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Tara grins broadly at the students as they enter, her good mood almost super-human.

"Hey. Only three weeks until the end of term, huh? I don't know about you, but that kind of snuck up on me! So today we've got a pretty heavy discussion topic, and I want you to remember that this is just a class. Emo Closet is there if you need it, although I hope we call all be gentle enough with one another that it won't be necessary, okay?

"Because today, folks, we're going to be talking about rape - and all I'm going to ask you folks to do is define it."

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Angel looked as though he were biting his tongue. Then he saw Rory's reaction (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomhigh/415708.html?thread=19497692&style=mine#t19497692) and couldn't hold back.

"Professor, let's not split hairs here. You wanna know all about rape? Great." He gestured towards himself. "Have at it. I'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about every kind of violation that can be visited on the human body because believe you me I've done it. You want details? Hell, I'll make sketches. But as long as we're talking about violation, why don't we chat about you raising this topic without asking any of your students if it's upsetting to them? Moreover, without asking yourself what it would do to the two students in this room who you know damn well were not only violated but violated by me?

"Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you did ask that question and just thought it would be funny to see the looks on their faces. Don't mind me if I don't join you in the giggling."

"I don't need to know all about rape, Angel," Tara replies, her voice low. "I've experienced it, body and mind. And yes, I know you've attacked people here, but it's news to me that it involved that.

"This is an ethics class. This is an ethical issue. The students should all know that there are measures in place if it's upsetting - and someone finds discussion upsetting every week. Every week, Angel."

"Students need to know to dive to the floor when bullets get shot at them too," Angel said. "Wanna go get the gun? And don't give me that. You're from Sunnydale and from the Powers. Or so you claim. Either you know perfectly well what an attack from me involves or you seriously forgot to do the pre-reading before you came here.

"And not that I've got the fancy teaching degree or anything, but if my course topic reduced people to trauma each and every week I might want to ask myself if there's a common denominator that could use some tweaking. I'm just saying."

"Yes, there's a common denominator. It's an ethics class. The subject matter, by definition, is about the things people find difficult to deal with. I don't know how to run an ethics class without touching on one of the biggest issues there are. You think there was a way I could have been more gentle? I'd like to hear it, Angel, I really would."

"How about making sure that those who've been recently assaulted aren't in the same damn room as the bizarro twin of their assailant when you discuss it?" Parker suddenly hissed from the back. "It's not like some people here need the damn class to understand it!"

"Jesus!" Logan slammed his hand down on the desk. "We weren't raped! Not saying that wasn't on the menu, but it didn't. Happen."

"No, you weren't, and neither was Rory," Parker snarls at him. "But---" She shuts up.

Then gives Angel a death glare.

"Exactly," Angel said, meeting Parker's gaze evenly. He looked back at Tara. "You know, I have this problem with juggling Bibles but I can still talk religion without hurting myself. Ethics can be taught without reducing students to tears. That you don't know how strikes me as a very large bag of your problem. You're the one who signed up for the gig."

"Great," Logan muttered to no one, throwing his hands in the air. "Parker's pitying me and Angel's protecting me. Could I sink any lower?"

"I don't pity you, you moron." Parker spits. "Get the hell over yourself. You fought off the bad guy and saved your girlfriend, where's the pity?"

She glares at Tara. "I'm just sick that someone who should know better didn't warn anyone, and didn't consider that emotional pain outweighs intellectual gain."

"I'm sorry," Tara replies. "I tried to make sure this class wasn't about that. We're supposed to be talking about the fringe issues, the ones that are debatable, not..."

She sighs.

"And the assault... I don't know what happened there. No-one has talked to me about it. I assumed it was physical, not... not this. I'm sorry."

"You, more than anyone, knows about him, and what he was," Parker points at Angel. "Or should. Fringe issues, my ass. Assign a paper. Asign a research project, outside of here. Don't ask us to be detached and calm and rational about this."

She's actually being rude to a teacher. In class. What the hell, go for broke.

"I'm outta here." She turns on her heel and heads for the door. "The closet's too damn crowded, and you might need it for someone who's really upset."

"It wasn't rape," Logan explained to Tara in a low voice. "But he threatened Rory - if the spell hadn't kicked in when it did..." He swallowed. "But it did."

"I'm sorry," Tara whispers. "I... I didn't know. I... I'm so sorry."

"That's the point," Angel said. "You can't know. It's an act of violation that by very definition destroys the victim well after the fact and encourages them to be silent about it. Now if Angelus was here he'd be loving this class right now. But instead you've got me, who'd love to know why you brought it up without any understanding of the damage it could do."

She looks at him, eyes sad and shadowed. "Because if I can talk about it, anyone can. Because making it a taboo gives it more power over the victim."

"Yeah, well, a little warning would've been nice," Logan muttered, looking in the direction Rory had run off.

"There's a difference between your therapy session and theirs," Angel said to Tara. "It's not for you to decide when people should talk about this. Which is ironic because I seem to recall an Ethics class on that very subject. Guess you didn't get those notes."

"No, it's not my job to decide when people should talk about this. It is my job to ask the hard questions."

"Sure, and who cares if people get hurt when it happens since hey, you've got a closet for it," Angel replied with a broad sweep of his arm towards the back room. "Which is kinda like me saying it's a-okay for me to maim people since this school's got a clinic, but I'm sure there's an Ethics class coming up which explains that one too."

"Stop." Tara tells him, her voice barely a whisper. "You've made your point. Just... stop now."

"I thought it was okay for you to send people to the clinic," Logan said, lifting his cast-wrapped arm slightly. "Didn't even give you detention, did they?"

"Not about you and me right now, Logan," Angel said.

Logan stood up and shoved his desk in Angel's direction, knocking it to the ground. "It was a few minutes ago, when you were trying to protect me from the 'trauma' of this discussion." He slapped both hands down on Angel's desk and looked Angel in the eye. "Teach says we're talking about rape. Wanna share the attacker's perspective? Since you're an expert in that area."

Angel stared Logan down. "Not especially. As I have a soul now and don't get off on watching people suffer."

Re: Second Hour - Rape

fh_jackass - 2005-12-03 05:38 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Second Hour - Rape

notstakedyet.livejournal.com - 2005-12-03 05:39 (UTC) - Expand

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