Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Aug 23, 2021 17:45:57 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]"Computer, open Chapter 1."The grid of the holodeck gave way to a charred, partially ruined urban landscape of flaming buildings, with dead Cardassian bodies on the ground. The ghastly smell of death hung over the place, offending Judy's human nose too. "What do you see, Cadet?" Judy asked somberly. "Take in this place."It was difficult for her to take in, and she'd seen it before.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 1, 2021 17:52:38 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] Left Ear's nose wrinkled almost reflexively at the smell of death and decay, her senses almost overwhelmed. With a shudder, she began a careful scan of the scene, fighting her instincts to run and help. The realism of the holodeck constantly made her struggle. She knew it wasn't real, but it didn't keep her from wanting to go check if anyone was alive. The Sivaoan swallowed and turned to look behind her, seeing more of the same. ' It's Cardassia, or a Cardassian colony.' But when? ' I...I'm not sure when. Is this during the Occupation? After an attack by the Bajoran Resistance? Or is this during the Dominion War, when the Jem'Hadar turned on them? It looks a lot like what I imagine the cities on Sivao did at the end.' Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 1, 2021 23:38:01 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]"Cadet, I know it's hard, but don't go in that direction right now. Focus on the moment, on the sights you see, the sounds, the smells, and how that makes you feel. Really take in this place, process it, feel it."There was a reason Judy had commissioned a re-enactment of this ghastly scene, and it wasn't for a historical analysis. She was interested in the emotional facet.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 2, 2021 17:50:15 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] The cadet's head tilted to the side as she looked at Judy. Left Ear wasn't entirely sure she understood what the captain was looking for. She turned back to the horrifying scene, taking a deep breath, then sneezing as the smell of smoke inundated her. ' I wish I could help them,' she started. ' I hate that intelligent species are capable of doing this to each other. It makes me ashamed for my own planet's past, even though I had nothing to do with it.' Left Ear glanced at Judy out of the corner of her eye. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 2, 2021 21:11:07 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]Judy nodded as the pedagogical objective of this simulation seemed to be achieved. "That's a good lesson to take away from this event, because one of our core duties as Starfleet is to prevent events like this from happening, and to provide relief when they do."She took a deep breath. "This genocide was committed by the Jem'Hadar, beings engineered for war and violence, but all species are capable of such atrocities. Humans too."Judy's fingers snapped, and the environment changed. { Click here for the new environment} "This is the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, as it exists today. In this place and others like it, 400 years ago, six million humans were worked to death, or murdered en masse with poison gas and firing squads, simply because of the religion they practiced - the Jewish religion."Judy had contemplated using a holographic reenactment of the concentration camp during its active life, but decided that was unnecessary. "Ask yourself, why is this site preserved to this day? Why am I showing it to you?"
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 4, 2021 15:58:10 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] Left Ear blinked around at the new location and gasped at the shocking number of people Judy stated and what had been done to them. She was familiar enough with the captain to know that she practiced this Jewish faith. The Sivaoan couldn't fathom massacring a group of people because they followed a different religion. Her own people didn't practice religion, not as such, so the whole concept seemed a little odd, but it would never have occurred to Left Ear that someone she disagreed with should be eradicated. ' It's a reminder,' Left Ear said quietly, the eerie silence of the ancient buildings making her feel like she shouldn't raise her voice. ' A reminder to never let something like this happen again.' She shuddered, her fur standing on end momentarily. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 4, 2021 18:28:25 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]"That's exactly right."Standing in this recreation of a concentration camp was upsetting, but Judy chose to brave it for just a moment longer. "The birth of the Federation and Starfleet is, in many ways, a response to the Holocaust, and to similar genocides on Federation member worlds. One of our most important roles, I'd argue our #1 role, is to stop these things from happening."She sighed. "Computer, activate subroutine R."The surroundings were replaced by a simple classroom, with the Golden Gate bridge barely visible through the fog. It was Starfleet Academy.
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 5, 2021 21:01:00 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] Left Ear had enough time for one more glance around the desolate environment before it disappeared to be replaced by a classroom. She only knew that's what it was from her earlier experiences with her training. Sivaoans didn't have utilitarian spaces like this for learning. She didn't recognize the view out the window or the structure that was mostly obscured by fog. Moving to one of the empty seats, Left Ear asked, ' How were these events allowed to happen? Couldn't anyone stop it?' The idea was horrifying. A group of Sivaoans had been exiled for causing the accidental extinction of animal species on her world. How could any civilization allow such things to happen intentionally? Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 5, 2021 23:02:45 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]Judy took a very deep, long breath. "Events like this happen at the tail end of long, societal processes," she said. "Computer, begin presentation."Slides went up behind Judy on a projector screen. "The default way of thinking for most species is to divide those around us into two categories: those who are like us, and 'others' - those who are not like us. Any group that is distinctive can be 'othered': different species, races, religions, people with disabilities, and so on."Judy snapped her finger and the slide behind her changed. { Click for the Pyramid of Violence} [fn]Source: the Anti-Defamation League[/fn] "Once an 'other' is identified, people can be led along the pyramid of violence. First, they adopt biased attitudes about the 'other'. In may societies, the majority of people have preconceived notions of minorities - for example, many Germans believed Jews to be greedy - but with clever marketing, biases can be created."She breathed deeply. "After people develop biased attitudes, they can be led to commit acts of bias. They may bully the 'others', make offensive jokes at their expense, call them slurs, and so on. Gradually, they come to think of the 'other' as being an inferior, as something 'less than a person'."
