fandomhigh | Ethics, Tuesday, March 3, 2015 (2nd period)

"I saw many of you on the spring break trip last week," Anakin began, "trying to adjust to being thrust into a time that wasn't your own. For some of you, this isn't the first time you've been faced with a culture that's unfamiliar: Fandom has a habit of taking people from various places and times and tossing them together. In some ways, it's amazing there aren't more fistfights as cultural mores and ethical assumptions rub against each other...."

"Sometimes these mores and assumptions can vary so thoroughly, it might seem almost incapable to bridge the divide. Though obviously, your world's 70s were not quite so drastic." Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "Now, one who experiences these differences often enough in enough contexts often develops an ability to deal with these issues diplomatically, swallowing one's judgment." Beat. "Most of the time..."

Not that he was looking at Anakin or anything.

"And sometimes they should be judged because they're wrong," Anakin replied. "Unlimited smoking, no sunscreen--that stuff will actually kill you."

"It can be difficult to judge what is an issue of lagging progress, and what is simply a cultural difference," Obi-Wan said. "As an outsider, especially, it might be nearly impossible to judge if something requires a change of any kind."

"So today we want you to pair up and think of something from your home culture or galaxy that might surprise or even shock a visitor," Anakin said, "and to decide if it's lagging progress or a cultural difference." He held out his hands. "For me, I would say that I find your universe's lack of space travel to be lagging progress, but if you visited my galaxy, you'd probably be shocked by the acceptance of violence and almost constant, if low-level, warfare, as normal." He arched an eyebrow at Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, would you agree with my assessment?"

"I would say the lack of space travel would be both a case of lagging progress, and of some snobbery on your part, Master Skywalker," Obi-Wan said, sounding amused. "Though I daresay your last point shows some manner of bias to our present location. I'm led to believe this is a relatively peaceful area on this planet." He looked to the class. "There are areas of our galaxy engaged in cultural practices we find distasteful, but there is often little we can do about them. But I believe the position of the Jedi, as they were, might also be something of a shock. I cannot recall running across any such organisation in my studies of this planet."

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"Sometimes," he said, shrugging. "Depends on the day. Weather's finicky."

"It does that," Alana shrugged back at him. "I wish I had something weird to tell you about the weather on Landfall, but it's really not too different from the way it is here."

"Landfall, huh?" Ronan asked, leaning back. "Anyone ever call it Landfill? Seems like a built in insult for people who hate the place. Can't do that with Henrietta."

"Oh yeah," Alana acknowledged. "We're the biggest planet in our little corner of the universe, so we get that a lot."

She leaned back in her seat, staring at the ceiling. "I'm going to come up with a way to insult Henrietta's name by the end of class." Not that anything was coming to mind, but give her time.

"You do, let me know," Ronan said, shrugging. "If it's funny, I might even use it when I go back."

"Just give me credit," Alana told him, amused. "So, what's something about Henrietta that would surprise me?"

She asked in the name of actually doing the assignment.

"Surprise you?" Ronan shrugged. He didn't know what kinds of things surprised people, honestly. "It's got it's own private academy for boys."

"I never get the point of that," Alana said idly. "I know the idea is that girls are distracting, but aren't we even more distracting in the real world if you don't see us at school?"

"No." But maybe that was just a problem he wasn't going to have. "Girls aren't distracting at all."

"Which means it makes even less sense for you," Alana said neatly, though she was giving Ronan a sideways look. He hadn't seemed totally impervious to girls when the pollen was around.

"Rich people like exclusive things," he said, shrugging. "Figure it's like that everywhere."

"Can't argue there," Alana said. "So I guess you grew up around a lot of rich people, huh?"

Ronan shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I grew up. Congratulations to me."

"Congratulations," Alana echoed, sounding annoyed. "Look, I don't know if you're being a jerk for fun or if your social skills just suck, or what, but if you want to quit trying to do the assignment just say so."

She could find something else to do.

"What were you expecting?" Ronan asked, shaking his head. "I don't talk about myself. Or where I'm from. No one here needs to know that. Henrietta's in Virginia and it's a tiny ass town with dumbass people. It's not special."

"Okay, but why is it secret?" Alana asked. "'Cause as far as I can tell, you're pretty normal for this school. It'd actually be more interesting if you turn into a bat at the full moon or grew up in a family of cannibals or something like that."

Alana wasn't sure what she had expected, come to that. She just didn't like people being rude to her.

"Why do I have to tell people about it beyond what I have?" he countered. "Anything else is mine to know."

"Okay," Alana said, leaning back. "Fair enough."

And then she was going to take her phone out of her bag and find a game to play. He was right; he didn't owe her anything. But she wasn't about to start offering information that he clearly didn't care about.

Ethics, Tuesday, March 3, 2015 (2nd period)

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!

Re: Pair up and talk about your homes!