Would you do anything for your kids?

[Exterous]

Let me preface this by saying that I don't have kids so its entirely possible that I just 'dont get it' but I see this as a common tool in movies, books etc.

A parent has a kid that is in danger. The bad guy uses this to make the parent do something terrible which often involves killing tens, hundreds or even thousands of innocent people or to advance a plan that would result in an evil dictator taking over, entire people's being enslaved\tortured, millions killed, or humanity destroyed. Would parents really be willing to be directly responsible for thousands or millions of other kids dieing so that their child could live? It would be one thing if the person was a megalomaniac or evil character but that is often not the case

 

[Doppel]

I guess some would but I expect a lot of people, hopefully most, wouldn't be willing to kill a thousand people for their kid. I could appreciate trading several strangers, but after a while it gets stupid.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I don't have kids either. In a hypothetical situation where I do have kids and I have to choose between them and any number of other people, the whole "greatest good for the greatest number of people" thing would likely go out the window. I ain't making that decision with anything close to rationality. Sorry rest of the world, but I'd kill you all for my kid.

 

[Jeeebus]

I would do anything for my kids, but I won't do that.

 

[Demoralized]

Whatever is needed to be done for the well being of my daughter. This is nothing I wouldn't do to keep her safe.

 

[lxskllr]

Which 1,000 people? Few are truly innocent, and I might do it free of charge :^D

From a pragmatic standpoint, someone that uses extortion in that manner can't be trusted. Your kid's probably history, and caving to demands just makes you a patsy.

 

[Ruptga]

A person can act rationally, or a person can act emotionally, it is very rare for one of those modes to not be overriding the other at any given time. Whenever it comes to children, almost everyone acts emotionally. That will make middle-aged adults will beat each other up like chimps. That is why we have sex offender lists, but not financial fraud or violent crime lists. That is why education administrators and even educators are now more worried about lawsuits than they are about educating effectively.

The best parents I have known manage to switch from rational to emotional processing as it is called for and I doubt they would knowingly endanger others over their kid, especially in a hostage/extortion situation where they have time to think things over. I don't really know what I would do since I'm just a very cynical 25 y/o with no kids, but if I chose to sacrifice others it would be a decision I would make very carefully, and it would probably all come down to what else I have to live for.

 

[WelshBloke]

If you stood my daughter (shes 2) in front of me and held a knife to her throat theres nothing I wouldn't be prepared to do to stop you using the knife.

 

[Gillbot]

I don't have kids either. In a hypothetical situation where I do have kids and I have to choose between them and any number of other people, the whole "greatest good for the greatest number of people" thing would likely go out the window. I ain't making that decision with anything close to rationality. Sorry rest of the world, but I'd kill you all for my kid.

If you stood my daughter (shes 2) in front of me and held a knife to her throat theres nothing I wouldn't be prepared to do to stop you using the knife.

These.

 

[datalink7]

If you stood my daughter (shes 2) in front of me and held a knife to her throat theres nothing I wouldn't be prepared to do to stop you using the knife.

I get the sentiment, but I think this is false.

Would you hit a button which would annihilate the human race and, as a side effect, put your daughter in a vegetative state for the rest of her life if that was the only way to stop the knife?

 

[Ruptga]

If you stood my daughter (shes 2) in front of me and held a knife to her throat theres nothing I wouldn't be prepared to do to stop you using the knife.

Ironically, I can't help myself.

So, Mr. Bad has your kid in that situation, and he says he will let her go if you...

push a button that will gas every other person in your immediate family.

shoot yourself through the roof of your mouth right now, in front of her.

cut off a whole arm with a cutting torch, then club her mother (or your current SO) with the same arm until he says to stop.

go to the Olympics and infect everyone there with HIV and Ebola.

lower a dozen perfect strangers and then yourself feet first into this:

You would really do all of those? What kind of a father are you?

 

[WelshBloke]

I get the sentiment, but I think this is false.

Would you hit a button which would annihilate the human race and, as a side effect, put your daughter in a vegetative state for the rest of her life if that was the only way to stop the knife?

Ironically, I can't help myself.

So, Mr. Bad has your kid in that situation, and he says he will let her go if you...

push a button that will gas every other person in your immediate family.

shoot yourself through the roof of your mouth right now, in front of her.

cut off a whole arm with a cutting torch, then club her mother (or your current SO) with the same arm until he says to stop.

go to the Olympics and infect everyone there with HIV and Ebola.

lower a dozen perfect strangers and then yourself feet first into this:

You would really do all of those? What kind of a father are you?

:biggrin:

Atot literalism at its best.

 

[Printer Bandit]

save kid or kill 6 billion people.

i wouldn't save kid.

 

[rh71]

This is pretty much the same as asking us to choose between 2 of our kids. Or the spouse vs. the kid. It's kind of impossible to pick correctly. Unless you're Jack Bauer and shit just goes your way most of the time regardless.

 

[Exterous]

Sorry rest of the world, but I'd kill you all for my kid.

So you'd kill the rest of the world for your kid? Doesn't sound like that would be a fun life in a lot of scenarios

 

[Ruptga]

:biggrin:

Atot literalism at its best.

Hey, I wasn't going to bite, but then you had to put it in bold...

 

[SlitheryDee]

So you'd kill the rest of the world for your kid? Doesn't sound like that would be a fun life in a lot of scenarios

Can't have any fun when you're dead either I suppose. It doesn't matter anyway. There's no way I could choose against my kid regardless of how fun their life would be after that.

 

[Ruptga]

Can't have any fun when you're dead either I suppose. It doesn't matter anyway. There's no way I could choose against my kid regardless of how fun their life would be after that.

Is there no scenario you would rather die than live through? I can think of a lot, myself. A bad life isn't worth living, and that goes whether you're a kid or an armchair ethicist on the internet.

 

[CPA]

Can you name these movies, books, etc where this is a common theme? Now granted, I haven't watched as many movies as most, but I'm having a hard time coming up with a story where a parent kills thousands of people for the safety of their child.

 

[Eug]

I'd be more than willing to sacrifice Exterous to save my daughter.

 

[Rage187]

This is pretty much the same as asking us to choose between 2 of our kids. Or the spouse vs. the kid. It's kind of impossible to pick correctly. Unless you're Jack Bauer and shit just goes your way most of the time regardless.

Bye, wife.

 

[Printer Bandit]

keep the baby maker.

 

[Doppel]

Ironically, I can't help myself.

So, Mr. Bad has your kid in that situation, and he says he will let her go if you...

push a button that will gas every other person in your immediate family.

shoot yourself through the roof of your mouth right now, in front of her.

cut off a whole arm with a cutting torch, then club her mother (or your current SO) with the same arm until he says to stop.

go to the Olympics and infect everyone there with HIV and Ebola.

lower a dozen perfect strangers and then yourself feet first into this:

You would really do all of those? What kind of a father are you?

Your point is actually a good one even if welshbloke didn't appreciate it...

There are examples in history of people killing wantonly for their kids, and in other examples letting their family die or be subjected to violence for their own reasons. We are all gray and we can't know what we'd do until we may have to do it.

 

[SparkyJJO]

False dilemma.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I would kill the OP for my kid.

Sorry bro.