Pokemon: A Libertarian Utopia?

[Gil Hamilton]

Considering the following about the world Pokemon is set in:

There is no disernable form of government. You never hear of any nations in Pokemon, nor any form of government except for the occasional local city government. If there is any government at all, it must really keep to itself. Likewise, taxes are so low that they are seemingly non-existant, so anything you earn, you keep.

Everyone is armed. While guns don't seem to really exist in the land of pokemon, everyone seems to be carrying around and in command of some dangerous pokemon, which they can use to defend themselves and their loved ones and property against criminals.

Justice is swift and criminals always succumb to "citizens arrest". The government and local authorities don't ever tend to succeed in fighting crime, it is always the well armed citizen that prevails in foiling evil schemes. In a short order, the side of law and liberty always wins. Even the very world seems to bend to the will of law and order, with the laws of physics routinely changing to punish and brutalize lawbreakers, case in point, even boxes full of ice can become powerful explosives when Team Rocket is in the vicinity (this actually happened once). This is so reliable, that the Officer Jennys can get away with having high heels as part of their uniforms, since they rarely need to run with pokemon trainers always beating up criminals first. Likewise, corrupt fatcat officials, such as the mayor of that one town, end up getting their comeuppance by the end of the episode and lose authority.

Small businesses and barter of services rule the day. In the world of Pokemon, small businesses tend to be the best kind and hold their own against large corporations. Case in point, the best charcoal doesn't come from the factory that mass produces it, but rather comes from the that guy who lives near the Ilex woods in Johto, who goes out with his Farfetch'd, cuts and collects the wood himself, and hand chars the bricks. Everyone recognizes this. Likewise, if you want a pokeball, you can get the generic massproduced ones, but the good pokeballs come from the guy in Azalia Town who hand makes them with skill and discipline. Also, people tend to exchange services with each other. Case in point, in Azalia Town, Ash solved the problem for the town at the Slowpoke Well, so the pokeball guy offered to make him some brand spanking new pokeballs, assuming he'll go out and collect them, for his trouble. Throughout the series, Ash and gang get by on quid quo pro deals like that.

Anyone who is willing to work hard can be successful. No matter what your station in life, you can make it through hardwork and dedication. For instance, every time Jesse and James need a new giant robot for their schemes, you will often here them complaining about having to work some crappy jobs to pay for it. Likewise, being a successful pokemon trainer is obviously quite lucrative if you are good at it, as demonstrated by Gary Oak, who could afford to support a fancy sports car and a half dozen floozies (and they didn't look like cheap floozies either).

Large regard for values. Everyone in pokemon world seems to be uniformily one with the 50s style "values". For instance, with Brock, when we see the horny lad shimmery-eyed fantasies about the woman of the moment, his little mental thought cycle always has the girl and himself falling madly in love and getting married in a traditional ceremony. Never do you see him thinking him getting major head from Nurse Joy in the back room of the Pokemon Center or contemplating just how skillful the Officer Jennys are with those handcuffs. Everyone is idyllic and moral and responsible, and those that aren't tend to come to see the error of their ways by the end of the episode or get an assbeating.

Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys are involved in hot libertarian action on Proposition 69. Oh, come on, you know they do. (actually, this is an ongoing joke from my real life, which is obscenely funny to me, so it must be mentioned).

[HemlockGrey]

I think you have far too much time on your hands.

[Gil Hamilton]

I think you have far too much time on your hands.

Actually, it's the end result of a discussion I was having yesterday with one of my friends, but you are probably right.

[Gandalf]

This makes some good points, rather like the communistic Smurfs.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Thermonuclear fire engulfing the planet makes a nicer point in my opinion.

[Enforcer Talen]

good essay.

[Majin Gojira]

Wow....that was scarily accurate

[Iceberg]

I agree with the people who say "You have way too much time on your hands, man."

