[ SECRET POST #2393 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2393 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 052 secrets from Secret Submission Post #342.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Why this pairing in particular as opposed to Picard/anyone else of lower rank?

[sootyowl]

Anon said it well here: http://fandomsecrets.dreamwidth.org/844964.html?thread=671721124#cmt671721124

[(Anonymous)]

Because everyone else of lower rank in the show, even Wesley, is emotionally mature and savvy about appropriate vs inappropriate conduct enough to be able to resist something they're not keen on. Data, on the other hand, is incredibly childlike and innocent when it comes to matters of human behavior, and views Picard as the highest authority when it comes to advice about what is okay and what isn't. He can't say anything if something is off, because he can't feel creeped out, can't pick up on skeevy vibes, and would assume that anything that seems strange to him is something normal that he just doesn't understand because he's an android.

Not to mention Data's actually canonically shown ridiculous levels of trust and gullibility even towards people who haven't earned it, let alone his friends and crewmates, and has been exploited due to this trait several times during the show.

[(Anonymous)]

Just look at what happened between Data and Yar. He may have seen it as a learning experience and held her in high regard ever after, but it's still pretty skeevy when you think about it, even if she couldn't help it because of the virus.

[(Anonymous)]

da

Yeah, it's not even a matter of "oh, Picard could manipulate and take advantage of him really easily." I mean, it's true, but even if Picard was trying his darnedest to be totally nice and well-meaning, he could accidentally trample all over Data without even trying because Data simply doesn't have the capacity to question or argue with him or assert himself in a lot of personal situations because he literally has no understanding of so many concepts in that field.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think how lucky Data is that he managed to get landed with the Enterprise crew rather than people who wouldn't be so painstakingly scrupulous about making sure to take the initiative in treating him fairly, because he rarely understands when he should stand up for himself.

[omorka]

Yup. My initial reaction to that scene when it first aired was disgust strong enough to want to leave the room. It wasn't until much, much later that I realized why: that it's effectively a double rape scene. Neither one is in any way capable of meaningful consent in that moment - and the writers don't quite seem to have twigged to that.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I don't know. I don't think two people who are both incapable of meaningful consent having sex is rape, because well...what exactly are you supposed to do to avoid it if they both want to and they both don't realize they shouldn't? Who apart from a third party could stop them? It's definitely unfortunate and a bad idea on so many levels and can sometimes have some major negative consequences, but no one's deliberately taking advantage of the other so I think any rape comparisons don't apply, because a vital component of rape is coercion -- physical, psychological, by threat, by deception, by attacking someone when they can't defend themselves, or otherwise. Which requires that at least one party knows what they're doing. It's more like simply having a mutually drunken one night stand, IMO.

Doesn't stop some instances of it, like this one, to be seriously messed-up and skeevy though. Especially since they didn't talk about it and clarify things and come to an understanding afterwards -- Tasha just shut down all discussion and explanation. *sigh* No wonder there are so many fix-fic follow-ups to that ep where they do talk things over and Tasha explains the issues.

[(Anonymous)]

Wesley's not that emotionally mature.

[(Anonymous)]

He's still more emotionally aware and secure in his understanding of his own feelings than Data, though.

[(Anonymous)]

While I don't ship it, I don't think Data is a complete innocent either.

He doesn't simply accept what people have to say: he does a lot of (admittedly hit or miss) research on a topic. Look at the episode when he's dating Jenny. He goes the entire crew for advice as well as the computer

So if Picard were to step over the line, at least as far as disrespecting Data would go, there would be A WHOLE LOTTA WITNESSES to it.

Not to mention that when Data does get disrespected, he does call people out on it himself. Not necessarily instantly, but Maddox, Jenny, that Commander who doesn't think Data could captain, all got a 'hey, I'm to be respected' talk when they stepped over lines.