Kalistan

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Club Culture in Kalistan
Social Club membership on sharp increase among all classes
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 4, 5728


The Kaliburg Nationalist Club in the Imperial City neighborhood of Kaliburg

Membership in Kalistan's various social, civil society, and political clubs is steadily increasing across the Empire. This trend has given rise to what some are calling Club culture, or a way of living which revolves around membership in and participation in specific clubs. The rise of Clubs in the daily life of all classes in the nation has become a topic of discussion among sociologists and social psychologists, who are studying why this trend of all trends in the nation has caught ahold so fervently.

"Well, in many cases, the various social classes are recreating their own versions of the long standing Formal Society in Kaliburg and Sulari," said Dr. Kate Watson, who teaches Socioeconomic Class Studies at Kaliburg Imperial University in Kaliburg. "Formal Society is more about being seen at the right parties, being invited by the right people, as a system of favors and connections among the elite. But the people themselves, feeling themselves excluded from that type of social interaction, decided to develop their own, in the form of the social club." This interest in public society has captured the nation and new clubs have popped up left and right, catering to all interests, over the past 20 years.

"There are some social drivers for the development of social clubs in our cities," said Watson. "Free Cities themselves, where most of the new growth of Clubs has occurred, are very densely populated. Its rather paradoxical that the closer one lives in proximity to others, the more one values their private space. But from our first social interactions as children, we are taught to think, work and act collectively. Humans are intensely social creatures, and will seek the company of others, against all odds. This trait is deliberately fostered in our schools, in National Service and in our work. It is a constant feature in our lives, as Kalistanis, and we crave association with others. The Social Club is a fantastic conduit for this social tendency of people, because it allows me to associate with people who share my interests, who are of my class, and who can provide me opportunities which I would otherwise not even hear about. It forms a basic and foundational network that we can't even replicate on the job."

Political organization in the Empire almost militates for the development of clubs. "Social service organizations, unions, and explicitly political social clubs allow us the first and most basic form of participation in a political system where most avenues are shut off to direct citizens participation. All candidates for all offices at the national level and most offices at the Duchy and Baronial Level are controlled by the Institutional Party, and can only be nominated by corporate groups, such as unions, Quarterly Meetings, and, as it turns out, civil society and poltiical oriented clubs. Consequently, you see some of your largest clubs being affiliates of one of the Major Clubs, like the Nationalist Club or the Orthodox Club, who have their own National News papers, their own organized and disciplined membership and actual seats in the National Assembly, while newer clubs like the Kaliburg Socialist Club or the New Democrat Club in Kalistan are fighting for recognition and the ability to overcome institutional threshholds so their members can also have a chance of being nominated to office to serve in the Government."

One of the main functions of Social Clubs are the aggregation of interest. "We see Clubs forming around all types of social activities," said Watson. "You have a T-Total Abstinence Club, who want to associate with other sober people without the distraction of drugs or alcohol. You have gambling clubs, who organize around their mutual love of games of chance. Interestingly enough, the archetype of this type of social club comes from Music with the old RF and rock clubs. Due to the more notorious aspects of the RF scene, especially involving open and public sex and excessive drug use, some RF clubs began vetting people who were in their clubs, for safety purposes. You couldn't have a good time if you were concerned that a stranger was among you who you didn't really know. As public sex and unrestricted drug use was de-emphasized in the RF scene, a lot of the Clubs changed their funding models to admission covers, but some of the more underground RF clubs with retained the first wave morality continued to be exclusive members only clubs. That model was later adopted by social clubs who were selective of their membership, as opposed to those like unions, where membership was selected based on whether someone was in a particular trade or shop."

There are today very few exclusive Social Clubs. Most clubs, especially the political and interest based clubs are open to all, and membership in them gives people the opportunity to go to a class blind environment, where a CEO who is interested in automobiles may rub elbows with the local mechanic who spends his live repairing cars. "The Social Clubs, including the civil society clubs, the interest based clubs, and the political clubs, are very class neutral, and allow for citizens to network. Citizens crave this sort of opportunity to associate with members of different groups, and the Club provides a fantastic neutral ground for this sort of interaction." All of the public clubs have bylaws which stress equality of all within the club and a mutual duty to service.

There are, however very exclusive clubs as well. "Perhaps the most exclusive club in the Empire is known as the Garden Club of Kaliburg, which is only open for Ladies," said Watson. "The Garden Club is informally the organization for women of elite Formal Society, and the most important members of that Formal Society are in the Garden Club. Being drummed out of the Garden Club is social death for women of High Society in Kalistan." Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto is a member of the Garden Club, as are the two Princesses and the Princess Consort. "Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn is famously not a member of the Garden Club," said Watson. "She had her membership revoked when she was stripped of her Chancellorship, and was informed that the Garden Club will not accept her reapplication, even though the other women in the Royal Family are members." Lady Melanie retains her membership in the Nationalist Club.

