GwensBackOnHerBS
14770
350
24
Aug 28, 2026 1:50 AM
GwensBackOnHerBS
14770
350
24
hyperchondriac
In America we poison our food and criminalize thought.
faphappyscreencappy
False, you're on a PPO plan that makes a Doom mindswap part of your deductible.
ByThePowerOfSCIENCE
ITT: the allure of despotism
hint: it's always one or two issues, for the low, low cost of all freedom
euphxenos
The part in the Spiderman origin story where Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider, it becomes abundantly clear that this is a serious medical problem, and he just hides in his room and suffers because they're too broke for him to go to the emergency room is depressingly believable. "Gee, I hope this doesn't kill me." Yup. That's America, all right.
Molvanian
This is actually canon. Latvaria is (or at least was) explicitly prosperous and by most definitions a nice place... that is utterly ruined by the total lack of freedom. The narrative idea was that while dictators could provide (temporary) benefits, the nation would be unlivable under an authoritarian because of the inherent issues OF an authoritarian. So yeah, free health care, and private, jury free trials, if you even get one.
GwensBackOnHerBS
In the us the cops just shoot you in the street for looking wrong
Ragganmore
I mean, being better than the u.s. is a very low bar to clear currently
Ä.
QuinnInuit
There's actually a fanfic (not one of mine) with this premise: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14509872/1/Spider-Man-Crown-Prince-of-Latveria
SavageDrums
The doombots are great at suppressing civil unrest.
Atlasraven
The tech schools are top notch and Sorcery 101 is heavily encouraged.
TheSwedishMoose
SM: Reed Richards refused to help with my bottom surgery.
Doom: I CAN SLOT YOU IN TOMORROW.
fastlaserjockey
DOOM clearly cares nothing for pronouns!
DOOM accepts and demands equal devotion from all individuals regardless of gender!
All are equal in service of DOOM!
ignotoCiResto
honestly, if DOOM offer free healtcare and reasonable unemployment treatment like, two years top, with downscaling pay starting from 80% and ending on 30% (because shit happen even to hard working people) and the "death sentence for every crime without trial" would be amended to "death sentence for every crime without trial BUT after strict investigations", I think many honest people would be very willing to give it a shot.
OnlyWantToSayOneThing
Honestly I think DOOM would get it. He's basically the 2nd smartest scientist and 2nd strongest magician at the same time so "if criminal then death" would be backed by a computer that can prove an atom at the crime scene belongs to you, and then run a magical tracking spell that proves you were there during the time of the crime. Only problem is 99% of the time it would arbitrary to everyone else, looks at a watch then waves his hand once before killing or sparing someone.
Blackmetalhappiness
...DOOM.
jasondeslin
A trial isn't needed under a complete and equal surveillance state, where every action is known and EVERY citizen is equal.
The issue in the real world is rich cunts being above the law, and able to use legal loopholes to steal, rape, and murder.
I'd move to Latveria in a heartbeat. Fuck, if the Doombots were shut down, I'd take up their weapons to defend the country myself.
mastikator
Surrendering to capitalism/fascism is precisely how America is the one developed country that doesn't have universal healthcare.
Imadethisaccounttopost
In most Marvel media, Latveria is a Utopian Paradox.
Citizens enjoy free healthcare, housing, food, and advanced education. There is no poverty or crime, and they enjoy technology far beyond most of the planet. But at the cost of the society being a totalitarian Dictatorship by Dr. Doom, with no personals rights, freedoms, and under constant surveillance.
Atlasraven
So, is there immigration paperwork I have to fill out....?
zylokun
So America....but better
Camelspotting
No
Cloud423
At least we get to keep poverty and crime by forsaking those other things
cuprohastes
Doom's a class act for a dictator, and is sort of slowly turning into 'Doign the right things for the wrong reason'
TheFastpaws
Honestly the last time Doom ruled the world it was actually really good. The heroes actually are what pushed Doom to the negative things he had to do this time to fight them. The world was a rocking good place though and they ruined it.
gnomedeplume
Apart from the million trapped people was harvesting to fuel his power
TheFastpaws
Because he kept having to pull power to fight the heroes.
gnomedeplume
"Look what you made me do"
TheFastpaws
You act like the millions dying for the genocides between governments as better and the lack of rights each had. Doom is fictional in that he makes it work. No real dictator will.
gnomedeplume
I've reas this multiple times and at no point do I see any coherent argument
EverNotRelevant
Fascism wouldn't be such a problem if it didn't have shiny promises.
JustFeedMePieDammit
It offers quick and easy solutions for people who want to blame all their problems on a smaller and easier to push around group of people
gnomedeplume
It's not fascism, it's monarchism. He's not target any outgroup as a threat to his nation's greatness, except maybe that accursed REED RICHARDS
jasondeslin
This. Fascism requires controlling the population with fear by creating enemies.
