Governments and politics on Oddworld

[seriouslyoddfan]

Hi all,

I've played all of the Oddworld games (well, not the gameboy ports) and I have never noticed any reference to politics or governance on Oddworld. Has there ever been mention of local, national, or international politics?

I'm well aware of the power of mega corporations like the Magog Cartel. Is it to be assumed that those who live in the industrialized parts of Oddworld live under anarcho-corporatocracy? I would assume the mudokons of Monsaic Lines and other lands sacred to them are governed by tribal councils. In the part of Mudos where "Stranger" takes place, one might assume nightwatchmen like governments.

Anyway, this is all just speculation. Does anyone here know if there is any canon pertaining to governance/politics on Oddworld.

Thanks.

[Varrok]

Government and laws are usually made to make people's lives better, and I don't think Glukkons and Sligs would really like that.

Also, there is a jail/sheriff's office in SW.

[Job McYossie]

Government and laws are usually made to make people's lives better, and I don't think Glukkons and Sligs would really like that.

Or to help the lawmakers get further on top a social pyramid. I see it likely as a business run government.

[Varrok]

I think it's something like anarchy (or just "anarchy"). Who has bigger guns, gets to make the rules

[Manco]

Well there is Margaret, the Glukkon Queen. It’s possible there is some form of state, although whether it’s run by the monarchy or some other form of authority is difficult to say.

[Nate]

It's probably a Libertarian Utopia. Except the way that Libertarianism would actually work out, not the optimistic claims of its supporters.

[STM]

We've seen a few different government systems, often working within each other

> Absolute Monarchy, seemingly the Glukkons have a sort of pseudo-monarchical system where Margaret stands as the leader.
> Oligarchy, wherein a small elité commands all authority (Glukkon businessmen).
> Plutocracy/Corporatocracy, apparently the most obvious and broadest form of government where businesses like the Cartel and the Conglomerate hold political and economic power.
> Small scale tribal anocracy and theocracy. We've seen mudokons seemingly hold some sort of reverence for Abe as a somewhat politicised figure for his spirituality and we've seen tribal grubbs under localised tribal anocratic government fighting against the Sekto Dam.

[moxco]

Oddworld canon isn't particularly well thought out, Lorne mostly just makes it up as he goes along. The Glukkons seem to run a sort of capitalist oligarchy with Margaret as a matriarch. They employ the Sligs as lumpenproletariat to enforce their enslavement of Mudokons.

In the wild the Mudokons are Luddite noble-savages. Lorne likes to romanticise shit like that because he's a hippy.

[Wil]

Guys.

Society is not run by Glukkons. How many factory owners do you know of that sit in government?

[Havoc]

Guys.

Society is not run by Glukkons. How many factory owners do you know of that sit in government?

Sit in government... no. Run the government... yes.

[abe is now!]

Guys.

Society is not run by Glukkons. How many factory owners do you know of that sit in government?

Well, Molluck looks like the boss of the whole world in AO.

[STM]

Guys.

Society is not run by Glukkons. How many factory owners do you know of that sit in government?

Well how do we know if you don't tell us! >:U

[Holy Sock]

Didn't Lorne was talk about how the higher up you get in this particular power structure the more parasitic and more involved in occultism?

[Job McYossie]

How many factory owners do you know of that sit in government?

plenty of business owners have large stakes in government.

[Nate]

Molluck was a low-level manager, not a business owner. He's a nobody in terms of the Magog Cartel.

[STM]

I thought he was supposed to be one of the most powerful business-creatures on Mudos?

[Crashpunk]

And I also thought the Rupture Farms in Abe's Oddysee was the main Rupture Farms facility? The biggest in Oddworld in fact. Making Molluck quite a big deal within the Magog Cartel?

[Phylum]

I think it's more that every RF is the "biggest in the world", as some kind of propaganda. Muds don't get to talk to eachother at all, let alone cross factory, so it's easy to propagate lies like that.

Or maybe RF1029 is more important. In which case Mullok is the poor schmuck who gets stuck with managing the biggest factory. He does the work out in the middle of nowhere, while the really important people make big money. He has a board of glukkons riding his arse on profits (when I was young I thought they worked for him, but now I see it as him being the lowest rung in that meeting), and it's up to him to come up with the solution of butchering his employees. He doesn't sound too important to me.

[Holy Sock]

Well Mullock's the CEO. He has to answer to his board of directors but they're not necessarily his bosses per se. I don't know much about big business but I imagine it's just a system in order to stop CEO's running their companies into the ground and scaring off their shareholders. But Molluck would still have a lot of power within the board I imagine.

Also, I believe Lorne mentioned that Oddworld was all about expanding the scope. So whilst Abe's gone to so much trouble taking down Rupture Farms there are still hundreds more to take its place.

[Phylum]

I don't think CEO is the right word here at all. Mullock is the manager of a single Rupture Farms, he's not in charge of all RFs everywhere. He's one of hundreds.

He's the guy that's in charge of making sure one tiny slice of the Cartel's pie is pulling it's weight, and has to answer to his superiors when it isn't.

[Holy Sock]

Well he's in charge of SoulStorm brewery, also. And Necrum Mines. I think he just personally runs Rupture Farms. I mean General Dripik was worried that, since both Rupture Farms and Necrum Mines had been destroyed if Molluck ever came back they'd (as in Dripik, Phleg, & Aslik) would be "screwed".

So presumably he has more power than simply being the manager of a RuptureFarms.

[STM]

Yeah, I think Molluck is supposed to be higher up the rungs than a mere pencil pusher.

[Phylum]

Huh, that's true actually. I haven't played AE in a while, and I forgot that stuff about the 3 musketeers being scared if Mullock came back. I guess he's more of an entrepreneur then? I still like the idea that his standing within the RF corporate structure isn't right at the top, but that wouldn't stop him reinvesting his money into other things. If there's one word I know has been used to Officially describe him over the years, it's ambitious.

[Crashpunk]

Even the Brewmaster was lower down than Molluck. And he had his own personal Slig.

[Nate]

I used to work for an IT company with 30 employees. The CEO was a podunk nobody with a shelf of self-help books that didn't work and an inferiority complex from here to Saturn. He had a personal assistant and another 28 employees under him, though.

Now think about all the other companies that are bigger and more important. And think about everyone in politics from the lowest regional seat up to the Prime Minister. And think about everyone with real power.

There's a long gap between that shitty CEO and the top of the termite heap.

[abe is now!]

Molluck was a low-level manager, not a business owner. He's a nobody in terms of the Magog Cartel.

Who told you this? Come on? Who told you this???!!!

[Phylum]

There are only 2 known sources of Oddworld information in the known universe - Lorne interviews and Wil.

[Spooce-aholic]

If the Mudokons are inspired by hunter-gather tribes here on Earth then they are most likely very egalitarian societies without hierarchies, currency, markets, or social classes; meaning that they're most likely anarchist communist.

The Glukkons are clearly capitalist, but in my opinion it is irrelevant if they're fascist or anarchist because capitalism will just become corporatocracy anyway.

[Nate]

Who told you this? Come on? Who told you this???!!!

Lorne told me this.
http://oddworldlibrary.net/oddblog/s...lukkon_history

[STM]

Holy shit. I take everything bad I've said about Lornes ideas...that's amazing!!