fandomhigh | (no subject)

Entry tags:

ethics

(no subject)

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."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Tara is beaming, practically floating, a small pile of wrapped presents visible behind her desk, and a merry smile for any student who catches her eye.

"Law courts all over the world have wrangled with the issue of consent. I want you to come to a personal standpoint on what is necessary for a person to be able to consent to a sexual activity. Are there issues of physical, emotional or psychological health that come into play? Can a person who has vowed themselves to a monogamous relationship give consent to someone not their partner? Is consent given under duress viable? What if the person inflicting that duress didn't realise they were doing it?

"Find for me the situational criteria necessary to say 'yes' to sexual activity."

He was not looking forward to this discussion. "They have to be conscious for starters."

"All I want you to do, drawing from your first hour, is come up with a definition of what constitutes rape. Now there are some situations which are clear cut, and I'd actually rather we didn't touch those. Let's nibble at the edges of this, okay? For example - if one partner says no, and the other continues for thirty seconds before stopping, is that rape? What about if a person contracts a prostitute, receives their services, and then walks away without paying? Can the word rape be applied to something entirely non-sexual in nature"

"That's a good starting place, yes. Anything else?"

"Of sound mind and capable of making decisions for themselves."

"I've got an out of class assignment for you to complete between now and next week, but I can't tell you the details of it.

"Intrigued yet?"

Tara grins. "Much to the disappointment of Plato, there is a difference for most people between what we believe is right, and what we actually do. I, for example, sometimes have unkind and uncharitable thoughts about people, although I try not to. This week I want you to choose one such behaviour pattern - that you personally do not like about yourself, and feel you would be a better person without - and try to go just one week without it. I don't necessarily expect you to succeed, but I do expect you to log your progress. Next week I want you all to report back, with the aim of exploring why knowing what is right and doing what is right are two different things."

Here if you need it.

Belthazor looks decidedly uncomfortable. "Generally the person should not be under the influence of any drug or magical effect. I mean, they can consent and mean it, but you can't be entirely sure if their mental state isn't clear."

Shane is seated at her usual desk with a small, contented smile of her own.

A lot of people lately seem to be telling her that she's glowing.

They're probably right.

This is a biggie, folks - and I've talked to several students out of character about it earlier in the term. I am a survivor of sexual abuse myself, and I'm putting that out there so you know that I'm not trivialising the topic, or trying to discuss something I know nothing about.

I also know that the overwhelming majority of rapes do not go reported, often because the victim is unsure whether the word 'rape' can really be applied. The TV image is too often a stranger in a dark alleyway. Real life isn't like that. What I want to talk about here is real life - including cases where one partner believes they have been raped, and the other partner didn't even realise they had transgressed the boundaries of consent.

If you are upset by any of this out of character, just let me know. I promise I will not penalise anyone's character for their player's reactions.

"I assume that means someone drugged can't make the decision... what about someone who is a little tipsy, and perhaps making decisions differently than they would while sober?"

Phoebe doesn't look happy about this topic.

"You can say yes if you're sober and aware of your surroundings. However, if you say yes, it's with the caveat that you can say no at any time."

"Actually, by 'of sound mind' I meant not mentally ill. Someone could be all for someone else's advances, but they might not really know what they're doing if they have a mental illness."

I'm not upset about it, it just caught me off guard. Having survived a rape several years ago and an assault last yera, this is a touchy topic for me. I'm not sure how chatty Phoebe and Buffy are going to be in this class.

Cole reached over to Phoebe and squeezed her hand.

That's fine, and thank you for letting me know.

*hugs you*

It should be a touchy topic. This is the sort of thing no-one should ever be blase about.

"I think ... if a person is in a monogamous relationship and agreed to that, but then turns around and wants to sleep with someone else, it's... cheating," Shane says with a shrug, chewing thoughtfully on the end of her pen. "Unless they've discussed it with their partner and have decided that an open relationship between them is what works best for them."

"I mean, even if two people are in a monogamous relationship - even if they're married - there are cases where a man can rape his wife."

"Okay," Tara nods. "What about the person whose sexual history has conditioned them to the point that they no longer have the ability to say no? Are they capable of giving an informed 'yes'?"

"Is it possible for a woman to rape her husband?"

"I don't understand what that means."

Phoebe squeezed Cole's hand back. Her hands are shaking slightly.

"Yeah," Shane says. "If she's bigger than him or... I don't know, if she drugs him or knocks him out, first, it's possible."

"I'm right here, sweetheart," Cole murmured. He paused, then added, "Always."

Phoebe nodded and squeezed his hand. There was something about this topic that was upsetting her and she didn't understand completely why that was. "I know," she whispered.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 8

(no subject)

Before class

First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Second Hour - Rape

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Assignment

Emo Closet

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: Before class

OOC Discussion

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: OOC Discussion

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: OOC Discussion

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent

Re: First Hour - Consent