Would You??

[Pompey Bum]

I would only do it if my wife were blind. Otherwise I wouldn't have the courage.

Did Gandhi go to hell for not accepting Jesus Christ as his personal savior?

[Hawkman]

The question is, would you? ;)

[Pompey Bum]

The question is, would you? ;)

I just answered that one. Let's move on to the Gandhi question.

[Hawkman]

You might want to glance at the thread title

[Pompey Bum]

You might want to glance at the thread title

Oh thanks. Would you dare to imagine that Gandhi went to hell for not accepting Jesus Christ as his personal savior?

[Bleeding Pawn]

erm.. I`m no Dante but do let me know if he does come back from hell (to write a sequel?), have a list of suggestions,if he does online community,(by popular demand and changing trend of times?).

Would you feel guilty/embarrassed if you found out your family members (spouse/guardians/siblings) were tracking/following you (without your knowledge) on the web and reading every comments you post/ed on forums and social network?

[tonywalt]

no, 'I yam what i yam'

Would you work in the top floor of the new world trade centre?

[Bleeding Pawn]

if the elevation is equivalent to the pay check.

would you pick up a fight or clash with someone just for the sake of showing off on/your superiority?

[Pompey Bum]

No. My superiority at getting into unnecessary conflicts speaks for itself.

If you could be sure you wouldn't get caught, would you use one of those clips that makes it impossible for the person in the airplane seat in front of you to recline his/her seat?

[NikolaiI]

Nope, the closer the comfier, I always say.

Would you free Tibet if you were China?

[Pompey Bum]

Yes, but I'd still charge admission for Xinjiang.

You are at a bus stop when you notice a man, who you see most mornings at this stop, drop a small vial of pills from his coat pocket without noticing. The vial roles over to you, so you pick it up with the intent to return it to him. Before you can do so, however, you notice that the pills are for erectile dysfunction. Would you still return them to him?

[Emil Miller]

The stock answer to this is.....'No. I'd use them.'
But in reality I would have no hesitation in handing them back with a sympathetic look.

[Pompey Bum]

Me too, but without the sympathetic look (which might embarrass him). After all, how does he know I was nosy enough to read his pill bottle? :)

But you forgot to ask your own question, Emil. If I may, I'll supply one:

If a child who looked at you as a role model asked if you had ever used illegal drugs, and hypothetically you had, would you tell him/her the truth?

[Emil Miller]

Me too, but without the sympathetic look (which might embarrass him). After all, how does he know I was nosy enough to read his pill bottle? :)

But you forgot to ask your own question, Emil. If I may, I'll supply one:

If a child who looked at you as a role model asked if you had ever used illegal drugs, and hypothetically you had, would you tell him/her the truth?

I would tell the truth, explaining that people are often conditioned to follow the herd by the media but that real men/women decide whether obeying the law is the right thing to do rather than breaking it because the unthinking herd are doing so.

You are passing a hairdressing salon and notice that a sign proclaiming BLOW DRY £5 POUNDS ONLY has been defaced so that DRY reads JOB.
Would you walk on tut tutting at the idiocy of modern youth or reach for your credit card and enter hoping the young female receptionist will honour
the advertisement?

[Pompey Bum]

ABSOLUTELY I would tut tut and pass by. How dare you even ask? (My wife reads my credit card statements). :)

If you had a vision (or maybe a hallucination--you couldn't be sure) in which Jesus told you to sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, would you do it?

[tonywalt]

I'd do it anyway. It's the right thing to do.

Would you, if asked, give a eulogy for a close family member you didn't like? (but not giving the eulogy would be a statement in and of itself-naturally).

[Pompey Bum]

No. I've already told them all: no eulogies from me, and no eulogy (or even funeral service) for me. If you like me that much, then be nice to me now.

What if you had a vision that Jesus told you to sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, but then Yoda ran in front of him and said, "Don't do it, a trick it is." Who would you choose?

[papayahed]

At first Yoda but I might begin to feel guilt so I would ask for another sign.

