Tyler Durden (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tyler_gone) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2008-06-05 12:08 am
tyler_gone) wrote in fandomhigh2008-06-05 12:08 am
Entry tags:
Chemistry for Anarchists, Thursday, Period 4
They met in a normal classroom, and the board bore an A inside a circle with a quote underneath: "I shall blow up your buildings a little more and be less open with you than I was before." -- Thomas Rainsborough.
Tyler sat on the desk, swinging his legs impatiently as he waited for students to gather.
"So this class," he said, swiping a hand over his hair, "might be where we should have started. We're going from the practice -- the nitro and Molotovs, and the stuff we'll get into in the next three weeks -- to theory." He turned to the board, tapped the symbol with his chalk. "This is not just a cool thing to draw on a leather jacket and play Sid Vicious. This symbol means anarchy, which is a social state with no state. No laws, no policemen, no congressmen or corporations. Just people with the freedom to go beyond whatever's holding them back, if they have that within themselves."
He tossed a thick packet at each student. "The question is, when do you rise up and start working for that by any means necessary. Your country is involved in a pointless, endless war: Is that enough? What if it's not only in a war, but trying to keep you down over the color of your skin: Enough?"
"What if your problem is with the way corporations are treating workers: Can you assassinate business leaders?"
"Or," he added, managing to keep his gaze off Eveyif she's there, "what if your country's being ruined by fascists? Is it time to bring down their headquarters?"
"Think about it," he finished. "I want to hear when you -- you personally, as you are now -- would take this class and put it into use." He pointed to one student at random. "You go first."
Tyler sat on the desk, swinging his legs impatiently as he waited for students to gather.
"So this class," he said, swiping a hand over his hair, "might be where we should have started. We're going from the practice -- the nitro and Molotovs, and the stuff we'll get into in the next three weeks -- to theory." He turned to the board, tapped the symbol with his chalk. "This is not just a cool thing to draw on a leather jacket and play Sid Vicious. This symbol means anarchy, which is a social state with no state. No laws, no policemen, no congressmen or corporations. Just people with the freedom to go beyond whatever's holding them back, if they have that within themselves."
He tossed a thick packet at each student. "The question is, when do you rise up and start working for that by any means necessary. Your country is involved in a pointless, endless war: Is that enough? What if it's not only in a war, but trying to keep you down over the color of your skin: Enough?"
"What if your problem is with the way corporations are treating workers: Can you assassinate business leaders?"
"Or," he added, managing to keep his gaze off Evey
"Think about it," he finished. "I want to hear when you -- you personally, as you are now -- would take this class and put it into use." He pointed to one student at random. "You go first."
Re: Discussion [6/05]
She took a deep breath and kept going. "We took the system down. It meant killing some of the people who weren't going to listen. It meant bringing an end to the religion and its sacrifices. We were arrested and supposed to be executed for our 'crimes', which were mostly just that we knew too much. We stopped a war. We changed the world."
She was seriously, seriously talking too much, everyone was going to think she was insane, but she didn't care, this felt good to say out loud and she had a feeling the teacher would understand.
"I ... having said that, we did what we did ... as a last resort. We would have talked to people, tried to, first. Some people we could convince, others we had to take out. If planting bombs and wreaking havoc was the only way to bring change, then I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, but ... sometimes the people involved are just bystanders, just hapless people who want what's right and don't know any better. I don't want to kill any civilians that I don't have to. I'd try hard not to take out the ones that didn't deserve it. If I had to, so be it, but ... until then, I'd try."
She sat down again, flushing and fidgeting and hoping no one thought she was insane.
Re: Discussion [6/05]
"Collateral damage is always a risk you take, if you start throwing bombs around," he nodded. "So what are things like at home these days?"
Re: Discussion [6/05]
She looked away for a few seconds, frowning darkly. "I really thought we did it. Stupid, isn't it? We tore the system down and said, hey, let's just all try to get along with each other. We don't need Yevon handing out a book telling people how to live. So they tried to get Yunie -- my cousin -- to do it instead. You tell us how to live. She wouldn't. So ... they're starting it up again. New Yevon. Because look how well that worked last time. They're that afraid of change, of thinking of not hating my fucking people that they'd rather go back to something so broken they have to ignore all the duct tape on it. Is there any point!?"
She was so frustrated, so surprised that she'd let all of this come spilling out that she didn't even realize she'd slipped up and let herself swear in class.
Re: Discussion [6/05]
He gave a tiny shrug. "Sorry."
Re: Discussion [6/05]
Re: Discussion [6/05]
"Anger. Is an energy. Use it."
Re: Discussion [6/05]
Something in her eyes hardened. Something in her hardened. Instead, she nodded.
"I will," she said, feeling ... powerful, instead of helpless. "... Thank you."
Re: Discussion [6/05]
Re: Discussion [6/05]
She wasn't going to stand by and let New Yevon take over Spira. She wasn't going to be helpless and let it happen again. Not this time.