"Then, the society is ready to accept discrimination against the 'other'. The 'other' is forced out of certain professions, forced out of the schools, moved out of neighborhoods, subjected to a separate and inherently unequal legal system. The 'other' is treated as 'less than a person', and this reinforces the belief that they truly are inferior."
"At that point, members of society find it rather easy to commit acts of violence against the 'others' and their property, so they do. Theft, vandalism, assault, rape, murder, everything gradually becomes acceptable, because the 'other' isn't a person, right?"
"And once violence committed by individuals and small groups is normalized, it's only a very small step to genocide."Judy closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. "So that's how genocide happens. The hate builds up gradually, starting from small biases, until what you saw earlier seems acceptable, even reasonable."
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 10, 2021 0:28:14 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] The Sivaoan started out merely listening attentively, but as Judy went on, Left Ear went absolutely still. Then her ears and whiskers began quivering slightly, along with the very tip of her tail twitching. She stared unblinkingly, the black of her slitted pupils overtaking the pale blue. Her claws slowly extended to dig into the desk below her hands. It took a great deal of effort to unlock her jaw when Judy finished speaking. ' My...people,' she began, and had to pause and swallow back bile that was rising at the back of her throat. ' My people, we do this, at least at a certain level. I don't know if the exile...
But our Walk. You know about it. If someone fails, they can try again with the same group if they survived or with a new group. But if they fail again, it's almost impossible to find a group that will go for a third time. Many of those who fail take the other road to adulthood...' Left Ear hesitated, wondering if she needed to explain the euphemism, but decided to plunge on. Judy would ask if there was anything she didn't understand. ' Others choose to live out their lives as children, never able to fully be part of society. Since the Federation came to our world, some of those have chosen to leave Sivao for other places where not finishing the Walk doesn't matter. But it's the same thing.' Left Ear grabbed her overly-long tail and wrung it in distress. She didn't like to think that her own people could be capable of the things Judy was describing. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 10, 2021 1:10:33 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]Left Ear had, in effect, found one of the main pedagogical objectives of this day, or at least come exceedingly close to it, painful as it was. "You are right. Those people are othered. From what you're describing, and to my knowledge, they are systemically discriminated against."Judy took a deep breath. "Any society is potentially only a few years away from committing genocide, under the right circumstances. It's always a possibility, and it's generally a lot closer than you think."That was a somber, depressing thought. "It's good that you've looked at your own culture and found this. That's crucial to stopping atrocities before they happen."
Tag Left Ear to-Ennien
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 12, 2021 19:46:53 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] Left Ear calmed a little as she thought through things. ' I think...I think maybe it's starting to change a little. A couple of my friends thought about not doing the Walk at all. They didn't see the point, and I can kind of see their point. In the past, the succeeding at the Walk was proof that you were ready to act as an adult in our society. If you didn't succeed, it meant you weren't ready.
While a lot of elements of our lives are dangerous, the whole point is that we help and take care of one another.' Left Ear's nose wrinkled as she released her tail. ' The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. If someone can't complete the Walk because they aren't ready, they need to be taken care of, not pushed away.
But it would be difficult to change anything since each camp sort of governs itself.' The Sivaoan's thoughts were running away with her with ideas and half-baked plans to try to make changes. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 12, 2021 20:43:00 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]This was, from a pedagogical perspective, a success. The student was engaging with the material on a deep level, without too much prompting, and even getting ahead of herself. "Well, Cadet, that ties into some concepts that I'd planned to teach you on Wednesday, as part of our civics unit, so I'm going to give you a choice: we can move that lecture up to right now, and spend all of your lesson on Wednesday on swimming, or leave the lesson plan as is, swim now, and talk about civics on Wednesday," Judy stated. So far in the course, Judy had adapted her materials to her pupil, but always acting on her own judgement. This was the first time the young woman could directly input into what the lesson plan would be.
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Sept 15, 2021 18:42:27 GMT
[ Left Ear - Holodeck 1] The Sivaoan's mental gymnastics came to a screeching halt at Judy's mention of swimming. Of course Left Ear remembered having read that little tidbit in her syllabus, but she'd stubbornly pushed it to the back of her mind, not wanting to deal with it right away. Now she gulped and stared up at Judy, eyes wide, and reached for her tail again unconsciously, slowly twisting it in her hands. ' Um, let's, let's save swimming for Wednesday.' It was a cowardly thought, but maybe she could come up with an excuse to get out of it before then. Emergency surgery? It could happen. Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 16, 2021 16:32:21 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD - Holodeck 1]Judy actually chuckled at the Cadet's attempt to avoid the swimming lesson. "Wednesday will come, my dear. I don't intend to die tomorrow," she quipped. "But your decision is yours. Computer, initiate chapter four."The setting around them changed. Judy went up to the Speaker's chair and sat down there. It was a fine vantage point from which to take in the majesty of the building. "This is the Capitol, home to the regional parliament of North America. It was built to house the parliament of the United States, one of Earth's oldest, strongest democracies. I think it's a more stately building than the home of the Federation Council."Perhaps it was Judy's regional bias, as an American. "The Federation, and virtually all of its member-states, are democratic republics. Democracy means that the people have a say in how the place is governed. A republic is a government run by representatives. A democratic republic, then, is a government in which we the people elect representatives to run the government for us. Do you follow?"
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