them. That’s exactly how things just flipped, by our failure to do so. There are differences between purging, bloodlining, and evidence based culling. In the end, it’s all just the same, executions. For example, when we killed off Nio earlier this year, it was because a plot involving his friend Revan was revealed, and it was known that plot would’ve involved the death of Nio’s leader, which would then free Nio up to help in whatever Revan had planned. Yet, still whining, Revan complained and tried to be emotionally manipulative towards the crewleader, while not realizing, it was his own fault. It was rare we killed someone solely for being too old or building too fast. While there were instances of it, there were other factors, inconsistencies from the person that made us wary. Usually, we were right.
I will say one thing: Santo and I had an ongoing strategy which was that we would do our best to avoid having enough rogues out there to do a takeover… But we would be willing to risk one or two to appease people who wanted to put faith in others who we would not. That way, if one or two rogues popped off, it wouldn’t necessarily flip who was in power. Practically in every situation, the times we got burnt were when we trusted people that were not part of our inner circle and we were giving chances to them. It was rare, if ever, that we got turned on by anyone who was longstanding-loyal to us. That said, handling rogues in this world these days isn’t as easy as you’d think, especially with rebuild as it is. In war, it’s even a bigger mess. You will see soon I’m sure, even amongst yourselves.
What got us in the end was that we had leaks, delayed executions, and a lot of friendly fire deaths. Oh well, bad luck. We almost all died to a similar thing before with Transistor last year (semi-confidence game). We had killed him (for several things he said and did, against LF, especially words against me to JTG and Remy (dumb thing to do)) and brought him back in, attempting to smooth things over as friends, only to have him plot revenge. Then of course, he tried later to smooth talk LF when it was convenient to him. At least Trans had some sort of personal cause for revenge. It was pretty clear he was never really on our team anyway, as he had, as First would call it: Split Loyalties. We had wanted to trust him though because we liked him (and Aether), and Remy really wanted us to, but alas. Insert First quote again about knowing where we have you. But they were so mad after losing…
We also almost lost it in late November, early December, due to DS, but by sheer random chaos, that was stopped, absolute luck partially. That was some wild shit, and a total mess.
All the whining that we were so oppressive, and really the only reason we hadn’t all died much earlier was because of inadequate war planning and loose lips. Same goes for what happened around February this year when a full scale threat was extinguished. We almost lost entirely then too, but instead we just had Svetlana because we were able to get rid of most of their other guns preemptively. But still, the whining.
Some people are also just stupid, like threatening to rogue in the streets, and then weeks later expecting trust. Others make threats, and think we forget. Why would we let something so vividly clear slide by? I don’t know why certain people can’t have some sort of personal agency sometimes… Every action has a reaction. I eat mine for breakfast, whether fruit loops or rotten eggs on here. I hope those people got their fill.
So many chances to take us out, and it took that fucking long. Also to note: the population has really not gone up particularly since we lost, nor was it particularly down with us either. A lot of IA’s died in the last month. The Walkout that never happened was also a bit amusing, when we were already in our apocalypse conversations… Activity definitely and admittedly is up for now, but that can be short lived depending… We’ll see, but either way I am glad someone finally won and we’re no longer responsible for things. Anyway, I wanted to fight, and finally we got it. Can’t say I didn’t ask for it. The Misfit Toys Attack!
4. Do you think the community needed a villain and your character just happened to fit the silhouette too well?
S: Of course. I bait people into it. I am a lightning rod, intentionally.
5. What do you consider the most significant accomplishments not in terms of territory or status, but impact?
S: That’s a tough one. I guess since the nature of our world has no defined final achievement, no trophy…. Prior runs, I have plenty of other intangible trophies…. Czylharz era stuff… Shooting Cordelia in the face years ago… Not sure if Lilith was trophy worthy only because of things I learned after the fact … Killing Kaya…
It’s been a lot. On a personal level, I think my greatest accomplishment is some sort of notoriety, a brand name. “But you have heard of me…”
On this last era, collectively, it would be solely the accomplishment of the duration of power, new blood given chances at auth, uppers, and even godfather (numerous), and the solid new friendships that were built. We left a lot of scars. It’s great. Do they itch still, sweety?
