markofthebrave | [ Action, Written ] .052

[Filtered 100 percent AWAY from: Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Yue, Suki, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Trafalgar, Nami, Sanji, Luffy, Chopper, and anyone else she thinks might recognize her handwriting, despite the pains she's going to in order to disguise it, or show the journal to people she really doesn't want to see this - Raine and Temari and Iroh.

All replies will be written unless stated otherwise. The camera is obscured by a wrapped around piece of brown cloth.]

Do you think that there's such a thing as a power that is wrong, not because of how it's used, but just because of what it does?

[After staying holed up in her room with the door shut - quite an unusual break of habit for her - Katara decides to head into town. She wants to check out that night club that she'd heard about - she heard there would be music!

From there it's the usual errands, like the grocery store and the Item Shop. Dinner tonight will be Something Spicy, but she hasn't figured out what yet. Maybe it'll help get Sokka out of his funk.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What's wrong and right is subjective, but I believe powers cannot be wrong for simply what they do. Powers, abilities, weapons, they're all tools to be used for a purpose determined by the user.

What's right and wrong is not subjective. Murder is wrong. Slavery is wrong. Rape is wrong. Sometimes what's right and wrong can be hard to see, and sometimes I'm not sure if there is a clear right choice, but that doesn't mean that right and wrong don't exist.

And I'm not sure that you can say every kind of power is like a tool.

No, right and wrong is subjective because it's something determined by the individual with influence from society and social norms. I do agree, murder, slavery, and rape are wrong, however there are others who will see things in another light. I don't agree with those views, but there are people who just as easily wouldn't agree with mine.

You're right, that is an over simplification there.

[Normally, Katara would fly off the handle at something like this. But she has been put to a place where she has been giving a similar line of thinking serious thought for months now. All the same, she's far from convinced.

...and this is something she needs to talk about too.] Just because a group of people think that they're doing what's right doesn't mean they're doing what's right. I know of people who think that they are superior to everyone else, and that gives them the right to conquer and rule. Their children are taught this, for generations. They think it's okay to kill anyone they please who isn't one of them.

Even though they think they have that right, they're not. It's still wrong. They just need to be shown differently.

I don't argue that either. I personally don't believe the world is black and white, it's really rather quite gray, but just because someone can do something and believe it's right doesn't make it right.

In my world there was a man who believed people of a specific physical appearance were mentally and physically superior to all others, that these people were "the master race" and anyone who did not fit that appearance was beneath them. That they didn't deserve to live. Millions of people died because of what he believed and others who followed him believed.

He's not the only case. Inhuman experiments, acts of cruelty, countless deaths, history has shown what happens when a group believes they are superior to others.

I'm not defending their actions, believe me. However, I have seen cases where bad things - theft, murder - are done for right reasons.

[...so then, she agreed with her? She's still not satisfied. This whole thing is so confusing and painful.] I think the willingness to treat another person like they're less than human is wrong, no matter what the society around them says. It doesn't matter what form that takes - it's still wrong. And that's why when it comes to powers that can take away free will, I wonder if it crosses that line.

I suppose it depends on the very nature of the ability but...

Say I could temporarily freeze people in place. If a crazed gunman was going around shooting people, I'd use my abilities to stop him until proper authorities could take care of him. Yes, I may be using my abilities to forcibly stop him, but I think he lost the right to free will the moment he decided he could shoot others.

It's a little simplified still, but... if it's done to help others, save others, sometimes you do what you must.

But freezing someone in place still only effects the outside of them. That's the same thing as tying them up, or knocking them out. What about abilities that get inside a person?

Okay, then mind control. Against what they wish to do, I force them to put down their weapon and turn themselves in to the authorities.

And you don't look at that as a violation?

It is a violation of their free will and rights, but I think they lost some rights to that when they decide to attack innocent people.

I guess this is where I differ from everyone. It's not necessarily the means justify the ends, but if I have to do bad things to save or help good people, I'll do it.

I see.

[Now would normally be where she'd thank Ginia for her time and for answering, but she's a bit busy thinking about what they said - and uncertain, just enters this response as she goes on to talk with some of the others which had come in.]

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