(no subject)

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche emerges from Javert's corner, carrying a plate stacked high with fresh toast in one hand, and a smaller plate in the other bearing several pats of butter.

He's... not actually sure what he's going to do with it all.  He's not that hungry.  He makes for a table, sits and begins to eat, keeping an eye out for friends.

Anyone for toast?

Comments

[guppy_sandhu]

"Because it's electric?"

[street_sparrow]

"And efficient. He made all this, not actually wanting it, just to see the thing work. And he had a screwdriver."

[guppy_sandhu]

"We saw him. He was racist." Fry says, eating the toast.

"He didn't mean to be." Guppy says.

[street_sparrow]

"Things were different in our time, Fry", Gavroche tells him. "We didn't see very many people with dark skin in France, and you could say things then that you can't get away with in your time. What did he say?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"He said it was better to be Indian than English and that black people are slaves."

[street_sparrow]

"That's not racist, that's true - or it was in 1832." Gavroche was too young to have been aware of the first short-lived attempt at abolition in France. "As for the English part, it's not so long since the last time France and England were at war, for him, and they'd been enemies for hundreds of years."

[guppy_sandhu]

"It's not everyone else's fault that they had a war." Fry says.

[street_sparrow]

"No", he agrees, "but we were taught the English were the enemy, and Javert is... not a man who changes his mind easily."

[guppy_sandhu]

"A bigbutt." Fry says.

[street_sparrow]

"...a what?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"I think that was 'bigot'." Guppy says. "And we don't call names, Fry."

[street_sparrow]

"I don't think he is, not really. He's just from a different time - and if he knows an individual hasn't done anything wrong, he's got nothing against them."

He's only vaguely aware, if at all, of Javert's feelings about gypsies.

[guppy_sandhu]

"That's still racism." Guppy says. "But I'm sure Javert will learn in time. Fry is fortunate to be growing up in a time where he faces less racism as I did."

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche looks dubious at the idea of Javert learning.

"Maybe in a very long time. He's already got a lot to adapt to."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Well look at Teja, he was very stubborn when he first arrived, and now he's very adapted."

[street_sparrow]

"Yeah, and he's been here for years."

[guppy_sandhu]

"And Javert called me 'deficient'." Fry complains, scowling.

[street_sparrow]

"It's just the way he'd see it", Gavroche says gently. "When I was your age, children who had... well, we didn't know what autism was... children who were different could be sent away to live in hospitals. Some people even thought it was the only thing to do for them."

And that was the lucky ones.

[guppy_sandhu]

Fry scowls, then gets up and walks off, to stare at the trilobite tank. It just isn't fair.

"Some still are." Guppy says quietly, sighing.

[street_sparrow]

"...really? Even in your time?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"More commonly in adults." Guppy says. "Most of the kids get to stay at home, but often as the parents get older they can't cope."

He looks back at Gavroche. "More severely affected kids than Fry, mind. We know kids from summer school who will likely never speak and will need 24 hour care."

[street_sparrow]

"Yeah, that makes sense when you put it like that. The kid gets stronger, the parent gets weaker, and they know they won't be around forever... they'd want to arrange something. If autism was a thing in 1832, we didn't have a name for it. It all just got lumped in together, as 'deficient' or 'subnormal' or whatever. Except maybe the, um... they call it Down's syndrome in your time, because you can see that to look at it. And those kids often got kept because they could still pull their weight."