Note to self

[james_davis_nicoll]

Even if the polity of asteroid city-states calls itself the Republic of Independent States, they probably won't refer to themselves collectively as the RISables.

Comments

[agoodwinsmith.livejournal.com]

Mwahaha. :)

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

No, but their enemies certainly would.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I don't know. It reads to me like self-selected nerd humor. I would find it believable that at least He-Man Hard Science Fiction story characters would pick a word that either doesn't mean what they think it means or would pick a name that's at least kind of self-deprecating and then over time forget the deprecation part existed. (This does suppose an author aware that every word in English is at most 200 years from meaning its exact opposite.)

[nelc.livejournal.com]

Depending on the backstory, I can see them taking it on as a badge of honour. Say some Earth politician, in the midst of their struggle for independence, calls them "risable", and sends in the space marines. But the marines get beaten back and the rebels send Earth a message refering to themselves as "The Risables", and they call themselves that ever after.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

See "Lunatics."

[bwross.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they'd probably go with the RISen instead.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Because I am unoriginal and like simple models, for me asteroids are islands and therefore stuck with the social and economic issues that come with being a low population, isolated communities* and the RIS itself would have the essential unity of the West Indies Federation (which, by the way, is a state of affairs that is immediately graspable on an intuitive level for a Canadian; the main difference is Canada was lucky enough to have more reasons for unity than West Indies Federation had). Not sure if there is a cricket league or not.


* Although communication would be speed of light, direct rock to rock transportation will generally eat lots of time and potentially lots of delta vee. Indirect routes will save delta vee but add time.

Jupiter and its vast family of minors worlds on the other hand is clearly more like Srivijaya or Majapahit, a combination of useful physical resources sitting on a transportation choke point.

[fridgepunk.livejournal.com]

Not to be a party pooper, but can a republic be made of independent states? Technically they'd be a confederacy of independent states, or "CISables" with a hard "C".

Something-beginning-with-H of Unified Geoscape Governments would give you "HUGGables". Or the "huggies" for a demonym (do they have a brand of nappies called "huggies" over in the north americas?)

[(Anonymous)]

Heterarchy?

-- Paul Clarke

[erikagillian.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes we do. The ads just seem to get worse and worse. I believe it was huggies that did the 'whoomp, there it is' series of diaper ads, and that is what you think and no I'm not joking.

[rwpikul.livejournal.com]

Well, a republic made up of independent states has been tried.

The first run was an utter failure, the second sort of looked like one until Grant and Sherman settled the question of "are they really independent?"

[(Anonymous)]

Just as no serious political party would call itself the Canadian Reform Alliance Party?

[rwpikul.livejournal.com]

ITYM Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance, with party as an assumed suffix.