Let’s
pretend, for a moment, that we live in a quirky sitcom, and through some wacky
hijinks and machinations, our project for the science fair winds up activating
a time portal, summoning the ancient Greek philosopher Plato into modern times.
After a few minutes of Plato hilariously misinterpreting cars as horseless
chariots and being despondent that internet forums aren’t real forums, he
eventually makes his way over to the TV and turns on the Nintendo Gamecube. After
fiddling around with the controls for a bit, Plato gets the hang of things
(he’s a surprisingly quick learner) and starts playing. After approving of the
work ethic and bravery of the Pikmin, he stumbles across “Animal Crossing.” Plato
starts a new file, and is perhaps a little terrified as the giant talking cat
confronts him on the train and asks him what his name is. After naming his
character “Socrates” and the town he is heading to “Platopolis,” Plato immerses
himself into the world of “Animal Crossing” and finds, perhaps to his surprise,
that he quite likes it. Even if interior design and fishing aren’t necessarily
his cup of tea, the social structure presented within the town is surely to his
liking.
In Plato’s
“The Republic,” the character of Socrates enters a discussion with local youths
regarding the topic of justice. After refuting claims that justice is just a
matter of what you can get away with, or that it is just imposed to benefit the
ruling classes, Socrates tries to show the origins of justice in the community
by constructing a fictional town and developing what he feels are the ideal conditions
for a nation state, and how his construction would give way to true justice. Although
the more extreme elements of eugenics and ultra-censorship are noticeably
absent in “Animal Crossing” (it is rated E, after all), there is a great deal
of similarity to what Plato is looking for in the ideal city. Whether or not
Plato planned on having his “Republic” populated by talking animals, it is
within this game that his definition of true justice can be found.
The first
thing that Socrates does in his quest for justice in the community and the
individual is to look at how a town is founded in the first place. It’s decided
that people come together in order to minimalize the hardships they can’t
overcome by being alone. This means that the classes of merchants, farmers, and
other classes start converging into one mass, and with it diverse levels of
skill sets, wealth, and duties within the greater social construct. One of the
primary themes discussed in “The Republic” is the specialization of social
tasks and duties. Plato believes that it will be more beneficial for an
individual to work on a single occupation and thereby mastering it fully,
rather than trying to wear many proverbial hats and only gaining some skills in
each subject. In other words, a fisherman should focus on fishing, a carpenter
should focus on carpentry, and rulers should focus on ruling. It is for this
reason that the ideal city put forward by Socrates is certainly not a
democratic one: Merchants, farmers, and all the rest have neither the time nor
skill necessary enough to partake in politics in a knowledgeable fashion, and
thus the power to rule should be placed in the hands of a select few who have
specifically trained to rule. This ensures that the nation works in an almost
machinelike matter, ensuring that the management of the city goes smoothly and
without disruption due to social climbing or political ambition. Plato was
concerned with too many cooks in the kitchen, as it were, and thought that
having the uneducated layman partake in the politics of an entire country was a
bad idea, preferring to leave such matters to those who had dedicated their
professional lives to such matters and thus could make more educated decisions.
Odd though this might seem to a modern day society which triumphs democracy,
this form of social structure is exactly what we find in “Animal Crossing.” The
people of the town all seem to specialize in one job, rather than try and
multitask: Tom Nook runs the local store, and nothing else; Pelly handles the
mail, and nothing else. Indeed, all of the local mainstays have found a niche
within the society that they have mastered fully, and prefer to focus on those
topics 24/7, 358 days a year. This holds true for the ruling class as well: no
matter how long you play the game, and how many years pass, there’s yet to be a
single election run in town. Mayor Tortimer and the police force of Officer
Copper and Booker consist of the sole authority and power figures present. No
one seems to question this, as everyone is too busy with their own tasks, and
thus the government of the state is permitted to operate in its specialized
rule, without having to watch its back for political machinations.
But are
Mayor Tortimer and the police force suitable for the task of ruling the nation?
