"I was looking for specifics about the threat you faced," Gonou murmurs. "Not necessarily for an analogy."
Certainly not for an analogy that manages to be both painful and patronizing at the same time, although, he supposes, he had left himself open for that.
"So what you're suggesting is you faced the threat of force used to imprison you and your people unjustly? Your - countrymen?"
"For future reference, when I ask for clarification, I'm asking for details. Analogies hide more than they reveal."
A pause, and, because he's still smarting from that particular choice of analogy, he adds pleasantly, "Even if you were to think of good ones."
But, that said, he takes a breath, focusing more thoughtfully on the situation Erik is describing.
"I don't think it's wrong to defend others," he says at last, slowly. "Even if it means you are the first to use violence. But the less direct the threat is, the more cautious you should be.
"It's too easy, otherwise, to say things like - oh - 'anyone who isn't also fighting is my enemy.'"
He should know. He's made that mistake himself, in a very hands-on way.
"I know who my enemies are," Erik tells him. "And I'm not sure 'future reference' is going to be all that... relevant. Aren't you only here for a month and then there's someone else?"
"I'm only assigned to you for a month. I doubt that means we'll never speak again." There's a dry note to that: they might not ever speak again, of course, but it is a small ship.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 24 Jan 2023 22:19 (UTC)Certainly not for an analogy that manages to be both painful and patronizing at the same time, although, he supposes, he had left himself open for that.
"So what you're suggesting is you faced the threat of force used to imprison you and your people unjustly? Your - countrymen?"
no subject
Date: 7 Feb 2023 19:13 (UTC)At Gonou's summary, he nods. "I've seen it before. I know what it looks like when it's just getting started."
no subject
Date: 7 Feb 2023 19:32 (UTC)A pause, and, because he's still smarting from that particular choice of analogy, he adds pleasantly, "Even if you were to think of good ones."
But, that said, he takes a breath, focusing more thoughtfully on the situation Erik is describing.
"I don't think it's wrong to defend others," he says at last, slowly. "Even if it means you are the first to use violence. But the less direct the threat is, the more cautious you should be.
"It's too easy, otherwise, to say things like - oh - 'anyone who isn't also fighting is my enemy.'"
He should know. He's made that mistake himself, in a very hands-on way.
no subject
Date: 8 Feb 2023 20:21 (UTC)no subject
Date: 9 Feb 2023 01:02 (UTC)"Who are your enemies?"