On Fri, 2 May 1997, Caroline Seawright wrote:

Okay, he picked the second stupidest option available to him, he still
attacked her recklessly.  He stuck his foot in it, stupidly.  Like I said,
I consider all the so called engagements to be meaningless.  Ranma had no
choice in any of them.  Now, if you argue one or two are valid because his
father agreed to it then I argue back to say that has no legal basis even
in Japan whereas Shampoo's does in her society (not in Japan, granted) and
carelessness and even ignorance is not a defense (given that he was at one
time in the Amazon society and had the obligation to respect their laws and
therefore know them.  If this was the first time he met an Amazon I'd let
him off but not under the actual circumstances.)

The thing here you forget is that arranged marriages ARE common in Japan,
and that people ARE held to it, even if there may not be a law about it.
The children do it out of respect for their parents.

Yes, _some_ do.  _Some_ people around here are curtious enough to let
people take their seat on the bus.  _Some_ people are crazy enough to go
into a school and shoot everyone in sight.  Neither of these are strong
holds (especially not the last) to an action.  Just because your parents
make a decision, even in Japan, you aren't always expected to go allow
blindly with it.

I guess that you could say that there's no law forcing an engaged
couple to marry - but most of them do it because they love each other.
It's not a law ... but it is still held to.

Yes, most that do it are in love, and when Ranma says he's in love with
one of the girls then it's an engagement and not before.  I'll also
remember this little point that people forced together can and often do
fall in love.
 

So, basically, Ranma and Akane ARE engaged, Ranma and Ukyou ARE engaged,

No, they are not!  Not legally at all, and no consent on Ranma's part.
When he consents openly okay, not before.  They have a claim to him, an
honorable claim and see just below....

and Shampoo is nothing to do with Ranma, except in her own mind and in
the minds of her people.

Now, honorably speaking Ranma has wronged Shampoo, not once, not twice,
three times.  Taking her prize without premission, embarrising her infront
of the whole village, being basicly response for her curse (this doesn't
even count mental distress caused by his lie of being truly a girl).
Honorably speaking he owes his father something (this is just tradition,
in truth I think Genma should be shot for his upbringing) and thus holds
to the engagement with Akane.  With Ukyo it's very similar save Genma
unofficial dissolved the engagement by running off on her and thus wronged
her.  With Shampoo he wronged her three times and honorably must make
compensation.  Should any of these count as a true engagement, NO!  Do
they all have some claim, yes.

Ranma and Akane/Ranma and Ukyou are engaged in the minds of ALL the
people.

Not in mine their not.

Plus, how on earth can you blame Ranma for something he didn't know?

He has an obligation to know the Amazon laws since he entered their
society.  I know some cavalierly think otherwise but that is wrong.
You enter a society with it's own laws, even on a short visit, you are
held to the laws.  Ignorance isn't a defense. 

Amazon Rules that Ranma knew up till that point - Any Amazon who gets
KOed by an outsider is to be killed.

Still, he should have had a working knowledge of the Amazon laws since he
entered their society at one time.  Matter of fact, it was stupid of him
not to check up on the laws after the KOD since he just might have found a
way out of the mess.

So, Ranma could stand with the killing - but he had no idea about the
other law.

Still, he was reckless.  It's quite clear he didn't put any thought into
his action and just went off and did something stupid.  As I said,
carelessness and recklessness do not amount to a defense.

So how, pray tell, is it Ranma's fault?

Simple, he was reckless.
 

Maybe if you go to another place, and break a custom that you didn't

This isn't a custom, it's a law.

know about, then it's your fault? And that you should be forced to
do the punishment for breaking that custom, even though you didn't
know about it?

Yes, you should be punished.  If you think you shouldn't you're just plain
wrong.  I stated this before, whenever you enter a lawful society you have
an obligation to know and abide by the laws.  Ranma failed to do this, and
therefore committed a reckless or careless action.  He should have known
the laws.

Now, to repeat myself one last time, I consider _none_ of the so called
engagements valid.  Everyone has claims to Ranma but none amount to a real
engagement.

I must be off now, losing access to this address as of the end of today.
It's been lovely chatting with you all.
Need desperately to contact me, try:
Felix_Tritschler@bc.sympatico.ca

Wade