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Gangs make the world go round.
Some thoughts

I apologize ahead of time if I ramble, but I felt like posting some thoughts and ideas.  Hopefully this will help spark RP and action in the Dome, both for new players and veterans alike.
Gangs or other groups of people have a huge affect on the world and what goes on in it.  Sure, a motivated, experienced person can do some cool shit on their own, but it rarely compares to what can be done by a group, small or large, all putting their various skills and talents and efforts together to accomplish the same or similar goals.
In fact, that's generally the reason gangs and pretty much any other group exists in the first place.  Yeah, sure, some groups may just hang out drinking, smoking, doing other such enjoyable activities.  Even in such cases, the groups are still working towards a purpose.  There are probably few out there who would argue with the fact that it's more fun to drink with other people than by yourself.
So, what are some more specific reasons that gangs exist, particularly in the Dome?
1. For protection.  It's dangerous on the streets.  And even a badass walking the streets with a shotgun isn't invincible.  Sometimes even that guys gonna need back up.  This applies even more to newer characters.  The badass with the shotgun may need help ever once in a while but a newbies gonna need backup in a lot of situations, like when pisses off the badass with the shotgun.
2. To make money.  Everybody's trying to make ends meet.  So you find people who can help you out.  Gangs sell drugs, guns, rob people, rob stores, run protection rackets.
Taking these into account, corps are basically well organized and funded gangs.  They have security, they work with the law, thus there's protection.  And they're centered around developing and marketing products.  They pay their various members (also known as employees) for their contribution to producing and/or selling the product.
Gangs are often split into different sets and crews.  This means that the gangs we think of as the Sinners, Snakes or Arteries are probably actually a group of smaller gangs who work together, wear similar colors, etc... That doesn't mean they're cohesive unit that always moves as one.  They may work together one day to fight off another gang but then the next day they're set-tripping over drug territory.  Similarly, corps may work with each other and they even have various departments.  There may not be out and out fights between various corps or departments, but they don't always work completely in each others best interest.
The way I see it, there are two main gangs in the city of Withmore.  There are the corpies and the mixers.  The corpies are then divided up by what corp they work for and then what department within the corp.  Mixers are divided up into several large gangs which are divided into smaller sets and crews.
By now, you may be sitting there thinking, "What the shit does this have to do with me?"
Well, I'll tell you.  Find some other characters who might have similar goals as you.  Want to be a drug dealer?  Find a chemist and some muscle.
Want to be a ripper doc but got crap combat skills?  Find someone to do the tough work.
Form a group with like minded people.  Come up with a scheme and figure out what skills and talents are needed that you don't have.
Another thing to remember.  In-game racism is completely acceptable.  I don't support racism in any way, and I'm sure most of the admins and players don't either.  However, that doesn't mean you character has to be the same.  If I walk into Withmore not knowing a single person, as a white guy, I'm probably going to trust another white guy, before I trust somebody of a different ethnic origin.  Don't be afraid to walk around the dome and when you meet someone with a similar ethnic origin, make that an excuse to talk to and connect with them.  I'm sure every player out there could come up with dozens of reason for joining with certain characters to form a gang of sorts and I'm sure those gangs would have dozens of reasons both for working with each other sometimes and working against each other at other times.  We're not one big, happy family.  We're a bunch of smaller, dysfunctional, abusive families who can't stand each other most the times.   Pimp your daughter, get your son hooked on crack, and the next time the neighbor kind tosses a ball into your yard, toss a fucking nade back.
I agree with in-game racism.

My best friend is black. That dosn't stop me from calling someone the N bomb or letting certain GM alts know that they're a wetback.

Why? It makes them mad. It also unifies that group of individuals.


People keep trying to join the three main street gangs. I say fuck it, make your own.

I agree with this post 100%

If your mother only knew...

Just because you don't see everyone running around screaming, "Sprocket Turf!" does mean this isn't in effect...but yesh, gangs are awesome.


I think some of you could get ALOT more accomplished with a proper gang or group of associates, as it were.

The following is just my opinion.

My standpoint on racism in cyberpunk culture is that it doesn't really exist.  Why the fuck do you care the color of the guy who's standing next to yous skin when you're to busy trying to breath because you have a boot heel on your neck from a corporation or Judge?

Cyberpunk isn't about race, it's about class.  You are not white or black or mexican or irish or russian or jewish.  You are rich, or scum.  A corpie or a Mixer.

A corpie doesn't have a token black friend.  They have a token MIXER friend.

Quote: from Slither on 12:17 am on June 23, 2009[br]The following is just my opinion.

My standpoint on racism in cyberpunk culture is that it doesn't really exist. �Why the fuck do you care the color of the guy who's standing next to yous skin when you're to busy trying to breath because you have a boot heel on your neck from a corporation or Judge?

Cyberpunk isn't about race, it's about class. �You are not white or black or mexican or irish or russian or jewish. �You are rich, or scum. �A corpie or a Mixer.

A corpie doesn't have a token black friend. �They have a token MIXER friend.