Any enemies of Latveria aren't turned into targets for controlling the population. They are turned into stress relief for Victor.
Under fascism, you can point to the actual freedoms being taken. What freedoms has Victor stolen? Voting? How much does a left vote matter in Alaska?
He's such a good leader that that fact alone is proof that he's fictional.
heckruler
Yeah, fascism is more like a playbook for how to subvert democracies. You get enough of a target group to band together by blaming a racial minority and making big promises about returning to greatness. You give them a problem and a solution. You have to be a manly man of action and promote violence over thought and discussion. Because democracies often get bogged down with competing ideologies and compromise. You tell them the press is full of lies, because the press reports on your lies.
hmm.
Camelspotting
I guess no one told Mussolini.
heckruler
Really? Because he for sure sold himself as a manly man of action and promised Italian irredentism and a return to Rome's glory days by taking land for spazio vitale ("vital space"). He got himself into power by appealing to the lower class and the disgruntled WWI vets he turned into Blackshirts for political violence against communists and socialists. (not quite a racial minority, but you've got to give them a target.) Once in power he made pretty racist laws against various races.
Camelspotting
Yeah but he overthrew the king.
CyberHexx
All crime in Latveria is punishable by death by Doom Bot without trial. All Crime. Even the little shit.
orp0piru
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tng+Edo
nurmich
It could be worse. It could be Unterland!
Imadethisaccounttopost
Which is coincidentally on one of the Great Lakes, near Michigan.
GravyEducation
The country that would have rather had Girl Hitler than the Baron. Though I hear she's doing some good progressive work
KerryCoder
In America, you don't have to be committing a crime to be killed by the cops.
jesuisgur
So it breaks down to how crime is defined...
NothingPrince
Draconian law did work in Athens. People let small small crimes side.
Cloud423
Dragonborn are citizens
Imadethisaccounttopost
Canonically there is no crime or poverty in Latvaria.
All citizens are provided with food, shelter, personal comforts, technology, health care, education, but at the cost of personal freedom and constant surveillance.
epicfail48
Sold, whats their immigration policy like
mastikator
And is all crime rigorously investigated to ensure that innocent people are never sentenced? Is Doom not a murderer if he executes an innocent person? Who watches the watchers
Cloud423
Meh
abrazenfool
Who watches the watchmen ?
Answer: comic book readers
GwensBackOnHerBS
In the us you can get kill by the cops just for looking wrong
cyno01
Id trust Doombot programming over US police training.
HighSorcerer
I mean, neither one should be killing people for minor crimes tho.
Nathanyel
so yeah, free healthcare in a brutal police state would still be an improvement for Americans
LoudBirb
I mean... yeah, if it's gonna be a brutal police state either way, then I'd take the one with free healthcare.
CyberHexx
Brandishing a cellphone with deadly intent.
Probablyimaginary
JustFeedMePieDammit
Impinging on their ability to Police in Secret
TheMightyMollusk
Look out! They've got acorns!
BlindGardener
Insider trading, for example? Punishable by death by Doom Bot. Wage theft? Death by Doom Bot.
cyno01
Is an authoritarian state automatically a dystopia if its effective and corruptionless?
crateo
I mean, China is an effective authoritarian country. No corruptionless, definately, but at least they are ashamed about it and you pay for it of you are caught.
BrdCdn
Hahahah no just no. In China corruption trials are used to eliminate political opponents or factory owners who don't toe the line enough. It's nothing to do with actually punishing corruption.
crateo
Obviously. I didn't say it was related. I said you don't want to get caught and that people don't go to Chinese Twitter showing pictures of a gold plated renovation of a room made with taxpayer money.
OlaphOfTheNorth
My cat, who cannot commit a crime because the law does not bind him, darts into the street at a crosswalk against the signal. I jump out after him to scoop him up so he doesn't get hit by an oncoming car. I'm in the street against the signal, jaywalking. Death by doom bot.
SimSimSimsalabim
You are hit by an oncoming vehicle you didn't notice, but your cat survives and gets hit by traffic a week later. Death by natural selection.
Probablyimaginary
The driver of the cat killing car was driving their pregnant neighbor to the hospital, the cats soul goes into the fetus and once born...they vow to seek revenge on all Toyota hatchbacks so they go to university to learn automotive code eventually they are able to hack all the smart vehicles and on a very special Tuesday twenty years later they unleash a virus that turns every car into a Demolition Derby vehicle!
OlaphOfTheNorth
Any system where the law is more important than the circumstances is automatically a dystopia, yes.
ArcaneEyes
I read that in Caleb's voice. Maybe it's time for a break from critical role...
cyno01
Maybe when the punishment is instant death, but a dick cop could already ticket you for that sort of thing if they felt like it just about anywhere in the world, maybe jaywalking laws in Turkiye have a kitty cat exception, but probably not a lot of other places.