We're the Same, You and I

You know, I think there's a reason I seem to get along with Proxies so well. I think it's because I treat them like human beings and not sub-human scum. (That or they're playing nice so I'll be easier to stab later, but I'm giving them the benefit of a doubt... while not ever taking my eyes off of them.) Too many people nowadays seem to see "Proxy" and immediately designate them as "Enemy." Then the inevitable fighting starts.

I really don't think it has to be that way.

We're all a lot more alike than you think. Right up to, in many cases, being murderous bastards.
I mean, what? You really think that because you're a Runner that makes killing a Proxy okay? That makes it somehow different? No. A Runner killing a Proxy is no different than a Proxy killing a Runner. They're both human. You just killed a Person. A real living breathing person, Just. Like. YOU.

In reality, from my observations, there is no legitimate difference between any of the groups, be they Runner, Fighter, or Proxy. Each of these groups has the Exact Same Goal. "Survival." The only key difference between them is how they go about accomplishing that goal.

Runners survive by, what else? Running. They seek to evade the Construct by keeping out of his reach and trying to stay one step ahead of him at every turn. They search for new means of escape, for new ways of tricking the Construct's vision.

Fighters, on the other hand, are not content to simply evade their fate. They seek to eliminate the Construct and end the game once and for all. They experiment to find potential weaknesses in the Construct, confront the creature in direct combat, or simply attempt to sabotage it's operations by killing his minions.

And Proxies have chosen to lay down their freedoms and Serve the Construct in exchange for their continued survival. It is a sound tactic, in all honesty, but it has the unfortunate side effect of putting them at the mercy of the Construct's whims. And the Construct seems to enjoy seeing watching people get stabbed.

But Proxies are still much more than mindless killing drones. They come in many flavors, as all humans do. Some Proxies are your average Joe, just trying to survive by whatever means necessary. Some Proxies regret the situation they've been dragged into and would do anything to escape from their torment. Some Proxies are intelligent and cunning, plotting grand schemes and adding a theatrical flare to their performances. Some Proxies are batshit insane assholes who go around murdering people without mercy or conscious.

Now stop for just a moment... copy and paste that last paragraph into notepad and do yourself a little Ctrl-H (Find and Replace) work. Just replace the word "Proxies" with "Runners" or "Fighters," then read over it again. See how it still fits? Isn't it funny how that works?

Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying to go out and hug the next Proxy you meet and everything will be better because Hope and Love and Happiness and Rainbows... because they'll probably stab you. All I'm trying to point out is that we're really not so different after all. We're all after the same Goal and we're all Human. We're just having to live with an unfortunate side effect of allegiance that pits us against one another. But at the end of the day, Proxies are not the "Enemy" of the Runners. The Construct Is.

So I guess the long and short of this is... Defend yourself, but Remember who you're fighting against. The Construct is the Enemy. The Proxy is merely a Victim.