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Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 14, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

2
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On 1) this is quite literally the historical default relationship between peasant communities and their lords. Peasants pay taxes, generally don’t have much say in the decisions of the lords but are entitled to protection and a certain amount of justice enforcement, and the two otherwise mostly ignore each other. This isn’t parasitism, and it also isn’t an argument against a 90% Amish country either- a country that’s 90% Amish and 10% modern American could in theory survive and still protect the Amish and enforce justice- although it would take heavy conscription from that 10% to fill the ranks of the military and police. That arrangement is the historical default of governance(although probably cushier for both sides).