unforum

[cassandra]

[SPEC] Problematic structure & the state of being cubed

[Macavity]

well, here's a thought as to why the PxC government might not be willing to tangle with the reconstructionists:

The Reconstructionists might be the PxC equivalent of the Brotherhood of Nod (from Command & Conquer).

In C&C, the governments of the world were loath to tangle with the Brotherhood for many reasons. Foremost among them were:

Pervasive influence. The Brotherhood had agents everywhere: governments, militaries, big business (and not-so-big business), special ops forces . . . you name it, the Brotherhood probably had agents in it.

A major standing army. The Brotherhood had vehicles of every possible kind (tanks, assault buggies, armed recon vehicles, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, etc), major military/production facilities (weapons factories, generating plants, airstrips, barrackses (sp?), communications facilites, etc.)

Fanatic loyalty. Every single membr of the Brotherhood of Nod - especially the elite Black Hand of Nod - was willing to die "in the name of Kane". (Jacob Kane was the overall leader of the Brotherhood of Nod.)

From what we know of the Reconstructionists, they fit at least two (and possibly all three) of the aforementioned categories:

Pervasive influence. To quote a recent article in the Perplex City Sentinel: ' "Given the complicated relationship between the government and the Reconstructionists, we're really at a loss for how to proceed," Frye admitted today. ' (This suggests that the Reconstructionists - amongst others - have vast amounts of influecne in various Perplexian halls of power.)

Fanatic loyalty to the Cube. While it's not stated outright, the attitude of the unnamed Reconstructionist spokesman in the latest PxC sentinel ( A Reconstructionist spokesman, who refused to identify himself, had this to say: "Kostka is with us and with the Cube now. She has been cleansed of the sins and memories of her prior life, and can be of no more help to the secular and Academic order than could a newborn babe." He refused to elaborate on his statement. ) - and the actions of the Recon Eight ( see this article: http://perplexcitysentinel.com/archives/2005/04/recon_eight_rel.html )- are very suggestive of this.

[number9dream]

Tenuous perhaps, but since we are cubed (and in three dimensions), the Perplexians are cubeless and in 2. Even their 'photographs' are 2-dimensional drawings and our only access to them is through flat 2D screens.

Interesting thoughts about construction/deconstruction, i am sure that there is much to be said for deconstructing the many layers of discourse which surround the cube, (for instance the competing discourses perpetuated by the Academy / Reconstructionists). Much food for thought....

[wintermute_au]

well lots of material here, but for now i just wanna deal with the Reconstructionists

the name: i'm assuming for now that they want to Reconstruct society: it fits in with the aims of any self-respecting cult... I certainly get the impression it has a long history, we know its a breakaway Cubist cult, so without conflicting information I'm assuming they want to reconstruct society using the power of the Cube (though still not sure what that power may be)

(ooh segue): The Cube's Power: in short, i'm guessing the Recons know/believe something the Academy doesnt... Because of this belief (whether founded or not) they don't want the academy controlling the Cube... We havent yet been told if they specifically want the Cube for themselves, which is a crucial difference (ie, either they want the cube's power for their own ends, or they just don't want the infidels to have it or to blemish it)

The Recons untouchability: i'm assuming for now that the recons have some history we're unaware of that gives them a certain level of independence from the Perplexian government, and that this is taken for granted by the govt and the people (enough that cops can't go charging in and take Jessicia Holyoke for questioning!)... I think its likely that the government and/or the army/police resent this and are conducting some sort of anti-recon campaign, which is why we're seeing rather negative propaganda...

"With the Cube Now": this one certainly doesn't mean Jessica is dead, though it's established that she isn't 'who she used to be'... This obviously involves a level of brainwashing, although I wonder if the recons also have some strange mystical/scientific/alchemical ritual which has other ways of 'cleansing' a person... (possible that the unidentifiable pedestrian killed by the driverless car earlier this year was someone who'd been 'cleansed'/reborn similarly?)... But I also wonder if being with the Cube is a different calling to that followed by regular recons... if for example, a normal person with a normal life could be a reconstructionist, but the 'special' ones are called to enter into a higher state "with the cube"... Obviously this state could be used/abused by someone wishing to hide (as in Jessica's case)

[Leeravitz]

There are, indeed, a few mysteries here. The Reconstructionists clearly think of the Academics, particularly, as 'secular heretics'. It seems evident that the Academy treated the Cube in the manner of an advanced piece of technology - this is the way that Sente described it (approximately) and we know that it sat gathering dust on a Museum shelf for something like 30 years, before being subjected to some rigourous experimental testing, and then 'vanishing', of course.

The Reconstructionists, in contrast, appear to see the Cube as holy, almost godlike; they clearly feel it has a much greater significance to the way the Perplexian world is structured than the Academics do, and 'being at one with the Cube' sounds to me like a metaphor for joining spiritually with what is considered to be a higher power.

Cubism itself is clearly a more orthodox religion; however, it must also be a religion of relatively recent provenance, because, as we know, the Cube has only been around for 200 years. Either that, or the Cubists were waiting patiently for the Cube to arrive for centuries. But the information we have seems to suggest that, when the Cube was discovered, no - one bothered to make too much fuss of it.

What I find difficult to reconcile is that the Academy talks of the Cube in such a matter of fact way. It would be a bit like a museum here holding the Ark of the Covenant or something and making nothing much of it. What is difficult to determine is whether the Cube was ever initially a focus of worship, and only then did positivists end up getting their hands on it, or whether the worship has emerged spontaneously, whilst the Cube itself has always been treated as a scientific curiosity. Given that Cubism is a big, popular religion, it seems, maybe there is some validity in the notion of a cult of the Cube. Perhaps, if there was a Reconstruction period after a time of strife in the last years BC, the discovery of the Cube was considered a capstone, a good omen if you like, representation of the fulfilment of a new order emergent within Perplex City, and that's what the Holy Days celebrate. There are historical parallels, such as the discovery of the Book of Deuteronomy in the time of Josiah, or maybe the discovery of fragments of the True Cross during the Crusade.

[Crane]

I find the reference to having been cleansed of her past life slightly disturbing...
Assuming they used some kind of mind-wiping technology on her to "cleanse her of her past life", then that would make them prime suspects for possessing the kind of neural weapon that killed Fran Mending...?

[Leeravitz]

While I don't rule out mind - wiping as a technological impossibility in a society as advanced as Perplex City, you don't need to wipe anyone's mind *physically* in order to brainwash them - you just do it the good old fashioned way: taking them out of society at large, cutting them off from their family and friends, inducting them into a communal mindset that doesn't brook dissension, utilising 'stick and carrot' tactics in relation to their behaviour, taking away their clothes and giving them robes, shaving their heads etc. to deny their individuality and so on and so forth.

And, in respect to Mendling, the police claim that the murder was committed through a neuro - suppressant. Thus, I assume its something that halts brain functioning instantaneously - whether that works on the same basis as a putative 'brainwashing device' is another question.

[toongoon]

Without a doubt brainwashing does not require advanced technology but the availability and rather nonchalant mention of a neuro-supression device points to the fact that this mind wipe technology may indeed exist. A similar tech could possibly be used in a "ritual mind cleansing" that is likley fast, efficient and practically guaranteed successful.