[Darth Gojira]

Let's not forget the ethics of Poke'mon "storage" or the delberate manipulation the Eevee species' DNA! And don't get me stated on the bizzare and pathetic ways of their equivalent of organized crime!

[neoolong]

That and sending off little kids into the world by themselves.

[Admiral Valdemar]

That and sending off little kids into the world by themselves.

In reality, Ash would be a walking meat feast as soon as he tried to tame a real life animal e.g. Tiger.

[Iceberg]

I think the Pokemon "training quest" is intended to be analogous to various indiginous "walkabout" rituals of adulthood. Only with cute and fuzzy cockfighting seizure monsters.

[Sea Skimmer]

I think you have far too much time on your hands.

Actually, it's the end result of a discussion I was having yesterday with one of my friends, but you are probably right.

He is. And the quality of parenting in this place sucks shit. At least with "walkabout" type rituals you generally wait till puberty.

[Darth Gojira]

That and sending off little kids into the world by themselves.

In reality, Ash would be a walking meat feast as soon as he tried to tame a real life animal e.g. Tiger.

Hell, he'd be meat in the original game, with his wimpy first-level cuddly toys.

[neoolong]

That and sending off little kids into the world by themselves.

In reality, Ash would be a walking meat feast as soon as he tried to tame a real life animal e.g. Tiger.

That and for any pedophile wandering about.

[Peregrin Toker]

Holy maccaroni, somebody's trying to make sense out of Pokemon!!

[Admiral Valdemar]

That and sending off little kids into the world by themselves.

In reality, Ash would be a walking meat feast as soon as he tried to tame a real life animal e.g. Tiger.

That and for any pedophile wandering about.

Oh lordy, you just reminded me of the Brass Eye special on paedophiles.

"Welcome to Paedophile Island. One ex-offender on an island full of school children and cameras. Whats going to happen?"

"Welcome, to PAEDOGEDDON! I killed the paedophile in me, by shooting myself in my own head, now I do the same for society."

"They don't deserve punishment, they deserve gunishment."

Online paedophiles can actually make your keyboard release toxic vapours that actually make you more suggestible... (He sniffs his keyboard) ...now I actually feel more suggestible. And that was just from one sniff.
- Richard Blackwood

That is scientific fact. There is no real evidence for it, but it's scientific fact.
- Neil Fox

[Companion Cube]

"Welcome to Paedophile Island. One ex-offender on an island full of school children and cameras. Whats going to happen?"

"Welcome, to PAEDOGEDDON! I killed the paedophile in me, by shooting myself in my own head, now I do the same for society."

"They don't deserve punishment, they deserve gunishment."

Online paedophiles can actually make your keyboard release toxic vapours that actually make you more suggestible... (He sniffs his keyboard) ...now I actually feel more suggestible. And that was just from one sniff.
- Richard Blackwood



That is scientific fact. There is no real evidence for it, but it's scientific fact.
- Neil Fox

What the...?

[Admiral Valdemar]

"Welcome to Paedophile Island. One ex-offender on an island full of school children and cameras. Whats going to happen?"

"Welcome, to PAEDOGEDDON! I killed the paedophile in me, by shooting myself in my own head, now I do the same for society."

"They don't deserve punishment, they deserve gunishment."

Online paedophiles can actually make your keyboard release toxic vapours that actually make you more suggestible... (He sniffs his keyboard) ...now I actually feel more suggestible. And that was just from one sniff.
- Richard Blackwood



That is scientific fact. There is no real evidence for it, but it's scientific fact.
- Neil Fox

What the...?

Channel 4 in the UK made a satirical current-events series that looked into particular themes like 60 Minutes or Panorama would. One such episode was on paedophiles and was criticized for the humour despite the fact that it was taking the piss out of the way the gov't and media handles the issues in reality. The great thing was that other than the proper actors on the series acting as reporters in the studio and in the field, they also paid real celebrities to say these things (the two last comments) and they actually BELIEVED what they were told to say because they thought this was a real programme and cause. I think it's the only episode not in the Brass Eye DVD box set hence why I never bought it the set.

