fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, February 7]

Current Mood: pissed off

Entry tags:

ethics

Ethics [Thursday, February 7]

If Anakin seemed a little tense today, well, it was kind of to be expected. Not that he'd be opening up about that at all.

"Today we talk about envy," he said quietly. "There's always something that someone else seems to have that we want: clothing, grades, family, love, looks, acclaim...their achievements remind us of something we don't think we have enough of."

He began pacing as he warmed to his subject. "A wise man once said that envy is the art of counting the other person's blessings instead of your own. An entire industry has sprung up and flourished exploiting the idea that we envy those who have achieved fame." Anakin made a face. "With the equally charming dark side that we'll take joy in watching their failures."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "So today we'll be gossip mongers. Come up with a story about one of the people in this class, in the school, or on the island. It doesn't have to be true. It just has to be something that would get people's attention. Then pass it on. We'll see the ramifications of envy for ourselves."

He was kind of counting on the students choosing to start rumors about people they didn't like. He knew human nature that way.

Someday

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Wonder what the hell Anakin is on about. Don't doze off.

Karal was listening intently, watching Anakin just as intently, as he always did. He was very uncertain about this assignment, and he couldn't help frowning.

And wondering what would happen if he chose not to participate.

Evey glanced over, noting his frown and raising an eyebrow. "You don't like it either?" she asked softly.

He shook his head. "I think I understand what Professor Skywalker is trying to show us, but I don't think I can create a rumour about someone. It's just such a cruel thing to do."

"I can't do it either," she said quietly. "I've seen how much power gossip and ignorance have over people firsthand. But rumors aren't always mean."

He turned in his seat to consider her thoughtfully, leaning forward a little. "They're not?" he finally asked, smiling a little.

She returned the smile and shook her head. "A rumor could be passed about someone doing something wonderful, even if it's not true. Gossip and rumors can move entire populations. It's just rarely in a positive way."

He was nodding slowly as she spoke. "But even if it is a rumour of something wonderful, it could still be harmful," he countered. "And not just because it would be spreading untruths."

"And a rumor of something terrible could potentially do some good, too," she pointed out.

And now he was looking at her curiously. "How so?" he asked.

"If there was a rumor that...I don't know, I was going to throw a pie at Professor Skywalker on the fifteenth," she said, coming up with something random because 'blow up Parliament' was the first example that came to mind, "you would probably try to prevent that before the day in question, or warn him, and people could band together through their desire to prevent this heinous action. Whatever conclusion was reached, people might come together. Unity through chaos."

Karal's eyes went wide and he snuck a peek over his shoulder to make sure the potential pie-victim in question, however hypothetical, hadn't heard. "Yes, but brought together under false pretences. It's just as likely that, when they discovered they'd been lied to, their faith would be damaged, and so they'd be less likely to ever come together again," he replied. "And apart from that, lying should be avoided at all costs. It hurts everyone involved."

"But what if I really was going to do it?" she wondered. "Rumors aren't always lies. There's almost always a grain of truth in there."

Re: Listen to the assignment

vkandis-son.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 09:45 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

remember5th.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 09:47 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

vkandis-son.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 09:55 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

remember5th.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 10:00 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

vkandis-son.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 10:02 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

remember5th.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 10:05 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

vkandis-son.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 10:10 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Listen to the assignment

remember5th.livejournal.com - 2008-02-07 10:13 (UTC) - Expand

Evey understood the power of words, and the mob mentality far too well to particularly want to participate in this assignment.

She took a few notes, though.

Amber doesn't like to talk about people; though she admitted silently, sometimes it just happens.

Still, she wasn't sure she knew anyone well enough to talk about them. Frowning, she watched Master Skywalker intently.

Romeo thought gossip and envy had caused half of the problems back home, and made the other half worse. He listened, but not happily.

Andrew just sat there nodding.

The assignment sounded like fun.

Gossip? Hoshi could gossip. This would be easy.

Adah's shoulder straightened, pulling her slight up from where she hunched over her desk, as the start of the lecture, but she had slowly, slowly crept back to the original, sagging, curved back position by the end of it. A rather unfair trick, really, starting the lecture on something that Adah was all ready to give a good deal of a quip on, only to round it out with an activity the likes of that.

She pressed her lips together thoughtfully, and the lower lip was eventually overcome by the top, her teeth pressing lightly down into it. Her whole idiom was that she listened, always listened, but never told. She was the silent judge. She couldn't participate in this activity, as it would tarnish the entire idea of Ada.

On the other hand, she could afford too low of a grade, and she couldn't afford a detention for nonparticipation because couldn't afford to miss a shift at the clinic.

It was a bit of a murd nun oc...

Adam listened intently, having never liked gossip. He'd never done it, it just wasn't cool.

Eve sat next to Adam, looking disgruntled but not sick. This whole thing kinda sucked. Though she could at least make up a story about Adam or Savannah. They wouldn't mind, mostly because they'd know it wasn't hurtful.

Anemone never had any problems with talking, it was figuring out when to shut up that she usually failed. This would be easy.

Reno happened to be a big fan of gossip. Who liked who, who was doing who, who fell off what trying to get to who... Kept things interesting.

Teyla wasn't sure if she'd be very good at this assignment, no matter how attentive she was during the lecture.

Harry didn't really see the point in pretending to spread fake rumors. It seemed kind of bizarre.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only