For all the clubs proliferating across Kalistan and Ananto, none is more exclusive, however than the club known as the Ancient Order of the Gray Smoke. "You might say that this club not only is older than most of the clubs that are active right now," said Watson, "but that it also provided the blueprint for the modern Clubs in Kalistan." The Order Hall, which itself is barred to uninvited guests, is so exclusive that the only thing known about it is the membership. "There are all sorts of rumors about what happens within the Club's meetings. But none of them have been confirmed either true or false. But either way, membership is by invite only, it is for life, and it is extremely exclusive. Your average person will never be eligible for a guest invitation, let alone membership. Other exclusive clubs, like the Garden Club aspire to be this exclusive, but never will, because they need to attract new members to continue to survive, while the Ancient Order of the Gray Smoke will exist as long as its Sovereign does."

"One other thing we see is that increasingly, the non-exclusive Clubs are making formal requests for patronage from the Exclusive clubs. "Patronage is a way for the smaller clubs, with fewer monetary resources, to do things like offer reduced price or free memberships to the lower classes without burdening their often working class membership, or do things like acquire and improve their respective facilities. The Exclusive Clubs welcome the opportunity to patronize the public clubs, because it is viewed as a symbol of wealth and privilege to be able to patronize other clubs. In return, the public clubs will often affiliate with the the Exclusive Club for a limited time, and might sponsor mixers and joint events as an opportunity to socialize between clubs. These relationships are only maintained as long as the patronage continues-- As it happens, the social norm is that the obligation is of the upper classes to the lower classes, not the other way around."

Most of the larger clubs have acquired houses that symbolize their status and prestige in the society. The Garden Club's House is a large chateau along the Zappa River, northeast of Kaliburg, for instance, while the Growers Syndicate has large guild houses in Dahriel, Reynoldia, Springfield and Red Pass. But the most impressive club house is a large mansion just off Embassy Row in the Imperial City neighborhood of Kaliburg belonging to the Nationalist Club. "The Nationalists have chapters across the Empire and they are also the most politically organized and connected political association within the Institutionalist Party," said Watson. "Its fitting that they should maintain the most impressive Club House in probably the entire Empire." Any formal event at the Nationalist Club in Kaliburg is a major social event: Despite it being a public club, the Club is able to attract even the Empress to make speeches there. Everyone who is invited to speak is informally expected to donate to the Nationalist Club, which makes them not only one of the most politically connected clubs, but also one of the wealthiest.

Most modest clubs tend to maintain their own halls where they have social events, lectures, dinners, and celebrations. "We can look to a group like AYIC, who have their own Club, the All Yeudi International Association, which has its hall in Lolla. This hall hosts AYIC's annual fundraisers, offers space for a local Redn Language school, and provides comradeship and association for Yeudis and their families. His Highness, the Prince Consort Ellot Ananto-Rosenfeld is an active member and patron of this club." Watson said that often there will be guest quarters in the Club house or hall. "These are used for travelers, primarily. If you are a member of a chapter in say Sulari, but happen to be in Kaliburg on business, you can often apply to rent a room for a specific time, and if accommodations are available, you can use them while you are in town." Most of the smaller clubs treat their accommodations like hostels, but larger clubs, like the Nationalist Club, has a whole floor of individual rooms in its palatial Club House in Kaliburg designated for visitors. "Most of these clubs also have kitchens and wait staff to serve visitors food during their visit. The cost for members is negligible, and clubs treat it as an amenity for members."

All in all, Watson agrees, the growth and proliferation of the Social Clubs in Kalistan, to include trade, civil society, and political clubs is a very good thing. "It is always a positive thing to get people out of their homes, and into the community. It provides great vibrancy to our cities and towns, a chance for citizens to associate and network, and a gateway to political participation which is not available outside the Clubs. It carefully builds upon the social natures of humanity to channel their social energy into communities who are aimed at shared interests and cooperative effort. In turn, the clubs contribute to social order and continuity for Ananto and Kalistan, and by promoting relatively conservative normative behavior, reduce social deviance, crime and disorder. "Give people something to do in their free time, and they do it, rather than getting into trouble," said Watson. "Add a little peer pressure from your primary social group, and you tend to become far more supportive of social order and value social cohesion. These social clubs provide this invaluable socialization benefit to this Empire, and make everyone's life easier and safer."

@LaModa