[SAMAS]

Considering the following about the world Pokemon is set in:

And seemingly based off the anime... No, there's nothing wrong with that.

There is no disernable form of government. You never hear of any nations in Pokemon, nor any form of government except for the occasional local city government. If there is any government at all, it must really keep to itself. Likewise, taxes are so low that they are seemingly non-existant, so anything you earn, you keep.

That brings up the question of Lt. Surge. Exactly where was he a liutenant? The original game referres to him as an American, so that might just be case in the Kanto/Johto/Houen regions.

Everyone is armed. While guns don't seem to really exist in the land of pokemon, everyone seems to be carrying around and in command of some dangerous pokemon, which they can use to defend themselves and their loved ones and property against criminals.

Actually, there are firearms used in the anime. From the rocket launchers Team Rocket uses, to more conventional weapons. In fact, one episode(The Legend of Dratini), was banned in the US because of excessive gunplay and gun-related threats, both on the part of the Safari Zone Warden and Team Rocket(IIRC, even Meowth was packing heat).

Justice is swift and criminals always succumb to "citizens arrest". The government and local authorities don't ever tend to succeed in fighting crime, it is always the well armed citizen that prevails in foiling evil schemes. In a short order, the side of law and liberty always wins. Even the very world seems to bend to the will of law and order, with the laws of physics routinely changing to punish and brutalize lawbreakers, case in point, even boxes full of ice can become powerful explosives when Team Rocket is in the vicinity (this actually happened once). This is so reliable, that the Officer Jennys can get away with having high heels as part of their uniforms, since they rarely need to run with pokemon trainers always beating up criminals first. Likewise, corrupt fatcat officials, such as the mayor of that one town, end up getting their comeuppance by the end of the episode and lose authority.

To their credit, even the Police Department utilizes Pokemon. In one episode, an Officer Jenny was training Growlithes for a K-9 unit, Another episode had an entire police station using Spinaraks, and then there's the Jenny who commands the Squrtle Squad as her town's Fire Department.

And don't diss the heels. The K-9 Jenny has actually run an obstacle course in those things.

Small businesses and barter of services rule the day. In the world of Pokemon, small businesses tend to be the best kind and hold their own against large corporations. Case in point, the best charcoal doesn't come from the factory that mass produces it, but rather comes from the that guy who lives near the Ilex woods in Johto, who goes out with his Farfetch'd, cuts and collects the wood himself, and hand chars the bricks. Everyone recognizes this. Likewise, if you want a pokeball, you can get the generic massproduced ones, but the good pokeballs come from the guy in Azalia Town who hand makes them with skill and discipline. Also, people tend to exchange services with each other. Case in point, in Azalia Town, Ash solved the problem for the town at the Slowpoke Well, so the pokeball guy offered to make him some brand spanking new pokeballs, assuming he'll go out and collect them, for his trouble. Throughout the series, Ash and gang get by on quid quo pro deals like that.

There are a few larger corporations. The most prominent(in the games, at least) is Sliph Co. based in Saffron City in the Kanto region.

Speaking of which, did you know that Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother, runs a restaurant?

Anyone who is willing to work hard can be successful. No matter what your station in life, you can make it through hardwork and dedication. For instance, every time Jesse and James need a new giant robot for their schemes, you will often here them complaining about having to work some crappy jobs to pay for it. Likewise, being a successful pokemon trainer is obviously quite lucrative if you are good at it, as demonstrated by Gary Oak, who could afford to support a fancy sports car and a half dozen floozies (and they didn't look like cheap floozies either).

