coming of age ethics qustion(s)

[hopewrites]

So I wanted to make two separate sets of humanity (not sure how separate I want them to be since I dont know how the 'race' I'm about to ask questions about interact in my story. still on the research phase.) for my story and came across a way to make one of them blue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria the skin condition is not hereditary (nor can I see my way clear to waving my Its-A-Fantasy-Novel-Who-Cares wand and making it so) and, as I understand it, is only activated when the patient comes in contact with sunlight.
So I wondered how unethical it would be to have these people hunter-gathering from caves drinking sliver infused water (magic water) but not let out into sunlight until a coming of age ceremony kind of thing. Then having their blueness be a sign of their purity and worth or something like that.
I can rationalize the way such a test could come about, and feel it would work for my world. I just need to know if I include it in my story how it might get interpreted.

(anyone else who has coming of age ethics questions, feel free to use this thread to ask them)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria

 

[Venusian Broon]

Hey Hopewrites,

I'm not sure if this is the answer you are looking for, but years ago I saw a documentary about a tribe of Inca descendents living in the wilds of the Andes who had a ritual 'sort of' similar. i.e. it actually really happens right now!

They would select from those born certain children who were deemed to be shamans or ruling class. They are taken from their normal homes and are brought up by shamans in caves and not allowed to leave the caves at any point. All during this time they are obviously cared for and feed and taught about the outside world.

When they became adult they would finally be introduced to the outside world - a world that up to this point they had only experienced as words. They then see as adults what these old guys have been talking about.

That has to blow your mind, that's one hell of a headf**k

I think the reasoning is that, to experience it this way you really see how truly special the world is. And they want their leaders to have that mindset.

---

As for being blue - ancient peoples loved blue when they could find it - because their world was a world of greens, browns and not much else. Blue really stands out in a virutally monochrome world like that (think of Woad - used all the time to coat my ancestors I'm sure )

 

[hopewrites]

The skies still burned in those days. Our people were fortunate, the reshaping of the earth had opened a spring at the back of our cave and we didn’t have to venture out into the dead and deadly world beyond to sustain life. Our Shawmen said the spring had magic in it, that drinking from any other would bring impurities into the body and cause it to decay.
All that long hard nuclear winter we kept to the safety of our cave, eating mosses, lichens, grubs, what ever we could find. And our magic spring kept us safe. When the sun reappeared and the hunters could again go out, the first rays turned their skin a sacred blue, proving them to be pure of heart for they brought back much good meat.
Now the world is in perpetual summer, and the lush green invites many into its dangerous clutches. Only the pure of heart can survive out there, only the cunning warrior, or shrewd botanist will have what it takes to return to the cave. That is why only the adults leave the cave, and only after they have been tested by the Shawmen.

so if I have that as my back story, the magic stream being impregnated with silver, it makes sense and doesnt raise ethical questions right?

 

[Warren_Paul]

I think that will work fine, Hope.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

It works well, and sets up potential conflict with any un-sacred not-blue people they may meet some day.

 

[Glen]

I was reading about Aboriginal rites of passage recently. I turned out that the author was a bit of, how shall I put this, wild card who sometimes embellished the truth for a good book sale. But it does seem that she spent a lot of time with Aboriginals so would know a thing or two. I'm pretty sure I've read similar from other sources, too.

So, caveats in place...

...I reckon you could get away with anything as a valid rite of passage. Truth is stranger than fiction. Examples, scarification, knocking out teeth, complex phases, taboos on speaking to family members, taboos about others speaking to them... etc.