fandomhigh | Philosophy classroom: Ethics class #4, Monday, 2-4pm

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ethics

Philosophy classroom: Ethics class #4, Monday, 2-4pm

"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.]

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Maia turned in her seat and looked at Shane "Why do you say that?"

"I'm normal," she says quietly, watching her hand as she rests the end of her pen against the desktop. Her eyes have faintly gray rings beneath them that are visible, even behind her glasses and her jaw is noticeably tight. "I don't have any powers. I help people."

Maia looked at Shane studying her for a moment and her face softens "I know you do Shane. What I was saying was for the discussion question, not about real life people." Maia frowned then and whispered "I just based it off the superman movie when nobody helped the little boy who fell in the water at Niagra Falls."

"Let me clarify," Tara says. "The superhero part? That's fictional. Everyone else in the world? Still everyone else. Would you like to clarify your position, Maia?"

Maia watched Shane get up and leave, shaking her head with a sigh she turned back to face Tara. "I don't.." Maia frowned staring at the desk top "I don't know what ordinary people do. I see people at their worst everyday in my mind all the time. I don't know any ordinary people who see people shot to death over a pair of shoes or a child getting it's throat cut after being raped. So to clarify my postition.." Maia takes a deep shuttering breath "No ordinary people do not have the responsibilites that a superhero does and they never will so until an ordinary person sees the things I've seen, they will never have the responsibilities of a superhero because they don't have to have them and I don't like this assignment. There are no super heros there are people who are ordinary and there are the people who are like me. Except I don't get offended by ordinary peoples attitudes against me but they seem to have a very big problem with people who are not ordinary. So tell me please Ms. Maclay what responsibilities an ordinary person has."

"First of all, Ms. Rutledge," Tara replies, her face like stone, "an ordinary person - even one such as you - has the responsibility to attend detention this Saturday.

I open your questions to the rest of the class. I am going to check on my student."

Maia sat in shock. She had only been answering the question. She stared at the desk top fighting tears. I only answered the question. Maia's eyes started to well up with tears all I did was answer the question. Maia gives up trying to fight them and allows the tears to fall silently onto the desk and her shirt.

Evelyn looks both conflicted and confused as she listens to Maia.

"Maia? Could you explain to me what you mean? I'm confused, or maybe lost."

Maia's lip tremble and it takes her a moment to answer Evie, her words come out chocked. "I only meant that people who are superheros will always have more responsibilities then people who are not." Maia takes a breath and then crys a little more "I was j-just trying to explain that oridinary people don't deal with things that are terrible everyday like a superhero w-would." Maia gives up and laying her head on the desk weeping.

Evelyn hesitantly reached out to brush her hand over the other girl's back.

"Please, don't cry?"

Maia sat with her head down for a few more minutes her crying getting softer finally she looks up at Evelyn. "All I did was answer the question." She whispered her voice filled with tears. "I don't know what ordinary people face I don't understand and now Ms. Maclay is mad and Shane hates me and I still don't understand and I have detention now." The tears started in again and Maia swiped at them. "I-its not fair I thought we were allowed to say things i-in h-here." She looked at Evelyn helpless. "I just answered the question."

Evelyn nods.

"I think that after everyone has calmed down, you should talk to Professor Maclay."

Maia looked at the girl, she was nice and was not attacking Maia or accusing her at every turn. "Yeah." She nodded. "You understand my answer?" Maia looked at Evelyn her eyes pleading to be understood and not attacked.

"I think I do. I don't really understand the super hero or powers thing. I don't know what kinds of things you see, so the only experiences I can draw upon are my own."

Maia nodded. "I don't have experiences that are like, I hate the word ordinary, but like ordinary people I-I don't remember much about things before I was like this." Maia frowned. "Please help me understand, tell me something, an experience so I can understand this."

Tara shuts the Emo Closet door behind her (and yes, we've given up on the pretense of calling it a Time Out Room), and moves back to the circle of chairs.

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"Why is it necessary to see?" Angelus asked. "Shouldn't we all know that rape and murder are evil, evil things without needing to witness it firsthand?"

"It isn't necessary to see it to know it is wrong. I do think though that if a person does see it, it forces them to have an obligation to correct the situation. If a person does not witness the crime or does not know it happened then that responsibility is not theirs."

"Good on specifics," Angelus said. "What about in general? If we all know that rape happens, which I'm assuming we do, are we all sinning for not actively trying to stop it?"

Maia thinks for a moment. "Yes we are. If your able to keeping in mind that your able to help and not like a child or physically unable I mean."

"There's mentally able," Angelus pointed out. "Don't have to bench press 200 to attend a Take Back the Night meeting. Not unless they've really changed the entrance requirements since the last time I checked."

Maia smiled at that statement. "I thought you meant physically intervene in the crime itself."

"Well that's part of the debate," Angelus agreed. "Do we have the responsibility to do something if it's within our power to do so? Maybe for some people licking envelopes is all they can contribute to the cause. Does that make them less of a hero?"

"No sir it does not. I think that people helping others is a great thing and I wish that people did it more often. Just because a person has special abilities does not make them more of a hero then the person who is only able to lick envelopes. I think everyone helping is a good thing like I said."

Shane stares at Maia long and hard for several heavy beats, her eyes dark and lit with a cold blaze, the muscles in her jaw tightening still further as she frowns at her. The grip of her fingers around her pen also tightens until it seems as though the pen might either start to bend or snap in half entirely.

Tearing her gaze away, Shane lets her pen clatter onto the desktop as she stands up from her seat and heads straight to the emo closet without another word.

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