The X-Project

It's like I said before, kids these days are selfish and spoiled. I'll be the first to say - not all of them, some have their heads on straight. But you're not the only one who's hearing the children whine "But what about ME? How can YOU keep ME safe?"

With as many of them who've bragged about being tough because the big bad world's picked on them, and the shit they've gone through, and how they're such badasses because they're not scared of anything - I'm wondering how many of them would rather be back where they came from instead of appreciating the gift they're being given here.

An education (such as it is) when regular schools would kick them out.

A place to sleep when their own family would look at them with suspicion and fear.

Somewhere to be with people who they should be able to relate to, when the rest of the world's going to look at them like a freak.

I've heard more than one kid say "Out there, this wouldn't have happened." Right. Because out there, they'd be dead. Plain and simple.

The Professor opened up his HOME to these kids, and all I'm hearing from a good number of them is how he's not doing a good enough job. You look a gift horse in the mouth too many times, he's eventually bound to buck you over that fence right back into the "real world".

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x-rahne.livejournal.com

Mr. Marko, I get the impression that some of them aren't sure at all they don't want to go back to dangers they already know how to deal with.

I can't speak to all that. My guardian does know I'm here. I could go back home -- I think -- though since I don't know what to do on my own and home is in Scotland, I would be in trouble if I were just thrown out, but I don't think the professor would quite do that. "Mutant" was a relief compared to "werewolf"; they'd let me out of the cage before Reverend Craig decided to send me off here. I stopped in during the visit to Muir, and 'twas a little uncomfortable, but not so bad. When I found out about the U.S. Army attacking a little before I arrived, I did think about asking to.

Likely I was mostly homesick then. I haven't asked yet. Maybe I ought to, if I'm just being troublesome here.

But Ms. Blaire, yes, you've pointed to all those journal entries about attacks. No, we maybe don't spend a lot of time talking about them now. It still does come as a shock to find out that sort of thing after getting here. It did to me, and that was before there'd been a second one -- much less a second one in the school, when I found out what a man's breaking bone felt like between my teeth. (I know. I know. So many of the rest of you have killed, and you'll only think me a silly child about that. But it was memorable, anyway.) You can't read the journal systems without finding out about them first, and for most people that's after they get here. Nor's it quite something everybody necessarily thinks to do.

The professor's been very kind. So have quite a lot of the other people here. I know that some didn't have other places they could go, even though I can't say I know what it's like.

It still seems to me 'twould be right to mention some of the kind of things that've happened before someone comes here.

But I know what I think doesn't really matter.

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From what I gather, there's folks outside these walls that're just as dangerous as the guys who came after Wisdom, or Stryker's boys who came in after the Professor.

There are a lot of hard facts that you kids are going to have to come to terms with, and one of them's that there isn't anywhere that's going to be "safe". Not unless you go underground, hide, and pretend you're not what you are.

Here at least, there's other folks in the same boat as you. That's got to be worth something.

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Not unless you go underground

I tried that. It didn't work.

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x-rahne.livejournal.com

I know there are people as dangerous outside. Those ones came in from outside, after all. I know 'tisn't necessarily safe anywhere, even though I can't say I've exactly come to terms with that. I'm not saying it isn't worth anything to be with the people here. I'm very glad to have met some of them, and I am grateful to the professor. Maybe home wouldn't be safe for me, though I'm quite sure it's safer for me than the other options some people have, and I know I can't complain.

'Tis just that I can understand being upset about getting here and then finding out that 'tis a target as well as a school.

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"But what about ME? How can YOU keep ME safe?"

If hearing that bothers you so much, they why do you get so pissed off when they decide they want to learn to keep themselves safe?

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Look, you kids want to stab each other, screw each other - you do what you're going to do as long as you keep it to yourselves and don't make a mess.

But the instant one little wannabe thug talks about teaching kids to use guns in this house - that's making yourself a target, and hell - I'll be the FIRST one lining up to throw you to the next group of soldiers kicking in the door if you think there's going to be guns in this house.

You kids have enough ways to endanger each other. I'm not allowing any more to be brought into this house.

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Gun lessons were _not_ the main point of Angelo's offer. He offered to help with what he had experience in, either knives, hand-to-hand, or guns. The guns were not a guarantee. So you don't like the gun idea. Fine. But let's not overgeneralize here. He offered first to help.

Somehow I don't think that offering to help your classmates should make someone a "wannabe thug".

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You're talking like he's a trained expert. Last I recall, his self-defense course got canceled when he took a few swings at Sparky and the chick with the Kentucky accent a few months back. Real stable kinda guy you want teaching kids to protect themselves.

Best leave that stuff to the professionals, kid.

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Real stable kinda guy you want teaching kids to protect themselves.

It's never stopped us before.

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Yeah, and didn't all your people get themselves killed? LEARN from mistakes, kid.

