Quote Originally Posted by ToriJ View Post
Then how do we determine what kind of society Gaia is based off of and why is this argument only ever brought up when someone points out a flaw in something laid out in front of them?
We determine it by examining as much of the evidence in the game as possible. It only comes up when people don't treat it as an obvious point; there's no point reiterating something which should be already accepted.

I can imagine there are places in the Middle East and Africa where there is constant fighting where young children are left alone while the parents fight for their freedom and safety. I can also imagine there are grandparents or someone who looks after groups of children, and the absence of this figure in Midgar is disappointing. Marlene could have had a guardian; it was lazy design to leave her on her own. But it has nowhere near the severity as it would if this took place in your town. There is a reason that both Tifa and Barret have to go and if they do not and the planet dies then good job on protecting your kid.

PS I find it funny that Tifa is prioritised as the bad parent when she's Barret's adopted kid, not hers (until AC in a sense).