What species would you want to be?

[Deranged Nasat]

I'd love to be an Antedean. Lots of sleeping and eating vermicula. Mmm!

 

[ProtoAvatar]

You already lost hope in the human species and you would like to help with Cardassia's reconstruction?

You do realize that Cardassia's reconstruction would last centuries - that it would be an exercise in frustration and losing hope of ever achieving anything - confronted not only by the scarcity of the remaining resources, but by the emergent corruption and criminality?
Fulfilling I can't call it - unless you find small victories fulfilling.

And how do you KNOW for a fact that it would be futile? There would surely be very severe challenges, but if there were good leadership from within--i.e. NOT a puppet of the Allies--then there would be a chance.

I'm not saying that it would be futile - I'm saying that it would take centuries and it would be exceedingly frustrating.

Good leadership won't change that. Only changing the cardassian nature to that of a robot would really make a difference - otherwise, you'll have to fight widespread corruption and criminality among the cardassians. You'll save 10 children, only to watch 100 die around you due to poverty and violence.

And I should add to this that were I to do this as a Cardassian, I would also be a beneficiary of the Cardassian lifespan, which if we are to judge by "Wrongs Darker than Death or Night," is longer than the human lifespan and possibly longer than that of the Bajorans too (though there is evidence from "Dax" that Bajorans may also be longer lived than humans). Time, in other words, would be less of a constraint, and I would be able to take a longer view and be more likely to actually see results.

(Granted, I'm not sure the Cardassian lifespan is quite Vulcan-long, or even Klingon long, but I think when you compare Vulcans and humans, they fall somewhere in the middle.)

And, during all this time, you'll have to keep having faith in the cardassian "good" nature - despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary - every step of the way.
Considering how quickly - when one talks centuries - you lost faith in the human species, you would loose faith in the cardassian soul long before centuries pass.

That is, of course, unless you accept the equivalent of the Marshall Plan from the Federation, becoming part of it.

Absorption, or the threat of it, would only CREATE the backlash you speak of--or exacerbate it. That would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Have you read "a stich in time"?
What you're saying strongly reminds me of ~"beyond the borders, the demonized evil of the federation", as Garak put it.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

The chance to rebuild a society all the way from the ground up, however--much like what the Founding Fathers had at the beginning of the United States--is far more promising in a lot of ways than living in an older society that has stagnated and decayed, much like the Cardassian Union before the genocide attempt, or the Roman Empire during its final decadence. A society that has stagnated sufficiently is quite simply beyond saving, whereas one that has been knocked down to its very foundations, one that has to rebuild in entirely new form, has a chance. One thing I think is a problem in our current era is that we equate all such situations with Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. It is possible, however, that Cardassia may be closer to a nation like Germany and Japan where reconstruction IS indeed possible.

However, I think that unless said reconstruction is internally driven BY the Cardassian people and FOR the Cardassian people, it WILL be a failure, period.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Douwd. I would be as powerful as the Q, but I don't have to bother with anybody else if I don't want to.

 

[ProtoAvatar]

The chance to rebuild a society all the way from the ground up, however--much like what the Founding Fathers had at the beginning of the United States--is far more promising in a lot of ways than living in an older society that has stagnated and decayed, much like the Cardassian Union before the genocide attempt, or the Roman Empire during its final decadence. A society that has stagnated sufficiently is quite simply beyond saving, whereas one that has been knocked down to its very foundations, one that has to rebuild in entirely new form, has a chance. One thing I think is a problem in our current era is that we equate all such situations with Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. It is possible, however, that Cardassia may be closer to a nation like Germany and Japan where reconstruction IS indeed possible.

The problem is that you think rebuilding cardassian society will be fulfilling - all cardassians working together to create a better future, this future becoming more tangible with each day.
In my opinion, that's a simplistic view - read my above posts for further detail.

And Germany and Japan managed to reconstruct so quickly because their losses were far smaller than the cardassians' and because America massively aided their reconstruction efforts - which lead to these two countries being in the american sphere of influence.

However, I think that unless said reconstruction is internally driven BY the Cardassian people and FOR the Cardassian people, it WILL be a failure, period.

Elaborate as to "why" this is the case, Nerys Dukat.
"Period" is NOT an adequate argumentation.