Jack was quiet for a bit, his hand up over his lips as he glanced around the room. He seemed almost jittery now.
"You're young," he finally said, leaning forward with his wrists on his knees, leaning in towards Simon. "You're young, and I get the feeling you're privileged. You've got that air about you, that's okay, I was privileged once to. But the thing is...."
He paused. He needed to choose his words carefully. There was no reason to cause a fuss. "Privilege? Power? Money? It doesn't really matter. It just gives people swelled heads unless they use it right. And most of them don't. But if you're young, you can excuse it. Because what do you know? What you've been taught. Who've you been taught by? Wealthy parents, most likely. You don't see anything outside of your own world. You don't see the little old ladies dying in the street, you don't see the kids so sick and hungry that they're blind and having seizures behind a dumpster somewhere. You don't see the crippled freezing to death because gas has been wasted to the point that there's hardly any left and it costs more than a normal person can afford. You don't see it, it isn't real, it doesn't touch you."
Jack leaned forward, gripping Simon's arm. "But when it does touch you... when something happens and you really see what the rich government and the pompous politicians have done, the veil falls away and you see the world for what it really is. A festering waste where a man is judged not by the content of his character, not by his mind, but by his wallet. And when you're the one who's sick and crippled and starving, or when your sister's the one who needs help..." He squeezed Simon's arm and sat back.
no subject
"You're young," he finally said, leaning forward with his wrists on his knees, leaning in towards Simon. "You're young, and I get the feeling you're privileged. You've got that air about you, that's okay, I was privileged once to. But the thing is...."
He paused. He needed to choose his words carefully. There was no reason to cause a fuss. "Privilege? Power? Money? It doesn't really matter. It just gives people swelled heads unless they use it right. And most of them don't. But if you're young, you can excuse it. Because what do you know? What you've been taught. Who've you been taught by? Wealthy parents, most likely. You don't see anything outside of your own world. You don't see the little old ladies dying in the street, you don't see the kids so sick and hungry that they're blind and having seizures behind a dumpster somewhere. You don't see the crippled freezing to death because gas has been wasted to the point that there's hardly any left and it costs more than a normal person can afford. You don't see it, it isn't real, it doesn't touch you."
Jack leaned forward, gripping Simon's arm. "But when it does touch you... when something happens and you really see what the rich government and the pompous politicians have done, the veil falls away and you see the world for what it really is. A festering waste where a man is judged not by the content of his character, not by his mind, but by his wallet. And when you're the one who's sick and crippled and starving, or when your sister's the one who needs help..." He squeezed Simon's arm and sat back.
"You know, don't you Captain?"