(11-26-2014, 02:32 PM)Laura C. Wrote: So, I see here very important difference between Blood diamonds and jillies. First - diamonds are sold only by Hessians and they are important source of money. Simply they are still diamonds but they have even wider use than standard diamonds because they are different than them and thus interesting as jewellery and of course as symbol of resistance against government.
Jillies on the other hand are grown on Stuttgart for centuries (as infocard say: "A native species of Planet Stuttgart, Blue Jillies have been cultivated for centuries."), way much longer before LWB appeared. Putting them on contraband list would be another final nail on the rests of the local farmers and making situation even worse (yeah, more LWB, that´s what government need right now). Also, jillies are far less profitable than diamonds and harder to obtain (because you can secretly mine in space, but where you can secretly grow and harvest large amounts of flowers on the government controlled planet, hm?).
Tl;dr: All Blood diamonds are made by Hessians and money from it goes to them, but not all jillies are made by LWB and not all money from it goes to them.
And by the way, just because terrorist organisation starts to use as symbol some traditional local product, does this mean we will declare it as contraband? Okay then, be right back, I´m going to ask Unioners to start brewing Rheinbier and put it as their symbol, and VWA to start baking strudels. Rheinlanders can drink wine and eat muffins, right?
Blood Diamond infocard states that beside it's color it is completely identical to regular diamonds, physical properties are same, chemical properties are same, etc. Why don't Rhein mining corps mine it the same way they mine regular diamonds then? Because it's considered a contraband by the Rhein govt. Why? Maybe because somebody bound the metaphorical meaning to it's reddish tint that it has been stained by the spilled blood of countless Red Hessians slain by the authoritarian regime of Rheinland and that spreading it is a show of support to the Red Hessian Movement? Or does any of you know any other reason?
And then here are the Blue Jillies. Infocard states that it's a flower, which, similar to Blood Diamonds, became a symbol of support to a movement openly opposing the regime. Yet it did not become a contraband yet.
Both Blood Diamonds and Blue Jillies have been existing before the arrival of Red Hessians or the LWB, since then both became a symbol of their respective groups, both are sold on at least one of the bases of said unlawful groups, thus the spreading of both can be considered both moral and financial support of their respecive groups.
And yet one of them is a contraband, the other one is not. Why?
Why did Blood Diamonds become a contraband if not for their metaphorical meaning? And if they became contraband because of that, why didn't Blue Jillies became contraband just as well, based on the very same logic? What else is the reason, what is the exact logic behind chosing so differently in so similar cases?
Distinctive for their reddish tint, Hessian Blood Diamonds are identical to Kruger's white diamonds for industrial purposes, but their unique coloration has made them the preferred choice for anyone wanting to make a political statement against the Rheinland state's policies. Ideological allies and sympathizers of the Red Hessians have been quick to import Blood Diamonds as a show of support for the Hessians' cause, while the Rheinland government is ruthlessly trying to block their export.
A native species of Planet Stuttgart, Blue Jillies have been cultivated for centuries. Because they require a high oxygen level and specific nitrogen contents in the soil to grow, during the last two decades the environmental changes caused by Synth Foods' business practices have caused significant decreases in the quality of their growth. Despite this, they continue to be very popular because of their vibrant sapphire blue petals and strong, pleasant aroma. They are currently a source of controversy as many of the dispossessed Stuttgart farmers blame their recent decline on Synth Foods, which has resulted in some LWB-supporters wearing the flower as a symbol of pride and solidarity.