fandomhigh | Ethics, Wednesday

Today the desks were shoved against the walls (and two guesses about how that had happened and "actually pushing things with their hands" wasn't the answer), with a giant piece of masking tape down the center of the room.

"We're talking about privilege this morning," Anakin began.

"When speaking of ethics, it can be highly valuable to be aware of which platform you are speaking from," Obi-Wan continued. "There are issues we might not be able to speak of with full understanding, or issues we might understand better than those we are speaking of, based on how much privilege we had growing up. And these privileges may well be smaller, and yet more significant, than you think."

"In a school like this one, especially, what you might think of as universal experiences--space flight, for instance, or unlimited amounts of water--can be unfathomable fantasies to the student next to you," Anakin said. "We've tried to come up with examples to be as helpful as possible in this exercise, which is not intended to make any of you feel better or worse than the other beings in this class. It's intended to remind you to reflect on your own worldview and how that affects your reactions to things."

Like, say, if you grew up on a slave planet with a kill-button implanted in the back of your neck, you might be a little prickly ~~and homicidal~~ as an adult.

"So please step forward and stand on the indicated line, where we will also be joining you," Obi-Wan said, gesturing at the floor. "We will read a number of statements, and whether you should take a step forward or a step back if it is true."

Anakin stepped onto the line, jaw set. This wasn't exactly his favorite exercise.

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"What does your final position say about your relative privilege? What might it mean for how you approach ethical questions?"

Isabela shrugged. "Not as much as you might think," she said. "For a start I'm behind Merrill."

Which she was glad of for Merrill's sake.

Edited 2015-09-16 19:51 (UTC)

Obi-Wan's gaze darted briefly towards the elf girl. "And you believe you should not be?"

"I'm not unhappy I am." Not if it meant the other girl had missed a few unhappy experiences. "But she's an elf and I'm human, that makes a difference in the world where we're from, and it's not a good one for her."

"I see," Obi-Wan said. He frowned. "Elves experience a brand of speciesism, then, I assume?"

Edited 2015-09-17 05:59 (UTC)

If Obi-Wan was asking if it sucked to be an elf in Thedas, then yes, very much so.

"Merrill could better tell you how things are for the Dalish," she said. "But most cities, most people assume an elf outside of an alienage is a servant or a criminal, and I'm told it's even worse in Tevinter."

Rivain tended to be somewhat better when it came to elves, but Spiders Rivain was an outlier and should not be counted.

Ah, Rivain. A fantastic place to live, as long as you were okay with being conquered every .5 years.

"We could group such assumptions under the first statement," Obi-Wan mused, "But that does not quite cover it, does it?"

Excuse you, they'd only conquered three times, at least if you were grouping all the Exalted Marches together. Plus a Blight.

"Elves only being at risk of getting called names would be an improvement, especially if they were free to respond in kind." Though anyone who so much as breathed 'knife-ear' in Isabela's hearing might very well lose theirs. When Merrill wasn't looking of course, no need to upset her.

"I didn't understand all the questions," Alluka admitted. "So I just guessed a lot of the time."

"Which ones were confusing for you?" Anakin asked.

There had been a number, but...

"The most confusing one was about the changing things so... so that people are nicer? Isn't that just doing what your parents say?" Alluka had thought so, but it didn't fully make sense that way.

"It could be," Anakin answered carefully. "But it didn't really mean something like not eating with your mouth open or poking your little brother until he cries."

Both of which happened in Anakin's house this morning. "It was more connected to the being made fun of--if you changed an accent because yours was considered to be how people who weren't very smart talked, things like that."

Her arms tightened around her bunny as she thought about that. Her bunny didn't seem to mind.

"What... what if it's your parents who told you how to change so that you were good?"

"Then I think it depends if you were doing it because you were afraid of their anger or not," Anakin said, "but that's my own experiences speaking."

"They are pretty scary," Alluka admitted, after a moment. "But, but all they really told me was to stay in my room and be good."

Anakin was starting to have a bad feeling about this. "What did being good feel like for you?" he asked.

Alluka looked down at her bunny and then covered it's ears, just so that she wouldn't hurt it's feelings.

"Kinda boring," she admitted. "But I had lots of toys and my toys kept me company."

"How long would you stay in there?" Anakin asked.

Alluka tilted her head, looking at him consideringly and then, deciding that he was being ridiculous, giggled.

"I wasn't supposed to leave," she said matter-of-factly. "But a portal thing showed up, so I did, but I didn't, since I didn't go out a door."

And Alluka was sticking to that, despite the logic being extremely shaky. It might help when her parents found her.

"They just locked you in there?"

Inside voice, Anakin.

Alluka shrank back, hugging her bunny even tighter, as her eyes went huge with apprehension.

"Y-Yes?"

But it had only been to make sure she'd be good. That wasn't so bad, was it?

Edited 2015-09-16 22:10 (UTC)

"For...hours?"

Please say hours.

Um.

Well...

Alluka looked at him doubtfully, hoping he wasn't going to raise his voice again. She didn't like it when people did that. "For lots and lots of hours," she said agreeably, since days and years were all made out of hours.

It wasn't technically a wrong answer!

Re: Discussion Question

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"Some of the times I wasn't sure what to do," Lottie admitted. "Because I've seen folks who've had it way better'n me, but I also know loads who've had it much worse. So maybe they did apply, but not as much as they would for someone else."

"Privilege functions on many levels," Obi-Wan said, "And it is rarely as simple as we use it here, of course. But it is an indicator, and it forms an image when all statements are taken together."

(Obi-Wan was well familiar with Lottie's reasoning. It was what wound him up past the line.)

"Though now I'm curious - which ones gave you pause?"