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Darth Fluffy

Comic for Friday, July 15, 2022

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Steve strikes me as trying to be helpful, but lacking perspective in how mortals perceive things—e.g. his description of things as “small” because they are small compared to the scale of entire worlds, even though they are great enough to completely upend mortal lives.

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Edward has become jaded by exposure to the unusual.

Not that he is so familiar as to treat anyone with contempt.

But he treats his son's friends, a Uryuom Personal Assistant, Griffons of varrious rank & Steve as fellow diplomatic professionals.  Not meddling kids, soldiers, nobility or wandering deities.

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41 minutes ago, mlooney said:

Got to say, calling a being of great power "Steve" is, in fact, pretty casual.

'Steve' did say it was acceptable, and Edward asked for permission.

 

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Edward has become jaded by exposure to the unusual.

Not that he is so familiar as to treat anyone with contempt.

But he treats his son's friends, a Uryuom Personal Assistant, Griffons of varrious rank & Steve as fellow diplomatic professionals.  Not meddling kids, soldiers, nobility or wandering deities.

He briefly showed another side with Dwight.

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37 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

He briefly showed another side with Dwight.

Really diplomacy only works if you have some sort of power to back it up.

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3 minutes ago, mlooney said:

Really diplomacy only works if you have some sort of power to back it up.

Teddy Roosevelt: "Speak softly, and carry a big stick."

Flip side is diplomacy also does not work if you have no restraint. ---> Putin <---

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Soft power only works if you can offer something that they want. If what they want is specifically to harm you, then your only recourse is to intimidate them.

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7 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Teddy Roosevelt: "Speak softly, and carry a big stick."

I almost used that quote.  That does sum up diplomacy quite nicely. 

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Well, if you lack a big stick—i.e. you do not have any means to penalize others for breaking an agreement—then they can break agreements or simply ignore your interests, and therefore you have no power and are at their mercy.

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Which is exactly what I meant when I said you had to have some sort of power for diplomacy to work.  It's not always military power, but can be trade or even location based.

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2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

That's when you use a pillow to smother them?

Perhaps, but usually “soft power” refers to using the carrot rather than the stick—it is getting people to do what you want through means other than fear.

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1 hour ago, ijuin said:

Perhaps, but usually “soft power” refers to using the carrot rather than the stick—it is getting people to do what you want through means other than fear.

You're right, carrots up the nose could work, but a pillow sounds easier.

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