Ethics Class, Monday, 2-4pm

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Over the course of this term, we've looked a lot at your personal moral stance on things. Today we're going to be looking more generally - on how morals are taught to children, often insidiously.

"A good medium for this is fairy tales. Every culture has them - stories that are told to children, bearing little moral gems to shape and guide. The first thing I want you to do is a select a fairy tale. Don't worry if it's not one I'll know, just pick one you're familiar with."

Comments

Re: First Hour

[soldtoarmenians]

"Hansel and Gretel - aside from being really, really ugly kids in real life? - were kind of greedy little brats too. Granted, in the story they fell into a trap, and the witch was hoping they'd eat her house. But she wasn't entirely out of line in saying they were rude for doing it, and taking it out of Gretel's hide in housework. The plans to eat them might be a bit overboard though.

It's got the same thing about laws not applying if you're hungry that Goldilocks does, but since it's candy and they pretty much make pigs of themselves, they're not exactly that guy from Les Miserables. It also seems to teach kids that if somebody sets up a situation where you can act like a jerk, then it's not your fault if you fall for it, even if you know better."

Re: First Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara nods, obviously pleased with that analysis. "And what about their killing the witch at the end?"

Re: First Hour

[soldtoarmenians]

"Well, she meant to eat them, so it comes off as self-defense, which seems ok to teach kids, but it's awfully harsh self-defense," Xander says. "It's pretty eye-for-an-eye there, instead of teaching them to just run like hell if they get a chance to get out of a bad situation."