27 réponses à ce sujet

[von uber]

Something has been bugging me about Earth since ME1. the codex states that:

Advanced nations have eliminated most genetic disease
and pollution. Less fortunate regions have not progressed beyond 20th
century technology, and are often smog-choked, overpopulated slums

I don't know why, but I find it incredibly unlikely that a nation would not progress beyond today's technology in over 150 years. Am i really to believe that if Shepard goes for a wonder in her skycar she'll be forced to transfer into a ford focus and use a mobile phone? How do these other regions feel watching the 'advanced regions' fly off around space when they are still stuck using Boeing 737's?

It would be like travelling from the UK to say Iran (defined by the IMF as a developing economy) and expecting them to be using the telegraph and to have a naval force of ironclads.

[Reigned]

I guess the bigger question is: In the age of such universal technological leaps, what did these particular Nations do to become labeled as 'less fortunate'?

[Comrade Wakizashi]

It's called inequality. Despite the Humans Systems Alliance being a pretty good organisation all in all, Earth is not a communist utopia (sadly) in the game. So yeah, inequalities and significant differences in development level continue.

[von uber]

Maybe, but the differences are stark. they are trying to suggest that these regions have not progressed in 150 years. That is stretching it.

[Reigned]

Comrade Wakizashi wrote...

It's called inequality. Despite the Humans Systems Alliance being a pretty good organisation all in all, Earth is not a communist utopia (sadly) in the game. So yeah, inequalities and significant differences in development level continue.

I agree, still find it a bit odd that inequality on the level of nations still poverished with over century old technology could exist in the Galaxy after it's immense expansion and near limitless resources...

But lets not forget thestate of Omega, or even some of the Citidels Wards... yeesh

[Comrade Wakizashi]

Reigned wrote...

Comrade Wakizashi wrote...

It's called inequality. Despite the Humans Systems Alliance being a pretty good organisation all in all, Earth is not a communist utopia (sadly) in the game. So yeah, inequalities and significant differences in development level continue.

I agree, still find it a bit odd that inequality on the level of nations still poverished with over century old technology could exist in the Galaxy after it's immense expansion and near limitless resources...

But lets not forget thestate of Omega, or even some of the Citidels Wards... yeesh

The amount of resources you have doesn't necessarily affect the general wealth of everyone. As long as redistribution isn't actively pursued and enacted, the total amount of wealth accounts for little.
(Never thought I'd make communist propaganda on a game forum, but there you have it )

[MyChemicalBromance]

Technological stratification has always existed in human society. There are places on Earth right now that could be argued to be significantly behind the 20th century in that regard.

[Reigned]

Comrade Wakizashi wrote...

The amount of resources you have doesn't necessarily affect the general wealth of everyone. As long as redistribution isn't actively pursued and enacted, the total amount of wealth accounts for little.
(Never thought I'd make communist propaganda on a game forum, but there you have it )

You are right in that regard..should I dawn my Sickle and Hammer now, or later??

[Reigned]

MyChemicalBromance wrote...

Technological stratification has always existed in human society. There are places on Earth right now that could be argued to be significantly behind the 20th century in that regard.

True. Afghanistan, i've been there. FFS the shovel is the best thing to ever happen to them. Then again, their craftiness to constuct and activate IED's out of almost nothing literally have them named as the Afghan MacGyver's in my book...

[Comrade Wakizashi]

Reigned wrote...

Comrade Wakizashi wrote...

The amount of resources you have doesn't necessarily affect the general wealth of everyone. As long as redistribution isn't actively pursued and enacted, the total amount of wealth accounts for little.
(Never thought I'd make communist propaganda on a game forum, but there you have it )

You are right in that regard..should I dawn my Sickle and Hammer now, or later??

Show it proudly to the world, comrade. I'm gonna get my red banner from my room real quick! 
(Not even kidding about having one in my bedroom)

[Reigned]

Comrade Wakizashi wrote...

Reigned wrote...

Comrade Wakizashi wrote...

The amount of resources you have doesn't necessarily affect the general wealth of everyone. As long as redistribution isn't actively pursued and enacted, the total amount of wealth accounts for little.
(Never thought I'd make communist propaganda on a game forum, but there you have it )

You are right in that regard..should I dawn my Sickle and Hammer now, or later??

Show it proudly to the world, comrade. I'm gonna get my red banner from my room real quick! 
(Not even kidding about having one in my bedroom)

When I was passing through Kyrgyzstan, I got my hands on some official SSR Latvian and SSR Azerbaijan flags. Paid some nice money for them, flying in my house as I type...

[Comrade Wakizashi]

Reigned wrote...

