Fandom High School

Oz had his class meet him in an ordinary classroom today. "So here we are, our final class," he said once they had finished arriving. You could tell it was a final because there was cake. Cake which was not a lie. "Hopefully over the last few weeks you've learnt something about not being evil, and about recognising evil when you see it."

"Rather than a written test, I want you to tell the rest of us what you personally have learnt about not being evil, and try to come up with one way you can prevent evil in others. Because, like forest fires, only you can prevent it."

[OCD up]

When Oz's class made it to the Danger Shop, they would have found a large, possibly confusing, range of various and sundry everyday appliances, gadgets, and the like spread out across the desks, along with several sets of Phillips-head screwdrivers.

"Morning, kids," Oz greeted them. "Now I know there's some weirdness going on, but we're going to try and take our minds off that today, and I've found that there are few things more soothing when you're stressed than tinkering, so that's what we're going to be doing today. Pick a gadget or two, find a partner, take your screwdriver, and take those suckers apart to see what's inside."

He'd let them discover the answer was inevitably going to be 'a bomb' in their own time. It'd take their minds off things quickly enough.

[OCD up]

The Danger Shop was set up like an old style movie theatre today, complete with ushers with popcorn and drinks in the aisles.

"Given that some of you have recently become parents, I figured we'd take things easy with a movie day today," Oz told them by way of greeting. "But not just any film. This is a hard hitting film about journalistic ethics, sexual jealousy, fraud, government corruptions, and frame-jobs. So I want you all to follow along closely and to deeply consider some of the issues raised."

[OCD up]

Not only was there a movie projector set up in the classroom when Oz's class arrived, but also several sizable bowls of various kinds of candy.

"In honour of the upcoming holiday, we're going to watch a movie today," Oz told them when they finally finished settling down. "One about the dangers of assuming evil, instead of merely being alert for it. Because there's a difference, and it's a doozy. Though if you're squeamish you should probably lay off the candy and just take some after class."

[OCD up]

Oz had his class meet him in the Danger Shop this week, where they'd find themselves in a fortified encampment in the midst of a seemingly deserted town. "So far we've focused on the theoretical side of not being evil," he began once the class had finished arriving. "And let's face it, it's easier to figure out evil versus good when it's presented in a purely hypothetical manner, it starts getting trickier out in the real world, or simulations of such, especially when you're in a position of power and responsibility, or in times of great stress. When it's both, boy, are you in trouble."

Three guesses what today's class was going to involve.

"You may have noticed our lovely surroundings, well it turns out that while we weren't looking, your typical zombie apocalypse happened, but luckily for you, you managed to make it back to what's left of civilisation, you even found a small group of survivors, and then they made you their chief. Which means your job today is to try and rebuild this decaying husk back into something resembling a town, while keeping people's tasty brainmeats inside their heads. I'm sure you'll handle any moral dilemmas that crop up along the way just fine."

[OCD up]

Oz was back in front of the class this week. "Morning, all, I hope you all enjoyed the movie last week, I had to put out some brush fires back with my employees." Literally. Who knew what they'd been thinking letting Dutch anywhere near a flame-thrower.

"Okay, so far we've looked at examples of you not being evil, we've discussed possible signs of evil, and you managed not to be evil while I wasn't in the classroom, so three for three on the overall class goal of not being evil," Oz said. "This week we're going to be doing something a little different, we're going to figure out what might make you choose evil over good.

"I mean that in more subtle way than the whole devil tempting you in the desert thing, because you're teenagers and that way lies TMI-time. I'm referring to that oh so wonderful phrase 'the end justifies the means'. That little ditty provides an express ladder to the top of the moral slippery slope, especially when coupled with our good old friend 'the greater good'. In certain situations it can be very easy to convince yourself that doing this one little thing, one tiny act of badness, doesn't make you an evil person, not when so much good comes of it. Hey, maybe you're even right." Like, for example, the way Oz dealt with his employees. "But afterwards, what if two acts of bad means you can twice as much good? And so on.

"So today, what I want you to do is find a partner and talk about what ends you think justify the means, find your line in the sand, and try to pick apart each others arguments."

[OCD up]

Once again class was in an ordinary classroom. Unlike last week, Oz held out a lucky dip as the students entered. Those with sharp eyes may have noticed he had large squares of hair missing from his lower arms.

( Cut for length. )

[OCD up]