The Veil of Ignorance

[John Rawls]
I need a veil
I need a veil
I need a veil of ignorance

[spoken]
Why are men okay with women not having the right to vote?
Because they're not women!
Why do some white people support apartheid?
Because they're not black!
And why do rich people oppose redistributing wealth?
Because they're not poor themselves!

[sung]
Behind the veil
You could be anyone
You could be anyone at all

You might be rich
You might be poor
You might be white, you might be black, you might be straight, you might be gay, you might be anyone at all
Behind the veil
You'd have the power to decide
How society should be
You'd have the power
You'd have the power to decide the rules that govern you and me

[spoken]
And that's it! Behind the veil of ignorance, you deliberate on what rules should govern society. But since you don't know who you'll be in that society, then whatever rules you come up with, that's justice!

But what would we actually decide? I need to imagine what it would be like behind the veil, in the original position

[Chorus]
There is a veil
There is a veil
There is a veil of ignorance

[Rawls]
But how can I conceptualize it?

[Chorus]
It is behind you
It is behind you

[Rawls]
That's a lovely image, but how can I use my reason to look behind me?

[Chorus]
No
You idiot
It's literally behind you
Just turn 180 degrees

[Rawls]
Fairness! You're behind a veil? It seems there's some sort of metaphor here, but I can't put my finger on it