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Canada Is Not That Strange And Other Biases | Wednesday | Period 2

As the students filed into the classroom, they'd see Fraser standing at the front, leaning against the desk. The super straight posture he was so used to didn't seem needed right now.

"Good morning and welcome back," Fraser said, smiling at them all. "Today, we're going to get right into the lessons. I don't have a syllabus as I tend to stop following it halfway through so every week is going to be a surprise."

Whether that was good or bad, Fraser didn't know. "Today, we're going to be discussing extraterrestrial life. Now, that particular legend has been refuted time and time again to those of us on the island. There are people outside the island that still might not believe there really are other planets out there beyond our solar system and thus, they probably don't believe some people who are very much alive exist at all."

Fraser paused and pushed away from the desk. "Even if this island and it's amazing properties didn't exist, people would still be pushing the belief that extraterrestrial life existed because the universe is really too vast to just be us. That's just ridiculous, isn't it? Why would a universe that's probably comprised of an infinite number of solar systems, planets and stars be out there but we're the only ones living. Unfortunately, there are those people that believe that's true. They believe we're the only ones that are alive and they believe that the universes are ours."

Humanity was a selfish, selfish species. "Now, why do you think, presented with quite a bit of evidence, people would believe that we're alone in the universe? Isn't that short sighted and narrow minded at this day and age? It's true that Earth scientist might not have discovered extraterrestrial life on the planets in this system but that's not an indicator that they do not exist. Scientists need only to come here and find that other planets, other worlds and other universes truly do exist. So, today's activity is simple. We're all going to assume we're extraterrestrials. There's someone in front of you telling you that you do not exist and you never will. How would you convince them otherwise? Feel free to talk to each other and discuss your answers. Let's get started."

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Like no one believes you're from another planet!

Edited 2010-09-08 11:12 (UTC)

Feel free to take notes, chat, daydream, nap or anything else!

Edited 2010-09-08 11:12 (UTC)

"We're all going to assume we're extraterrestrials. There's someone in front of you telling you that you do not exist and you never will. How would you convince them otherwise? Feel free to talk to each other and discuss your answers. Let's get started."

Edited 2010-09-08 11:12 (UTC)

He's around, looking thoughtful!

Edited 2010-09-08 13:08 (UTC)

KABOOM.

Edited 2010-09-08 13:09 (UTC)

Warren Worthington III

Warren was giving the lecture all of the consideration that it was due, but it was still hitting weird little sticky points in his mind. He'd spent his entire life trying to prove to people that he wasn't different from them, after all.

"I guess the only way to really convince somebody who's decided to be a non-believer is to give them hard evidence that they can't deny," Warren noted. "Physical differences, maybe, if there are any. Technologies that are well before Earth's time. Powers..."

Warren still wasn't sure why anybody would want to convince anybody that they were so different, when those people were as closed-minded as that in the first place. The next step from there would be riots in the streets, right?

Fraser agreed that it was often futile to try and convince someone that was at one extreme. But sometimes some people were just looking for reasons to believe.

"You don't think the hard evidence would frighten some regular person just off the street?"

Hyuuga Hinata

Coming from she did as a planet that wasn't aware of--any other planets out there that had life on them, Hinata was frowning slightly as she considered the lecture.

"It seems to be working for the regular people who end up here," Warren noted, wryly. "But I guess we've already established that Fandom is kind of a special case, huh?"

Hinata looked a bit tentative but as he'd said that this was a discussion she hoped he wouldn't mind too much if she went a little off from the question.

Just a smidgen.

"A-Ano," she said, then stopped and tried again. "Does it matter if they believe? Can we not get along without their full understanding of our differences?"

"Pretty special," he agreed with a light smile. "I think presenting hard evidence is a very complete way of proving a point. I'm just sure that some people would be scared if you showed them some of the weaponry that students use here."

Warren pursed his lips a little at that.

