ALL READ

[x-beast.livejournal.com]

I made it, I believe, quite clear that Amanda was forbidden to use her healing magics save at great need, for the sake of her health. Great magic puts a great strain on her body, and could do permanent damage. Apparently, however, I failed to emphasize this enough.

Therefore, I will make myself very clear indeed. Nobody, NOBODY, is to ask Amanda to perform any act of magic for them, for any reason whatsoever. Not a finding spell, not a charm, not the levitation of a pencil. Since clearly concern for her health is not a sufficient deterrent, perhaps the prospect of personal punishment will do the job.

This subject is not open to debate. Nobody is to take this up with Amanda, or in any way make her feel guilty for not being available to be taken advantage of. I trust that this is sufficiently clear to everyone.

Comments

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Furthermore, there is nothing 'just' about being human.

I beg to disagree. As mutants, we have abilities and capabilities that humans quite simply do not. This isn't a statement of superiority, it's simply one of fact. To deny or not use those abilities for ANY reason whatsoever lessens you from what you truly are.

I suppose it's your choice what you want to identify yourself by. If you want to deny that your power is part of what defines you and makes you unique, by all means. People live in denial all the time.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Part of what makes me who I am. But only part. Not even the most important part, if any part can be said to be the most important.

I want to identify myself by being, and I know this sounds shocking and radical, myself. Not the green hair, not the parlor tricks with spoons, not the cooking or the philosophy or geophysics or even my relationship to Alex.

Yes, I can do things most people can't. I can do lots of things that you can't. Should I consider you 'just' a human because you don't have the same mutatation as I do? Should I think you're 'just' a child because I'm a few years older? Should I think I'm 'just' adopted because my mother didn't carry me for nine months?

We are not better. We have different abilities but that doesn't make us better. If we were just our mutations, we would not be anything to shout about. We are human. Trying to define us elsewise is bigotry.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

From a biological standpoint, a mutant saying "we are human" is the same as a human saying "we are Neanderthal". It's a simple statement of fact. If someone wants to use that to assume they're somehow "better" - that's their call.

[x-kitten.livejournal.com]

Speciation has not occured, Forge. The so-called "homo superior" can still interbreed with "homo sapiens", therefor we are still human. Picked up at least that much in bio, thank you very much.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

And if you're going to pretend that line of "everyone's equal because we're all born human", I may have to rethink this bit that everyone's telling me about you being one of the smart ones.

But we've had this particular discussion before, that seemed to go nowhere.

[x-kitten.livejournal.com]

I may have to rethink this bit that everyone's telling me about you being one of the smart ones.

Bite. Me.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Repeat after me. "Equality does not mean sameness."

Were we to have a cooking contest, you would lose. In the kitchen, we are not equals.

Were we to both design a machine to chop wood (just go with it), I would lose. In mechanical matters, we are not equal.

If either of us entered a poetry contest against Maya Angelou, she'd wipe the floor with us and giggle. Because in literature, we three are not equal.

Overall however, despite what I can do and what you can do, we are equal. Because sameness is not required for equality.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Correct me if I'm wrong (I know you would have anyway but hey) but a homo sapiens sapiens could not breed with a homo neanderthalensis and produce a fertile offspring. Which is not true of a human with the x-gene and a human without it. In reality the closer analogy would be a human with Down's Syndrome and one without, yes?

And regardless, that line of thought leads to discrimination, segregation, bigotry and eventually devaluation of the value of others.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

So does restricting someone's natural ability because you don't trust them with it.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Christ almighty, she's not being persecuted. I've had the docs tell me the same damn thing. As have my best friend and not a few others around here. That's why we have doctors. To beat us over the head with mallets when we try to overdo it and to beat others off when we think we're some kind of superheroes.