Historically ethnic groups stick together. That's just fact. If it wern't that way you'd be seeing jewish mexicans as godfathers in the Yakuza.

Quote: from Biohazard on 4:03 am on June 23, 2009[br]Historically ethnic groups stick together. That's just fact.

Define historically from the perspective of a fictional future setting some 80+ years from now.

Also worth noting that some players can't separate game from reality some times, you wouldn't believe the abuse and accusations of racism I got from certain players before I was an admin because of Kro's Kar Kare (KKK). It actually made the game pretty unplayable for me for a while until the retards lost interest. The more amusing thing was that Johnny actually came up with the name, not me.

A similar situation came up when Shock Security was around, with players OOCly equating them to the SS and stirring up OOC trouble. Might have been the same players.

I believe offence was also taken at the presence of a "greasy Mexican" amongst the first market vendors because it was claimed to be racially offensive.

I agree, some racial stuff may bother people OOCly, even if it isn't directed / meant to be hurtful toward one person OOCly.  The same with rape ICly.
Quote: from Rastus2 on 11:43 am on June 23, 2009[br]
Quote: from Biohazard on 4:03 am on June 23, 2009[br]Historically ethnic groups stick together. That's just fact.

Define historically from the perspective of a fictional future setting some 80+ years from now.

A fictional future with factual historic presence? That's what I thought we were working with here.

and if what you say about it being a class issue, then what's really the difference of dropping the N bomb as opposed to calling someone a mixer? Speaking of the word mixer, I think the root word there is MIX. does that refer to mixed races? That sounds terribly racist, doesn't it?


haha.

I always thought of the Mix like the Melting Pot.
It is.

But hasn't race allways been an issue in melting pots?

Prison is a melting pot too, but tell the Aryan brotherhood, the Black gorilla mafia, and the Latin Kings that race isn't an issue. I'm pretty sure they are in the history. I dunno, maybe I'm mistaken. I know I read Hells angels in there too. Don't really know if they're a racially motivated gang but hell all white people look alike.

As someone who lives in a very multicultural city (very), I can definitely say I've noticed that population seems to be distributed by ethnicity. And not just race. Haitians and Africans live in different areas. Japanese and Chinese are way across town from each other. Regular everyday jews and hasidic jews are likewise in neighbourhoods a fair distance from each other.

And the thing I've noticed most as I've lived in various neighbourhoods - the more affluent a neighbourhood, the more mixed the races and ethnicities are.

Someone fetch me an anthropologist.

I still hold to the point that Cyberpunk is more about Classism, maybe there is a smeltering of racism involved, or races sticking together.  But it's more of an US vs. THEM.  Us being either corpies or mixers and THEM being the other.
Okay, for all of recorded human history, people tend to prefer spending time with their own race.  I could, given enough time, find a shit-ton of examples from different civilizations and time periods that would prove my point, but I don't think I should have to cause if you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably live under a rock.
So, if racism has been going on for a good 5000+ years now, what makes you think it's just gonna disappear in the next 80 years?  It's not.  It's still going to be around.  Yes, there's always going to be US vs. THEM in SD.  Classism should be present.  But that doesn't mean you can't also have racism.  We can have both.  We can even through in some sexism to boot.
The blacks living on the north side and the hispanics living on the south side (just an example, not actually sure if we have any ghettos developing in game) may not get along most of the time, but when the judges are prowling around the mix, they'll probably set their hatreds of each other aside long enough to deal with the problem.  The whole enemy of my enemy is my friend thing.  But once they've dealt with the immediate threat of their mutual enemy, they'll go back to hating each other.
This is not to say that every character should be racist and only associate with their own kind.  It's up to each player to decide, I just think it would add something to the game if we had a little more of it.
One more thing, going back to the prison example.  Yes, in prison, the Aryans and Latin Kings hate each other, but they still deal with each other when it's mutually beneficial, when there's money to be made.  Greed can overcome any barrier, class, sex, race, hell even language.
/Long post
Well, personally I agree with Slither. It's a game and fictional setting driven by conflict and considering the rocky ground excessive/overt racism can turn into it's just not worth the hassle. There's a million ways to create conflict driven RP without resorting to the obvious.

It's a contentious enough issue that it was included in @rules as a reasonable guideline that players could be trusted to work with. ie -

if any player objects to a character's (racist) comments, they must stop as with any other form of harassment.

ie - If someone finds your IC racism OOCly offensive you are required to stop, so why even risk compromised RP for conflict that could equally be achieved other ways?

I'm not making some hand-wringing moral crusade against racism here, I'm just speaking as someone who's dealt with the OOC fallout of perceived and real IC racism. Much like rape, it's extremely contentious and screws the game to hell when it goes bad.

If you guys consider it such a crucial element to RP then I'm just glad I'm not on the clean-up crew anymore. At least Slither can say "I told you so" when he has to deal with it. ;)

It's definitely a fine line.  Better to use CP slang to insult someone.
Excellent points.  Probably is best to just avoid it.  Be nice to see a more CP version of racism, with people being prejudice against genetically alter humans, or people who are overly cybered.