“Connor, I’ve been thinking about making this website…” It was eighth period, my english teacher (although I should say doctor) was going on about a book that I was not particularly fond of. Luckily for me, the class was structured like that of a college course – you could either pay attention or goof off. Guess which one I chose.
I have this lovely knack of writing. I carry around a total of three notebooks: one for my personal thoughts, independent study, and ideas. Will I ever be a grammar engineer or the next Neil Gaiman or hell, get a 5 on the AP test? No (although my score was close).But I have a passion for words and how they touch other people’s lives. During eighth period english I would spend my time immersed in my journal; writing my annoyances and ideas and who I was going to spend my birthday weekend with. Then it donned on me. I could start a website…and not only that but run it with my best friend. My excitement couldn’t be contained in whispers as I kept telling Connor about it”…we could write about LGBTQIA topics and the environment and sex and school and art and write stories and just have it be a place for us and share it with people.”
And after a few class periods of drowning out discussion on phallic symbols, we had the Trolley Problem. As much as I wish Connor and I drove trolley cars and had mechanical issues, that is not what the blog is about. For those unfamiliar with the trolley problem the definition is such:
The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics. The general form of the problem is this: There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the correct choice?
A tad unsettling. Our website is not about such an anomaly. It is, however, about doing the right thing. And this is something that we will share in our experiences and stories. Hopefully we will be able to grow from this project and influence other’s lives as positively as we can.
– Hana
trolleyproblem 