"I think... I think the ones who are the types to get scared of that sort of thing are probably the ones who have decided not to believe because it's less frightening to think that the only people out there are the ones who are just like themselves," he offered. "Earth has plenty of terrifying weapons that they came up with all on their own, after all."

"Perhaps," Fraser said, pleased at the different way of thinking. "If the person in question was a friend of yours and revealed that they didn't think you should exist by nature of not believing in other planets, would that change your way of thinking?"

"Oh yes, they definitely definitely do," he agreed with a raise of his eyebrows. That was a strength of the planet, he believed. Making weapons that could cause damage and loss of life. Such a dubious talent.

"Do you think anyone that comes to the island believes that before they've been immersed in the culture?"

"I w-would hope," she said slowly, "that if they were a friend of mine, that they would come to understand. But if someone is against the idea while not knowing you're part of the idea they're against, would it really be the best way to just... shove that fact in their faces?"

She fiddled with her sleeves. "People don't... react well to that sort of thing. It is easy to become defensive then and shut down avenues of communication. If a friend of mine believed that I th-think there are two options? To either withdraw from them without telling them why, or slowly show them over time that it's okay for there to be those differences. A big reveal is too... jarring...?"

At that, Warren scuffed his toe a little against the floor, and he shrugged.

"I don't know what most people think," he admitted. "From what I've seen, there's a bit of a three-way split to the way people's minds work when it comes to something different, maybe even stronger than themselves. People who are interested and maybe even sympathetic, people who are afraid and who want nothing to do with it, and the ones who get angry. But... A lot of that is just what I've seen from the outside. I have to admit, I'm not entirely certain how it all breaks down from there."

"Neither am I," he admitted with a bit of a shrug. "It's hard to really break down how people deal with change that's completely new and sometimes startling to them. I've been lucky in that I haven't had to deal with what some of the students and teachers have had to deal with. There's always going to be the skeptics, the believers and the non believers though."

Fraser just continued to hope that the believers stayed strong and the skeptics were able to listen to proof and change their minds.

"And really, I don't even know if someone who's dealing with the change knows how it breaks down. From what I've seen, some people have the belief but they don't know why and then they don't know why they're reacting like they are. It's a bit if a vicious circle."

"No, you're exactly right," Fraser said, nodding. "There are ways to ease someone into something different but, generally, it's not the best way to start yelling and ranting because you're different and you hate that they don't believe what you believe."

Fraser couldn't think of a time when that had ended well. "I think that's the way this island works too. The new students arrive and while they get some warnings about what to expect, not everything is immediately heaped onto them so as to prevent them from having a little breakdown. I think that sort of immersion into a new culture with new people is a good way to go about things."

"I hadn't thought of that," she admitted, flushing slightly. "About the island. It's rather comparable though, I think... even the students who do tell stories in an attempt to get a reaction watch for when too much is too much for a new student, I would think."

She didn't really know, mind. Hinata didn't attempt to break the new students.

Fraser never attempted to break the new teachers either. He figured some could take it but he'd never wanted to find out.

"It almost seems to be an unwritten, unofficial code," he went on, nodding. "Some students think it's funny to watch the new students get a little bug eyed by some of the stories but I've never heard of them launching into the specifics of invasions and other uncomfortable and difficult events."

"A lot of people use the changing into another gender one," Hinata offered, smiling slightly. "But I think that is both harmless and out of the ordinary enough that the new kids don't believe it at all."

"Until it happens," Fraser chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know anyone who can escape that particular event. I think you've the right idea though. There's a way to get people used to the idea you're different but it's definitely not an immediate and loud revelation. Nine times out of ten, that won't work."

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Canada Is Not That Strange And Other Biases | Wednesday | Period 2

Sign In [Canada 09/07]

During the Lecture [Canada 09/07]

Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Fraser [Canada 09/08]

OOC [Canada 09/08]

Re: Sign In [Canada 09/07]

Re: During the Lecture [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Sign In [Canada 09/07]

Re: During the Lecture [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]

Re: Class Activity | Extraterrestrial Life [Canada 09/07]