Compulsory Gridanian Education

[Kicha]

With Ul'dah, it seems to me that the refugees are treated in much the same way as the real world homeless. I mean, you guys even make it sound the same. "Why don't they go join a guild?" "Why not just go get a job?" The refugees probably got refused by the guild the minute they entered, wearing pretty much rags and no skill to show for it. So sure, it would be nice if someone went and taught them a skill or two so that they can go and join a guild, but in a city like Ul'dah who would do that?
And as for picking up a sword and joining up to be a gladiator in order to eat...That's like telling a homeless person that if they're hungry, they should go and try to join the military. Go put yourself in harm's way and hope that you get accepted and fed.
We as adventurers do this because that is what we are. We throw ourselves into the fray and relish in the life of danger and adventure. That's not the life that every average citizen is capable of.

Lastly, and I promise this is the last, sure, those people who are in the guilds may be ONLY goldsmiths, or ONLY armorers, but they have dedicated years to their craft and I'm sure that they can craft things that are way beyond us. I mean, we have to go to Serendipity to get a mammet made. Why? I'm a lvl 50 gsm couldn't I have made it? Nope, because for all intents and purposes, I may be a really good goldsmith, but I probably only know the lite version of the craft. The real thing requires dedication and years of practice and honing the craft.

[Lucke]

stuff

Isn't it the guilds' job to train people. If they don't know the basics of combat, that's what the guild does. That's why the first task we have is to kill bugs, not only to see if we can, but to teach us which side of the sword to hold. Someone who never held a sword before in thier life, can go to the GLA guild and learn the basics. As they get higher level, they are charged with more responsibility and killing bigger and badder beasts. Think about us when we join another guild at 10.


Let's say we're GLA level 10, we know the basics of swordplay. We decide to go to the LNC guild in Grid without having lifted up a spear our entire lives. They LNC guild trains us first the basics (more bug killing) then as we get experience, we train against harder foes. To expect you have skill in a guild to be able to join is a Catch 22. How are we supposed to be trained when the trainers only accept trained individuals?

To go with the real world military analogy, civvies join the military and the military trains them on how to use their weapon. Volunteers probably have never fired a gun before, but the military still accepts them even though they have no skill. It's the military's job to train them.

[Zorzi]

Is there a term for this? Because I'm pretty sure "class warfare" is that term.

Classism.

[ShackledDreams]

Snip

I would have to agree that it is the guild's obligation to train those that qualify to join and are given member status; however, I would disagree that any guild is responsible or can afford to take in everyone. Look at poor Cocobusi and the Thaumaturge's quest line as an example. Fortunate enough for Cocobusi, he was granted access to the Alchemist's guild, but he was denied access over the player character because he lack the aptitude for being a Thaumaturge and he had several family members within the guild.

Looking at the real world example, if we were looking specifically at the U.S., the military can deny access to those who are physically unfit, mentally unfit, intellectually unfit or legally unfit. In 2010, it was found that roughly 75-percent of high school seniors fit this category due to things like weight, physical deformities or criminal backgrounds. Of those that are allowed to take the basic entry exam, 25-percent fail, which limits the pool of potential candidates considerably.

If we take this real world example back to Ul'dah, it seems safe to say that most foreign refugees would not qualify the basic needs for joining a guild. Yet, all of this seems unlikely in Ul'dah, which makes it more likely that potential candidates are given entry by basic prowess or aptitude, if it is there. Those that succeed gain entry to the city and eventually access to the inn. Those that are most successful might even get to buy land in the adventurer's districts. Yet, based on the number of refuges, it would seem that most are not very successful at their chosen lot in life and are forced to remain outside of the walls or consort with criminal factions.