Five Things Kitty Pryde Wants to Instill in Her Students

[alixtii]

For r_becca, from this meme.

1. Knowledge is power. Using power for good is something every X-Men must learn to do; in effect, most of them are learning how to use their as mutant abilities as weapons in a fight (and sometimes a war) for justice. But as a teacher, it's Kitty's job to show her students that there is more that a mutant can bring to the fight for justice than her genetic ability to fly or to shoot energy bolts or whatever. After all, how many times have Kitty's computer skills not only saved herself but also her teammates? Add to that the fact that the world doesn't just need X-Men; it needs doctors and lawyers and, yes, teachers as well.

2. Information wants to be free. It's hard to keep a secret from a woman who is not only an accomplished hacker but can also walk through walls. She knows that deals made behind closed doors rarely benefit society at large. Those in power want to keep the power inherent in knowledge for themselves, but in truth justice demands it should belong to everybody, especially the disadvantaged.

Plus, don't tell Scott, but Kitty is totally downloading Doctor Who every week, which she then shares with Hank. Usually she's good and refrains from pumping Blindfold for spoilers. (Insert obligatory "what else would she pump her for?" joke here.)

3. Except when it doesn't. The quest for--and most importantly, the dissemination of--truth must always be tempered by love and by a respect for human (and mutant) dignity. Massive government databases of, say, mutant abilities != a good thing.

4. There is no governor anywhere. You don't have to walk through walls in order to learn that ultimately one has to answer to no one but one's own moral code, but it certainly helps drive the message home. In her life, Kitty has broken too many laws to keep track of anymore, but always she was kept going in the right direction by her own moral compass, taught to her by the professor--albeit not always by example. Now it's her turn to teach the next generation to stand up for what they believe in.

5. With power comes responsibility. Ultimately, Kitty lives by the mantra of St. Augustine: "Love, and do what you like." Radical freedom is paired with radical responsibility, but all one needs is love. Love is the only thing Kitty has to offer at the end of the day, and that's all she can ask from her students in return.

Comments

[mymatedave.livejournal.com]

very nice.

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[r-becca.livejournal.com]

Very nice. It's great to see her as a teacher here, it's a side of her that I don't always think of.

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I really enjoy thinking of Kitty-as-teacher, actually.

[weirdofromafar.livejournal.com]

I wish my teachers had taught me that kind of stuff.

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

I think you can see lurking in the background between Kitty's answer the liberationist social justice perspective my Catholic school teachers tried to instill in me and my classmates. I think it works well for Kitty.

Presumably, she also teaches plenty of mundane boring stuff like "Always save your work" and whatever it is that computer teachers teach.