Equality in Kamchatka

The history of Kamchatkan Equality stretches back to the times of severe depopulation and scarcity in the 2030’s and 2040’s. Before the climate had fully converted to it’s current form, the archipelago still struggled to balance it’s ecosystem and the effects were felt in the human population. A culture evolved that was strongly in favour of naturalistic policies of strong men and subservient women, and the eradication of ‘weakness’. The influx of refugees, who rapidly began to outnumber the natives through their exploitation of the new climate, resulted in a social kickback against this traditionalist worldview. According to pre-republican efforts, the initial change fortified the partial equality of women, and a consensus to merely mask the deformed and the sick rather than execute them. Much of the early regional strife resulted from this social friction, but the more populous and increasingly urban populations of the Valleys began to unite themselves and soon formed the Kamchatkan Republic.

The Republic ultimately failed in it’s political and economic aims, being merely a post-apocalyptic state in origin, but it’s greatest success was the widespread acceptance of Equality as the primary virtue of the archipelago. The pushing of masks into the widespread social consciousness transformed them from a repressive tool into a fashion statement, allowing the large number of disabled and disfigured to better integrate into society. The promotion and integration of previously frowned upon minority groups, such as Japanese Immigrants, Women, and LGBTQ communities, had the successful effect of numbing the general public to such ultimately trivial differences in favour of more substantial ideological and political divisions. While these political divisions would eventually shatter the republic, they did not bring down the legacy of equality that had been cemented in the social consciousness.

As the republic broke into warlordism, this policy was heavily strained against a return of scarcity, as the country painfully bridged the gap from post-apocalyptic to post-post-apocalyptic - the ability to self sustain, instead of scavenging ideas and technology from the past. Many warlords tried to break this social contract to better divide and administrate their subjects, but it was the New World Clique who set the national standard. They declared Equality a national trait, and used it as a talking point to shatter their opponents. Anrada, who grew up in the Clique, understands the importance of this adoption. Equality had become one of the key pivots of the entire national identity, otherwise scattered between camps of Chinese and Russian descent. Each citizen of Kamchatka can look about the world and see others as backward for holding on to minor prejudices - and this ego is the heart of a patriotic love of country.

In short: Equality in Kamchatka is the glue which binds the nation together.

And so, today in the capital, Anrada declares the return of the mandatory schooling system, the first in thirty years. Equality of opportunity, after all, is still equality. Though it will take some time to fully begin, the money is finally available. Interestingly, while this move was a crowd pleaser and an important symbol of government stability, it ignites another dormant beast. Slowly but surely, as Anrada brings the wheels of state back into motion, the people begin to wonder…

When will Anrada restore the Republic?

[Meta: Policy Change, Mandatory Education till 18]