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7 months later...
Some random thoughts:
1) Self preservation can be equated to staying within the guild. Being the only guild on the server that is able to tackle end game content, if one were to be kicked out of the guild, their desire for better gear would be destroyed, and the characters progression will be effectively killed.
2) I don't think that anyone is denying that Gunsmoke has ultimate power. However, this power is based on the fact that we trust and respect him. As stated before, if he were to abuse his power, we'd most likely either get him to leave, or create a new guild with new leadership. However, his ultimate power is divided amongst officers and CLs. He gives power to these people with the assumption that they know better than him in regards to specific things. They can be considered his cabinet of advisors if you will. What they do is really just an extention of Gunsmoke's power. There have been times where gunsmoke has overstepped his bounds, and recruited members against the will of the class leader. However, if this type of thing were to happen frequently, then the acceptance of his power would dwindle. I believe someone stated before, this can be considered a benevolent dictatorship.
I will however agree with zecca and say that this is not a hobbesian form of government. Although it is absolute power, it is under the assumption that it isn't abused, and power is delegated to high ranking officials. I'd say the closest relation is that of Brittish government. There is currently a queen with absolute power. However, this power is rarely exercised, and all power is delegated to the prime minister and parlament. The queen does have the power to appoint a new prime minister whenever she wants, but how often in modern times has this happened? Would you consider England to be a dictatorship at this point in time?
I would have included that within a LARGE group, a single dictatorship is unable to fulfill all of his responsibilities. As a ruler's followers increases, the ammount of work to keep the followers pleased increases exponentially. Much in the same way that the smaller instances (5 man) can easily be run with a dictatorship, but in the raid instances (40 man) there is too much to do for 1 person. I also disagree with Hobbes' conclusion that a high concentration of power at the top is not the eventual form of government. To be a government truely for the people, it needs to attempt to satisfy all people while preserving the inherent rights of the individual. Any 1 single person is unable to agree with everyone, and is unable to make an unbiased decision about any conflicting argument. Hense the formation of a democracy. In our system (united states) we require a majority vote in most cases, which creates a need for compromise. Just because something supports the largest group doesn't mean that it is in the best interest of all people. So, compromises are made, and only after each side of an argument is equally satisfied, with none being completely satisfied, can anything happen. While in WoW, we don't have any official democratic process, there is still the assumed democracy with the knowledge of a possible executive veto. When we recruit new members, much of the time the CLs will discuss with the members of their class about possible and best candidates. The class does have a large say in who gets recruited, but the CL can easily overturn any decision and offer a different recruit to gunsmoke. Once again, gunsmoke then has the authority to deny that recruit. With regards to rpp, there have been many changes put forward, and the guild as a whole discusses what would be best for everyone as a whole. Gunsmoke, once again, has final say in what happens.
I don't think that the argument at hand is one of whether or not gunsmoke has complete power, it is how that power is being used. Gunsmoke, has decided to delegate power to alleviate the stress and time needed as a leader. Noone can deny that we have a dictatorship in theory, but a republic in practice. Does this end up proving, or disproving hobbes? IMO, it disproves it. A government is how it acts, now how it is designed. Just because china calls itself "The People's Republic of China" doesn't mean that they are a republic. It is a communist government controlled by a ruling class. Just because a country has a system of voting doesnt make it a democracy. Many times, only 1 name is on the ballot, so although the populace has a "say", they're limited in their influence. Yes, Immortality is a dictatorship, but in practice, we are clearly not.
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