SMDH: A discourse assistive proposal

[Sicarius]

As World War II dominates Post-1900, so the American Civil War dominates this subforum. But often threads such as "What would life be like in Kansas in a victorious Confederacy TL?", or "When Would the Confederacy Ban Slavery, 1866 or 1867?", or "Would the Disney Channel be better in a victorious CSA?" are immediately confronted with an admittedly on-point question: What kind of Confederate victory scenario are we talking about here? Confederates somehow take Washington? Trent Affair goes sour? Robert E. Lee evolves into his final form, using his over nine-thousand power level to tear through the dome of the Capitol, killing the entire US government?

Well, wonder no more thanks to the Standardized Multiversal Dixie Histories! This is my proposal: A community project in which anyone who wants can submit a SMDH for usage by others in their speculative threads. Poster A submits SMDH-1, where the Confederacy's superior military performance gains them recognition from Britain and France. Poster B does SMDH-2, where the Confederacy starts arming slave-soldiers from the start. Poster C does SMDH-3 where a peace candidate beats Lincoln in 1864. Poster D gives us SMDH-4, where the entire executive branch of the US gets Lou Gehrig's Disease. Other posters with slightly varying ideas could give us SMDH-3.1, where a different candidate wins but otherwise things are much the same, or SMDH-4.1, where all is as in SMDH-4 except the cabinet was killed by wombats.

The point is that now in your thread "Would Confederates listen to Dubstep", you can begin "In a SMDH-23 scenario...", thus giving context and avoiding a debate about plausibility of a particular Confederate Victory scenario in your thread proper.

THOUGHTS?!

 

[Abhakhazia]

Good idea, but what who you do about things like TL-191? Would it have a "SMDH" number, too? Also what about timelines where the Civil War happened differently but the North still won, for example, the war is finished early by U.S. victories in Virginia, or the Confederates managed to hold back Grant and Sherman in the West a little better? Would they get an SMDH as well?

 

[Baconheimer]

So I can come up with some thing, and it will be given a number.

 

[Sicarius]

Good idea, but what who you do about things like TL-191? Would it have a "SMDH" number, too?

I don't see why not, although practically I think everyone would still just say "In a TL-191 type scenario."

Also what about timelines where the Civil War happened differently but the North still won, for example, the war is finished early by U.S. victories in Virginia, or the Confederates managed to hold back Grant and Sherman in the West a little better? Would they get an SMDH as well?

I wouldn't think so, since this is Confederate specific. I therefore propose a sister program entitled Union Manages Alternate Domination, or UMAD.

So I can come up with some thing, and it will be given a number.

Yes, except you're the one giving it the number. For the sake of courtesy and clarity don't give it a number already in use, but if yours is the fifth SMDH and you want it to be SMDH-69 or SMDH-420, go nuts. Just declare your scenario to be it, and it shall be so.

 

[Abhakhazia]

The main problem with this is people won't use it, they'll just continue to do their own thing. Think about things like UCS, or TACOS color scheme. About 50% or less of our mapmakers use colors from these schemes, and many do not know what these colors mean. This would be even more complex, to start a thread on the Civil War, you would have to link to a page describing the scenario, and many don't like to read extra material or click links, so it would eventually be used only by some. Also, new members won't know what these scenarios are and might not bother to read them.

 

[MNP]

^Agreed. But I would still very much like to read a story set in a 3rd world CSA, so I hope this gets off the ground.