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

"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."

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Privileged!

Edited 2013-02-07 08:49 (UTC)

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.]

Edited 2013-02-07 08:50 (UTC)

"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.

"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."

Edited 2013-02-07 08:53 (UTC)

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

Edited 2013-02-07 09:01 (UTC)

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

Where are you, relative to the line?

"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."

That's why he gets the big money.

So much OCD...

Jack Frost

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.

Jack... didn't have parents, so far as he was aware. He looked slightly awkward, but he remained standing on the line.

Did the Moon even count?

Jack? Was still on the line. Changing anything about himself wouldn't have made any difference, anyhow. People still wouldn't have seen him.

Jack hadn't had books!

... Or a house.

He was sighing and taking a seat on the line, now.

Jack? Still sitting on that line. Food had never really been a problem for him. What with the... not exactly needing to eat, and things.

... And now he was doing handstands. Still on the line. Until coming here, he hadn't even had friends.

This was possibly not the best exercise for Jack Frost.

... Jack blinked up at that last qualifier, and then he let out a bit of a whoop!

Have you ever seen anyone so excited to take a step back because he'd never known his parents before, Anakin?

And now Jack was going to stay back his whole one step and continue to not move. Being able to spend time wherever he wanted to in the world actually gave him a bit of leeway, here.

Page 1 of 5

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

Sign in [2/7]

Experiment in Privilege!

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 1

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 2

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 3

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 4

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 5

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 6

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 7

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 8

Re: Experiment in Privilege - 9

Re: Experiment in Privilege -10

Re: Experiment in Privilege - Conclusion

Discuss the Results!

Talk to Anakin!

OOC

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