Morality Class, a set on Flickr. Images captured by MC News Photographer Ryan Santana
Class started at Millennium City Town Hall, rather poetically in the courtroom. When we'd all gathered, we moved away from this crowded location and headed for a friend of mine's hi-tech facility, one of many on the Earth's moon. The class was Introduction to Morality and students Melissa, Anha and Felix all won 50 points for correctly defining the meanings of morality. It is of course a behavioural code of conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and those that are bad. I asked the students to introduce themselves to the class, talk about their powers and to tell us one interesting thing from their past, because that's what morality's all about - our choices and the person we become are influenced by our past and present.
Considering the initial time wasted meeting strangers at the courtroom, the class had limited time left, so I set them a group task, in their pairs, to come up with a scenario where a hero may be faced with a difficult situation. They would need to present one heroic choice of action, one vigilante choice and one darker choice. They all deliberated among themselves for fifteen minutes during which Emma was called away for a family emergency. The best scenario was presented by Jonathan Wixston, about a hero faced with a bank robbery. The villain wants to escape or else he will kill his hostages. The class correctly identified the heroic option would be to prioritise and secure the innocents, giving chase to the villain at a later time. A reckless vigilante would likely risk the safety of the hostages and take on the villain there and then. The worse case scenario would be for the so-called hero to destroy the bank entirely, consuming the thief and his hostages in order to set and example and put himself above all powers. These were three classic cases of differential moralities.
Interestingly, Felix and Anha showed some disturbing perspectives. Anha believes if a good hero is willing to sacrifice him or herself for the good of the many, as is often expected by the civilians, then a civilian too should be expected to do the same. But of course this is a selfish outlook, as nobody should see themselves to be so important that they would expect anyone but themselves to make a sacrifice. This is the classic heroic moral. Felix on the other hand believes that if a person has super-powers then they do not warrant his help because he expects them to be able to do anything. Again, this is a selfish outlook, for it is truly a hero's hero who saves the hero in need. Just because you're not as equipped as the superhero does not mean you're any less capable to BE the hero. Class ended there, with the set homework being an essay of 200 words on your 'model hero' and why.
"Erm, my name is Emma and I am here to learn about my abilities. I don't know much about them. My mom and dad work here, that's about it." - Emma seemed uncomfortable about sharing more.
"I'm Nikki and my powers are telekinesis, telepathy and technopathy. I'm a student because I want to be a good hero and learn more. There is nothing interesting about being kidnapped and tortured by VIPER" - Nikki misunderstood my choice of the word 'present' but I awarded her 50 points for being brave enough to even mention her traumatic past.
"My name is Fe- oh, right. I'm Felix... I don't really have anything you would call powers... and I am here because Mr Shang, (Emma's adoptive father) told me I should. My father is all the rage in Oregon and well known as Sunstroke, popular for setting robots on fire" - He means pyrokinesis.
"Anha King. I once spent a year with Raven Blackfoot, taught me everything I know. My abilities are weather control to an extent. I am hoping to refine my control in large storms and localised interior usage. Otherwise I am here to see if Felix gets over his Capeist nature." - As in superhero prejudice.
"Jonathan Wixston, my skills are with the katana I carry. I have joined to be able perfect my skills and unlock my magical power. I've been training since I was seven and I'm from another dimension."
"I'm Melissa Dawn and I'm trained in the martial arts. I joined the school to improve my skills both physically and mentally. I was experimented on by VIPER." - Seems to be a recurring theme.
Considering the initial time wasted meeting strangers at the courtroom, the class had limited time left, so I set them a group task, in their pairs, to come up with a scenario where a hero may be faced with a difficult situation. They would need to present one heroic choice of action, one vigilante choice and one darker choice. They all deliberated among themselves for fifteen minutes during which Emma was called away for a family emergency. The best scenario was presented by Jonathan Wixston, about a hero faced with a bank robbery. The villain wants to escape or else he will kill his hostages. The class correctly identified the heroic option would be to prioritise and secure the innocents, giving chase to the villain at a later time. A reckless vigilante would likely risk the safety of the hostages and take on the villain there and then. The worse case scenario would be for the so-called hero to destroy the bank entirely, consuming the thief and his hostages in order to set and example and put himself above all powers. These were three classic cases of differential moralities.
Interestingly, Felix and Anha showed some disturbing perspectives. Anha believes if a good hero is willing to sacrifice him or herself for the good of the many, as is often expected by the civilians, then a civilian too should be expected to do the same. But of course this is a selfish outlook, as nobody should see themselves to be so important that they would expect anyone but themselves to make a sacrifice. This is the classic heroic moral. Felix on the other hand believes that if a person has super-powers then they do not warrant his help because he expects them to be able to do anything. Again, this is a selfish outlook, for it is truly a hero's hero who saves the hero in need. Just because you're not as equipped as the superhero does not mean you're any less capable to BE the hero. Class ended there, with the set homework being an essay of 200 words on your 'model hero' and why.
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