Ethics, Friday, November 6, 2020

[sith_happened]

"Let's talk about shame," Anakin said, settling back against his desk. "For you, personally, what actions make you feel that gut-clench of knowing you've done something wrong? And more importantly, how does your society check inappropriate social behavior through use of shame, and what happens when someone refuses to feel shame?"

Anakin had not been watching election results and listening to his wife yell at her computer for almost a week, why would you think that?

Comments

Discuss!

[sith_happened]

Shame! Can you feel shame? Is your sense of shame over or undeveloped? How do you stop feeling ashamed of yourself? And how to do you make other people feel ashamed of their unhinged behavior?

Re: Discuss!

[bookbeltof_love]

"I can, like, feel shame," Nina admitted. "But it's not one of those things I'm going to want other people to see me feeling???????"

Re: Discuss!

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "Being corrected in front of others is always awful," he agreed.

Re: Discuss!

[bookbeltof_love]

"It's, like, the worst," she agreed, with a delicate sort of shudder. "I try to avoid it!!!!!!!!"

Re: Discuss!

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"The way I was raised... the concept of feeling 'shame' was lost fairly quickly," Illyana replied carefully. "There was no 'wrong,' morally-speaking. You do what you must; no more, no less."

"I might feel guilt if my freely-chosen actions cause accidental pain that I did not plan to someone I care about, but not shame. I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do, so why would I feel shame? Shame implies I did something wrong on purpose."

Re: Discuss!

[sith_happened]

"And you've never done something wrong on purpose?" Anakin asked.

Re: Discuss!

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"By my definition of wrong? No," Illyana admitted. "But I'm pretty sure the people involved felt differently, even if they were the ones that escalated the situation."

There were a number of deceased truckers who might claim they didn't deserve to be killed, but 'Yana would firmly assert otherwise.

"I try very hard to think things through before I take actions, because I am aware that I have a temper, and my upbringing leaves my outlook slightly...different. From what most people would consider morally acceptable. But that's not always possible and sometimes you have to make choices. I refuse to feel shame for choices that keep me alive."

'Yana felt guilt. She had a lot of internalized guilt, and lot of (misplaced) guilt over Limbo. But not shame.

Re: Discuss!

[grayskollar]

"Um..." It'd probably be faster to list off the number of things Adora hadn't been taught to be ashamed of.

Re: Discuss!

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "Um?" he repeated.

Re: Discuss!

[grayskollar]

"I'm sorry?" Adora didn't even know why she was apologising.

Re: Discuss!

[sith_happened]

"Do you have something to share with ma about shame?" Anakin retried.

Re: Discuss!

[grayskollar]

"I don't like how it makes you feel." Like embarrassment, but so much worse.

Re: Discuss!

[sith_happened]

"Most people don't," Anakin admitted. "I think that's why it works."