Would you date a coworker?

[Hawkman]

There are some seriously dishy girls who work where I do, but unfortunately they're all young enough to be my daughters. There are also a few dishy professors I know too, but they're all married. Kind of leaves me out on a limb :D I would if they would, but I'm broke so they'd have to not mind paying. Still out on that limb....

Would you kill a mockingbird?

[Bleeding Pawn]

No

Would you donate your body to science after death?

[Pompey Bum]

Yes. Done deal.

Would you eat a dead cockroach if it had been sterilized and couldn't possibly harm you, and you were paid a month's wages to do so?

[papayahed]

Yes. I'm saving up for a Roomba and this would go a long way.

Would you bake a cake for your sweetie's birthday?

[Pompey Bum]

No. She doesn't like cake. I buy her Asian pears.

Would you allow yourself to be bitten in the crotch by a king cobra if a physician were at hand to administer anti-venom, and you were paid a year's wages for doing so?

[NikolaiI]

What an open-to-interpretation question! Are you wearing jeans? a spacesuit? pajamas, or nothing?

I would do it if it were pajamas and Warren Buffett's year's wages. Then agan, since it's such a sensitive place, the shock of it might kill you. . .

Would you serve if you got jury duty or try to get out of it?

[Emil Miller]

What an open-to-interpretation question! Are you wearing jeans? a spacesuit? pajamas, or nothing?

I would do it if it were pajamas and Warren Buffett's year's wages. Then agan, since it's such a sensitive place, the shock of it might kill you. . .

Would you serve if you got jury duty or try to get out of it?


I actually persuaded the authorities to let me serve on a jury even though technically I was exempt from service. So, yes I would.

If selected for jury service, would you agree to act as foreman?

[Bleeding Pawn]

as a foreman? No, I guess not.

Taking into consideration the dwindling moral values of/in today's societies: would you consider yourself dignified, as a human being, who categorizes him/herself as a role model/an inspiration for others to look up to or you consider your best is still to come be it, morally, ethically or even spiritually?

[Pompey Bum]

No. If I did I'd be a jury foreman.

Are people who appear dignified necessarily the ones with dignity?

[Bleeding Pawn]

Not necessarily 'cause appearances can be deceiving, just like seniority might not be a symbol of maturity. Clearly a case of biting more than they can chew.

The question again..

Taking into consideration the dwindling moral values of/in today's age/societies: would you consider yourself dignified, as a human being, who categorizes him/herself as a role model/an inspiration for others to look up to or you consider your best is still to come be it, morally, ethically or even spiritually?

[Pompey Bum]

Um, no? But it was sweet of you to give me a second chance.

Would you re-enter a burning workplace building to try to rescue a co-worker you didn't much like?

[Emil Miller]

Um, no? But it was sweet of you to give me a second chance.

Would you re-enter a burning workplace building to try to rescue a co-worker you didn't much like?#

Yes, although i can think of a couple I worked with who would be left to fry.

Would you be grateful to someone who uses the hyphen in co-worker rather than writing coworker; leaving you to wonder what a cow orker is?

[Pompey Bum]

Well, just a dash.

Would you suck up to a bad boss as a way to get ahead.

[Mercy]

No, I hope not.

Would you butcher a bird you raised and then eat it for dinner?

[Pompey Bum]

Been there, done that, but no, I wouldn't do it anymore.

Would you jar a hook into a fish's mouth, throat, or belly, forcibly change the water pressure it was experiencing, haul it into an oxygen environment, then not eat it (as opposed to practicing g catch and release)?

[Mercy]

Not if I could help it. (Legal size limits and all that.) I try to eat anything I catch.

Would you selflessly give the last ice cream in the container to your friend, or would you sneak into the fridge at midnight and eat it all yourself?

[Pompey Bum]

No, but I would selfishly shelve a shellfish, shuck the same, suck the shells, then selflessly share said shellfish with with elvish and other friends.

Would you lend money to a broke friend if you thought that your friend might spend it on lottery tickets?

