Philosophy classroom: Ethics class #4, Friday, 8-10am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

[ooc: My deepest apologies for posting this so late.]

Tara smiles worriedly as the students come in, checking face after face.

"Today's topic is power and responsibility, and I would like to remind you all that your grade comes from your discussion, not your presence. If you don't feel comfortable talking, write something down and hand it in to me. Being a silent warm body in the classroom is no different than not turning up."

[ooc: And I would remind you that I leave posts open for the whole week. If you post 'shows up and takes a seat' I know you're still alive, but you need to actually address the discussion topics to pass the class.]

Comments

Re: First Hour

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well," Bridge says thoughtfully. "I'm a metahuman. I can sense emotions and read energy signatures. And though it's really cool and can be useful in dangerous situations and emergencies, like if I'm being attacked I can use it to sense my opponent's next move- I have a responsibility to not use it casually, like to find out if the girl down the hall likes me, because that would be an invasion of privacy. On the other hand, if someone was acting really strangely, I think I'd have the responsibility to use my abilities, because maybe I could help figure out what was wrong."

Re: First Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"And if you sense that someone is going to be hurt, are you obliged to cancel your dinner plans to intervene? Do your responsibilities to your friends or significant others - those that everyone has - take second place to those your abilities give you?"

Re: First Hour

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge considers this. Back home, all of his friends were fellow Cadets, who totally understood the "sorry I have to skip out on you, gotta save the world!" thing. But here... not everyone had superpowers or was in training to be a superhero.

"I guess it really depends. I mean, if I were the only person who could do something, I think I would tell my friends that I was needed somewhere else for a while... but if, like, someone else could do just as well as I would, or maybe better, I'd probably get them to step in if I could."

((ooc: bridge is the latest in a long line of certain superheroes notorious for running off with flimsy parting excuses ;)))

Re: First Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"That's your friends, Bridge. But what about you? Do you have a responsibility to yourself to live a 'normal' life? If you just don't feel like it tonight, can you ignore the responsibility your powers give you, and just be a guy?"

((ooc: I'm having flashbacks to Lois & Clark's 'cheese of the month club'.))

Re: First Hour

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well, I have responsibilities to myself, yeah. Like, I need to stay happy and healthy in order to do my job." He frowns. "I don't think I could ignore it if I was needed, though. I mean, maybe if I hadn't decided to join the police academy. But I did, so helping people is going to be my job pretty soon. I can't ignore my job just because it's inconvenient."

Re: First Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"No..." Tara replies. "But as a police officer you get weekends, and vacation time - because there's a group of you. As a superhero, are you entitled to those things? Can you take a week off from your heroing, and ignore the cries for help because you need a rest?"

Re: First Hour

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well, except we're..." Bridge gestures vaguely as he attempts to explain. "Where I come from, the superheroes are the police. Or the police are the superheroes. So... if an alarm goes off and we're needed to defend the city, or the planet, we go. Even if it's the middle of the night."

Re: First Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Pressing her lips together thoughtfully, Tara checks to make sure she's understood correctly. "So you've accepted that your personal life and needs are secondary to the lives and needs of the people you've sworn to serve. And your friends and loved ones know about this, and accommodate those inconveniences?"

Re: First Hour

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah." Bridge shrugs. "That's the way things are."

Re: First Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara laughs softly. "Okay then. Thank you, Bridge."