Time Corps 5

Col Khan addresses the class, "it is my firm belief, backed by a lot of historical evidence, that people must understand the rationale, the why of their duties. Those organizations which are not forthcoming usually produce one howler of a blunder after another. After all, so much is guesswork, if you don't understand the why, you tend to make poor decisions.
"That said, you should know why I am assigning these term papers in this fashion. First, why no choice? If I give you even one iota of choice, you naturally tend to gravitate toward what you already partially know. You may get a good mark, but not as much learning experience. Second, why do you each get a different topic? I can assure you, these topics are so far apart, you are not competitors. So you can relax, talk over papers with your friends, in the secure knowledge you aren't giving away trade secrets.
"I will record what each person draws. No barter permitted, you get what you get. Indira, lead off."
My hand goes into the box, I hand it to Col to record.
As the others draw, I read, "in 1,500 to 1,700 words, argue the thesis that history shows killing your opponents energizes their whole group."
My mind spins, mile a minute. Examples abound.
The early Christians were just one more tiny sect until the Romans gave them notoriety by feeding them to the lions.
Or how bout those Hatfields and McCoys in the good ole USA?
Northern Ireland.
Yugoslavia.
Lebanon.
Palestinians.
In fact, I spot the trap. Topic is so gargantuan, so vast, you could write a 1,000 page tome on it. Gotta focus.

Later over coffee, Betty Lou shows me her topic, the role of women.
She groans, "how vague can you get? Worker? Mother? Wife? Citizen? Voter? Military?"
I laugh, "isn't it funny? Topics never fit the size of assignment. You either gotta puff up some nonsense little thing or distill to the Nth degree."
"So why do they do garbage like that?" she protests.
"Think what we will eventually do. Travel through a wormhole on a ten-year trip. Not like you can phone or fax or email back for instructions if you find things aren't going as smoothly as you'd like."
"Yeah, hear you. Gotta improv. Sorta like you in that acting class."

I gasp as I'm handed the topic, "surely you aren't serious, sarge."
"I told you before, you leave you outside. You are the role."
"But a prostitute?"
"Yep, the oldest profession. Look at it this way, even older than all that prudishness you East Indians invented."
I laugh.
"That's the spirit. Now put some fun into it."
I'm amazed - it's a wildly liberating experience. It doesn't matter, all fake, I can be as cheeky as I like with the customers.
Sgt hugs me warmly as we wind up, "you really surprised me, you can let go, loosen up after all. How do you feel?"
I grin wickedly, "like climbing Everest or K2, exhilirated."
"Hang around, you'll have lots more fun."
It proves a watershed. If a mega-prude like me can play a prostitute role, what else can they do to me? I cease to worry about the Sgt or the acting class. Now that I'm unworried, I find I appreciate the variety. It's fun, a break from seriousness of term paper and such.
Makes me more confident too, more willing to indulge in the philosophy debates with classmates and Col.
Betty Lou sums up, "it's like you're an honorary white person now. Arrived, shook off all that."
"It's not all bad, there's good in it too."
"Still, I like you a lot better now. More easygoing, more honest with yourself and others. Loose and relaxed, not uptight."

Col Khan starts, "right ladies, your next assignment. Short story length, 7,000 words, I want a romance story set in your time in history. Now it can be straight, or gay or lesbian if you prefer. One restriction, must be a setting you are familiar with. Doesn't have to be your main setting in life, maybe you spent 2 summers at the grandparents' farm, you could use that. But if you were only somewhere a week on vacation, don't use it, your setting will be too weak."
I see looks of outrage all around. The more assertive me is first to raise my hand.
"Yes Indira, your input please."
"Col, is that not a colossal waste of our rather expensive and valuable time? Aren't all those stories weary and dreary, the same?"
Col grins, "hands up all who agree with Indira."
Every hand goes up, some people with both.
"I see, so no one disagrees. Ok then, Indira and I are going to have a private chat in front of y'all. Just maybe I could convince her it's worthwhile."
I cross my arms, the usual uptight signal of "no way".
"Right Indira, let's look at your time in history. To use an oversimplified model, there really were only 3 main tracks of human experience, though of course a lot of difference in detail. First World, that was your western countries. Rich or poor, powerful or not, they had a remarkably similar culture, way of life. Would you agree?"
"Col, I accept that any model must oversimplify to do its job. However I think the French would take umbrage being lumped in with the Americans."
Everyone laughs.
"Good, now Second World, is Communist and post-Communist experience. Would you agree that the similarities in the Communist world vastly outweigh the differences?"
"Yes Col."
"Would you also agree that the Second World stands largely in contradistinction to the First? That is, a vast chasm, very little in common?"
"Yes Col."
"Third World. Oo-oo I see that outrage, a relative success like Guyana hates to be lumped in with a total failure like Bangladesh. But then, neither do the French like being lumped in with Americans."
This sets everyone laughing, including me.
"Ok Indira, take one minute, look at the faces of all your classmates, what do you see?"
"Col, all are white, westerners. All come from the First World of their time in history."
"I'll one-up that statement. Not one of them has had a genuine Second World or Third World experience. Yes, they have been on vacation, but only secured tourist enclaves. Not one of these girls has seen the real Second or Third World."
I shift uneasily, know where she is headed. She's gonna win.
"So Indira, say you set your story in Canada. It would bore them to death, so much duplicating their own experience. But if you set that story in Guyana, it would be exotic, exciting, educational. Yet it would still be the same quote quote weary dreary plot."
I don't reply, let her work for it.
"You see Indira, they have only experienced one of the three tracks. You stand unique, done all three. First World in Canada, Guyana is a neat combination of Second World and Third. Politically, under Comrade LFS (Forbes) Burnham, as Second World as it gets. Economically, Third. You have experienced all three, seen all there is in human experience. Now don't you think you could be generous, share a little of that wealth of experience with your friends by setting you story in Guyana?"
"Col, what can I say? You have painted me into a corner."
"Rest of you listen up. No matter how boring, how blase that setting may seem to you, to someone else it's exotic, fun. So, bite the bullet of boredom for your friends."
I see the looks of resignation.
"Oh and don't try filling it cover-to-cover with sex. That's a copout. I want at least thrice the word count on setting as you put into sex."
Groans.
I ask, "Col, do we ah actually ah have to put in sex?"
"That attitude went out at the end of the Early Harlequin Era. Nowadays, just ain't gonna fly without. Do it."