Values survey
Thanks to penknife for this survey.
What's the worst thing someone could do?
There is nothing people can do that really matters very much.
[Actually, there are plenty of things people could do that would be morally wrong or seriously hurtful to Archibald. There is murder, for instance. Archibald's just failing to imagine them right now.]
What's the worst thing someone could do to you?
No one can hurt me more than I can hurt myself.
What's the worst thing that could happen to you?
Losing Colin, now that I have him again. And Mary.
What's the worst thing someone could say about a person?
What's the best thing someone could say about a person?
[Archibald doesn't have answers for either of these two questions, mostly because he's too self-centered, still, to consider them.]
Are men and women basically different?
Yes.
Which is better, to be a woman or to be a man?
I would not say that one is better than the other.
What can men do that women can't do?
They can travel alone, fight in wars, become ministers, doctors or lawyers - I understand that there are women doctors now, but I do not think it is a good idea. Gentlemen are permitted to go places and speak to people that it would be improper for ladies to encounter.
What can women do that men can't do?
They can bear and raise children. They are better at ruling households. They are not required to protect themselves as men are; they may be protected by the men around them.
Is it possible to change genders?
[At Archibald's look of extreme confusion, the interviewer moves on to the next question.]
How old is old enough to have sex?
For a young man, sixteen or seventeen. [Archibald was twenty-three, and he waited until marriage, much to his chagrin.] For a lady, when she is married. [The age at which those women who are not ladies begin to engage in sexual congress does not concern Archibald here.]
Is it wrong to have sex if you're unmarried?
[The answer to this question is rather complicated, and I can't get Archibald to explain it in his own words, so I'll paraphrase on his behalf. First, it's certainly wrong for a lady to have sex if she is unmarried. Men are different, because they have urges. Ideally, an unmarried or widowed man ought to control his urges, meaning, pretend they're not there until they go away. However, in practice, this often turns out not to be possible.
Now we get to the weird part. Late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century English and American societies are about as anti-masturbation as any societies in the history of the human race have ever been. Doctors in this period believe that male masturbation is a seriously unhealthy act, likely to cause a whole host of physical and mental ills. They believe, in fact, that it's healthier for a man to have sex with a woman than for him to masturbate. It isn't precisely right for an unmarried man to find a woman to have sex with - but it's better than the alternative.
Oh, it gets better. This isn't precisely part of the answer to the question, but I've known it for a long time, and I'm never going to get a chance to explain it in game, barring some intensely squicky conversation between Archibald and Dr Craven if we ever get one. Archibald has never had a long-term mistress. He uses brothels when he has the chance, but when he's home at Misselthwaite (without a convenient door to Milliways and the Delicate Flowers) he really doesn't. Guess what? The list of the dire consequences of male masturbation just happens to include severe depression. Archibald knows that, so ... if you're still reading, you can guess the kinds of guilt complexes the man's got without my having to explain them to you. Aren't you all glad Colin and Mary got to read Our Bodies, Our Selves at a formative age instead of getting their sexual values from Archibald Craven?]
Is it wrong to have sex with someone other than your spouse if you're married?
Yes.
Is it wrong to have sex with a person of the same gender?
[Archibald Craven was never in good enough health to go away to school, so he missed some of the peculiarities of the educational system available to upper-class boys in late nineteenth-century England.]
I believe the Greeks and Romans engaged in acts of that sort. Now, I'm sure it would be frowned upon.
[You may also notice that he didn't answer the question. He doesn't exactly know what he thinks about the matter. In any case, he's completely heterosexual.]
Is it wrong to have sex with a person of a different race (or a different intelligent non-human species)?
If an Englishman married a girl from India - a native, that is, not an English girl living in India - I think all his friends would be shocked. Brief indiscretions happen, of course.
Is it wrong to have more than one sexual partner at the same time?
Yes.
Is it wrong to have sex with someone you don't love?
It would be better if it were not necessary, but sometimes it is.
What are the responsibilities of a mother toward a child?
To love him and take care of him. [This is a fairly rose-colored view of things. Archibald was raised by a nurse while his parents did other things. He's never actually seen good parenting outside of books.]
What are the responsibilities of a father toward a child?
To teach him how to grow up to be a good man. [Note automatic choice of gender here. Sorry, Mary.]
