Let's Talk the Twins and Their End Goals

[Seraphor]

Dragging real-world politics in here? Ooooh.

A lot of people are either unaware of that operation or openly disagree with it. I happen to be one of them. Unfortunately, like in Garlemald the common people don't hold any real power in their government... or we might not have a plausible perjurer now seated on the Supreme Court.

... but that has no bearing on this discussion. Please, drop it.

It has everything to do with this discussion. My intention isn't to segway into a real life political debate, but to draw the obvious parallel that clearly inspired the story, to illustrate it's implications in the world FFXIV.

Acts of 'terrorism' commited by the empire/American armed forces has driven otherwise peaceful people to go to desperate and extreme measures to do what they see as defend themselves from and/or retaliate against a foreign oppressive force.

If people in the west can support the wars in the middle east through 'logic and reason', then it stands to reason that Garlean citizens could do the same.

This 'logic and reason' wouldn't be enough to convince all Garleans that their actions in Eorzea are wrong. It would take the revelation that they're puppets to the Ascians to do that.

[Cilia]

It has everything to do with this discussion. My intention isn't to segway into a real life political debate, but to draw the obvious parallel that clearly inspired the story, to illustrate it's implications in the world FFXIV.

Acts of 'terrorism' commited by the empire/American armed forces has driven otherwise peaceful people to go to desperate and extreme measures to do what they see as defend themselves from and/or retaliate against a foreign oppressive force.

If people in the west can support the wars in the middle east through 'logic and reason', then it stands to reason that Garlean citizens could do the same.

This 'logic and reason' wouldn't be enough to convince all Garleans that their actions in Eorzea are wrong. It would take the revelation that they're puppets to the Ascians to do that.

You might have made your point a bit clearer... but I digress.

What's being used to sway the populace is emotion, not logic or reason, in both cases. Fearmongering, specifically. (Zenos might have been batshit crazy otherwise, but he was spot on in saying the Garlean war machine was ultimately driven by fear.) I don't want to get too off-topic, so I'm not going to delve into the differences.

And of course logic and reason wouldn't be able to convince the Garlean people their actions are wrong. Hearts aren't moved by logic, after all. Were I a betting man (and I assure you, I am not) I'd wager some of the more staunch Imperials wouldn't abandon the cause even if they knew their actions were all in service to a lie - they'd just try to shake off the Ascian yoke and continue onward.