Corumburg, Chernobyl and Micronations

TMI wondered, what is the future of a micronation. To answer this question TMI decided to use a representative nation as a case study. For this case study TMI picked Corumburg. To the TMI staff Corumburg represents a nation that was at least moderately successful for a time, and then passed into history.

First comes the difficult part of defining when a nation is dead in some brain-damaged attempt to justify the Corumburg decision. For TMI we simply defined it as dead when it no longer interests us. You can have your own definition of course, but it is worthless against ours as our suits our purposes and does not portend to be a universal definition. That, and TMI just likes the way the Corumburg flag matches the mystery reporters eyes.

TMI sent its archaeological team deep into the heart of Corumburg to study how a micronation dies with the aim of answering the questions: How did die? Why did it die? What becomes of a dead nation? Could it have been prevented? Unlike all previous works TMI will be definitive in that no other reports should ever be considered next to this one, as this one is the final word.

Corumburg died sometime in 2004, despite a few statements from beyond the grave to the contrary in 2006. Upon examining the data what strikes TMI staff is the Pompeii like stasis Corumburg is found in. The place is much like the inhabitants left it. Some encroachment from ezBoards is evident, but it is otherwise pristine from the last day of its existence.

It is eerily reminiscent of a ghost town where the inhabitants left in an extreme hurry, such as happened near Chernobyl. Even today in that radioactive land stands an entire city where the citizens were simply collected in trucks and moved out of harms way as quickly as the government could manage. Homes are fully furnished. Stores shelves are stocked. Cars are on the streets. Everything of value that was not being warned when the evacuation order came was simply left behind, and remains, gathering dust. For a long time many lights were left on, and only when the utility finally cut power to the whole city did they go out. In some places water continued to run as it had been left on by the feeling caretakers. Most of those things have stopped by natural wear. Nature is slowly reasserting itself. Weeds have taken hold and are overgrown in most placed. Animals have moved in. The ghosts are the only human like population the city.

But Corumburg has no nature to reclaim the natural resources. The forums and web space sit in an tomb like silence forever as a frozen monument to the once bustling hub of humanity.

So TMI has the answer to one question, what becomes of a dead nation. The answer is, it turns into a monument to those who built the nation, and a warning to those who come after.

An examination of the dates of posts shows that, again like Chernobyl, the departure was sudden and massive. One moment the court was full of activity, the next only a few holdouts are left walking the echoing halls wondering what happened, and then finally they too depart.

And like the Chernobyl folks, they leave no notice of why they have departed, or even that they have. They simply stop working.

But in at least one-way Corumburg is significantly different that Chernobyl. No disaster befell Corumburg. No earthquake, fire, flood, volcano, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, meteor strike, Divine smite, war, famine, plague, drought or anything else struck Corumburg. Corumburg died from disinterest. No one cares any longer.

Thus TMI has the answer to another question, how did the nation die? It died by departure of its citizen, officially or otherwise.

Inspecting the posts it is clear that the civic authorities saw the demise on the horizon. They reference it in their discussions, even if only obliquely as if by not looking at the problem it will go away. They knew it was happening and were powerless to avoid it, or, as TMI suspects, had themselves grown apathetic and simply choose to do nothing and thus by passive collaboration killed their own nation.

TMI concludes that the death of Corumburg was entirely avoidable as it happened, but concludes that its eternal status is unknowable. And in this, TMI wonders if all micronations face a similar fate? Do micronations have the potential to last many years? Some have, but darn few. Do micronation have the potential to last generations? So far, none are known to TMI. Theoretically it is possible.

Another final observation is that, theoretically, people could return to Corumburg and resume their national activities, and so the hope of potential rests locked in the remaining artifacts of the nation waiting to be picked up once again and put to use.