Reply #31: I've been tossing around these kind of ideas...

[LoZoccolo]

...in my head for a while now. I'm still reluctant, but I did read a book called Smart Mobs (not to be confused with flash mobs) that goes a little bit into game theory and how to get a system of cooperation going. Basically the most effective rules-based way they found of accomplishing that is to have agents enact a tit-for-tat system, where you reciprocate both reward and punishment. If these people learned what it was like to not be cooperated with, they might learn a few things about how much they depend on it. It wouldn't necessarily be a completely selfish thing, because you're trying to get these people to cooperate with everyone, not just you, which has repercussions all over the world.