Post by Toz76 on Jun 7, 2017 17:51:43 GMT -5
If there's one thing I dislike in fiction, it is declaring that a person is wholly morally good. No one is flawless, and what some call unspeakable evil, others consider unquestionably good. That said, I have no objection to the colorfolk being held magically to strict moral standards. It's very reminiscent of D&D/OOTS "Paladins".
The problem is, the colorfolk don't really live up to those expectations.
In this thread, we can discuss the moral implications of the colorfolk's actions. I want to kick the discussion off with the one colorfolk who I can't understand why he's considered good, Alistair Erdagovern. Mini recap: during the Black Death, Alistair:
There are some obvious issues here, in my eyes.
*Hiding behind a wall to save your own hide while thousands perish is not good. It is cowardice at its finest, a trait commonly linked to evil, as it happens. Sure, they may have sent a handful of colorman doctors out from time to time, but that's not a whole lot. Ideally, they would have risked all to save as many as possible. Colorman scientists would have worked tirelessly to find a cure. Others would have travelled to the homes of the sick to administer potential cures, or at least make the victims more comfortable. A level of quarantine is understandable, but not to this degree.
*The wall itself from a structural standpoint is absurd. First off, 15 square miles is a ridiculous amount. Second off, depending on the shape of the quarantined area, that's at least 15.5 miles of wall, most likely more. And according to a recent chat, the walls are 80 feet high. 80 feet! While there were taller structures at the time, the tallest walls built at that time were probably the Theodosian walls, at a maximum estimate of just under 46 feet. The Great Wall Of China itself is only 26 feet tall. That would have been an engineering marvel, so how come "only 8 percent of the walls remain", and more pressingly, why aren't they a huge tourist attraction?
*As for the concept itself, why would a wholly good force build a wall to keep out innocent, suffering people? Fortification around any major fortress would have been standard, but such an extreme wall would have sent a very negative message: "we don't want you here. Stay away". That is not the message of a heroic force for pure good. Presumably, this would have left thousands of sick people stranded outside the gates, begging for entrance and jostling to get in when the door opened. How would our morally pure heroes have dealt with this? What would happen to the inevitable dead bodies right outside the gate? Also, remember, inside the gate was fertile land, an abundance of food, and no disease. This would have been paradise. And guess what happens when rich people take all the resources in a gated area for themselves while poor people suffer and die outside? There will be a revolt. A sufficiently desperate force could have found a way to breach the wall, and then where would they be? Worse off then they would have been with no wall at all.
It just occurred to me that I put more effort into analyzing 3WSR than I do in English class, so I'd better stop before I start searching for theme, but you get my point. How can we justify this? Or should we?
The problem is, the colorfolk don't really live up to those expectations.
In this thread, we can discuss the moral implications of the colorfolk's actions. I want to kick the discussion off with the one colorfolk who I can't understand why he's considered good, Alistair Erdagovern. Mini recap: during the Black Death, Alistair:
ordered walls to be built around the Great Hall, and instituted various projects to ensure self sufficiency of the Colormen and their families in the event of an catastrophic event. He sealed off approximately 15 square miles of land, an amount he deemed sufficient. When the Black Death hit, the Colormen would not allow the gates to open for several years. Though he did occasionally permit Colormen doctors to venture out to research and try and treat patients, in the end their was nothing that could be done, even with the Colormen having access to rather advanced medical knowledge for the time.
*Hiding behind a wall to save your own hide while thousands perish is not good. It is cowardice at its finest, a trait commonly linked to evil, as it happens. Sure, they may have sent a handful of colorman doctors out from time to time, but that's not a whole lot. Ideally, they would have risked all to save as many as possible. Colorman scientists would have worked tirelessly to find a cure. Others would have travelled to the homes of the sick to administer potential cures, or at least make the victims more comfortable. A level of quarantine is understandable, but not to this degree.
*The wall itself from a structural standpoint is absurd. First off, 15 square miles is a ridiculous amount. Second off, depending on the shape of the quarantined area, that's at least 15.5 miles of wall, most likely more. And according to a recent chat, the walls are 80 feet high. 80 feet! While there were taller structures at the time, the tallest walls built at that time were probably the Theodosian walls, at a maximum estimate of just under 46 feet. The Great Wall Of China itself is only 26 feet tall. That would have been an engineering marvel, so how come "only 8 percent of the walls remain", and more pressingly, why aren't they a huge tourist attraction?
*As for the concept itself, why would a wholly good force build a wall to keep out innocent, suffering people? Fortification around any major fortress would have been standard, but such an extreme wall would have sent a very negative message: "we don't want you here. Stay away". That is not the message of a heroic force for pure good. Presumably, this would have left thousands of sick people stranded outside the gates, begging for entrance and jostling to get in when the door opened. How would our morally pure heroes have dealt with this? What would happen to the inevitable dead bodies right outside the gate? Also, remember, inside the gate was fertile land, an abundance of food, and no disease. This would have been paradise. And guess what happens when rich people take all the resources in a gated area for themselves while poor people suffer and die outside? There will be a revolt. A sufficiently desperate force could have found a way to breach the wall, and then where would they be? Worse off then they would have been with no wall at all.
It just occurred to me that I put more effort into analyzing 3WSR than I do in English class, so I'd better stop before I start searching for theme, but you get my point. How can we justify this? Or should we?