Kainosis Admin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kainosis_admin) wrote2017-02-23 08:42 pm
kainosis_admin) wrote2017-02-23 08:42 pm
World Info: Society, Government, and Culture
Society
Society in Kainosis has two aspects to it: magi and non-magi, and class. The two elements create tensions at different levels, and have directly impacted how Kainosis acts in the present day.
Magi and Non-Magi
Magi can come from any class background, although it impacts their mobility. A poor individual can scrape by for themselves with innate talent and land a low level manufacturing job which will eventually see them refine their skills, or strike it very, very lucky with patronage. A lower middle class mage can generally become proper middle class through work, and so on. Essentially: people who have above average magic abilities can bump up a rank in their lifetime and put their offspring in a better position.
Unsurprisingly, this also means that there are more magi among the social elites and middle class - the poor generally are non-magic users or extremely unremarkable ones. But the tension isn’t just between rich and poor - there is always some resentment of non-magic users of any social standing against magic users because those magi are seemingly promoted faster, considered more useful to society etc. This can impact working relationships though and there’s a strong effort in companies and by the government to discourage this.
Unsurprisingly, this also means that there are more magi among the social elites and middle class - the poor generally are non-magic users or extremely unremarkable ones. But the tension isn’t just between rich and poor - there is always some resentment of non-magic users of any social standing against magic users because those magi are seemingly promoted faster, considered more useful to society etc. This can impact working relationships though and there’s a strong effort in companies and by the government to discourage this.
Class
Class in Kainosis was once broken down into four groups: social elites, the middle class, the poor, and spirits. It is now down to three broad groups, as spirits are no longer a part of Kainosis' society.
The social elites of Kainosis are a collection of about fifty families - some magi who’ve gotten there through their own work, and others are former aristocratic families whose titles are now meaningless with a republic, but are held in high esteem because of their long, storied history in the nation’s past. Some magi are aso in the aristocratic group (about seven families) but they’re few and far between. There’s a general dislike by the aristocratic folks towards the newly elite families because they’re so young. As a result, those newly elite families tend to stick close together and intermarry.
Many of those newly elite families come from middle class backgrounds. The middle class began to emerge about one hundred years ago when manufacturing began to take off in Kainosis. Many poor but skilled magi entered the manufacturing and construction workforces, and were able to form strong unions because, well, it’s pretty easy to make people bargain with you when you can walk off a job that’ll take years to complete without you. With a steady paycheck, magi were able to provide a better life for their families, who went from simple construction jobs to more refined sorts of manufacturing, and these days the middle class is white collar workers from all areas of life and a fair chunk of blue collar workers too. Lower middle class individuals may still be in manufacturing and construction and on the cusp of moving up and the upper middle class is almost always in charge of designing and creating highly sought after goods.
Most of the industries that employ the middle class maintain unions, composed of magi and regular humans. This helps to fight magic-based tension, and it strives to keep magi from having too much of a leg up over their non-magi counterparts in a given work area. The effectiveness of this approach is debated, but the unions remain an important part of many people's worklives.
The poor of Kainosis exist both in urban and rural areas. Circumstances that lead one there can vary from being born in such conditions, bad business, impossibility to find work, or other factors. The destruction of the spirit class has offered some job opportunities in the households of the rich to fill in the gaps left by enslave spirits, but few people have felt the desire to take on the role of servant to the rich elite.
The social elites of Kainosis are a collection of about fifty families - some magi who’ve gotten there through their own work, and others are former aristocratic families whose titles are now meaningless with a republic, but are held in high esteem because of their long, storied history in the nation’s past. Some magi are aso in the aristocratic group (about seven families) but they’re few and far between. There’s a general dislike by the aristocratic folks towards the newly elite families because they’re so young. As a result, those newly elite families tend to stick close together and intermarry.
Many of those newly elite families come from middle class backgrounds. The middle class began to emerge about one hundred years ago when manufacturing began to take off in Kainosis. Many poor but skilled magi entered the manufacturing and construction workforces, and were able to form strong unions because, well, it’s pretty easy to make people bargain with you when you can walk off a job that’ll take years to complete without you. With a steady paycheck, magi were able to provide a better life for their families, who went from simple construction jobs to more refined sorts of manufacturing, and these days the middle class is white collar workers from all areas of life and a fair chunk of blue collar workers too. Lower middle class individuals may still be in manufacturing and construction and on the cusp of moving up and the upper middle class is almost always in charge of designing and creating highly sought after goods.
