R-E-S-P-E-C-T

It's time, I think, for highsec to have a conversation about respect. An honest conversation.

Respect is a very important concept in the New Order. "But James 315," you ask. "If respect is so important, then why isn't there a 'Respect Provision' in the Code?" Nice try, dear reader, but that's a trick question. The reason is that there are two provisions in the Code about respect. Let's read them together.

New Order territory is a safe space for suicide gankers. Miners are required to put aside their prejudices and treat gankers with respect.

Respect for elected officials. As Saviour of Highsec, I acted as proxy when electing myself Supreme Protector. Miners should respect the will exercised by the people when they made this choice.

There are two different elements that should immediately stand out when one reads these provisions. First, of course, is the importance of having respect for me. A lot of miners flunk this test when they see my name written in local or in a private chat. (The effect appears to be heightened when my name is linked.) We know, too, that my Agents represent me, and so the carebears fail to obey this provision when they fail to show respect to my Agents.

The second element relates to gameplay choices. EVE is a PvP sandbox: Players are free to gank, bump, provide isk-doubling services, manipulate the aggression system, use wardecs, and so on. Carebears who find themselves on the receiving end of these legitimate styles of play often lash out against those who defeated them in PvP. Yet the Code requires the carebears to treat them with respect instead. This responsibility is independent from the requirement to respect the Saviour and the Saviour's Agents--hence the two separate provisions. Granted, most participants in emergent gameplay these days tend to join the mighty CODE. alliance or operate under the banner of the New Order. Regardless, the Code is abundantly clear that respect is owed both for my leadership and for emergent gameplay.

Respect can be a touchy subject for some miners. There's an easy way to detect the carebear's sensitivity: Cite the respect provisions and see if the carebear comes back with an answer like, "Respect is earned." That's a tell.

The truth is, respect is earned, and our Agents have earned it. I touched very briefly on this in the introduction to a Kills of the Week post about four years ago. (You have been paying attention to all of those, haven't you?) Here's the relevant bit:

Responsible EVE players show each other proper levels of respect. Respect, of course, must be earned. For example, Agents of the New Order earn instant respect by virtue of who they are and what they stand for. Carebears, for the same reasons, must labor greatly to earn it. Our Agents, having already earned the respect of all highsec, are in the position of judging the carebears and determining whether they are worthy of respect.

Good stuff. A miner should never tell an Agent that he needs to earn the miner's respect. But the miner should be very concerned with earning the Agent's respect. Indeed, one of a carebear's obligations under the Code is to prove that he's "one of the good ones". Do you find that offensive, carebear? You shouldn't. Another way to say "one of the good ones" is "Gallant". A miner must outwardly demonstrate that he is a Gallant miner. Remember the provision of the Code requiring a miner to avoid even the appearance of bot-aspirancy? Yeah.

If you're new to the Code, it has probably--well, hopefully--dawned on you that all of the different provisions of the Code work together. I wouldn't precisely compare the Code's provisions to the parts of a well-oiled machine, though: A machine's parts generally don't all function independently. The Code's provisions are each powerful on their own, and they take on additional powers when they work in different combinations with one another.

Another side note: If you're a rebellious carebear who wonders why our Agents are always able to defeat you, simply ponder the genius of the Code and remember that you have nothing like it working for your side. I mean, the Anti-Gankers and their ilk have had how many years to come up with a Code of their own? They've barely scraped together a coherent sentence. I suppose it's difficult when you devote all your time to writing death threats, racial slurs, and frivolous petitions.

I'd like to close today's post with some practical examples. What does a respectful miner look like? Well, imagine that you're trapped in a burning building, and a firefighter bursts in to rescue you. What is your attitude toward the firefighter? (Some our Agents actually do work as firefighters, so this is a natural comparison.) Another illustration: Suppose you've been stranded by yourself on a deserted island, and you're slowly starving to death. One day, a ship arrives with people who come to rescue you. What is your attitude toward them?

Agents of the New Order fight to save highsec; they believe highsec is worth fighting for. They represent the Saviour of Highsec. And Agents do, in a very real sense, rescue the carebears from a miserable existence--one that drives the carebears to be AFK.

With those comparisons in mind, a carebear who is insufficiently respectful toward an Agent is easy to pick out. It's absurd when a miner says, "You didn't warn me. You didn't greet me in local. You didn't ask me if I was AFK." Suppose the man stuck on an island is picking up seashells when the rescue party appears. Would it make sense for the man to ignore his rescuers and continue picking up shells? Or how about the man who can't escape a building while it's on fire? "I didn't acknowledge the firefighter because he didn't greet me first."

What Gobloks we have in highsec!