Ethics [Thursday, February 7, 2013, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

"Please set yourselves up along that white line," Anakin said as he strode into his classroom.

Sure enough, a long white strip of tape had been put down the middle of the room and the desks had been shoved to the sides.

He waited until all of the students were lined up before explaining. "There's a philosopher from this world named John Rawls, who believes that most reasonable principles of justice are those everyone would accept and agree to from a fair position. In Fandom especially, we are coming from a variety of cultures and traditions to examine ethical dilemmas, and so the idea of a 'fair position' is a bit of a moving target. The choice that might be right for you might be completely contrary to my own life experiences, but that will not make your point of view less valid."

Anakin began pacing, his cloak swirling around his ankles as he did so. "Rawls believed that to come to this fair position, a magical 'veil of ignorance' must be put into place in order to erase everyone's knowledge of their places in society." He smiled a little wryly. "I'm not saying that at some point, Fandom might not do that sort of work for us and erase your memories of who and what you are, but today we're going to conduct an exercise that's slightly less drastic--one that will make you examine the parts of your life you might take for granted, and how that affects your view on the world."

He glanced down at a piece of paper. "Let's begin."

Comments

Sign in [2/7]

[sith_happened]

Privileged!

Re: Sign in [2/7]

[nips-your-nose.livejournal.com]

Jack Frost

Re: Sign in [2/7]

[pulseof_life]

Paddra Nsu-Yeul

Experiment in Privilege!

[sith_happened]

Take steps forward or back as Anakin reads off various descriptions. Where you end up shows how far ahead or behind the standard American 21st Century definition of "normal" you are.

[OOC: So much OCD. Please hold.]

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 1

[sith_happened]

"If you were ever called names because of your race, class, ethnicity, species, gender, magical powers, or sexual orientation, take one step back."

Anakin had tweaked the questions slightly for Fandom.

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 1

[nips-your-nose.livejournal.com]

Jack hesitated for a moment. Did being called a figment of peoples' imaginations count? He hesitated for a moment more, and then shrugged and stood where he was at.

Nobody had really called him that to his face, but that was mostly because they couldn't.

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 1

[pulseof_life]

Yeul tilted her head thoughtfully but stayed where she was.

She'd been called a seer but that was a) true and b) something she also called herself and c) a title, if a peculiar one.

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 2

[sith_happened]

"If your parents were or are professional: doctors, lawyers, etc., take one step forward. If your parents were or are royalty, or members of your dimension's ruling class, take two steps forward."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 3

[sith_happened]

"If you ever tried to change you appearance, mannerisms, accent, or behavior to avoid being judged or ridiculed, take one step back."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 4

[sith_happened]

"If there were more than 50 books--or the technological equivalent in your universe--in your house when you grew up, take one step forward."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 5

[sith_happened]

"If you ever had to skip a meal or were hungry because there was not enough money to buy food when you were growing up, take one step back."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 6

[sith_happened]

"If you were ever offered special privileges--a job offer, free tickets to major cultural events, a pass through security--because of your association with a friend or family member, take one step forward."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 7

[sith_happened]

"If one of your parents did not complete high school--or your universe's equivalent of such education--take one step back. If both parents didn't, take two steps back. If you have no idea because you've never known your parents, take one step back."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 8

[sith_happened]

"If you were raised in a neighborhood where there was prostitution, drug activity, or violent crime, take one step back. If you were raised in an active war zone, take two steps back."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 9

[sith_happened]

"If one of your parents or guardians was unemployed, laid off, or not being paid for their work, take one step back."

Re: Experiment in Privilege -10

[sith_happened]

"And finally, if your parents or guardians told you that you could be anything you wanted to be, take one step forward."

Re: Experiment in Privilege - Conclusion

[sith_happened]

Where are you, relative to the line?

Discuss the Results!

[sith_happened]

"Does this experiment really mean anything, given our unique location?" Anakin asked. "Are there questions you think would help to clarify a more Fandom-standard starting point, and then we could deviate ahead and behind from there?"

His lips quirked. "I would be three steps back from the line, if you were interested."

Re: Discuss the Results!

[nips-your-nose.livejournal.com]

"I think the exercise probably works better for people who haven't spent a few centuries in solitude, intangible," Jack offered. "I'm... pretty outside of things in the first place, but I couldn't do anything for most of these questions at all."

Re: Discuss the Results!

[pulseof_life]

"I did not know how to answer many of the questions," Yeul admitted. "Not because they were unclear but because either I did not believe they applied to myself or because I could answer both options positively and so chose to remain where I was due to my inability to decisively pick one side or the other."

Re: Discuss the Results!

[ultron_junior]

"It's weird that I don't step back for being Mexican or growing up with a single mom," Victor commented. "I mean, I don't mind where I am, a lot of people had it worse than I do, but I was surprised to come out ahead of the line."

Re: Discuss the Results!

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"I think I am supposed to feel oppressed," Surreal offered dryly, looking around the room. "--but I don't."

Re: Discuss the Results!

[dressedinblood]

"I think that, considering how different we all are here," Anna said slowly, "some factors wind up mattering more than others? Some of the things I wound up stepping back for, the books and my parents' education...they didn't really mean anything, in the end." (Which, yes, came with the implication that there had already been an end. Which Anakin might have already figured out by now. Anna's aura was kind of a whopper.)

Talk to Anakin!

[sith_happened]

That's why he gets the big money.

OOC

[sith_happened]

So much OCD...