> >I realy don't think social acceptance by other Char-Un has much to
do with
> it.
>
> This I disagree with. Here's a hypothetical example. Say I'm a
member of a
> society that abhores killing no matter what the situation. Here I
go and
> kill someone by accident. This act has absolutely no
cultural/social
> sanction and my society doesn't even have a way for me to cleanse
myself or
> ask forgiveness. I automatically lose all my societal benefits and
due to
> my beliefs I can't even forgive myself. I would have to leave my
community
> and I may never be able to forgive myself.
To live and to die, kill or be killed is in the nature of the world. True, cats sometimes toy with live prey, but they do so to tech their kits how to hunt. There's no malice in it.
If the guy in your example is truly unable to come to terms with the fact he has killed, and cannot forgive himself and come to believe that he is still a moral being, this may become a selffulfilling prophesy. However this is down to his inner transformation. It's influenced by society, sure.
> I might endA Char-Un can rape
> but only within the acceptable patameters set out either
emphatically or
> unspoken by his culture. This helps to protect him from the act
and gives
> him a cultural context for it which my accidental killer didn't
have.
As to the 'only obeying orders' defence, IMHO it only goes so far. The occasional transgression that doesn't affect your normal self image and behaviour is one thing. You'll probably pay for it in the afterlife, but that's that. Corruption by chaos is linked to corruption of the soul. Take two average Char Un. They both commit rape during the destruction of a rebbel village. The first enjoys it, gets on his horse and never rapes again because he never realy gets the chance. The second enjoys it, and immediately looks for further opportunities to do it again. He applies to transfer to a front-line assault unit, so he's first over the wall in new towns and gets first crack at the women folk. He even extends his term of service with the army so he gets more chances. After he's demobbed he joins a voluntary millitia group that operates in bandit country so he can get more chances to excercise his lusts on enemy women, while killing their menfolk. One day, he wakes up and there are these two funny bumps on his forehead...
The first guy is still himself, whether you or I or his culture think he did right or wrong. The second one changed his life so that he could satisfy his desire. I don't care how accepting of what he does his comrades, or even normal Char Un society is. He might even get an 'effing medal, but he's still IMHO clearly corrupt beyond redemption.
However, even the moraly corrupt and depraved aren't guaranteed to turn into slithering monstrosities. Chaos is unpredictable and capricious, and even the righteous can fall into it's hideous clutches. There are no guarantees.
Simon Hibbs
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