6. Two part question if I may, what would redemption for your line look like and does that concept even matter?
S: For the last eleven years with a certain group in power currently, I have been Enemy No. 1. The circumstances of that are relatively complex, but there’s no changing that one. They are what they are. I am who I am. And with others… I don’t really seek much redemption. I may owe a few (partial) apologies, like five or so, to Petah, Aether/Telkin/Professor, BillyMastrosimone, Ace, and Dia/Polio… Maybe some others…
For Petah, that can be done more privately, but in short, it was a situation that no one should ever be in, and I can blame that as much as I want… But… I could’ve put my foot down further, and I would’ve risked a mutiny on my side in person, with people who were supposed to drive me around literally. That still might have been worth it, even if I died there, but in history, I can’t think of anyone else being in the situation I was in, in person. That other district going back on their word and hiding people was inexcusable and would’ve had to have been handled some way, even if its leaders themselves weren’t going to make moves. I did the best thing I could do by leaving The Strip out of it. I know Vegas was a tough project every since KW died there… and not one you particularly wanted. You were understaffed. I’d like to think if Tyki and Remy were around, it would’ve gone very differently. Despite all that, I regret the whole thing, and should’ve done better.
For Aether, Telkin, and Professor. For Professor and Telkin, when we killed you out of NY, I’ve been over it several times, but that conversation with Lust should not have happened, and we couldn’t clean it up for you without facing the wrath (Wraith?) of the West Coast. It was a shitty situation, but we liked you guys, but not enough to wipe a whole coast of allies after a mistake like that. Lust leaked something she shouldn’t have to the West. I understand your grievance though, and I know the other end of the story with whatever phone calls I wasn’t on… but it didn’t mean having conversations with a person outside of NY about wiping the west coast was a good idea. Overall, especially Telkin, I know you were trying to do right, and it’s unfortunate that things got confused, but you also had other outstanding beefs which you know about.
Aether, you still didn’t really understand this world fully when we last actually spoke. I don’t know if you really do now either, but when you wanted to talk about “business” after someone shot Telkin and you were going off at me, you didn’t seem to understand that I couldn’t talk to you about other peoples’ business or actions. I may know things, but that doesn’t mean I have the right to divulge other peoples’ reasons or strategy. I’m sorry if I came off cold, but you were manic, accusatory, spamming several people with wild comments about me, and I did not want to deal with it. That said, I consider you a friend, and I should’ve been better about dealing with you, even if you had just helped attack us recently. That’s why I preferred not talking business with you, especially at that time. I was hoping you could separate the two, at least for a while. Still, I could’ve done better, even though you never finished your trials, maybe you will learn the value of them some day. That said, I hope you get to see this world with the shoe on the other foot, to understand why we functioned the way we did. There’s no such thing as an atrocity, but there is always danger… and I am the Danger. And to survive, you must be brutal. I hope you can be brutal to protect your friends.
Billy, I know we discussed being brutal several times. That no one else mattered, etc. When push came to shove, you did well by us, but we knew it was wreaking havoc on you personally. It’s not so easy to have to reject people you consider friends, and when you were removed, it wasn’t out of fear of you turning, but rather so that you didn’t get put through more of it. I am not saying we did you favor… But I am explaining why the decision came down the way it did. It didn’t seem like something that was going to get better.
Ace, I’m sorry about Lilith. I didn’t know about your personal issues at that time. On my side, you had killed my friends, and didn’t talk to me about it. We had no intentions of fucking you over that run, but when you didn’t take the time to speak to me over the next month or so after wiping part of your own district with my friends in it, you have to imagine, given my ignorance of your personal stuff, I thought you were intentionally ignoring me, and that we would have been next to be purged. I couldn’t trust you to hold your lovely lovely number buddies back from killing us for too long, especially with you not around. They made it every clear after that they had been pressuring you. I’m not sorry I shot you at this point, but just the circumstances of it. If you had talked to me, it would’ve been different maybe. That said I expect no real redemption through you given our history, but I’d like there to at least remain some sort of respect, such as it is. Maybe I deserve an apology too, even a small one?
Dia and Polio. For the crowd, we trusted DS more than you, when you were trying to do right by us. This was a terrible error on our part, and I am very sorry for it. Sometimes things get confused, and we were clearly played. I know the apology doesn’t mean anything at this point, but you didn’t deserve that.