[papayahed]

Yes,

If you could bean expert in any archaic dead language which would you choose?

[Emil Miller]

Yes,

If you could bean expert in any archaic dead language which would you choose?

Oxford English.

Would you try to learn Oxford English or carry on being semi-articulate?

[papayahed]

Oxford English.

Would you try to learn Oxford English or carry on being semi-articulate?


Oh, definitely semi-articulate. Believe it or not I already get grief for my accent and for my word choices. Perhaps, when I get promoted to the corporate office I'll revisit the question.

If I gave you $20 USD would you eat a pork rind?

[Emil Miller]

Oh, definitely semi-articulate. Believe it or not I already get grief for my accent and for my word choices. Perhaps, when I get promoted to the corporate office I'll revisit the question.

If I gave you $20 USD would you eat a pork rind?

No. I already have $100 USD and I seldom eat meat.

If someone sent you $100 USD, would you spend them or leave them lying around the house?

[papayahed]

Eventually it would be spent. I really dislike going to the bank so I would probably spent that rather than stop by the bank for my weekly allowance.

If you had a $1.00 would you give me .99?

[Pompey Bum]

No.

Do you "regift" Christmas presents that you don't want?

[tonywalt]

no, usually not - but cannot rule out completely.

Would you date a guy who is less intelligent than you? (and for the purposes of this exercise the definition of intelligence is: a person less intelligent than yourself using every single measure you would use, measures others use, and all other measures know to yourself.

[Hawkman]

I wouldn't date a guy, even if he was Einstein.

Would you command a firing squad?

[papayahed]

uhhh yeah, if they were firing up doobies....


If you had to go to a potluck at work what would you bring?

[Hawkman]

A Vickers machine gun...

Would you rather be a Spartan or an Athenian?

[Pompey Bum]

An Athenian. From the Boston of Greece.

Edit: Would you ever forget to include the question after answering?

[NikolaiI]

Have done so, and have also forgotten that it's in the "Would you" category.


Would you climb a tall tree?

[Hawkman]

Only if sufficiently motivated by reward.

Would you go pot-holing?

[NikolaiI]

Hahaha. . I don't really know what that is! If it's fun and good for me, then sure.

Would you tell us what pot-holing is?

[Hawkman]

Pot-holing is caving, or spelunking in American parlance. So I guess the answer is yes.

would you try to count all the penguins at the South Pole?

[Pompey Bum]

No, only the first six or seven.

Would you fly on Malaysia Airlines?

[NikolaiI]

Never thought about it, but I'd say the likelihood is low.

Would you read an Irish epic?

[Pompey Bum]

Been there, done that.

If you had survived a plane crash on a remote mountain top, would you eat the passengers who had not survived if there was no other food?

[NikolaiI]

No

Would you swim with dolphins?

[papayahed]

Yes

If you were transported back as the leader of the Aztecs who would be your first human sacrifice?

[Hawkman]

Cortez.

Would you vote green?

[papayahed]

It's a possibility. (of course I will read up and find out what that means before I cast my ballot)


Would you go to the theater to watch a marathon of Woody Allen movies?

[Hawkman]

Probably not.

If Woody Allen ran for president, would you vote for him? ( by the way, have you ever wondered why Mr Allen calls himself "Woody?")

[papayahed]

I would not. (and it never occurred to me to question it)

Would you take a submarine ride under the north pole?

[Pompey Bum]

Yes. Over the North Pole would take longer than really have.

Would you hunt tigers on elephant-back if they (tigers) weren't endangered?

[Hawkman]

Of course! I need a new rug.

Would you wear a tiger skin disguise?

[Pompey Bum]

Just the briefs.

If you had an incurable disease that wouldn't be detected for five years, would you want to know now?

[papayahed]

I would not want to know now.


If I gave you your favorite adult beverage would you go caroling?

[Pompey Bum]

No. Carol and I are through no matter how drunk anyone gets me.

If you were playing roulette and made $500 (£321.88) would you walk away from the table and quit gambling for good?