Large regard for values. Everyone in pokemon world seems to be uniformily one with the 50s style "values". For instance, with Brock, when we see the horny lad shimmery-eyed fantasies about the woman of the moment, his little mental thought cycle always has the girl and himself falling madly in love and getting married in a traditional ceremony. Never do you see him thinking him getting major head from Nurse Joy in the back room of the Pokemon Center or contemplating just how skillful the Officer Jennys are with those handcuffs.

Well, there was that episode where Brock said, and I quote: "She can violate my rights anytime!"

But mostly that's because Brock is a hopeless romantic.

After all, there is the question of Ash's Father. It's been stated by offical sources that Ash's dad was pretty much a drifter who passed through. Then there's the three or four kids shown or mentioned in the series who just happen to resemble Ash, to the point that Ash has been mistaken for two of them by their own mothers.

Not to mention Brock's mother, who simply up and left. Even her own family thinks she's dead, but she actually makes an appearance in a TV special between the final Johto arc and the Houen arc.

Everyone is idyllic and moral and responsible, and those that aren't tend to come to see the error of their ways by the end of the episode or get an assbeating.

Or both.

This may also tie into the reason why towns and cities are so small, and why there are so few major Highways. Environmental Control by the local Ecology. In both the anime and the game, it is said that some Pokemon actually terraform the land itself for the benefit of themselves and other Pokemon, and protest destructively to unwanted Human encroachment. Every time Humans and Pokemon have butted heads over territory, the Humans have lost. In one extreme case, a good portion of a city was flooded and destroyed. But generally, humans and Pokemon have learned to get along decently. In fact, an entire town in Houen is built on a Corsola Reef.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Saying Brock is a hopeless romantic is like saying Mr. Bean is a bit clumsy.

I hope for the sake of Pokéworld people that Brock doesn't breed.

[Darth Wong]

Considering the following about the world Pokemon is set in:

There is no disernable form of government. You never hear of any nations in Pokemon, nor any form of government except for the occasional local city government. If there is any government at all, it must really keep to itself. Likewise, taxes are so low that they are seemingly non-existant, so anything you earn, you keep.

Barter between children is normally not regulated in present-day governments, even highly socialist ones.

Everyone is armed. While guns don't seem to really exist in the land of pokemon, everyone seems to be carrying around and in command of some dangerous pokemon, which they can use to defend themselves and their loved ones and property against criminals.

However, the Pokemon appear to be the ONLY permissible form of private armament. Most Pokemon would be useless against firearms, which any criminal could use to wreak havoc in this fair city, seemingly defended only by children with Pokemon balls.

Law and order is nonexistent (although I suppose libertarians consider anarchy to be "utopia"): the police officers we see never seem to interfere in the street brawls which routinely erupt between youth gangs, and no one even bothers contacting police when a Pokemon is kidnapped, which suggests that they're of marginal usefulness.

Justice is swift and criminals always succumb to "citizens arrest". The government and local authorities don't ever tend to succeed in fighting crime, it is always the well armed citizen that prevails in foiling evil schemes.

The "well-armed citizens" are always children armed with Pokemon; where are the adults and police officers with firearms?

In a short order, the side of law and liberty always wins. Even the very world seems to bend to the will of law and order, with the laws of physics routinely changing to punish and brutalize lawbreakers, case in point, even boxes full of ice can become powerful explosives when Team Rocket is in the vicinity (this actually happened once).

Actually, a successful enforcement of law means that crime is minimized, whereas the laws of physics in Pokemon invariably allow criminals to not only get away to commit another crime, but to survive even the most seemingly horrendous accidents, no matter how stupendously incompetent they are. In reality, the laws of physics in Pokemon seem designed to guarantee perpetual insecurity, disorder, and anarchy.

This is so reliable, that the Officer Jennys can get away with having high heels as part of their uniforms, since they rarely need to run with pokemon trainers always beating up criminals first.

I would support attractive female police officers in miniskirts and high heels, but mostly in strip-joint environments rather than serious law enforcement.