I’m sure I could think of more, but maybe for another date.
I did speak on apologies in the past. They can have meaning, and certain times, things can be repaired. Oftentimes, they cannot. But overall, when possible, if you can admit fault, it’s strength. But that doesn’t mean it’s possible for anyone to work together again. It’s rare, but this world’s cycles continue going on and on, and in some instances, it could be possible for you to work with an enemy again, in good faith. Who knows. I know where most of my lines are drawn, as do others. When you kill someone, it’s very likely, they will team up with the other side, or get pushed to do so. It can take forever for a person to change their mind, if ever. It’s sad when they were friends, but it’s just the nature of things. Remember, we all have different perspectives of events, and all have gaps in what we know or don’t know.
But overall, things are pretty polarized and lines are drawn in the sand (around the castles), and I like having enemies. This world at the higher level is defined by it. Oil and water. “You either with us or you ain’t us…. ain’-us.” Now many of those who would consider me an enemy are on top, and many of my friends would be on the bottom. Let my enemies have a chance to shine, after so so long… The big difference though is that none of those on my team will whine and cry and sob. None of mine will threaten to piss on graves or actually do so. We won’t spam your shot reports with slurs… Even on top, I can’t think of too many times when we actively tried to punch down on anyone. There are some very sore winners, not much better than when they were losing. Must be that itch.
7. With hindsight If you could go back all those years ago, would you still operate the same way?
S: Yes, pretty much. I mentioned a few instances when I might apologize… But that said, given the information and other factors in the heat of the moment, I might have done the same things, with the same regrets after. Clearly, whatever we did was pretty effective.
8. Was your reputation ever a shield for other crewleaders who could act worse because you'd take the heat?
S: A fair amount of the time, yes. I didn’t really order people to do stuff… Maybe I implied it? I pushed at sometimes… A lot of them made decisions to do things for their own survival and the survival of our friends, collective survival. I was often messaged by crewleaders saying “Oh, I might have like six people I have to kill at some point,” and on their own, they’d do it, sometimes. They didn’t trust their own members. They did their own vetting. Often, it was blamed on me, which I am OK with, as I said, lightning rod. I will not downplay that I was brutal and a pragmatist at times, but there have so been many times when I have received bitching mails or messages for things I had nothing to do with, and sometimes didn’t even know about. There are other bastards than me… I could name them all (but for their current safety I won’t), but for now I’ll just blame Santo for many atrocities. We did what we needed to do to preserve things best we could for each other. But ye, I was enlisted to play the bastard often, and I hope I play the part well (I already know I do because of the reactions of some). For those on the outside and unassociated, do you see how afraid they are of me? If not, you can smell it. It’s smelly. They’re really afraid of KW too because he’s better than most of them. KW taught Craven everything he knows.
9. What do you think people get most wrong about you and do you even care enough to correct them?
S: Often, people don’t realize I say certain things just to fuck with them. Even what might seem like small comments will trigger people. The Questioning of CL's efforts and presence is a great example. It’s funny to watch. If you anger someone here, you’ve already won oftentimes. Control… Domination.
Also, I also do actually try to be clear and honest about my positions on certain people, rather than fake… If I don’t like you on a business level, it should be pretty obvious, the same can be said on a personal level. That said, too many people in this world take things personally. I do cut people off though depending on certain circumstances. I do like some of my enemies socially, but at the same time, I won’t mislead/hoodwink them in terms of business or war, unless maybe if they did it to me personally before… Then I might stab them. I tend to cut people off when I’ve realized they can pretend to act as a friend (in a business context); there’s nothing to gain in communications. Their reactions to it are also amusing. Other times, when they’re too toxic (personal attacks etc).
Another thing is that I do not control every little thing. Other people have their own beefs with people. Yet still… Lightning rod, am I. The blame always comes my way.
Oh, and also I try to be nice to most people… But some people cannot comprehend that there is a separation between worlds, personal and this thing of ours. I’ve had some people go at me or my friends and I’ve been completely cordial… To only then on the flipside when they get stomped, they freak out, go low, attack me, friends personally. This last era is a perfect example of it. We kill. You kill. We kill. You kill. Round and round it goes. But so what if you lose sometimes? In this life, you gotta lose to win, even if it takes over two years. How can you get so pissy pants?
