2.3 The Big Red Line

A. Would You or Wouldn’t You?

When we think about “Should We” questions – sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes the answer is no. But how do we know where to draw the line? In other words, how do you decide what’s okay and what isn’t?

 

Directions: Read the five examples below and decide which are okay and which are not okay and why!

Scenarios: 

  • Whisper Vision: Your hearing is so powerful, you can catch even the quietest whisper. Your best friend asks you to use it to hear the answers during a test and help them pass.
  • Time Catch-Up: You have the power to freeze time and catch up on anything you missed. You were out sick for two days, so you freeze time, copy your friend’s homework, and hand it in.
  • Invisicam: You can turn invisible and record anything without being seen. You secretly record a classmate doing something embarrassing and share it with others as a joke.
  • Soft Lie: You have the power to say exactly what people want to hear. You tell a small lie to a friend so they don’t feel bad about something they worked hard on.
  • Mind Reader: You can read people’s thoughts—but only if they don’t know you’re doing it. You use it to find out what someone really thinks about you.
 

Think About It:

  • What made something feel “not okay?”
  • Was there a “line” you didn’t think it was okay to cross?

B. The Red Line

In ethics, we talk about a “red line.” It’s a line you do not cross. For example, you might say I will help my friend study, but I won’t help them cheat. Cheating is your redline.

But maybe you say, I will help my friend cheat on homework, but not a test. Cheating on a test is your redline.

 

Directions: Read the choices in your mission log to decide where your red line is when it comes to social media. 

C. Superheros and the Red Line

In this project you are going to learn all about the science that could make superheroes possible. That could hurt or help people. You’ll have to decide where to draw the line. What actions are okay and what actions should you not cross?

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