[papayahed]

No. I would walk away from the table but I doubt I would quit gambling for good.

Would you join pinterest?

[NikolaiI]

Nope, never. Probably.

Would you stop and smell the flowers?

[Pompey Bum]

No. The flowers can stop and smell me.

Would you be able to forgive someone who had significantly and unjustly damaged your life for at least 10 years?

[tonywalt]

If I were you I would talk to them first (then tell us what happens).

Would you live in Bumpsville, Alabama (and could never leave the state) if your salary was tripled?

[Pompey Bum]

No, not if I could never leave.

If you were stranded in a blizzard on a high mountain, with two broken legs, and certain to freeze to death, would you call your spouse and/or parents on your cell phone (you have a cell phone and it will reach them) to say goodbye?

[papayahed]

If I have cell service why can't I call for help? Anyways, to answer the question, I would send them a text .

If you could go back and be the leader of any barbarian horde which would you choose?

[Hawkman]

Eric Bloodaxe and Harald Bluetooth seem like nice guys... I guess I'm a frustrated Viking.

Which historical monarch would you choose to be?

[Pompey Bum]

Louis XIV. There I've said it.

Would you rather be Jesus, Buddha, or Gandhi?

[Hawkman]

Seeing as how both Jesus and Gandhi were both murdered....

As a Roman legionary at the crucifixion, would you follow orders or do your own thing?

[NikolaiI]

Well that depends, do I get a camel?

Would you be able to escape from the Hotel California?


[Now I have this song (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/decemberists/thelegionnaireslament.html) in my head. It's one of my favorites though ;-)]

[NikolaiI]

Or should I say, how's my camel doing? Idk; hypotheticals are tough to answer, and I know I'm taking this rather literally, but I'd do my best. . . I would do my own thing, in all likelihood.

[Pompey Bum]

Well that depends, do I get a camel?

:)


Would you be able to escape from the Hotel California?

Certainly. Anything built by the Eagles can be overcome with a threat of creating some really bad vibes here, man.

Would you rather be Bob Dylan or, um, I was going to say John Lennon, but he was murdered, too.

Okay, would you rather drink good beer or bad champagne?

[Hawkman]

Well that depends, do I get a camel?

Only if you can get it through the eye of a needle.

Good beer. I wouldn't want to drink anything bad.

Would you wear a tutu and dance Swan Lake?

[Snowqueen]

lol... No

Would you?

[papayahed]

yeah!

would you make a new years resolution?

[Hawkman]

Many years ago I made one not to make any New Year's resolutions. I have managed to keep it.

Would you shave your head to play Sinead O' Connor in a biopic?

[Pompey Bum]

That was her HEAD?

Would you vote for a male candidate whose policies benefitted you, even though he was widely reputed (but never proved) to have date raped women 30 years earlier?

[Hawkman]

No one who puts them-self forward as a "candidate" would get my vote. Nor would I vote for any party member. The only thing a politician believes in is his own self-interest. No politician's policies have ever benefitted me. Terry Pratchett had the right idea when he suggested in The Last Continent (XXXX) that politicians should be thrown in jail as soon as they're elected and serve their term of office from their cell, on the grounds that it just saves time in the future.

Would you serve as a politician knowing that I'd be watching and itching to assassinate you on general principal?

[papayahed]

How good is the pay?


If you had to choose, which would you pick: being 7'3" (2.2 m) tall or being 4'5" (1.34 m) tall?

[Hawkman]

I'd have to go for being 7'3" regardless of the inconvenience when buying clothes, as, in my experience, really good-looking women are attracted to tall men. Shortarses, despite being able to economise by buying children's clothes, tend not to make an impression on girls, unless of course, they happen to be Napoleon. However, the habit of devastating continents through warfare, does tend to make them unpopular with nearly everyone else.

Would you lead an axis power into war and if so, which one: Italy, Japan or Germany? Give reasons ;)

[Pompey Bum]

Italy. For the food.