Your frustrations in being held down are warranted, but at the same time, it goes both ways between eras, like shooting a baby in a basket floating down a river. I pay it back. And you will again too. Don’t play innocent. The New York shot reports constantly filled with so many slurs, personal attacks and so on, really? But why go so low at times against me or others? What frustrates you all so much about KW? Why take it so personally, when we don’t? It’s been relatively mild so far, but I think some people could do with therapy. Be cordial whenever possible. Be classy, not classless. Your parents raised you better, I hope. Be sane.
That said, most of the time, it’s not worth trying to correct people… They’re set in their ways. They need their punching bags because of the pain inside that burns them.
Try to convince someone who doesn’t believe in bloodlining that it’s necessary. That’s a doozy. It gets pretty heated. Bloodlining is less than almost if not fully an imperative now, given the lines in the sand between so many enemies and teamed up groups. The BS political stance that this regime will not be bloodlining or whatever will quickly fade. They’re the same as us, maybe not as good at it, and/or not as cohesive. It’s either them, us, or another in power at any time. The world goes through the same cycles, and has for the last decade or more. See which ones in power you like more. Albeit, ours was boring by the end, but only because of the duration and peoples’ exhaustion. This one won’t go on nearly that long, neither will the next… “Domination’s the name of the game, in bed or in life…”
Additionally, the fact that may of the uppers have been previously dishonorably expelled however many times in the past for acting stupid, is likely to repeat itself, especially since a lot of the numbered peoples’ modus operandi is literally to destroy this world of ours from the bricks down. It’s funny how they have lied and said they disbanded or separated from their group or their Party affiliation, but clearly that never happened. The mask will come off at some point, and if it doesn’t, then they weren’t really trying to rule things in the first place, just sought some revenge. Ruling is not fun. Ruling is maintenance. The thrill is in the build, and the defeat of an enemy.
10. How often have you been right about someone and had to bite your tongue to avoid seeming overzealous?
S: Yes, often, but I try to have a soft touch… Other people sometimes would come in to handle things with a more forceful push. For example, Katerina only lived because someone threatened to retire if we killed it, and we took on the risk for them unfortunately. JTG was sawft, and I stepped back on it. Dixxon being left alive was just Ligambi being MIA. I am sure there were several other instances, but too hard to go back and name them all. I bit my tongue a lot on. Rawley is a good example, but I was right in the end. We could question if he felt threatened or not, and that’s why he made the move… But if you have a person holding a gun, and they feel scared (and you don’t think you can make them feel safe), pragmatism says to kill them before they kill you or a friend… The moment he got upset over Technical’s death should’ve been his end. There were some others that I ended up deciding would behave, and fortunately, I was right on them. It’s a gamble which is oftentimes not worth it statistically, but worth it for other reasons… Appeasing people, and general political benefits.
11. From your list of allies and casualties, who stands out?
S: I shall refrain on this for their safety. If you want to know about enemy casualties, there’s a stack of corpses, Empire State Building high. Their identities are pointless, and easily forgotten. They’re rotten and drying to dust, edging towards crumbling, but the bones will keep up the structure at least for a while.
12. From your journals, what’s your most memorable moment over the years the one that still sticks?
S: There were a couple in this era… Many atrocities. Ginger shooting DS and Martson was pretty fucked (and we really didn’t know that was going to happen in retaliation for DS killing Kuku… I swear on my 30526.18 hours)… That kicked off the whole Beef thing, and blah. It turned out we were very very lucky that Ginger did that though.
BrandonHeat getting shot four seconds Godfather was a bit cruel; I had wanted him killed two months before (for reasons that didn’t really have to do with him entirely), rather than to tease him (though that wasn’t the intention, it was just the timing of it all coming together). At least he got it finally, such as it was.
Madness shooting me was pretty funny. I would’ve picked him over Rory for GFC if he had just asked. Dickhead.
13. Is your ability to read subtle shifts a sharpened skill... or just the side effect of watching everyone too closely?
S: I do it professionally, but I also have people who alert me to changes, shifts, so I am not the only set of eyes on things. I can be pretty lazy and people just feed me things. I have a decent memory which helps. The Vatican Archive can be helpful too. It was pretty easy to spot when someone was lying to us.