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x-shinobi.livejournal.com

I believe she was referring to a few members of this school's faculty, sir.

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x-shinobi.livejournal.com - Date: 2004-02-07 03:23 am (UTC) - Expand

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x-juggernaut.livejournal.com - Date: 2004-02-07 03:25 am (UTC) - Expand

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Yeah. They're dead, because somebody from the outside thought it'd be fun to use us for fucking target practice. How was that _our_ mistake?

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Not every front. Not all the time.

Some people were told that this place was safe. I can understand why they are upset. We got attacked by people with guns. More than once. I do not know if I feel safe here all the time.

It is better than not having anywhere I can go to get someone to help me with my powers.

I do not understand why anyone thinks guns are a good idea, but that is a matter for the teachers, not me.

One person complaining about having to ask permission to use an image inducer, and a few people deciding to learn to fight is not being treated like an enemy though. It is certainly not fair to act like all of us are treating you that way and say things like "Being treated like the ennemy all the time" and I'm tired of this fighting on every front.

Is Doug treating you like an enemy? Are you fighting this with Miles? Did Rahne demand that you keep her safe at all times?

I think not.

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I gotta admit, you've got a point there. It ain't each and every one of you that's the problem. It's just a few bad apples in the bunch. Suppose that's the same way most of society looks at mutants, too. You get the few that want to do things there way, not play by the rules, think they're special or that the world owes them something. Let folks like that run around, and you get another Magneto - and that's something I for one ain't going to put up with in this house.

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There is also a difference between feeling unsafe and being paranoid.

I think talking about if we are not safe or if we are safe is good. It does not hurt anyone to talk.

I will be honest, I do not feel safe. I had a gun at my head and then someone's brains in my hair. I do what I can, because I have a power that might let me help. I saw that attack a month before it happened.

But I am fifteen. I still have to look to adults, and people who know more than me to make me feel safe. If talking helps make us safer, then talk. I feel better knowing someone is pointing out that we could improve security to keep people out. I saw one offer. No, two, but the other was yelled at for being paranoid and stupid.

I will not stop talking because I am not an adult. If I see something, I will say so. To anyone and everyone until I get an answer.

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Which is all well and good - but sometimes you've got to understand that the people who've had more life experience than you do know more about the situation, even if some of your teachers don't act like it. And even if some of the students think that they've had enough life experience to take matters into their own hands, they're still wrong.

There ain't a thing wrong with speaking your mind. The problem's with those who think they know better, and start going against the grain and screwing it up for everyone.

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People are being scolded for speaking their mind, here, in this school, now. I could point it out, if you like. Being told they're wrong for feeling unsafe and for thinking they were lied to, when they were told it was safe here.

Maybe my English is worse than I thought, but safe to me means not having guns to your head!

I see a lot of things. Dr. MacTaggart knows almost all of it, because she has a copy of every drawing, every dream I write down. I do not think if I asked people directly about something I saw that they would be entirely honest with me, not when they are not honest with Professor Xavier, or any of the other adults.

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x-dazzler.livejournal.com

There is a difference, Marie Ange, and a big one at that, between talk or expressing one's feelings, or in turn blaming people and making accusations and implying that we're going to get nuked next.

This, what you are doing here, is talk. Communicating is good. Wanting to talk to people to get answers is good. Expressing worries while asking for answers in a level headed way and wanting to actually get the answers before making a judgement call is also good.

Can you see the nuance in all of this? Because really, that's all I ask for.

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Yes, but not everyone is good at communicating, clearly or well. It does not mean they deserve to be told "And while we're at it we'd better get out our tinfoil hats in case they put a death ray laser on the moon.".

If I started asking about some of the dreams I had, I would look paranoid and crazy too. It is stupid to think we will ever be attacked by big lizard aliens and bird people. But I saw it, just as I saw Angelo being burnt in the fire. How can we say that what people are asking about is paranoid until we know what they might be able to do or see?

I have not seen anyone publically say "Here is what we are doing to make you safer." Maybe the teachers are talking about it in email or on the teacher journal, but it isn't where I can see it. I am still scared. I don't have nightmares about it, because I have nightmares about everything else.

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x-rahne.livejournal.com

I turn into a wolf, or stop partway as something that looks like a film monster.

I'm not so sure bird people are that much of a stretch.

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Only, there are giant mutant killing robots, so I wonder if smart bombs are also not much of a stretch.

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x-crowdofone.livejournal.com

Okay, yeah, I lacked tact. I tend to do that when I'm upset, you may have noticed, and it's not like I'm not as scared as all of you just because I'm not running around telling people we should prepare for worse than the absolute worst we can think of.

But, look. If the military really wanted to kill us, we would be dead already. And there isn't really a whole lot we can do, home-security-wise, to change that. So I don't see any point to talking about "oh no, what if they smart-bomb us?" because all it does is make people more scared, and I don't need to be more scared.

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