As he lays out how his ideal city will natural develop, Socrates sees that as
more people move to the city, it will naturally expand, thus conflicting with
neighboring cities, and therefore instigating conflict. To this end, he
develops a class called the Guardians, who are tasked with protecting the city
in times of need, as well as policing it during times of peace. Plato spends a
good portion of “The Republic” explaining exactly what it takes to be a
Guardian, how they are to be educated and developed and the qualities they must
display. Physical training is an obvious necessity, but in order to prevent the
local police from just being a bunch of meatheads, Socrates insists that they
be educated, especially in the topics of mathematics and philosophy; that way,
they can see greater truths in the universe, and know when and how to use their
powers for good. They must not have any sort of personal property, lest they be
inclined to use their powers for corrupt purposes: that means they have no
wealth of their own, and share their housing with other Guardians. In tune with
the specialization of tasks, their primary concern must be with the upkeep of
the town, and they must dedicate themselves to it fully; personal happiness is
of no consequence. Socrates also explains that the Guardians would be bred with
a specific education permitting very little freedom of thought so that there
would be no deviation from their duties, but as we don’t really know how
Tortimer was raised and educated, that doesn’t seem to apply here.
With these
Guardian guidelines presented, we can see that Mayor Tortimer, Officer Copper,
and Booker all hold up very well in Plato’s ideals. Again, we don’t know that
status of education of our would-be Guardians, but every summer, Copper holds
morning exercises, and Tortimer can be seen participating, ensuring that they
will physically fit and ready should the next town over decide to raid the
local Nookingtons and steal all the Blue Couches. They are at least in a
constant state of readiness, and not inclined to grow idle in times of peace. Next,
they clearly have no personal property or wealth that we can see. Officer
Copper and Booker seem to make due with camping out in the Police Station,
which is presumably owned by the public, and spend most of their time giving
possessions away via lost-and-found. As for Tortimer, it’s true that he owns a
nifty top hat and looks to be reasonably well kept, but we only ever see him
napping in Town Hall (and not even with the benefit of a bed: the guy sleeps at
his desk) and every holiday he too dispenses gifts to the town, rather than
hoarding them himself. They are living, if not exactly in a Spartan fashion, at
least frugally enough to assume they’re not abusing their power for personal
gain. As for the factor about dedication and the devout love of the community
they are upholding, there is no question of that. Copper never even goes to
sleep in the original version of “Animal Crossing,” preferring to stand his
post day and night to make sure all is well. In later versions, he and Booker
can be found guarding the gate to city at all times. As for Tortimer, there are
no taxes in the game, so he presumably isn’t getting paid, and the rewards
appear to be few, yet he’s dedicated his eternity (or at least until you erase
the game file) to running the town, apparently for the sole purpose that he
wants to do so.
It seems,
then, that at least at a (admittedly very) basic level of interpretation, the
ruling class of “Animal Crossing” meet a portion of the requirements laid out
by Plato. Socrates explains that the most mentally gifted and able of the
Guardians will be made the Rulers, and the rest shall assume the position of Auxiliaries
who act as more of the foot soldiers (Tortimer is the former, Copper and Booker
the latter). But what are to be the tasks of the Guardians? It is made very
clear that justice has a place in both peace and war, and when times of peace
occur, it is up to the Guardians to ensure that harmony is maintained. One of
the main concerns of Socrates is negating any social element which might cause
conflict between classes and individuals. One such issue involves the topic of
wealth, and how the Guardians must manage it. While Plato certainly does not
want to abolish class systems, he believes that if there’s too much difference
in the distribution of wealth, it will inevitably cause conflict; the
Guardians, then, must make sure that the harmony between the poor and wealthy
must be kept up, and that it is distributed fairly. Next, the education of the
city has to be micromanaged. One of the more questionable parts of Socrates’
city is how any myths, stories, or lessons highlighting less-than-desirable characteristics
in human beings are to be censored with prejudice, and the people will only
learn the lessons that will mold them into the pro-social characters that
Socrates wants. Whether ethical by today’s standards or no, Socrates’ train of
thought is that if people cannot learn any evil, they will commit no evil, and
it is up to the Guardians to make sure that this is upheld in the education
system. Most importantly, as part of the primary theme of the city, the
Guardians must ensure that everyone does their job and sticks to it, thus
making sure that the social machine runs smoothly as possible. This includes
the day-to-day policing of the city, making sure that dissatisfaction with the
social structure is quelled, and that everyone stays in line as per the decree
of the Ruler. It should be noted that this is obviously something of a police
state, Aristotle makes it very clear that the Guardians, especially the Ruler,
have been trained and educated to be as wise as possible, whose goal is for the
betterment of the society as a whole and are concerned with the people and
their wellbeing, thus differentiating this city from the social structure of
the Tyrant.