What are the responsibilities of a child toward a parent?
To listen to him and obey him, and when he grows old and sick, to make sure he is cared for.
Which should be more important to you, your parent or your child?
Your child.
Which should be more important to you, your parent or your spouse?
Your spouse.
Which should be more important to you, your child or your spouse?
For a woman, the child should be most important. For a man, the child is most important if he is a son. [Yes, the wife is more important than the daughter and less important than the son. It's all about producing heirs. That said, this is a "should" kind of moral judgment; remember that when Lilias died, Archibald gave nothing to his son at all.]
Is it wrong to have a child if you're unmarried?
No, but a man has a responsibility to arrange for the upbringing of any child he produces.
[Pause, while the interviewer adds, But what if you're a lady?]
If a woman has a child out of wedlock, she is not a lady.
Is abortion wrong?
*very long pause*
[He's thinking of Colin, and Lilias, and what might have happened if they could have saved the mother by killing the child. Leave him to his thoughts for a moment, please.]
*at last* Yes.
Is contraception wrong?
For a married woman, it is. I understand that there are reasons why women who are not married might want to use it.
Is there one true religion?
The parish minister says so. I cannot care very much.
[Archibald shrugs off the next several questions about deities and religion. The matter frankly doesn't interest him.]
Does magic exist?
I have seen it in Milliways, but I still do not know what to think. As for Colin's Magic, of the garden and growing things, I am beginning to believe in it.
Is practicing magic wrong?
Not the way that Colin and Mary and Dickon do it. *pause* I hope that it works. I do not want to see any of them disappointed again.
Is killing always wrong?
No.
Is war always wrong?
No.
How old is old enough to fight in a war?
Seventeen, eighteen. [It's 1905, and Colin Craven is ten going on eleven. In nine years, you can bet he'll have a different answer.]
Is rape always wrong?
Yes.
Is torture always wrong?
No. In some countries, torture is a punishment for crime. I hear that it works.
Is theft always wrong?
Yes.
Is slavery wrong?
Yes.
Is lying wrong?
I should say that it is, but there are times when it is not appropriate to tell the truth.
Is swearing wrong?
One shouldn't swear in a lady's presence.
What's the worst thing someone could do?
There is nothing people can do that really matters very much.
[Actually, there are plenty of things people could do that would be morally wrong or seriously hurtful to Archibald. There is murder, for instance. Archibald's just failing to imagine them right now.]
What's the worst thing someone could do to you?
No one can hurt me more than I can hurt myself.
What's the worst thing that could happen to you?
Losing Colin, now that I have him again. And Mary.
What's the worst thing someone could say about a person?
What's the best thing someone could say about a person?
[Archibald doesn't have answers for either of these two questions, mostly because he's too self-centered, still, to consider them.]
Are men and women basically different?
Yes.
Which is better, to be a woman or to be a man?
I would not say that one is better than the other.
What can men do that women can't do?
They can travel alone, fight in wars, become ministers, doctors or lawyers - I understand that there are women doctors now, but I do not think it is a good idea. Gentlemen are permitted to go places and speak to people that it would be improper for ladies to encounter.
What can women do that men can't do?
They can bear and raise children. They are better at ruling households. They are not required to protect themselves as men are; they may be protected by the men around them.
Is it possible to change genders?
[At Archibald's look of extreme confusion, the interviewer moves on to the next question.]
How old is old enough to have sex?
For a young man, sixteen or seventeen. [Archibald was twenty-three, and he waited until marriage, much to his chagrin.] For a lady, when she is married. [The age at which those women who are not ladies begin to engage in sexual congress does not concern Archibald here.]
Is it wrong to have sex if you're unmarried?
[The answer to this question is rather complicated, and I can't get Archibald to explain it in his own words, so I'll paraphrase on his behalf. First, it's certainly wrong for a lady to have sex if she is unmarried. Men are different, because they have urges. Ideally, an unmarried or widowed man ought to control his urges, meaning, pretend they're not there until they go away. However, in practice, this often turns out not to be possible.
Now we get to the weird part. Late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century English and American societies are about as anti-masturbation as any societies in the history of the human race have ever been. Doctors in this period believe that male masturbation is a seriously unhealthy act, likely to cause a whole host of physical and mental ills. They believe, in fact, that it's healthier for a man to have sex with a woman than for him to masturbate. It isn't precisely right for an unmarried man to find a woman to have sex with - but it's better than the alternative.