If you had to choose, would you rather be unusually intelligent or unusually physically attractive?

[papayahed]

Does that mean consequently I would be unusually ugly or unusually dumb? If so I'll pick unusually intellegent.

Would you rather have a snake or a bird as a pet?

[Hawkman]

You need to ask? Lol.

Has to be a working bird though.

Would you accept an unidentified morsel from Hannibal Lecter's packed lunch if you were sitting next to him on a plane?

[papayahed]

hahahahaha, after I posted I realized that for one person it may be a dumb question..

I probably wouldn't know it was Hannibal sooooo if it smelled and looked good I would probably take a taste.

What kind of wine would you bring to a Hannibal Lecture dinner party?

[Hawkman]

Bull's Blood!

Would you play riddles with Gollum?

[NikolaiI]

Yes!

Would you volunteer time to help clean up a park?

[Hawkman]

Certainly. I'd volunteer yours :D

If you had written a stirring song which was adopted as a political anthem for a totalitarian dictatorship, hell bent on creating a nation of war criminals, would you complain or just bank the royalty cheques?

[Pompey Bum]

I'd cash the royalties and use the money to fund the opposition.

If you had a time machine, would you murder Hitler before he came to power?

[farnoosh]

Hard to answer that without sounding pathetic. But no. I'm not a killer, you should send someone else :P

Same Q

By the way, I love your reply from the previous question. Very diplomatic!

[Hawkman]

You can't beat the destiny trap. All the attempts on Hitler's life were actually made by time travellers. They failed. Even WW1 missed its chance.

Would you have voted for Henry Kissinger's Nobel Peace Prize, or would you have prosecuted him for war crimes?

[Pompey Bum]

By the way, I love your reply from the previous question. Very diplomatic!

Thank you. :)

[Pompey Bum]

Would you have voted for Henry Kissinger's Nobel Peace Prize, or would you have prosecuted him for war crimes?

Neither.

Would you torture a captured terrorist who had the information that would stop nuclear bombs being exploded in New York, London, and Paris in a few hours, and who refused to otherwise cooperate?

[NikolaiI]

Nevermind.

[Pompey Bum]

Would you have voted for Henry Kissinger's Nobel Peace Prize, or would you have prosecuted him for war crimes?

Neither.

Would you torture a captured terrorist who had the information that would stop nuclear bombs being exploded in New York, London, and Paris in a few hours, and who refused to otherwise cooperate?

[NikolaiI]

Please ask some questions that are not about murder, torture and death - I know you don't mean to, but continually bringing up such topics is very disturbing to me.

[tonywalt]

Would you join a private country club?

[papayahed]

Yes, but none will let me in.


Would you go to the rodeo?

[Pompey Bum]

Been there, done that. (Used to go to the one at the prison in Angola, LA-- bloodiest rodeo in the South).

Would you allow the contents of your mind to be downloaded onto a microchip for use in a (presumably immortal) cyborg body, if it meant that your old flesh-and-blood would have to be destroyed?

[papayahed]

Yes, if I was 95.


Would you drive 3 hours to attend a concert of your favorite artist?

[Hawkman]

Probably not. Although the shared experience with the audience and the sense of "being there" has some merit, if I'm really honest, I prefer to hear the music well balanced and performed to perfection in the studio. Live sound is always disappointing. Besides, I like to be comfortable and most of my favourite artists are now, quite frankly, past it! About the only singer still as good as he was when he was young is Tom Jones. Poor old McCartney can't hold a tune to save his life and even Cliff is getting a bit wobbly.

Would you clean your boss's car for brownie points?

[NikolaiI]

Sure, if he asked me to. I'd actually do the same for anyone. (It's partly safe to say that because no one's asked me to!) :wink5:

Would you bake your boss brownies for brownie points? (If she or he asked you to)

[Hawkman]

I don't bake.

Would you play tennis, naked, in the arctic?

[Pompey Bum]

I don't bake.

Would you play tennis, naked, in the arctic?

