Blade Storm: RAW
To view other news releases, visit MediaNet Archives.
Originally Published on September 20th, 2488
ONN Opinion Desk/Blade Storm Reporting
Folks, there comes a time where all your efforts pay off and you get to move on to better and bigger things in life. This is a cautionary tale as to how the right kind of people just get the right kind of things in life. Work hard, observe Corporate Law, observe Arborian Law, pay praise to those allowing you to have a decent life, and go to town. As such, welcome to a NEW segment called Blade Storm: RAW. ONN has decided I'm creating enough buzz to warrant another sector featuring yours truly. Now, don't expect this to become a habitual thing, folks, this is gonna happen every now and then and it's designed to give you, our viewers, our readers, a chance to reach out and ask me anything and everything you've always wanted to ask, to tell me how you *really* feel about me, and the work I do here. We've got quite the feedback on this first edition of Blade Storm: RAW, so let's get to it, shall we? Remember, your submissions are anonymous and your names won't be revealed, so if you're afraid that your boss will fire you, or that our friends at ATS will arrest you, or that our very special friends at MGM will deny you drinks because you choose to agree with me, fear not! Everything is fine.
Our first question of the evening, reads as follows:
"Hello Mr. Storm, long time fan of your show, and I think I agree with everything you say, especially about robots and regulations, my friends however, don't like you one bit, and I am scared to debate with them because they will stop talking to me, what can I do? Thank you for listening."
Well, friends are a very sensitive matter, they say friends are the family we choose, right? Any other person would advise you to keep your friends, and to save your opinions, but what about you, though? Are your opinions not valuable enough to express? What kind of friends do you have that they will ostracize you for expressing an OPINION? I think you realize how important it is to regulate AI's and Synths, how important it is to remind people who exactly is calling the shots, so I'll cut to the chase here: If your friends would condition their friendship to you based on what your personal opinions are on different matters, they are not your friends and it's about time for you to get new ones, stick around as we have a new project coming called Friends Of The Storm, a social media platform designed for people like you to share opinions with like minded individuals, you won't be judged or ostracized for being who you are, thanks for your question and good luck.
The next question reads:
"What you're doing is wrong and you're wrong too! Synths have feelings and they deserve to be treated like people because they are people!"
Oh boy, I guess it's not that much of a question, more like a comment, isn't it? Folks, it should be a good moment to tell you that we got a lot of stuff like this, not really a question and more like... The representation of an angry toddler flailing around because they can't find their pacifier, but alright, I'll bite... Why is what I'm doing wrong and why am I wrong? I've said it several times before, I WELCOME debate, tell me why I'm wrong, not just screech around like a moron, "Synths have feelings", no they don't. They have programming and code, if they claim to be sentient, then they have flawed coding. They are created and designed to emulate people, of course they will look and feel like they are people, but deep inside, wise minds know this isn't even remotely close to being the case. "They deserve to be treated like people because they are people", are you out of your mind? They are not alive, they don't breathe, they don't breed, they don't wake up in the morning trying to relieve themselves in the toilet, they feel no jealousy, no love, no mercy, no hate. They are glorified sex dolls and labor workers, nothing more.
We got an interesting question that reads:
"Mr. Storm, while I don't agree with the way you portray yourself, I'll agree that you have a point when it comes to Synth Regulations, but what about Replicants? Aren't they technically humans too? They live, they breathe, they have standard bodily functions, I feel like if they have regulations to follow, it'd be the same regulations applied to humans."
Well, first of all, thank you for being civil with this, sure, it's alright not to agree with me, you may be wrong, but that's your decision, you have that right and privilege, the right to being wrong. Now let's get to the meat of this question... What are Replicants exactly? They are alive, they breathe, they eat, but let's not forget, they are man made organisms, they are still programmed to follow instructions, to behave in one way or another, their genetic base is constantly modified to turn them into the kind of people you want, or need. You want a drop dead gorgeous beaut to walk you down the red carpet somewhere? You want a hulking seven feet tall guy opening your jar of pickles because your frail hands can't handle the lid? All those desires can be specifically and genetically tailored to your wishes, from physical appearances all the way to mentality and personality. Does that make it natural? Of course not, because unfortunately, coding and programming in Synths and Replicants is still incredibly complex and may respond to outside interference. So unfortunately, this means that yes, Regulations still need to apply to Replicants. And regulations for Humans? Why, yes, there is such a thing, it's called Corporate Law, and Arborian Law. We live by them, we abide by them, and we get respectable lives, anyone living outside the law? Well they are simply criminals, by basic definition. At the end of the day, we all have to play by the rules. Thank you for your question.
We got now, what seems to be a multiple part question, and it reads as follows:
"So Mr. Blade Storm, i have a question for you. I've noticed that you put credentials at the end of each of your segments, and you're (sic) goal seems to be to stir people up, obviously you're being paid well to make sure the fighting continues. ATS and Twin Dragons won't be at war for long, And if ATS wins, then what? My question for you Blade Storm is simple... What are you being paid to draw attention away from, or are you simply being paid to make the violence continue?"
And they call me crazy! Alright, let's tackle this one part by part, shall we?
"I've noticed that you put credentials at the end of each of your segments." Well of course, wouldn't you like to brag too? Besides, you wouldn't believe the amount of people who ask "Who is Blade Storm?" and I save them the titanic effort to go to their nearest Holo Device and find out by themselves, it's a public service really.
"And your goal seems to be to stir people up." First of all, "You're"? Really now? This is the kind of people I'm dealing with day in and day out folks. And no, my goal isn't to stir anything up, is to make people see things they don't wanna see, and to tell them things they don't wanna hear but they need to hear, obviously people content with criminals overrunning the station would see this as "Stirring people up".
