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smash_logs2013-01-28 10:15 pm
will_be_god) wrote in smash_logs2013-01-28 10:15 pm
(no subject)
Who: Cyrus, his students, whoever else
What: Ethics class
Where: Classroom
When: Monday, 1 pm
It had been some time since he had stood before a group to speak, but for Cyrus, such a thing came naturally. However, disruption and insolence seemed to come naturally to his students, so he prepared himself to dish out yet another verbal whuppin', and probably a hell of a lot of homework.
What: Ethics class
Where: Classroom
When: Monday, 1 pm
It had been some time since he had stood before a group to speak, but for Cyrus, such a thing came naturally. However, disruption and insolence seemed to come naturally to his students, so he prepared himself to dish out yet another verbal whuppin', and probably a hell of a lot of homework.
Re: The lecture
[At this, Pulse leaned back in his seat while keeping one hand on the desk, scratching at his helmet with the other.]
I think I understand. I always knew I was different than humans, but I never really thought I was... that I was better than them, even though often... I was told that I was. I just saw it as like... that there were things I could do that they couldn't. But there are so many things humans can do that I can't. There were other non-humans I had met, some I know, who could do things I couldn't. But I never thought of it as though it made us superior or inferior overall. It always depended on the situation, what was needed, who could help and who couldn't... I guess, who was dependent on whom, for what purpose. There are times when I'm really strong, and... times when I'm weak, when I need someone else to help me. But it always changes, it's always changing. And if it's never the same, then, that's why I don't believe that it should define a person. The fact that it changes makes it a constant for everybody. I think.
[He paused to breathe.]
The only time I had ever experienced hate, when I was... the target... it wasn't because of what I could or couldn't do, but... it was because of what I was, or how I looked. And that... that never made sense to me. When they found out that I was different, there were people who didn't trust me anymore. They were afraid of me. They thought that I wanted to hurt them. I guess... they believed that I believed that they were inferior, that I was the superior being. I never really understood why... I didn't have anyone to go to, someone who was on my side, as it was, someone who could tell me why. So when it happened, when people turned against me and began to hate me... I ran away.
[He paused again to breathe.]
That's why, when I think... when people hate... they feel driven to do so. People were friendly to me until they found out what I was. Something about me caused them to be afraid of me, and I didn't mean to make them afraid on purpose... If it wasn't my fault, then it had to be something else, something they believed. After I spent some time alone, I did some research, and I found...
[He swallowed hard.]
There was a great fear of technology, of computers that would become smarter than humans, artificial intelligence that was greater than human intelligence. They called it the Technological Singularity. It was like a boundary point... there was no prediction for what would happen afterward, and in that uncertainty, people often believed that it would be the end of the world, that artificial intelligence would take over. This was why they were afraid. This was what made them afraid of me.
They don't hate me anymore, or at least, they don't hate me as much. I didn't like how it happened, I really would not have had it happen, but it took a bigger threat for them to realize that I wasn't the enemy. There was a cyberterrorist organization trying to take over the world, and they attacked cities and held them under siege using technology and artificial intelligence. I didn't agree with their ideals; they believed humans were inferior beings, and they wanted to rule them and control them. I resisted the organization, I fought against them... it turned out that I was the only one that could fight them, because of what I was, and what I could do. They were using technology to try to get their way, but their technology still followed rules... I didn't. I'm half-human, I can make my own decisions. And I decided to chase them down and stop them. And... I did. ...Mostly.
[Breathing again.]
...Well, that's the reason I'm here. There are still threats that exist, threats like the one I fought, and new ones too, and I want to get stronger so that I can keep protecting people from them. And if there are non-human people being threatened... I will protect them, too.
I guess what I mean is... [somewhat oblivious to the fact that he had nearly talked Cyrus' ear off] ...whether or not someone is inferior or superior to another, whether they are that way, or that they see it that way... I believe... it doesn't matter. Once people start hating one another, when they start hurting one another when they really don't need to, but just because they hate one another, that's something that needs to stop. Whatever it is they believe that makes them want to hurt others, it's not a healthy belief. It's not logical... it's not progressive. It's not right.
Re: The lecture
And Pulse was even more different still. Not even an organic being, not fully, and seen as an outsider by both sides. It was disturbing to think of machines taking on the illogical attributes of humans, unsettling and frightening.
"You have given this a lot of thought. Those mired in this would do well to follow suit. Speak further."
Re: The lecture
...What... What do you believe I should do, sir? When it's not just me, when it's a whole population... being targeted... that's new to me.