My short story Tear Tracks is about an alien culture that chooses their leaders based on the grief and suffering they have survived, which proves confusing for humans making first contact
tor.com/2015/10/21/tea…
tor.com/2015/10/21/tea…
What criteria do we use to choose our leaders? Do we still think about "character" - and if so what does that mean? Do we judge based on "rationality" or "objectivity", both problematic concepts?
some kind of authority or gravitas? the way they look and dress and the haircut? the schools they went to? the cascade of positions and prestige that builds out of those schools and enforces that look and suit and haircut?
it's a fucking sham, is what I'm saying. think about your criteria next time you vote.
note that I'm not trying to say the grief system is the way to go. The story is very explicit about it being imperfect. But I am saying we need to interrogate the proxies we use to assign leadership.
