Free Web NovelChapter 158: The Debate
"Ms. David’s team’s turn," said Catherine.
One of Ester’s team members got up, and approached the lectern.
"My mother, works as a maid in a luxury hotel. You may talk of uniforms as these high-minded symbols, but for people like my mother, who work the lowest of low jobs. It is a daily reminder of her lot in life. Each time she goes to work in that maid uniform, she endures the leering stares of men, the condescending looks of those who think that she is below their station. My fellow student spoke of protection. My mother’s uniform invited sexual assault! I’m the result of a horrific rape! No more. I say no more! A person should not be assaulted, ridiculed and belittled over a uniform that has been imposed upon them!" she sobbed, and stepped down from the lectern.
"This one’s mine," whispered Yue as Catherine called their team’s turn.
"Let’s be real for a second. Uniforms don’t actually invite predators, and can only be sexualized by deliberately wearing them in a sexual context and manner. This uniform that I’m wearing has a skirt that comes down to the knee. The sleeves cover my wrists, and the pantyhose completely covers my legs. The blazer while having a nipped waist, fully covers my upper body. The only places my skin is exposed, is my face and hands. Whether I look like a schoolgirl, or a slut, is dependent on how others view me, which I can’t control, and how I choose to conduct myself, which I can control. The former, is not the fault of the uniform. I could be in a black bag, and a pedophile or a predator would still view me the same way. Uniforms, don’t invite predators. Predators find a way to come into our spaces. Furthermore, would abolition of the uniform stop human nature? Would a predator grow a conscience because I’m in a hoodie and not a blazer? My country, Japan has a long history and tradition of school uniforms. They were adopted during the Meiji Restoration as a desperate attempt to modernize and produce a disciplined workforce before the colonial powers of the era moved in for the kill. Yet, we kept and doubled down on them after the Second World War. Why? Because they worked as advertised. They brought students from varied clans, and levels of socioeconomic development together, and gave them a sense of purpose far greater than any common community or religion could. It didn’t matter if you were from Kanto or Okinawa, if you were Buddhist or Shintoist. You were a student in a Japanese school, and a future Japanese citizen. That, my friends, is the most powerful function of a school uniform. It isn’t about assimilation, safety or anything else. It functions as a bridge and as glue for a diverse student body. Therefore, I urge you, vote to keep it. Vote to protect it," she said, to a smattering of applause.
"End of session one, we resume after lunch break" said Catherine, and the students filed out for recess and lunch.
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"Ester’s playing dirty, Father. While I applaud Ms. Albrecht, and her team’s intelligence and resourcefulness, seventh graders shouldn’t be dealing with such heavy topics, not to mention the confusion this is bringing to the fifth graders in the audience," said Catherine, sitting across from Fr. Joseph.
"I agree, but thanks to those idiot parents being difficult, this is what we get. This is essentially their media empire’s proxy war," growled Fr. Joseph.
"Can’t we shut this down?" asked Catherine.
"This was supposed to be a fluff election where a pair of mean girls compete for popularity, and learn some wisdom and humility along the way, while we get a pair of pushy parents off our backs. However, Joshua and Sarah David are using their company, Zeitgeist Media to put Ester’s talking points on blast. We shut it down now, and they’ll paint us as absolute villains. Our benefactor, Aaron Zakhrov and Sirius Software might be comfortable playing the villain, but I draw the line there. This school is open to all who can enter, even Ms. David and their ilk. I will not turn it into an ideological echo chamber. So no, this debate plays out," said Fr. Joseph.
"OK. But I’m drawing a line as well, Father. I’m not going to allow corporate interests force students to lose their innocence and grow too fast. I’m laying down ground rules that ban age inappropriate topics and concepts for the next debate session," said Catherine.
Fr. Joseph was about to agree, when the door burst open to reveal a short man with a large beard, clad in a black suit with a Jewish cap and prayer shawl. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"We agreed to no closed-door meetings while these proceedings take place! What have you been conspiring behind my back?" he asked, marching into the office.
