February is World Building Month. Day Six: Tír na Cali

[aldersprig]

piratekitten has declared February world-building month.

Every day in February, I will answer one question about any one of my settings.

The question post is here, please feel free to add more questions!

The sixth question comes from clare_dragonfly and is for Tir na Cali.

Does the West Coast being cut off from the US change anything for the way the modern US works?

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This is one of those realms in which I am more than open to suggestions, because my worldbuilding in Tír na Cali is admittedly flimsy.

That being said: Yes. The United States in the world of Tír na Cali is more insular, more reactionary, more socially conservative, and did I mention more insular than it is in the world in which we live. Embarrassed by not one but two rebellions, one of which it did not manage to put down, it never became quite the same meddling power-house on the world stage.

That is not to say that Cali-verse US does not have military might - it does - or social/diplomatic clout - it also does - just that it is not as loud, as powerful, as sure.

American tourists walk with care in the world - Americans walk with care anywhere, because the boogeyman of the Californian slaver is behind every bush, even in foreign lands. A Californian might not grab a French citizen, but they won't hesitate to grab a verifiably American tourist in France.

And the American nuclear program? Never reached full fruition. When you attempt to bomb a neighboring country and the bombs just bounce back onto your land... you look for other ways to be strong, other ways to attack.

This is a rough summary; as I said, I am open to other ideas, too.

Comments

[anke]

The "missing" part being California, I mostly wonder about media - Hollywood not being Hollywood, y'know.

[aldersprig]

Good point! I think there's a lot of media activity in New York City, but that Tir na Cali got the film industry.

[clare_dragonfly]

When was the rebellion? Because I know the film industry was in Chicago in the very early 20th century; maybe it stayed there.

[aldersprig]

circa American civil war.

[clare_dragonfly]

I didn't know there would be American tourists in Cali! I figured they would want to stay away as much as possible. But Americans are still arrogant, I guess ;)

That is interesting!

[aldersprig]

ooh, poor phrasing on my part!

I meant ~American tourists in other countries~

[clare_dragonfly]

Ooh, okay. I thought there was a distinction between American tourists in Cali and American tourists elsewhere, but now I see there is not!