Our sixteenth interview is with Bananaistan. They are a
long time member of the DSA and a Secretary of the
World Assembly.

⦁ When did you first join NationStates? How did you
first hear about it?

IIRC I set up my first nation in 2007. I heard about NS
through CyberNations. But I didn’t pay much attention
and my first nation is obsolete now for a very long time.

⦁ When did you join the DSA? Were you just looking
at regions when you found us or did you come
through recruitment telegram?

I joined DSA around the end of 2013. I just looked at
regions and happened upon it based on the tags and
what seemed like a good community on the RMB.

⦁ What are some things you've come to enjoy about the
DSA most? A favorite memory?

Tbh I rarely get too involved in regional events so I’m
struggling to think of anything in particular. Regrettably
I take most notice when the s**t is hitting the fan such
as during the recent unpleasantness but that’s definitely
not a favourite memory.

⦁ What do you do outside of NationStates? Examples:
what your job (if employed)? Hobbies? Talents? etc

I’m an accountant IRL and I’m currently coming up on the
end of the second year of a four-and-a-half-year part time
Bachelor of Science honours degree in Information
Systems and Information Technology.

I’m generally big into sports but specifically GAA (that is
the Gaelic Athletic Association) which runs Gaelic Football
and Hurling. Anyone who has never seen Hurling should
immediately watch some on YouTube. It is the greatest
sport ever.

⦁ You are a Secretariat of the World Assembly.
What about the WA interested you enough to
become a Secretariat? How did you come about
becoming one?

Well GenSec was set up in October 2016 after a long
discussion period in the GA community involving the
moderators. The initial six members were appointed by
the mods but then a space became available in July 2017
when GR resigned. The remaining five members voted
between themselves and selected me.

I never took any notice of the General Assembly until
January 2014 when I went onto the GA forum to get
more information on and debate an at vote proposal. I
never left afterwards and over time built up a knowledge
of the GA culture and rules.

I think it’s well recognized that the GA has a steep
learning curve, but I think many players approach it the
wrong way: they want to get the badge. Passing a
proposal is only a small part of the GA game. The debate,
knowledge of the passed resolutions and the GA rules
(some might disparagingly describe it as rules lawyering)
are more important.

⦁ Who are some people whom you've come to consider
good friends in the DSA?

This is a tough one but I have had the most contact with and
would consider Ivory rhodes, Ratateague, Gallifrax,
and Herrebrugh as friends. I’m sure I’m gradually getting
to know some of the “newer” people such as
Student Loan Debt and Dekks. There were others we’ve
since lost as well such as our former President Defwa.

⦁ What are your plans for the future in your life? What
do you hope to be or accomplish before you die? Or more
simply and less macabre, within the next 20 years?

I don’t really look anymore than a few years in the future.
My plan at the minute is to get the degree finished and just
see where that leads me afterwards.

Interview Conducted By: Student Loan Debt

The United States of American socialist repubilics

This nation hasn't been active in 20 days, though there is something magical about it, not only because as of writing this ACR has 69 million inhabitants, but also because it's motto is "eat the rich", which is a lovely motto.

The Commonwealth of Bukana

Bukana has a very particular flag and again an interesting motto, what's also nice is that this nation is active or at least attempts to be active.

The Kingdom of Cuscatlan

Cuscatlan may be an already very active nation in the DSA, but they have been included in the featured five because this should absolutely this way, they make great countryballs and have great potential, also that's some nice endos you've got over there.

The Rogue Nation of Gamerweed

HORSES EVERYWHERE RUN RUN WHILE YOU CAN!

The Federal Republic of New joliet

Ireland for everyone, always.

And that's the featured five

And here for some juicy new content
Dekks has a brand new announcement to make, from next issue on solidarity will have 2 additions to it's content, and trust me, (I'm Dekks, of course you should trust me.) they're very original.

Announcing: Yesterday I Plagiarized Jacksfilms (YIPJ), I will ask you questions, and you may send me your answers by telegram or by discord, I will keep a record of all the answers that I have got and my favorites will come into solidarity

For the first question, What does DSA stand for? (what is it an acronym of?)

Also announcing: Question and Non-Answer (Q & N-A) You ask me questions, and I give you dumb answers, so it's the same idea but the roles are reversed.

I'm going to propose something completely radical and extreme to the vast majority of you, some of you may wonder "how could he say that", but ultimately, it's the only correct thing to do: abolish the DSA Regional Government.

It's a hindrance.

It's a bloated, Frankenstein like collage of red tape and role play taking itself way too seriously.

It's the reason this region has truly forgotten what it is, an online community that's supposed to be fun and friendly, but the fake politics taking itself seriously has obfuscated that from our visions.

The very nature of the government will, given time, ultimately destroy this region.

Some would argue it's already doing so. I would.

The past week should be a lesson, a wake up call. Enough of the fake red tape, enough of the fake process and procedure, enough of the fake congress, the fake cabinet, the fake rules, the fake courts, the fake everything.

Scrub it clean. It's necrotic, it's gangrene, an infection, it's wretched and it's abominable. Who is seriously going to read a regional charter longer than the Communist Manifesto when they join here and they're just looking for the rules? Can you remember when you joined here and you were told to opt-in to the charter, have a look? Can you remember some of the early confusion of the process here, the process of becoming a member of congress, getting a spot on thr map, do you even care about the charter in your day to day here? I didn't until I was made interim MoRP. No, before just a few days ago, I never once touched the charter, never cared to look, never cared about the government, never cared to read it, never needed it, never cared about it. And now that I am reading it because I have to, now that I'm seeing every bit of it, I hate it. So much, I hate it. It's unnecessary.

I recognize only a simple rule. The Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. That's the only rule I've ever followed in my time here, and it's worked out perfectly. Really shows you all you need. I never had to care about the charter or the government until last week when their own atrocious nature reared its ugly head into my face and I was forced to care about it because it ruined my fun in the DSA. How many of you have the same story?

I have an alt account. I use it to check out other role play groups, it mostly sticks around in one region. But this past week, I decided to take it for a stroll around other regions a little similar to the DSA, a good mix of irl discussion and strong role play. Do you think any of them have anything like the DSA Regional Government? No. No, of course not. A lot of regions get by, not only just fine, but better than us, with just some mods and role play rules. That's it, no charter, no ridiculous regional government that takes itself seriously, just some ground rules, some mods, and some RP rules, and they do just fine.

You think we wouldn't if that's all we had? If you do, I ask you to believe in yourself, because if you think that, all you're saying is you don't trust your own mind.

Despite it all, I choose the DSA above everything else. I love this place and the people in it, wouldn't be writing if I didn't. This place really is special. There's little else like it, I'd dare to say, on the whole web. I've never felt this way about an online community before. Just the maps alone are a feat. At the end of the day, this is my favorite region in NationStates, because of you, because of the people, many of whom I'm happy to call my friends.
One thing is clear, the Regional Government needs to go. It's time to come to Earth everyone. That game has gone on long enough. An end game where all that's left to do is destroy whatever you can, that's what the DSA Regional Government is.

Most things would be better than this, a consensus system, just mods and RP rules, direct democracy, we can think of a lot of things here. And we can do it. I know we can, I know you all can do it, it just takes that initial act of will, believe you can do it. We can have fun when we stop playing this game.

I believe in you.

I know we can do this, together, in solidarity.

A better region is possible.

Love to you all,
Dankass communes