While the
laid-back attitude of “Animal Crossing” does not appear to strictly adhere to
this construct laid out in Socrates’ imaginary city, there are indeed some
similarities to be found. Consider the aspect of wealth: Within “Animal
Crossing,” Plato’s concern of wealth polarization leading to class conflict is
avoided by the relative de-valuing of money and personal possession. In
Platopolis, the character of Socrates might have paid off his debt to Tom Nook
quicker than Thrasymacus, and might enjoy the advantages of a basement and
second floor as opposed to the regular animal population, but this is never
built up as a matter to be jealous of. Money is readily available (you can beat
it out of rocks, for Heaven’s sake), thus making it less a thing to hoard and
more a thing to spread through the community. Furniture and nick nacks can be
found in large enough numbers that the more wealthier members might be inclined
to give away the things they don’t need. With this more open form of wealth
distribution, citizens are not as inclined to commit injustices for personal
gain, thus negating Plato’s fears on that level. The level of micromanagement
of education and speech might provide Plato some cause for concern, though:
there never appears to be any censorship of the mail, and citizens are free to
write whatever they want on the billboard. However, in spite of the lack of
mind and media control present in “Animal Crossing,” the law and mutual respect
of the citizens does not seem to be lessened as a result. Indeed, whether it is
actively enforced by the Auxiliaries or not (though it should be noted Copper
never sleeps…)the citizens never seem inclined to deviate from the social plan
laid out by Tortimer. Crime never seems to be an issue, and when you consider
that every door is unlocked, that is no small feat. There is no sign of social
climbing or conflict: no matter how many floors you add to your house, no one
really seems to hold it against you, and the status you hold in the town stays
the same. Not to mention that no one attempts to overthrow the established job
system: no one can own a store but Tom Nook. This complete lack of apparent
will to upset the status quo indicates that even if the education system lacks
the apparent censorship Socrates advocates, there is still no signs of evil or
ill will present in the citizens. It can be assumed, then, that the Guardians
are doing their task very well: the social structure is being kept in harmony,
with no one trying to throw it out of balance or even thinking about altering
the layout the Ruler has provided.
The primary
point of Socrates’ musings is how to find the origins of justice within society,
and then display how this also applies on a micro level to individual people. According
to Plato, this ideal city should have four characteristics: wisdom, courage, self-discipline,
and justice. Wisdom is found in the Ruler, who after all has been chosen for
the position based on his superior intellect, and from whom can govern the city
and all its parts to their preferable outcome; Courage is found in the
Auxileries, who have been raised to know no fear and always face a foe; Self-Discipline
is found in the citizens, who are to focus on one thing and one thing alone, never
deviating from the path set out for them by the ruler and accepting their lot
in life. Justice, according to Plato, can be found in the harmony of the other
three elements working together: if wisdom can decide how best to use courage
and self-discipline without either gaining the upper hand, then there is no
desire to commit an injustice by allowing base instincts to take over: you won’t
steal if the self-discipline is managed, nor will you commit malicious violence
if the courage is not allowed to run amok. And as we’ve seen, this form of
justice exists in “Animal Crossing.” The Wisdom of Tortimer is allowed to rule,
whether we see it or not, and observes that the town is run to its full
efficiency. The Courage of Officer Copper and Booker act as the sole figures of
potential aggression and policing, but they only use their powers to uphold the
law, rather than abuse their powers. The citizens of every town focus on their
own lives and act with great Self-Discipline, never upsetting the status quo.
And with everyone acting in complete harmony, knowing their role and minding
their own business, true justice can be found in Platopolis.
Let it never
be said that an E rated game does not contain substance. Next time someone
triumphs how super-special-awesome “Call of Duty” or any other M rated titles
are, feel free to shout out “Yeah, well, Plato prefers ‘Animal Crossing!’” They
might look at you funny (believe me, it happens more often than you’d think),
but at least you know that the ideals laid out in Plato’s “The Republic” can be
found in the quirky but fun “Animal Crossing.” Batman might be taking out
criminals over in Gotham, but true justice in the community is present in
Platopolis.
Even if
Crazy Redd still totally over charges for everything.
