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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"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!

Anakin sighed. "Did you have food? Water? Bathroom access?"

She bobbed her head in agreement to all of those questions.

"And lots of toys!"

Anakin could feel the beginning of a migraine blooming behind his eyes. "When did they first start wanting you to be...this good?" he asked.

Alluka had to stop and think about that, taking a moment to confer with her bunny.

She still wasn't very good with time.

"Since I was maybe five?" she guessed. "About there?"

Anakin's mouth formed a thin line. "Uh huh. That's not really how things are done in this universe."

He was really, really trying not to freak her out.

"No," she said agreeably, and beamed. "I get to go outside!"

The novelty of that had not even come remotely close to wearing off yet, no.

"Though outside's sorta big," she continued, "so sometimes I stay inside anyway."

Anakin nodded. "I grew up on a very warm planet," he said, "so I spent a long time feeling cold, even when it wasn't that cold."

His whining still got fairly ridiculous in the winter.

"Staying inside when outside seems too big is completely okay."

Ethics, Wednesday

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