Heck no, I'd freeze my ba...why do you always reduce me to vulgarity? :)

Would you learn to bake if it gave you prospects of a happier marriage or relationship?

[papayahed]

well, seeing as I don't bake and I'm not currently in a relationship pehaps it's not a bad idea.

Would you lend a coworker money?

[Pompey Bum]

Anyone who would ork a cow gets nothing from me.

If a supermarket cashier neglected to charge you for an item, and you didn't notice until you checked the receipt at home, would you go back and pay?

[farnoosh]

Yup. and I have done it before

Would you rather listen to a dictator shouting or a baby screaming?

[Pompey Bum]

What's the difference? :) (Okay, okay, the baby).

If you could only choose one, would you rather be dishonest with an honest reputation or honest with a dishonest reputation?

[papayahed]

erm, honest with a dishonest reputation.

Would you go to Antarctica on vacation?

[Pompey Bum]

Nah, since global warming no one goes there anymore.

Would you be willing and able to clean fish?

[papayahed]

No.

Would you be able cook a perfect soufflé?

[Hawkman]

Probably, but why would I want to?

[papayahed]

To impress the ladies.

Would you rather spend the day at the beach or explore ancient ruins?

[Hawkman]

Explore the ancient ruins, every time!

Which apocalyptic horseman would you choose to be?

[Dark Muse]

I would have to say Death

Would you eat a human if you were starving and that was the only food source?

[Pompey Bum]

If he/she were already dead, you bet.

Would you kill and eat an endangered animal (less than 50 left) if you were starving and that was the only food source?

[Dark Muse]

That is a tough one, but nature is all about surivial, so I think I would do it if the only other option was my own death.

What realitly TV show would you most likely be on if you had to pick one.

[Clopin]

Survivor, but I wouldn't go on one at all.

Would you extinguish one random human life, from somewhere in the world, old or young, if you instantly received $1000000 for doing so? The one stipulation being that your money must be spent selfishly, as in, you can't keep 300k and spend 700k saving multiple lives in Africa to justify it. You can also cause this to happen as many times as you like, would you keep going?

[Dark Muse]

If there was a guarantee that it wouldn't be someone who I personally knew (or at least liked) then I might be tempted to do it at least once. I wouldn't keep doing it, but hey I could use the money at least one time around and I am a misanthrope so I don't like the majority of other people in the world anyway.

If you found a device that allowed you to control the minds of others how would you use it? Or would you?

[Clopin]

Of course I would, I would use it to make myself a billionaire through donations from other billionaires. After that I think I could resist the... seedier, applications of such a device. I might however run rampant with politicians, etc... Really though I would use it all the time, no question, you could do anything.


Would you alter the course of any historical conflicts (everything about you will remain the same regardless), if yes, which ones and why? Oh and you can't alter them so that they never happen.

[Dark Muse]

Yes

All Heathens everywhere will have prevented the Christians from gaining a stronghold and it will not have become a global super power of a religion. Why? Because I think the world would be a better place and a lot of other conflicts never would have happened.

The Celts will have defeated the Romans. This is for my own Celtic pride.

If you knew the world was going to end tomorrow what would your last actions on Earth be?

[Clopin]

Eh probably just walk around a bit, talk to my family some, but I wouldn't tell them. I don't think I would be too fussed honestly.

Would you rather bring back to life (at the height of their creative powers) Emily Dickinson, Chaucer, Milton, Tolstoy or Gogol? Whoever you choose is now your roommate as well.

[Pompey Bum]

Wow, the questions got really good overnight! Sorry for the retroactive hogging in, but I couldn't resist:

I absolutely would not take a random life for any amount of money. Financial security isn't really that hard to achieve if you're smart about it, having more money than you'll need in a lifetime is not important, and the goal of life is to die broke. (Take care of your money when you're young, though).

I do, however, like the idea of controlling billionaires' minds so that they give me all their money. But that's probably just because I find most of them so irritating.

The one event in history I would change would be to stop Zachary Taylor from drinking the bad milk that killed him so he could crush the southern rebellion before the Confederacy got organized, in a small war rather than the years of slaughter that came later.

