fandomhigh | Philosophy of Choice [Monday

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Philosophy of Choice [Monday | Period 1]

"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the philosophy of choice. You can call me Ronan; Mr. Nolan is my father."

As the students came into the classroom, they would see Ronan sitting on his desk, fiddling with a slender, golden ballpoint pen. "This term," he said, "we'll be looking at the kind of choices that some of us end up in positions to make -- where you need to choose whether to stand up or sit down, step in or stand back, shout out or shut up. Sometimes, we feel like there's no choice, like we're powerless. Sometimes, we feel like we have no choice but to stand up for something we believe in."

He looked over the class, smiling softly at his students. "This class is not about teaching you which way to choose," he stressed. "Every situation is different. Every person is different. What this class is about is teaching you how you react, so that if -- when -- you are faced with a decision like this in real life, you already have a sense of how you react -- so that instead of reacting, you can simply act instead.

"Of course, this wouldn't be a Fandom High class if the first week wasn't introductions, so... You," he added, pointing at random. "Name, age, and whether or not you would sacrifice one friend to save three strangers, or vice versa."

Looking around the class again, sympathy in his eyes, Ronan also said, "If at any point any of you need to step away from a lesson, feel no shame in it -- speak to me afterwards to arrange an alternate assignment."

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Making good choices!

Simon Bellamy

Cassidy

Toby Logan

Mercy Thompson

Sparkle

Surreal

Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar

Ryan Clark

Richie Ryan ~~who totally remembered to check the game yesterday, really.~~

Ronan is... not pulling any punches, no. He expects some pretty diverse reactions from the class here.

Edited 2012-05-07 11:11 (UTC)

This was...not at all what Sholeh was expecting, no. She sat, blinking in surprise at the question.

Internally, Zeela whistled. =He doesn't believe in holding back, does he?= She approved.

As he said! Name, age, one friend or three strangers. Or hang back on that last bit, if you really need to; Ronan will understand, but he will ask you about it -- privately -- afterwards.

"I'm Simon Bellamy," Simon said, trying not to chew on his lip even though these introduction classes always made him nervous."I'm eighteen. And I... I would save the friend."

He wasn't exactly proud of it, but it was what he was all about.

"I'm Cassidy and I'm fifteen."

"Toby Logan, fifteen- and I'd save my friend." He was aware that it was possibly a bit selfish. But he'd only made it this far in life by being just a little bit selfish, so, there you go.

"My name is Mercedes Thompson and I'm 17." She looked rather pensive. "I don't know what I'd do, I think it would depend a lot on the situation, but I'd probably save my friend."

"Elphaba Thropp, I'm eighteen and your TA for this class. And the question is too broad, if you ask me. Who are the strangers? Are they complete strangers, children, people you've not bet but are very important? They're different situations. I believe I'd act differently depending on who they were," she said.

"Sparkle." He pulled himself to his feet, raising an eyebrow at the other people in the class and just daring any of them to so much as giggle. "Almost sixteen, and yeah, I'd save the friend. Most strangers aren't worth going out of my way to save."

It wasn't like any of them were out there trying to do him any favours, after all. To hell with 'em.

"Surreal, not sure, and some stranger? In a heartbeat," she said, thinking of Tersa, who needed her protection more than strangers did. "They'd do the same to me."

"I'm Sholeh," Sholeh said little more than a whisper, belatedly remembering to add the "Zeela a Zhahar."

"I'm fifteen and, I'd save the friend, I think."

She was thinking back to Nahid Azadeh a Bahram. She didn't think she could make that choice, sacrificing a sister to try and hold a link. Not even to save all of Tryadnea.

"My name is Ryan Clark, I'm 17, and I would choose to save three strangers over one friend," she said without hesitation.

"Richie Ryan," Richie said after a long hesitation. "I'm 17. And I'd save a friend."

He'd beat himself up over it for the rest of his life, but he'd still save a friend.

"So I don't imagine many of you expected to be facing that question on your first day of classes this term," Ronan said, "or, for some of you, in your very first class at Fandom High, bright and early Monday morning. But it does set the tone for the rest of the workshop: this isn't going to be about easy questions, and you may end up having to answer things in ways you didn't think you ever would.

"Which is why every class is going to include this bit, too," he continued. "We'll be debriefing after every assignment, checking in so that I can know where your heads are. If any of you need to speak to me privately after class, that can be arranged, too. One thing I do want to stress, though: this is a safe space. Things you learn about your classmates here are not to be used outside of the classroom." His eyes went a bit steely. "If I find out that anyone is being treated poorly, in any way, because of something they say in this class, I will have you up in front of the administration before you can say, 'Oops!'"

Softening a bit, Ronan said, "But for right now, what I want to hear is what you felt -- not thought -- when I asked you this question: would you sacrifice one friend or three strangers? Why did you choose the way you did? We'll start with... you."

