Talk:Religion/@comment-26018514-20190513193528/@comment-35434444-20190514215412

@EmBELLEm

Solaris refers to the northern continent of Remnant called Solitas, but I'm a dumbass and can't spell it.

Now here are some things I don't understand.

Where does it say Mistral has the most dust? If they do, what the hell did Ironwood think he was going to achieve by starting a dust embargo if all of the other nations actually have more dust than them anyway? How do the Schnees own the biggest dust company in the world if Mistral has more dust and can therefore afford to undercut their prices? (The embargo is already idiotic on more levels than I can count but the one thing about it that is at least intelligible is the implication that Atlas is supposed to be so dust-themed and so core to global industry that an embargo would cripple any impending outbreak of war.)

And Mistral would know what to do? They have access to Atlas' technology all they have to do is trade for it and yet they've done nothing.

On the other hand, let's think about what Atlas has used dust for.

They've created the most advanced airships in the world. Large scale ordinance and mechs for combating grimm on a scale so large only silver-eyed-warriors can even impede them. Infrastructure of every kind imaginable such that an embargo on Atlas tech is considered significant enough to prevent a war because everyone is so reliant on it as stated above, including defence networks, communications networks, supply lines, transportation, and entertainment. The first thing we're even told about dust is that mankind would have perished without it.

You know what Nicolas Schnee really died of? A broken back from carrying the entire world and everyone living on it.

That's what Weiss is supposed to live up to.

It isn't called Atlas for nothing.

I can already hear you. "But Jon -- slaves! They can't be smart if they mistreat others." You know who else used slaves? The Romans I.E one of the classic civilizations that defined western culture. As abominable as it is, creativity and intelligence isn't selective. It doesn't abandon you just because you did something immoral. Can you imagine how much easier everything would be if only good people were smart?

Mistral has architecture? So what. Atlas built a city in the sky.

It makes no sense to put Mistral ahead of Atlas in terms of cultural development because they have faunus mine slaves, mechanized labour, and outsourced agriculture. There's absolutely nothing left for them to do except research, finance, administration, and make art. If they can construct automated battle mechs, I doubt there are any people in those factories and from what we can tell, they seem to be rolling in art.

Volume six made fun of the Atlas' hubris and acting like they were better than everyone else, but honestly if Nicolas was still running the place, they'd be pretty justified in thinking that because by all quantifiable measures, no one else has contributed more to mankind's development than they have.

(There's a flaw in my reasoning that can completely turn my argument against itself and casts a bad light on Atlas, but I'm hoping you'll point it out before I have to. I'll give you three clues. Hint 1: Use the Tao. Hint 2: It's not slavery. Hint 3: No really, it has nothing to do with slavery don't even think about it because I'm ready for you. )

We've been told that Atlas placed on a ban on artistic expression, but I outright deny the canonicity of this given everything we've seen about Atlas that completely contradicts it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Weiss is a singer. Jacques, the most influential person in the entire country barring Ironwood, made her sing in a concert attended by hundreds of people. She lives in an ornately furnished mansion which is itself a form of artistic expression. She showed up to Beacon with an entire showroom of fashionable clothes in luggage.

<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe it doesn't take intelligence to creative, but either way Atlas is demonstrably both.

<p class="MsoNormal">...You know what -- keep the stupid aromatherapy lamp of knowledge. I think I just demonstrated that Atlas is unequivocally the most creative nation on Remnant.

<p class="MsoNormal">Gimme my goddamn sceptre.