If the world were about to end, I would get into bed with my wife and hold her to the last, as some did at Pompeii.

And I was going to say Tolstoy for resurrection until I saw the roommate part. If we had to live together it would probably be Chaucer. We'd have a lot of laughs together.

Would you rather get drunk with Jesus or Hemmingway?

[Dark Muse]

Hands down, Hemmingway


Would you rather play chess with Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar?

[Gu Long]

I would rather play chess with Alexander the Great, because he was a cool guy, more so than Caesar.

Would you dare to jump off the tenth floor of a building for 1 million dollars if on the surface there was a bed on which you would (hopefully) fall?

[Pompey Bum]

No way.

Would you gamble more money than you have (at triple risk/triple return) if you thought you had at least a 75% chance of winning?

[Clopin]

Mhm I would if it weren't triple risk. Haha though maybe I'll throw down a million I don't have and declare bankruptcy if I lose. Of course if I'm going to owe money to people who will kill me for it then no.

Would you murder the next stranger you see if doing so would make all of your dreams, wants, desires, aspirations, etc, whatever they are, come true? You must accept or decline this proposition before you see the stranger. Choosing yes and then refusing to kill your stranger after seeing that it's a tree year old girl or something will cause both of your heads to explode.

Edit: Your dreams also must be entirely selfish. You can't 'dream of inhabiting a world without violence and hunger'. Nobody's life can be saved, except your own, through wishing here.

[Pompey Bum]

Nope. I've already got enough of my dreams (plus it would be wrong).

You have a beautiful 3-year-old child who is everything to you and your spouse. Your child develops a terminal liver disease and will certainly die if a transplant can't be found. Your family is put on a waiting list, but the doctors tell you that there probably won't be enough time. At the last minute, however, you are told that a child's liver has been found. But a few days before the procedure is scheduled, a charity worker confides to you that the organ was purchased by an anonymous benefactor from a criminal group that kidnaps children, then harvests and sells their organs on the black market. Worse yet, the vivisection has not yet happened. The kidnapped child is still alive.

Do you keep your mouth shut and proceed with the planned operation as if nothing had changed?

[Clopin]

Yes.

After running into a burning building you are confronted with a wailing infant in one room and 52 manuscripts of previously unknown, unreleased shakespeare plays, each more majestic than the last. Given only enough time to save the plays or the baby what do you do?

[Pompey Bum]

You bastard :)

The kid. (But I would have done the same as you with the liver transplant).

Same question, but this time the kid has Down's Syndrome.

[Clopin]

lol the kid every time and I think downs syndrome children are really sweet and cute :(

Would you commit or attempt suicide if your dream of becoming a banker went unfulfilled?

[Pompey Bum]

Hell no. That sh*t's not important. But I would if my wife and father were already gone and I found out I had cancer again (I had cancer once). Or if I had dementia. Or if I just felt like I was done.

Would you assist in the suicide of a spouse or family member in brutal pain, even if you were likely to go to prison for it?

[Clopin]

Definitely, though I might off myself as well instead of go to prison.

Would you cause one decent person (can not be yourself and they can not volunteer, you must force this on them) to exist in a state of permanent, unbelievable agony if it meant that nobody else would ever suffer again?

[Pompey Bum]

Definitely, though I might off myself as well instead of go to prison.

Ah they'd give you minimum security and let you out as soon as the media went away. You might have to clean toilets, but you'll do the same thing when you're a husband. And you won't have as much time to read then. :)


Would you cause one decent person (can not be yourself and they can not volunteer, you must force this on them) to exist in a state of permanent, unbelievable agony if it meant that nobody else would ever suffer again?

Nah. Not my job.

Would you waterboard escaped/recaptured felons if it was near certain to retrieve the stolen Rembrandt: "Christ Calming a Storm on the Sea of Galilee"?

[Clopin]

Well in that case I'll take the prison sentence.