Most of the industries that employ the middle class maintain unions, composed of magi and regular humans. This helps to fight magic-based tension, and it strives to keep magi from having too much of a leg up over their non-magi counterparts in a given work area. The effectiveness of this approach is debated, but the unions remain an important part of many people's worklives.
The poor of Kainosis exist both in urban and rural areas. Circumstances that lead one there can vary from being born in such conditions, bad business, impossibility to find work, or other factors. The destruction of the spirit class has offered some job opportunities in the households of the rich to fill in the gaps left by enslave spirits, but few people have felt the desire to take on the role of servant to the rich elite.
Culture
To write
Govrenment
Kainosis is a republic, primarily because it was founded by city states who desired a cohesive whole. The power primarily relies with the Synepheia, which consists of seven individuals from all six regions of Kainosis, creating a forty two strong branch. Those individuals are known as an archíphylos. The Synepheia debates civic matters, regulates industry, creates new laws, assign judges to various courts around Kainosis, and generally runs the country. All decisions are made through votes. In the event of a tie, the National Minister acts as a tie breaker.
Being a part of Synepheia is a part time job - they do business in two two month sessions during the year - and so most archíphylos have their own businesses and lives outside of the government. Members are a mix of magi and non-magi, although almost all of them are from the upper middle class or higher. An archíphylos cannot serve more than four terms - a term being three years. This is in order to avoid corruption, although it’s not uncommon for some senators to vote according to their own interests rather than their region.
The National Minister is a part of, but distinct from, the Synepheia, as they were created to speak to and represent the face of the Synepheia to the international community. They can propose legislation and provide consultant information to the Synephia, but they are ultimately the Synnepheia's mouthpiece. Usually an archíphylos themselves, they run for the office of National Minister and are voted on by the members of the Synepheia. A national minister can only serve two terms - six years. They help to maintain policy with other governments, enforcing international agreements, administer to trade, and act as a tie breaker when needed. IN general, the national minister is seen as less important than the Synepheia.
Below this level of government are various bureaucracies that adminiser to domestic affairs. Heads of departments are assigned by the Synepheia, and are answerable to the Synepheia as well.
This high level of power given to the Synepheia means that the population is heavily aware of politics and active. Universal sufferage has ensured that the population is participating in the governance of their country, and it is not uncommon for unpopular decisions to be met with protests in Myrikon. These protests are usually acknowledged, even if the decisions that sparked the protest do not change.
Kainosis’s military is made of a mix of professional soldiers and skilled magi who can do work on the fly. These magi are mixed throughout the ranks in the army and navy. Formerly, magi were able to summon spirit and made up a large chunk of the army's resources, but this has since been outlawed. Thanks to thirty years of peace, Kainosis' military has generally been left to defend borders and assist in mundane domesitic crisis such as train derailings and floods.
Being a part of Synepheia is a part time job - they do business in two two month sessions during the year - and so most archíphylos have their own businesses and lives outside of the government. Members are a mix of magi and non-magi, although almost all of them are from the upper middle class or higher. An archíphylos cannot serve more than four terms - a term being three years. This is in order to avoid corruption, although it’s not uncommon for some senators to vote according to their own interests rather than their region.
The National Minister is a part of, but distinct from, the Synepheia, as they were created to speak to and represent the face of the Synepheia to the international community. They can propose legislation and provide consultant information to the Synephia, but they are ultimately the Synnepheia's mouthpiece. Usually an archíphylos themselves, they run for the office of National Minister and are voted on by the members of the Synepheia. A national minister can only serve two terms - six years. They help to maintain policy with other governments, enforcing international agreements, administer to trade, and act as a tie breaker when needed. IN general, the national minister is seen as less important than the Synepheia.
Below this level of government are various bureaucracies that adminiser to domestic affairs. Heads of departments are assigned by the Synepheia, and are answerable to the Synepheia as well.
This high level of power given to the Synepheia means that the population is heavily aware of politics and active. Universal sufferage has ensured that the population is participating in the governance of their country, and it is not uncommon for unpopular decisions to be met with protests in Myrikon. These protests are usually acknowledged, even if the decisions that sparked the protest do not change.
Kainosis’s military is made of a mix of professional soldiers and skilled magi who can do work on the fly. These magi are mixed throughout the ranks in the army and navy. Formerly, magi were able to summon spirit and made up a large chunk of the army's resources, but this has since been outlawed. Thanks to thirty years of peace, Kainosis' military has generally been left to defend borders and assist in mundane domesitic crisis such as train derailings and floods.
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