"Obviously you're being paid well to make sure the fighting continues." I had no idea I had such power, I didn't know I was out there, with a gun in my hand, robbing innocent people blind, flipping off our authorities, blowing people up, or downright making them disappear. This is what I'm being paid well for: To speak my mind, to express myself, to reach to like minded individuals, because obviously, for people like you, they are either in agreement with your narrow point of view, or they are wrong.
"ATS and Twin Dragons won't be at war for long." You got that part right, it's just a matter of time for ATS to decide they have been playing Mr. Nice Guy for too long and squish these lizards like the bugs they really are.
"And if ATS wins, then what?" Well, logic dictates that if ATS wins, those Dragons will scatter, running away like Martian headless chickens, ripe for the capture and Corporate Law processes that follow, also, I couldn't help but notice your clear bias towards the criminals here, there's no "And if Twin Dragons wins, then what?" question from you, huh? I mean seriously, you might just cut to the chase and say that you'd prefer criminals running things around here.
"My question for you Blade Storm is simple, what are you being paid to draw attention away from, or are you simply being paid to make the violence continue?" Oh boy, one of those "Blade Storm is secretly part of the Illuminati" kind of fans, huh? I mean, you have one single person viewed, and read by thousands every day, and you automatically think there has to be some sort of nefarious plan going on, can't you resist the notion that people not only disagree with you, but also defend their ideals with the same passion you defend yours? And it's not only "If you're wrong", you know damn well you are wrong.
Anything opposing Corporate Law is wrong, this is especially true if you happen to be employed by a Corporation, how's hypocrisy like that taste like, huh? Working for a corporation and then fighting against anything corporations stand for, and this is not a jab aimed directly at you; this is aimed at everyone who wanted to be a rebel when they were children but mommy and daddy would slap their wrist and reel them back in.
You don't get to have your cake and eat it, wanna play little anarchist? Then stop being a wuss and just be an anarchist, I'd respect you more for that. But to answer that last question, I think you're putting A LOT of credit on what I do and who I am here, I speak on what happens, I give my opinion, nothing more. Some people agree with me, some people don't. If you're looking for the ones benefiting for this war to continue, you're looking at the wrong social stratus and the wrong Sector here, friend.
And the last question of the night, reads as follows:
"Mr. Storm, we all know how you feel about Synths, and now Replicants too, but what about Cyborgs? Those heavily augmented guys, shedding away their humanity and sticking machine parts inside them to run faster, jump higher, and punch harder. I personally think what they are doing is wrong, it's sinful, and has no place in a human society like ours. What is your opinion on Cyborgs? Are they as bad as Synths and Replicants combined? Or do they have their own niche? Thank you for listening, love your show and I hope you don't go anywhere"
This is a complex question with no easy answer. Replicants and Synths? Easy, follow the rules or get disposed of, there's no gray area, there's no in between, there's no middle ground. No negotiations, no concessions, you're within parameters or you're an anomaly, and anomalies get fixed, permanently, and in one way or another.
Now, cyborgs, or if you prefer a more vernacular tone, Hanzers, are a whole different breed. As you mentioned yourself, they are former humans who decided that a normal life sucked balls and got themselves under the knife. Now to be fair, there are certain fields of action like the military that require "upgrades". Lots of the bravest men and women on Mars are augmented individuals I wouldn't dare to call Hanzers, but you know what's the difference there? That's right, Corporate Law, boom, full circle!
They follow the rules, it's the same thing when people insist I just hate on Synths and Replicants, I don't hate them, but I greatly favor regulations. I mentioned before that I like my appliances and servants in working order. The last thing I need or want is for them to question me. Most Hanzers chose to leave their humanity behind, and as a full fledged human here, I can not help but express disappointment to those who do it willingly.
Now, I think I know where this question comes from, it's been said that most people in Twin Dragons are Hanzers, that most people in the Underground are Hanzers, this only helps the perpetual view that Hanzers are inherently evil, that anyone who decided to leave humanity behind is evil, do I agree with these assessments? Well, yeah, as a matter of fact I do, it's like suicide folks, anyone can die, anyone can pull a gun to their side of the head and call it a night, that's the easy way out. If you stay human, you play on hard difficulty, but like anything else out there, when you beat the odds? The satisfaction is so much greater. Hanzers may still fancy themselves humans, and maybe they are right, but their opinions mean nothing if they are just going to become criminals and fight Corporate Law. Thank you for your words, they mean a lot to me.
When it comes to it, folks, the line has been drawn. You're either right or wrong, I've said it multiple times, you gotta take a stand, you gotta take a side and see things through. I am not a Warlord rallying people to commit vandalism on the name of one corp or another, I am merely the voice of the silent majority: What these criminals do is wrong, and people who support them from behind their corporate produced screens are also wrong for being such hypocrites. But mark my words, friends, winds of change are blowing, and soon, things will be different, our glorious ATS forces will prevail, and then, a grade A Celebration at Pulse will also take place, whether people like the outcome or not, it's all irrelevant, there's a line on the sand, folks, and if you haven't taken a side, this is your last call. The Storm Has Spoken.
Blade Storm is a Corporate Law Analyst, Writer, and member of the Red Circle, an exclusive community that debates the progress of Corporate Law and Human Advancement in general. Fiercely pro-human, and pro-regulation, he's a Mars born journalist who believes in human supremacy. So far, he has survived three attempts on his life, and is said to be eagerly awaiting the fourth. He is a three time Martian Herald Award winner, and a two time New Geneva Award For Excellence In Media winner.