Want to be a Hero?, Friday, 4th Period

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara had her students meet her at the same spot in front of the preserve where she'd held class the first week.

"Calling yourself a hero, means that sometimes you need to be the bigger person," she said, without much preamble "Sometimes this means making alliances with people you consider enemies, or giving people who've done you wrong a second chance. Sometimes this means behaving in what most people would consider to a dangerously naive and trusting way." Sometimes these options were exactly the same thing if you asked Cara, but that was one of the many reasons why she didn't consider herself heroic.

"So today, we're going to discuss what you'd do if presented with choices and why. If you feel your classmates are being either too harsh or too forgiving, feel free to press them on it. Try not to be too rude about it." That was her job.

Comments

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[spin_kick_snap]

Oh god, Cara. The narration apologizes in advance for Kathy today. Also: always.

"Why is it my sword duty to kill them?" Kathy asked, barely five seconds into the scenario. "I don't kill people! Maybe as, like, a last resort in self-defense, but why would I have sword to kill someone? That denies either side agency or the chance for change!"

If Cara didn't kill her, Surreal would eat her alive. not-dirty

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara may have been wishing she could throw rocks at people's heads again. "Because you've sworn to follow orders," she said. "And your orders were to kill them."

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[spin_kick_snap]

"You don't have to follow orders that are morally reprehensible," Kathy argued. "That's why, 'I was just following orders' is not a recognized defense anymore. In fact, if your orders are terrible, then you have a moral obligation to disobey."

Pulling her shoulders back and refusing to be cowed she said, "Didn't we say that's what being a hero means? To do the right thing, even when it's hard?"

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[wrongkindofsith]

Even if Mord'Sith brainwashing training hadn't been involved, Kathy had clearly never seen what happened to people who'd thought refusing Darken Rahl's orders was a good or even survivable idea.

Besides "Simply fighting and killing an enemy is not morally reprehensible."

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[spin_kick_snap]

Ahahahaha noooo. Kathy was firmly arguing from a position of 21st century privilege.

On the other hand, if Cara brought that up, she'd probably ask what heroes were doing following a leader who literally didn't take no for an answer.

"But we're not fighting right now," Kathy pointed out. "In fact, if I were to attack this person with the intent to kill, I'd be a murderer, not a hero."

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara was really starting to regret foregoing the class on torture.

And she'd never claimed to be a hero.

"How do you know you're not fighting them?" It's not like Richard had refrained from stabbing her before he'd decided to try talking her around. "Suggesting you stop fighting each other and fight someone else instead does require you to be fighting in the first palce."

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[spin_kick_snap]

"The scenario just said I'm stranded with an enemy and he suggests we form a temporary alliance. We don't have to be physically fighting one another to be on opposing sides of a conflict." Kathy was going to be stubborn about this. "And it's entirely possible that if I've sworn to murder everyone on that side just because someone told me to, I'm on the wrong side of this conflict."

Please don't murder her, Cara, though the narration understands why you might be tempted to.

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara sincerely hoped Kathy was never in a life or death struggle, because she doubted she'd be long for this world if she were.

"So you'd agreed to an alliance," Cara said, because continuing this line of discussion went nowhere good. "That's all you needed to say."

Re: Scenario One - WtbaH [06]

[spin_kick_snap]

Hey now. Kathy's future held lots of zombies. Totally different kind of life or death scenario there.

Kathy still had a lot of feels about the idea of being 'sword to kill' a whole group of people, but she sensed that arguing further would only inch her closer to the edge of Cara's temper. Instead she just nodded and said, "I guess I would. I wouldn't trust him, but I'd at least hear him out."