After Dinner Conversation

Who is in the best situation to understand the just punishment for a crime? To what extent should crimes of youth carry lifetime stigmas? In this work of ethical fiction, Rory is the middle-school bully. The focus of this bully is on taking naked pictures with his cell phone of other boys in the locker room, then using those photos to blackmail them into getting, and giving him, nude photos of their girlfriends. This is exactly what he does to get nude photos of Elizabeth. He then blackmails Elizabeth with those photos for sexual favors. His plan would have gone smoothly enough (again) except one of Elizabeth’s failed suiters (Travis) overheard the plan and told the police. The police used his testimony to get a search warrant and a prosecution. Rory is sentenced to four years in juvenile detention and lifetime status as a sex offender. Years, and a Ph.D. in philosophy later, Travis isn’t entirely sure he made the right decision by coming forward.

Can philosophical inquiry give us meaning in life? In this philosophical short story, the narrator holds a season ticket for the local professional soccer team, which isn't very good. He sits next to Angus, an elderly man who takes care of his wife with dementia and gets a little bit of free time for himself. After the local team scores, the narrator feels something he's never felt before: the futility of the whole experience. Angus diagnoses this as an existential crisis that might be resolved with words, specifically the words of philosophers. Thus, during each game of the season, Angus teaches the narrator about a different philosophical theory. However, one day Angus doesn't show up to the match. The narrator goes to Angus's house and finds out that, according to his wife's wishes, Angus killed her and then killed himself. The narrator then spreads Angus's ashes across the soccer pitch.

What is the root cause of political polarization? In this philosophical short story, Professor Gault is having a rough day. His graduate-level class on the growing polarization in politics is just as heated and polarized as the subject they're discussing. He thinks his students are the bugs trapped in the web of rhetoric, instead of being the spider. In a daze after class, a strange woman strikes up a conversation with him and presents an alternate theory. Perhaps, she argues, the underlying foundation of our time is narcissism. Maybe politics is just fertile ground for those who want to feel like gods in a fantasy world of their own creation, where only they can fight the eternal battle of good versus evil. Perhaps polarization isn't genuine, but merely the result of narcissists attempting to wage epic battles to avoid realizing that, outside of the world they've imagined, they don't really matter.

Do right and wrong actions change depending on how the recipient perceives them? Should you help someone who clearly needs it but will resent you for doing so? In this philosophical short story, John boards a train full of commuters and a rowdy group of teenage boys. When he makes eye contact with the teens, they turn their attention to him. Just before a fight breaks out, an Englishman nearby intervenes and asks the youth to stop. The teens turn on the Englishman and viciously beat him before leaving. While the other passengers tend to the Englishman, John's sympathy for him turns to anger when he realizes the Englishman's cowardice in the situation.

To what extent should we judge the questionable decisions of those suffering from emotional trauma? In this philosophical short story fiction, the narrator’s mother worked in a factory when she was in her twenties. The factory manager, Terry shocks the factory employees when he announced his child has leukemia and he would very much appreciate any employees who would test if they were a stem cell transplant match. The narrator’s mother, along with most of the employees, volunteer to be tested. Time passes and, over the Christmas holiday, everyone gets drunk. Terry’s mother leaves with Terry and sleeps with him. Although she has no memory of the affair, her friend confirms she was overtly flirting with Terry man at least 20 years her senior. She reports the incident to human relations and Terry is reprimanded, but not fired. Word gets out and the narrator’s mother is ostracized by the other employees to the point she goes on leave for mental health reasons. Months pass and match results come back, she is a match. Terry (and his wife) plead for her to save their child’s life, but she refuses, and the child dies.

Is it possible to overcome societal pressures and interact genuinely with neighbors? In this philosophical short story, an elderly white woman who lives as a minority in a predominantly black neighborhood is targeted with a urine-filled water balloon in front of her home. The message is clear: she is no longer welcome in this racially charged environment. Zion, the young black boy who lives next door, has known her his entire life and they have been friends. He has helped her with small chores around the house. Zion advises her to leave the neighborhood. As time passes, Zion visits less frequently, and eventually returns the pile of sweaters she had knitted for him over the years. A "good metaphor," she says. This story is a part of our legacy-of-excellence program, first printed in After Dinner Conversation - December, 2020 issue.

Is it better for people to be free, or made equal? In this philosophical dystopian short story, society is divided into two groups: the American Political Union (APU) and the Old American Republic (OAR). The narrator, a highly intelligent young woman, lives in the APU, a society where it is impossible to judge someone based on their race, gender, occupation, or ability. Although she enjoys living in a world where everyone is equal, she yearns to be recognized for her academic talents. Her best friend, BLE, is not as gifted in academics. Together, they decide to cross the border and live in the OAR, where they can be more appreciated for their abilities. They succeed but find that being judged is not always as pleasant or fair as they expected. The narrator is eventually recruited for her academic abilities to help bring down the wall that separates the two societies, allowing for the free flow of people across borders. This story is a part of our legacy-of-excellence program, first printed in After Dinner Conversation - December, 2020 issue.