Oh, it gets better. This isn't precisely part of the answer to the question, but I've known it for a long time, and I'm never going to get a chance to explain it in game, barring some intensely squicky conversation between Archibald and Dr Craven if we ever get one. Archibald has never had a long-term mistress. He uses brothels when he has the chance, but when he's home at Misselthwaite (without a convenient door to Milliways and the Delicate Flowers) he really doesn't. Guess what? The list of the dire consequences of male masturbation just happens to include severe depression. Archibald knows that, so ... if you're still reading, you can guess the kinds of guilt complexes the man's got without my having to explain them to you. Aren't you all glad Colin and Mary got to read Our Bodies, Our Selves at a formative age instead of getting their sexual values from Archibald Craven?]
Is it wrong to have sex with someone other than your spouse if you're married?
Yes.
Is it wrong to have sex with a person of the same gender?
[Archibald Craven was never in good enough health to go away to school, so he missed some of the peculiarities of the educational system available to upper-class boys in late nineteenth-century England.]
I believe the Greeks and Romans engaged in acts of that sort. Now, I'm sure it would be frowned upon.
[You may also notice that he didn't answer the question. He doesn't exactly know what he thinks about the matter. In any case, he's completely heterosexual.]
Is it wrong to have sex with a person of a different race (or a different intelligent non-human species)?
If an Englishman married a girl from India - a native, that is, not an English girl living in India - I think all his friends would be shocked. Brief indiscretions happen, of course.
Is it wrong to have more than one sexual partner at the same time?
Yes.
Is it wrong to have sex with someone you don't love?
It would be better if it were not necessary, but sometimes it is.
What are the responsibilities of a mother toward a child?
To love him and take care of him. [This is a fairly rose-colored view of things. Archibald was raised by a nurse while his parents did other things. He's never actually seen good parenting outside of books.]
What are the responsibilities of a father toward a child?
To teach him how to grow up to be a good man. [Note automatic choice of gender here. Sorry, Mary.]
What are the responsibilities of a child toward a parent?
To listen to him and obey him, and when he grows old and sick, to make sure he is cared for.
Which should be more important to you, your parent or your child?
Your child.
Which should be more important to you, your parent or your spouse?
Your spouse.
Which should be more important to you, your child or your spouse?
For a woman, the child should be most important. For a man, the child is most important if he is a son. [Yes, the wife is more important than the daughter and less important than the son. It's all about producing heirs. That said, this is a "should" kind of moral judgment; remember that when Lilias died, Archibald gave nothing to his son at all.]
Is it wrong to have a child if you're unmarried?
No, but a man has a responsibility to arrange for the upbringing of any child he produces.
[Pause, while the interviewer adds, But what if you're a lady?]
If a woman has a child out of wedlock, she is not a lady.
Is abortion wrong?
*very long pause*
[He's thinking of Colin, and Lilias, and what might have happened if they could have saved the mother by killing the child. Leave him to his thoughts for a moment, please.]
*at last* Yes.
Is contraception wrong?
For a married woman, it is. I understand that there are reasons why women who are not married might want to use it.
Is there one true religion?
The parish minister says so. I cannot care very much.
[Archibald shrugs off the next several questions about deities and religion. The matter frankly doesn't interest him.]
Does magic exist?
I have seen it in Milliways, but I still do not know what to think. As for Colin's Magic, of the garden and growing things, I am beginning to believe in it.
Is practicing magic wrong?
Not the way that Colin and Mary and Dickon do it. *pause* I hope that it works. I do not want to see any of them disappointed again.
Is killing always wrong?
No.
Is war always wrong?
No.
How old is old enough to fight in a war?
Seventeen, eighteen. [It's 1905, and Colin Craven is ten going on eleven. In nine years, you can bet he'll have a different answer.]
Is rape always wrong?
Yes.
Is torture always wrong?
No. In some countries, torture is a punishment for crime. I hear that it works.
Is theft always wrong?
Yes.
Is slavery wrong?
Yes.
Is lying wrong?
I should say that it is, but there are times when it is not appropriate to tell the truth.
Is swearing wrong?
One shouldn't swear in a lady's presence.