Reason Writers Around Town

Over at the American Conservative, Jesse Walker takes a tour of micronations—and explains what they are and where they came from.

Comments

Jake Boone | November 29, 2007, 10:28am | #

We're still working on reliable communications, but a small portion of my temporal lobe has declared independence from the United States of America, and I -- in the absence of other candidates for the position -- will be acting as the head of its diplomatic corps on a pro tempore basis. I, therefore, hereby declare the free and sovereign nation of Hippocampia to be the world's first "nanonation."

Rimfax | November 29, 2007, 10:45am | #

Well, there was Waveland on Rockall, but I can understand why you skipped that one.

For general reference, Wikipedia:Category:Micronations

Rimfax | November 29, 2007, 10:51am | #

Ha! You forgot the "libertarian utopia" of Minerva! (Of course, that's probably due to the fact that it's defunct. Stupid Tongans!)

Jesse Walker | November 29, 2007, 10:56am | #

Rimfax: I mostly limited myself to the micronations mentioned in the book. There are plenty of others, including at least one more (the Artists' Republic of Fremont) that I've visited.

Jake Boone | November 29, 2007, 11:01am | #

If you want to visit Hippocampia, you'll need at least a drill and a pair of very, very clean shoes.

I hope you'll choose not to visit Hippocampia.

de stijl | November 29, 2007, 11:18am | #

What happens in Hippocampia, stays in Hippocampia (and in declarative memory).

Hippocampia is for lovers (of spatial memory).

Dangerman | November 29, 2007, 11:36am | #

Nation States used to be a great game for micronation-simulation. Long Live the Republic of The Land Pirates! (If it hasn't been cleared for non-use.)

The site is timing out, so I can't tell if it is still up and running, but I spent a long time playing while I was at school a few years ago. Never read the book.

| November 29, 2007, 12:09pm | #

What ever happened to the bar in England that wanted to become a part of some small island nation (population 1, I think) so that it could sell beer? I recall that the island nation was actually recognized by the UK as a nation.

Rhywun | November 29, 2007, 12:20pm | #

charming, tongue-in-cheek projects like Molossia

One man's "charming" is another's "unhinged"...

Jake Boone | November 29, 2007, 1:29pm | #

Dangerman,

I played on NationStates for a while, too, and I did read the book. It annoyed me. The premise was that in the future, privatization had made it so that everyone stayed within one company their whole life, and that company provided everything they needed (including your surname). So if you worked at McDonald's, you'd be named Dangerman McDonald's, and your kids would be educated at a McDonald's school, etc., etc. No realistic explanation of how this had come to be was offered, aside from some Dan T.-esque hand-waving about lack of choices.

The titular protagonist was a heroic government agent (Jennifer Government) who wished and wished that the tiny, nigh-powerless government had more power and funding to deal with all the Big Evil Guys. If I remember right, it was pretty much a big ol' "The government would solve all our problems if we just gave it all the money it asks for" screed.

The author's failure to grasp such inscrutable business concepts like "competition" and "return on investment" kept jarring me out of the book every page or two.

ChrisO | November 29, 2007, 5:00pm | #

Oh yeah, I forgot about "Jennifer Government" and the related game. It was a pretty entertaining book, actually, though certainly not philosophically airtight.

AgentSmith | November 29, 2007, 6:53pm | #

I can proclaim that I own the moon, or that I am the emperor of my backyard but if I cannot defend my claims against trespassers then the claims are meaningless. But wait until we enter the matrix. As people spend increasing amount of time in virtual realities, nations will become less important. The end of the struggle to posses resources that are limited will cause eliminate macro and micro nations.

Get ready.

Roasting Toast | November 29, 2007, 7:05pm | #

| November 29, 2007, 12:09pm | #
What ever happened to the bar in England that wanted to become a part of some small island nation (population 1, I think) so that it could sell beer? I recall that the island nation was actually recognized by the UK as a nation.

The bar is an embassy of Redonda.

Craig | November 30, 2007, 4:30pm | #

The future isn't in micro-nations with micro-populations. The future is in non-geographically based nations with large populations.

With the Internet, why does everyone who lives in the same geographical area need to live under the same government? Let people REALLY vote every two years, and choose which government they belong to.

People can have different credit card companies, different banks, different health care providers, and different insurance companies -- why not different governments?

Let everyone who votes for Hillary live under her rule. Let those who prefer Giuliani join his country. Let those who want smaller government and sound currency join the Ron Paul nation.

Francesco Sinibaldi | December 4, 2007, 3:52pm | #

The wing and a fine time.

Listening to the
sound of a delicate
hovel, and recalling
a wonder, I see
magic profiles near
the heart of a
luminous pine-tree;
the wind fades
away, the care of
a blackbird describes
and emotion and
always, in silence,
your beautiful mind
returns in the sky.