Mercy felt a little on the spot, but, oh well. "I think I'd be more inclined to try and save a friend simply because they're someone I know and care about. But I think it would depend on the situation. If my friend's actions had put the strangers at risk I think both my friend and I would try very hard to save those people."

She made a face. "This would have been easier if you'd asked whether I'd save myself or other people."

Being on the spot was kind of the point. Ronan would rather they have to think through it now rather than freeze up when it really counts.

"That's a legitimate reason to want to save the strangers over the friend," he said. "What if the friend can't help, though? What if, even through that friend's action or inaction, you need to make the choice to save that friend, or those threatened by that friend, even inadvertently?"

"Without knowing more about it," Mercy said, "I'd say that I'd save my friend."

And in the future would put her life at risk again and again to do just that. And to save a bunch of relative strangers along the way.

"Like I said," Sparkle said with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm not going to throw away one good friend for anything. If they're my friend, it's for a reason. Probably mostly that they're not shitty people."

Shitty people by Sparkle's standards kind of enveloped a large percentage of the population of North America.

"I stand by my friends. The end."

Ronan nodded. "I have friends like that," he agreed. "Doesn't matter who or what's on the other side of the scales, those friends come first."

Considering that for a moment, Ronan added, "Mind you, they'd probably be fighting me tooth and nail for the right to sacrifice themselves, so sometimes it may just save time to go for the strangers." Yeah. Like he actually believed that.

"What, just take off after 'em and finish them yourself? I'm not some kind of fucking murderer, you know," Sparkle intoned. "I just do what it takes to get by. People don't get by by letting the people that are good to them get themselves killed."

This class was going to leave Sparkle needing a smoke. Fuck.

Edited 2012-05-07 23:23 (UTC)

Ronan laughed -- at himself. "I'm sorry -- I didn't phrase that clearly enough. I meant that I'd save the time arguing with my friends over whether or not they should sacrifice their own damnfool selves and go save the strangers."

"What, and keep them all alive? Put your own ass at risk? The question didn't say that was one of the options, you know."

Not that Sparkle would risk his own ass for a stranger, either. Still, that was beside the point. The question had asked one or the other, damn it.

"So, that's how you'd answer the same question? Friends like that, just let the strangers get bumped off? Saving all four isn't an option."

Ronan hesitated a moment. "I would fight to the last moment to save as many as I can, but in the end, yes, I think I would save my friend."

Usually by throwing himself in harm's way, but, hey, he was a wizard. That was rather what they did.

Sparkle considered that for a moment, and then nodded, looking satisfied.

"Okay. Good."

He was probably going to do this every class. Sure, he'd answer this guy's questions. But anybody who was going to dish the hard ones like that out had better be prepared to take them himself, too.

"The only time a stranger ever did anything for me, it was only because we'd taken someone in who was worse off than we were," Surreal said bluntly. "It was at her insistence that he paid any attention to us at all."

"I don't go about kicking puppies in the street, mind you, but if it's between my family and someone off the street? It's not even a choice. I wouldn't feel guilty, and I didn't mind the question."

Ronan nodded. "It sounds like you're quite firm in your convictions," he replied, in a tone that he hoped conveyed his opinion of this being a good thing. "I look forward to seeing what you think of the rest of the class, Surreal."

"I thought of my sisters," Sholeh admitted. "And...a friend who died, recently. He died for a good reason, a noble reason. But I saw what state that left his sisters in, and, well, I couldn't lose one my sisters, not even for a noble cause."

"That's understandable," Ronan said, "especially with such a recent encounter as that. Do you think you may have felt differently prior to losing your friend, and seeing what that did to his sisters?"

"...I don't think so," Sholeh said. "My sisters mean the world to me. I've never ever been without them. That hole where one of the should be? I don't think saving a hundred lives could make up for it."

"I grew up watching my parents sacrifice their lives to serve the poor, so it made perfect sense for me to choose three strangers over one friend," said Ryan.

"Do you feel that way only because that's what your parents taught you?" Ronan asked. "Or have you decided that for yourself, as well?"

"I try to consider other voices before just thinking about what my parents would do," said Ryan. Usually, I'll pray before making a big decision and see what God tells me. But that final decision is my own."

Toby shrugged. "I don't have a lot of friends, exactly. So I'd do whatever I could to keep them around, you know?"

He wouldn't shy from helping a stranger, necessarily; being able to read thoughts had also given him a certain amount of empathy for people in bad situations. But again with the learned selfishness: if he had a friend, he damn well didn't want to lose them.

When she pings in!

Elphaba felt a little odd, being the teaching assistant and not just another student. But it was a good odd. She didn't think anyone would ask her anything today, but she was ready if they did.

Who is around both before and after class if you need him; please specify which!

Class will be following more-or-less this pattern for the term: lecture, assignment, debrief. The structure of the assignment will vary, though, depending on the particular week's lesson.

I'm at work all day, but I'll be around all evening!

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Philosophy of Choice [Monday | Period 1]

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Listen to the Lecture

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Introductions

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OOC