14. Can you give us an insight into your happy place?
S: I would like to have a BBQ party with people like Goku, Curtis, Ace, Mako, Morty and other numbered group people, Sao, Revan, Toaly, Blur, and First. (Maybe not Bjorn or Prem or Mikus). Perhaps I like tension, but I think it would fade quickly and they would have fun as friends. I am a good host. The playlist would be new wave/goth, grunge, and nu metal.
I think it would go over way better than The Great Container Crew Job Fair.
15. What’s a moment from the past that still makes you laugh when no one’s looking?
S: When JTG said I was right about the Four Horsemen.
16. Any fond memories of someone that was once clashed with? Bit of love in the chaos?
S: I guess I have some fond memories of clashing with Mr. Pole. But what happened after is an example of people being mature. It can’t always happen, but it’s nice when it does. This world doesn’t always have to be oil and water… It just tends to go that way because it’s easier.
I also have fond memories of clashing with First, but I still don’t know why recently enough his people were so bad at lying and taking direction from him, when they were supposed to be on side with us.
17. What’s one lesson that this world has taught your ancestry that stuck with you?
S: Life is very fragile, and I miss my Middy bear and Marco.
18. What’s the toughest trigger your lineage has ever had to pull?
S: Ronin aka Goku.
19. What’s the thing that keeps pulling your line back in?
S: I like to fight and I am stubborn. Tenacity and stamina. My friends.
This world is driven by friendship, collaboration, and usually a common enemy or goal. I know what drives me, and I know what drives most others. People who go for individual/selfish power are kinda depressing and don’t last long. I’d say the saddest thing to see if when someone gives up. I do not like that, and as I stated in my thread about wanting to fight, I think they’re pussies if they give up. Never give up, never surrender. Keep fighting. You’ll shine someday, even for a brief moment. But don’t be a pussy and write a retirement thread, like five times. This is a community. Whether you’re an enemy or an ally, don’t stop doing what you’re doing, and if you don’t like the situation you’re in, do something to change it rather than sidelining. No one does it alone. You need friends to bring change, and you need to be ready, present, and with a pencil in the classroom so that you can make it out to the battle at recess at this permanent high school. If you need a break, that’s okay, but don’t be a pussy about it. Study break. You’ll get back in it eventually, most do. Protesting by stepping away isn’t helpful. You need to be proactive, which this last power change proves.. It’s a puzzle… It’s strategy. It’s chess. The pieces may change, may shift, colors might flip, but moves need to be made to make progress. Two steps forward, three back. The winning edge will shift at some point. Effort brings change
Thank you again everyone who has supported me; I hope you felt that support returned, and thank you for being my friends.
20. You can either leave us with your favourite quote or you can tell us one thing we don’t know about you, which is it?
S: I say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel. He must, however, take care not to misuse this mercifulness. ... A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and confident; for, with a very few examples, he will be more merciful than those who, from excess of tenderness, allow disorders to arise, from whence spring murders and rapine; for these as a rule injure the whole community, while the executions carried out by the prince injure only one individual. And of all princes, it is impossible for a new prince to escape the name of cruel, new states being always full of dangers. ... Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared or feared more than loved. The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting. For it may be said of men in general that they are ungrateful, voluble, dissemblers, anxious to avoid danger, and covetous of gain ; as long as you benefit them, they are entirely yours; they offer you their blood, their goods, their life, and their children, as I have before said, when the necessity is remote; but when it approaches, they revolt. And the prince who has relied solely on their words, without making other preparations, is ruined, for the friendship which is gained by purchase and not through grandeur and nobility of spirit is merited but is not secured, and at times is not to be had. And men have less scruple in offending one who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared; for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.
A bit overplayed, but if you haven’t read The Prince, you should.
Thank you for listening.
- SpikeS
And that wraps this session. I want to extend my thanks to the subject, not just for their time, but for their willingness to engage with material that, at times, brushes up against the difficult, the personal, and the uncomfortable. I’ve done my best to approach this with as much impartiality as I could manage, drawing out what I hope will be relevant, if not revealing, reflections.
Truthfully, I’m knackered. Twenty questions felt more like twenty rounds. But I’m genuinely curious to see what surfaces in response, not just from the subject, but from the community watching along.
Until the next instalment, take care, stay sharp, and try not to end up in someone else’s journal.
Yours faithfully,
~ Jim
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