Societal Betterment Act

"In accordance with section 2.1.4 of The Treaty, any and all activities which could be considered unhygienic, morally ambiguous, depraved or encourage a destabilising of the societal ideals laid out in The Treaty are hereby prohibited. Anyone found to be organising, participating in and/or inciting such activities will be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law."

— Extract from the Societal Betterment Act, passed unanimously on P'Ache Micro, on 12 Six 272 PT

Background

On 17 Four 271 PT, after fifty years of negotiations, the first treaty was signed between the Macrans of P'Ache Micro and the Primians of P'Ache Prime. This treaty, known simply as The Treaty, was set out by the Primians as something of a trade deal, to allow them to extract as much of the natural resources from P'Ache Micro as they liked. In return, they presented the Macrans with the offer of advancement.
The Macran representatives happily agreed, especially as they were nowhere near as technologically advanced as the Primians. Parts of this treaty laid out changes in behaviour required of the Macrans by the Primians in order for them to become more socially acceptable and eligible to receive these advancements.

Purpose

The aim of the Societal Betterment Act was to put into law the requirements laid out by The Treaty, in order for the planet to enjoy the advancements promised by the Primians.
It was passed into law a little over a year after the signing of The Treaty, when it became apparent that most Macrans wanted to continue doing things the way they had for thousands of years and weren't interested in the advancements promised by the Primians.

Contents

The Societal Betterment Act was deliberately kept brief so as to be easily understood and digested by Macrans. It highlights four main areas of "betterment" and promises punishment for those who do not adhere to it.

Religion

All religion and religious activity was banned. It was seen as "backwards" and "uncivilised" by the Primians to believe in anything other than yourself.

Traditions

All Macran traditions were classified as "unhygienic, morally ambiguous, depraved or encourage a destabilising of the societal ideals" and banned as a result.

Expectations

Expectations around hygiene, behaviour and societal changes were laid out clearly, including the requirement for feet to be covered at all times outside the home.

Impact

Public Reaction

Colloquially, the Societal Betterment Act very quickly became known as The Ban, with groups forming around those who agreed with the changes and those who fundamentally did not. In terms of religion, this was not a large concern as there were no large organised religions on the planet by this time, and it was possible to hold one's own beliefs without any obvious outward appearance.
Most went along with the changes publically, quickly identifying safe spaces where they were able to practice their traditions and walk around in bare feet in peace. This lax adherence to the law was allowed to continue with the understanding that any law breaks which drew attention would be severely punished.
However, in 279 PT when a young Macran called Rin decided to hold her own Mudwalk, the Primians took this as a sign that the Macrans were not taking The Treaty seriously, and the laws were more actively upheld.

Micro Rebellions

The Societal Betterment Act prompted the start of The First Micro Rebellion in 303 PT, which was a direct uprising against the strict rules against traditional practices which had been put in place. When this failed to overturn the Societal Betterment Act, The Second Micro Rebellion followed, starting in 330PT. It was during the negotiations after the end of this second rebellion in 375 PT that the Societal Betterment Act was finally overturned, over 100 years after it had started.
Despite its overturning, the Societal Betterment Act had the desired impact. Having stood for more than 100 years and over the course of two interplanetary conflicts, many of the nuances or meanings of the traditions and practices originally outlawed were lost.

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Related Articles

Ethnicities	Macran, Primian, Pachian
People	Rin, Lodi
Locations	Nuskan, P'Ache Micro, P'Ache Solar System
Events	The First Micro Rebellion, The Second Micro Rebellion
Background	Macran Culture 271 PT - 357 PT, Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, Pachian Theories

Type

Text, Legislative

Medium

Digital Recording, Text

Authoring Date

12 Six 272 PT

Expiration Date

21 Five 375 PT

Location

P'Ache Micro

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