When I was passing through Kyrgyzstan, I got my hands on some official SSR Latvian and SSR Azerbaijan flags. Paid some nice money for them, flying in my house as I type...

I don't have the words to describe such awesomeness.

[FlyingSquirrel]

It does seem unlikely. I mean, maybe it could happen if the more advanced nations deliberately hoarded all the resources needed for technological advancement, but I'd expect the "culture" of the Alliance to be much more selfish and callous than it seems to be if that were the case.

If it were just the current pattern continuing, I'd expect that at the very least, transportation and communication technology would have to be more advanced than late-20th century. Smog-choked slums are plausible, but the people living there would probably still have omni-tools.

[shodiswe]

The oldused tech would become available as people throw it away or try to sell it for a fractionof the initial price.

[von uber]

The thing which strikes me is that if you had such a difference - and think about how far ahead the ME universe appears to us, that is the difference here - it just wouldn't work. You couldn't have that level of difference between two neighbouring areas without spillover.

Unless, of course, the Alliance is a quasi-fascist state holding lesser nations in serfdom..

[NeonFlux117]

The Illuminati and eugenics.

[Reigned]

von uber wrote...

The thing which strikes me is that if you had such a difference - and think about how far ahead the ME universe appears to us, that is the difference here - it just wouldn't work. You couldn't have that level of difference between two neighbouring areas without spillover.

Unless, of course, the Alliance is a quasi-fascist state holding lesser nations in serfdom..

We do discover the Asari did something similar with Prothean technology. Which is why they were so much more advanced than everyone else.

[von uber]

Yes, but there are not areas of the Asari homeworld that are backwards. We are talking about fellow humans being left 150 years behind the richer parts of the world.

[Reigned]

von uber wrote...

Yes, but there are not areas of the Asari homeworld that are backwards. We are talking about fellow humans being left 150 years behind the richer parts of the world.

Oh I know that, and that's my point. They held the better portions of the Prothean tech for themselves to advance past every other race in the Galaxy. It's the reason why on their homeword or to most people in the MEU, they call the Asari perfect. Consider if all of the amazing tech was equally distributed through the galaxy and not just the Asari. We would probably all be on their level or 'perfection' or as they like to call it, ascension.

[shodiswe]

It wouldn't make sense that it could happen against their will... I can see mormons or cults with special traditions wanting to keep new technology at bay.

But given that advanced technology is everywhere out there it seems impossible that secondhand surplus wouldn't find it's way to all parts of the Earth.
Especialy given that we're told the Earth is experiencing a Golden age with massive wealth flowing in from the colonies and trade and investments with and from alien nations.

I must say that description is an anomaly. I can see if some people would be poor or have to use discount and old tech because they are poor, but a 150 years behind seems weird given that the new tech is dirtcheap and very efficient.

I wonder if things will stay this way even as Earth is pretty much transformed into the Galactic Capitol with the Citadel in orbit and a teleporter between earth and the Citadel.

It does remind me of Corruscant from Star Wars though the lower levels wern't nessesarily behind technologicaly the people was incredibly poor, which ofcourse does limit their material assets.

[von uber]

Poor I can believe; but not people driving petrol engined cars whilst their neighbours turn up in mass effect driven intergalactic cruisers.

[Excella Gionne]

The Last of Us if you live in those slums!

[BronzTrooper]

I'm actually not all that surprised. While the Alliance represents the face of humanity to the rest of the galaxy, Earth itself is still divided between competing nation-states.

Think about it like this: while we have the UN to 'unite us', there are still conflicts between different countries and there are countries that don't even want to be part of the UN. It wouldn't be all that different in the future unless we had to fight off an invasion of Earth, in which case, we'd be somewhat united. Kind of like the Terminus Systems. They are too independent to gather under an individual leader or government, but they will band together to fight a common threat.

Also, the fact that only a few countries today have actually launched a man in space (USA and Russia being the most notable) despite it being around 50 years since the first cosmonaut was launched into space. The fact that the 'more fortunate' nations don't help out the 'less fortunate' ones doesn't surprise me at all. It's been like that for thousands of years and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

[Clips7]

There are places today where people are living out of mud huts. Homes with no doors, just open spaces to walk in and out of. That means any stray animal or person can just casually walk into the home at any moment...a truly bizarre and potential dangerous scenaio. No access to tv or the internet or even the local supermarket/clean flowing water or electricity,.... you'd be surprise to see how people are living in other parts of the world...completely day and night.

[Comrade Wakizashi]

 I'm more surprised about humanity having made such an incredible evolution in only 150 years, evolving into one of the top galactical civilizations and all, and still beiong stuck in a capitalist system. One might think that at least they would have evolved into the next stage of socio-economic evolution, Socialism