I find the idea of writing a roleplay constitution together as a stream very exciting, but I guess I should ask first.

[image deleted]Yea

What exactly would the constitution look like? How long would it be? Who would write it? What type or rules would we have?

You’re asking the right questions!

I can’t answer these questions myself, because I’m just one guy and even though I’m a stream co-founder, my suggestions lack authority until ratified by a higher power: Be that a Constitutional Convention, ad hoc direct vote, decision of an elected President in conjunction with an elected Congress, or otherwise.

That’s what makes this stream democratic and what ensures it will stay democratic and responsive to the needs of the people, which is the only way to ensure its long-term stability and success.

Really, the only thing about this stream set in stone at this point are the anti-bigotry provisions. Those ideas are baked into the DNA of this stream and supersede even the Constitution or lack thereof, as it is what brought most of us here in the first place with the idea of building a better roleplay government.

Circling back to your question about the Constitution though, I would suggest we have at least a Bill of Rights, a formal procedure for elections, branches of government with defined roles, and impeachment provisions.

Who would write it? Either myself or we could break out different provisions to be written by different drafters. I’d prefer the latter so that I get a break and others get writing experience.

So you think that having, and not having a written Constitution, is "fun". I agree.
It's fun if you get it ; it's not, if you think it's a 'headache'.
But a lil Constitution would really do better if it's written with purpose and practicality.

Downsides of a Constitution:

1. It takes time and effort to write
2. Gives an extra step before getting to "the fun part" of presidential elections
3. It could potentially lead to bruised feelings if people's cherished ideas aren't adopted
4. I just don't know if there's an appetite here to go for that deep of a dive with this government role-play
5. Assuming we leave our Constitution subject to being amended, the issue of re-writing our Constitution going forward may serve as a potential distraction to "the fun" of presidential elections

I'm in the pro-constitution camp myself, but it's not strictly necessary. The vast majority of countries have a Constitution, but not all do. The United Kingdom famously does not have a written constitution. However, I believe that lack of a formal structure has raised a lot of thorny issues as far as effectuating the mess that is Brexit.

It's also worth nothing that a Constitution is just words on a page without a government that understands the text and has the willingness and ability to enforce it. Putting aside whether Trump is capable of doing that right here in the U.S., if you go to other countries you'll find that they have massive constitutions but aren't necessarily great places to live because of it.

Trivia: India has the longest written constitution on earth. However, anyone familiar with the stubborn persistence of the caste system and the Hindu-Muslim ethnic conflict knows that India hasn't necessarily always guaranteed equal rights to all its people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India

Advantages of a stream Constitution:

1. Provides a formal structure to the stream going forward
2. Lends democratic legitimacy to everything we do together
3. Gets everyone "on the same page"
4. Promotes civic-mindedness and awareness
5. It's fun!

My check mark here---✅

What is a government if not bureaucracy /sarcasm

Written baselines of governance are important, they establish the rules of the game. Playing politics is more fun with agreed upon rules.

aye