Catherine stood up to her full height and faced him.
"Mr. David. I’m implementing strict ground rules that prohibit age-inappropriate topics and talking points for the next, and all future sessions," she said.
"You’ll do nothing of the sort! My daughter has the right to freedom of speech, even in this dump that’s the Sirius Zone! Any ban will give the other team an unfair advantage! I heard, and I know what those vile uniforms are made of! You’re muzzling my daughter while her opponents win on pure rule of cool!" screamed Joshua.
"Very well, Mr. David. The debate will continue unrestricted. However, I want to make my concerns clear and on the record. The topics the teams dealt with today, are far more suited to a university or political rally. If you continue on this course, you risk traumatizing the entire younger student body, and I will hold you and your company accountable to it," said Catherine, storming out of the office.
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"Ms. Ester’s team, your next speaker," said Catherine as the debate session resumed after the break.
Another veiled girl stepped up to the lectern.
"My opponent in her presentation highlighted the technical details of these uniforms, but did you know who manufactures them? They say that these uniforms are designed, manufactured and supplied by The Feminine Professional, but don’t let that fool you. These uniforms, no. These abominations, are made by Sirius Software. The very same megacorporation that colluded with foreign governments to carve out this Sirius Zone from Massachusetts. The same Sirius Software that forces every female employee to totter in stilettos. This same company that puts tungsten nanowire in your blazer, and which is touted as a marvel of engineering, also produced the tungsten bullets that was used by the Saladin regime to butcher countless innocents in Niger! The same company that makes these uniforms, make the weapons that have wreaked havoc in my homeland. Every time you put on that uniform, remember the blood that was shed because of it!" she said.
Adelaide was about to stand, but William put his hand on her shoulder.
"This one’s mine," he said, a fierce resolve shining in his eyes.
Adelaide felt her heart flutter as William approached the lectern.
"Everyone had a good lunch break, didn’t they? Did you pause to wonder how your food got there? No it didn’t materialize by magic on the store shelf. It was the result of a farmer growing and harvesting the crops and vegetables. To do that, you need fertilizer, which needs nitrates. Do you know who discovered the process to make fertilizer? His name was Fritz Haber. He is now hailed as the father of modern agriculture, and the savior who eliminated the famines that plagued the human race. It is directly because of his contribution that we live in a post-scarcity society, and don’t have to fight wars for a scrap of naturally fertile land. However, this same brilliant scientist, also developed poison gas. That same poison gas, was used to wreak havoc in the trenches of the First World War, and then to slaughter Jews in concentration camps during the Second World War. Does that mean that we now boycott and ban nitrate fertilizer, because the same guy made poison gas? Boeing, doesn’t only make passenger airliners. They make bombers, jet fighters, drones and other weapons systems for both the United States military and for our allies. Do we stop taking a Boeing airliner because of that? The same can be said about Mercedes-Benz. They built the engines that powered the BF-109 and the various war machines of the Third Reich. And if you thought Airbus was clean, they were founded from what was left of Messerschmitt and Junkers. Technology can be used for both good and for evil, it all depends on the person, or people wielding it. Coming back to the specifications of the uniform that my opponent dismissed as war crime. Those stilettos? They are not some delicate and dainty items of footwear. They are forged from titanium. Do you know how you have to work with titanium? Unlike gold, that can be melted on a stove-top, or iron that can be melted and forged in a charcoal forge with bellows, titanium needs to be handled inside a sealed room filled with argon gas. Otherwise, it just oxidizes into worthless powder. Sirius Software may not be a perfect company, but no other enterprise is bringing this level of technology into a purely civilian space. Therefore, I implore you. Don’t give in to moral outrage, or misguided attempts at making a stand. This uniform could very well have been cheap polyester. Yet, Sirius Software is enabling us with this futuristic piece of engineering. Don’t throw it away. Embrace it. Protect it," he said, to thunderous applause from the high-schoolers in the audience.