Likewise, corrupt fatcat officials, such as the mayor of that one town, end up getting their comeuppance by the end of the episode and lose authority.

To be replaced by whom?

Small businesses and barter of services rule the day. In the world of Pokemon, small businesses tend to be the best kind and hold their own against large corporations. Case in point, the best charcoal doesn't come from the factory that mass produces it, but rather comes from the that guy who lives near the Ilex woods in Johto, who goes out with his Farfetch'd, cuts and collects the wood himself, and hand chars the bricks. Everyone recognizes this.

In the modern world, the best products often come from small-fry operations. But that doesn't change the fact that the big operations make and control all of the money.

Likewise, if you want a pokeball, you can get the generic massproduced ones, but the good pokeballs come from the guy in Azalia Town who hand makes them with skill and discipline. Also, people tend to exchange services with each other. Case in point, in Azalia Town, Ash solved the problem for the town at the Slowpoke Well, so the pokeball guy offered to make him some brand spanking new pokeballs, assuming he'll go out and collect them, for his trouble. Throughout the series, Ash and gang get by on quid quo pro deals like that.

That is typical of any modern society; the size of the underground economy is always quite large. I have made unregulated cash transactions before, and so has everyone else.

Anyone who is willing to work hard can be successful. No matter what your station in life, you can make it through hardwork and dedication. For instance, every time Jesse and James need a new giant robot for their schemes, you will often here them complaining about having to work some crappy jobs to pay for it. Likewise, being a successful pokemon trainer is obviously quite lucrative if you are good at it, as demonstrated by Gary Oak, who could afford to support a fancy sports car and a half dozen floozies (and they didn't look like cheap floozies either).

Actually, the financial success of people who contribute nothing of substantive value to society in the Pokemon universe is an indictment of its values. We are talking about a society which seems to revolve around glorified cock-fights, in which people train animals to fight one another for sport.

Large regard for values. Everyone in pokemon world seems to be uniformily one with the 50s style "values". For instance, with Brock, when we see the horny lad shimmery-eyed fantasies about the woman of the moment, his little mental thought cycle always has the girl and himself falling madly in love and getting married in a traditional ceremony. Never do you see him thinking him getting major head from Nurse Joy in the back room of the Pokemon Center or contemplating just how skillful the Officer Jennys are with those handcuffs. Everyone is idyllic and moral and responsible, and those that aren't tend to come to see the error of their ways by the end of the episode or get an assbeating.

How is sexual prudishness equal to morality? Morality does not come from sexual prudishness, and in fact it is often the opposite; the sexual prudes are often the ones who will violate any reasonable concept of morality by routinely interfering with the private lives of others and criminalizing victimless "crimes" such as prostitution.

Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys are involved in hot libertarian action on Proposition 69. Oh, come on, you know they do. (actually, this is an ongoing joke from my real life, which is obscenely funny to me, so it must be mentioned).

We all love hot lesbo action.

[neoolong]

That gets me to thinking. Do the people there eat pokemon? Because all the animals seem to be pokemon.

[Joe]

although I suppose libertarians consider anarchy to be "utopia"

No, no, no, libertarianism is not a utopian ideal, even the most extreme libertarians are fully aware that we will never, ever have a perfect world...futhermore, some libertarians are anarchists, but the vast bulk of them aren't.

I don't mean to nitpick, but being called an anarchist for being a libertarian is a bit like being called a communist for being an atheist.

[Darth Wong]

although I suppose libertarians consider anarchy to be "utopia"

No, no, no, libertarianism is not a utopian ideal, even the most extreme libertarians are fully aware that we will never, ever have a perfect world...futhermore, some libertarians are anarchists, but the vast bulk of them aren't.

Anarchism is extreme libertarianism, is it not?

I don't mean to nitpick, but being called an anarchist for being a libertarian is a bit like being called a communist for being an atheist.

Bullshit. Atheism and communism are far more dissimilar than libertarianism and anarchism.