#The short vers is that the Code makes sense if you already agree with the ideals it promotes

[willowheartswarriors]

The sentiment that every cat/almost every cat in the clans has broken the code at some point comes up continually in The Silent Thaw, and while it's definitely true, it is kind of telling that this is just an accepted fact up until now. Like "Yeah we decided on this set of rules which (up until now, at least) just about everyone agrees on being morally good and a valuable way to live your life and serve your community. But also everyone has broken at least one of these rules and we all know this and it causes no dissonance in our worldview."

Obviously I'm not saying this is unrealistic - there are plenty of people who hold the same conflicting thoughts about real life laws - but it does really underline the idea that the Code is flawed on some fundamental level if breaking it is basically expected. It does, however, make it sort of wild that there haven't been more cats who wanted to change the Code in the past. Then again, given the values and behaviors the Code reinforces, maybe this isn't actually all that shocking.

#Could you imagine if any irl society made like a dozen rules as soon as the society was established #And then went through hundreds of years of existence and just never questioned or got rid of any laws #Warriors has shown us cats making new additions to the Code but it's actually Really Weird that nothing got removed/altered until this arc #This ties into a whole other tangent abt how the Code engenders and reinforces some dubious worldviews #Including a jingoistic level of clan nationalism and an ingrained prejudice against outsiders #But thats a whole essay for another day lol #Warriors #Warrior Cats #The Silent Thaw #Idk maybe I'll be tempted to make a vid abt it some day #The short vers is that the Code makes sense if you already agree with the ideals it promotes #But makes it functionally impossible to disagree with or attempt to push for change in clan society #Each part of the code is great at serving its intended purpose. But that purpose isn't necessarily a good thing when viewed more broadly #Idk I'll at least type up all my thoughts some day