Would I personally waterboard the felons? Yes; who I waterboard is my business. Would I support authorizing the government to do so? No.

Would you rather be a successful author of a childrens series or a frustrated and unhappy writer of literary fiction who will be lauded and admired only after his death.

[Pompey Bum]

Well in that case I'll take the prison sentence.

Would I personally waterboard the felons? Yes; who I waterboard is my business. Would I support authorizing the government to do so? No.

Yes, I meant you personally.


Would you rather be a successful author of a childrens series or a frustrated and unhappy writer of literary fiction who will be lauded and admired only after his death.

It would be a matter of indifference to me. The former sounds nice, and the latter would not render me unhappy or frustrated. Work is an important part of life, but it's not where your happiness comes from (or not mine in any case). And carrying what people think about you is a sucker's game.

So after the thugs told you where the painting was, would you turn 'em in and tell the cops about it; or kill them (they're Sado-Masochistic child killers, by the way--and they're already planning on having you whacked for torturing them), get the painting for yourself, and discreetly sell it to a Russian art collector willing to pay in gold bars?

[Clopin]

I would kill them without receiving any reward if I could get away with it, so yes, absolutely. I also don't care about Rembrandt enough to value the diffusion of his painting into the world of art over millions of dollars in gold for myself. This one is an easy sell.

Would you rather hang with Lord Byron and Percy Byssche Shelley in Italy for a weekend or spend a week at Yasnaya Polyana with Tolstoy, Turgenev and Dostoyevsky (you can speak Russian for just this week)?

[Pompey Bum]

I would kill them without receiving any reward if I could get away with it, so yes, absolutely. I also don't care about Rembrandt enough to value the diffusion of his painting into the world of art over millions of dollars in gold for myself. This one is an easy sell.

Well, just for the record, you're going to do more than minimum security if they catch you on that one.


Would you rather hang with Lord Byron and Percy Byssche Shelley in Italy for a weekend or spend a week at Yasnaya Polyana with Tolstoy, Turgenev and Dostoyevsky (you can speak Russian for just this week)?

Definitely with Byron and Shelley. Russia is too damn cold.

Would you encourage making contact with extra-terrestrial life in our galaxy (assuming that it exists)?

[Dark Muse]

That is a tough on, but I think I would say no, because they are probably better off not having humans starting to but into their life and business.

If you had to choose between either living alone the rest of your life or entering into an arranged marriage (without knowing anything about the other person first) what would you do?

[Pompey Bum]

If those were the only choices, I would enter into the arranged marriage. If it worked out, I'd be happy. If not, I'd get out and be on my own in any case. So the first option, though admittedly unattractive, turns out to be the best bet.

If you could, would you choose to know the exact date of your death one year ahead of time?

[papayahed]

No.


Would you giveaway all your books for an all expense paid trip around the world?

[Pompey Bum]

Well no, but I gave most to a library when I switched to ebooks. It's a lot better if you want to keep on the move.

Okay, so would you want to know the date of your death 30 years ahead of time--so you could plan accordingly?

[papayahed]

No.

Same question:
Okay, so would you want to know the date of your death 30 years ahead of time--so you could plan accordingly?

[Pompey Bum]

At my age (mid-fifties) does it really matter that much? But I would if I were younger. It would take the guess work out of retirement planning.

Would you buy a snake and feed it mice?

[Clopin]

I don't think so. I like snakes when I know where they are, but the propsect of an escape is just too terrible; I find snakes really unnerving when I just happen upon them. As far as the mice go it's moot, but if I had a snake then yes, I probably would... Actually I might not be able to, I like mice.

Would you ever have a pet tarantula? (ugh)

[Dark Muse]

Definitely! I have always wanted one actually

Would you sell your soul to the Devil, if in return for enternal damnation you could do and have anything you wanted while you were alive?

[Iain Sparrow]

Without a second thought, yes.
I'm going to Hell anyhow, might as well enjoy myself until then.

Would you trade ten years of life, for ten million dollars?

[Clopin]

I would, yes. I might not age myself ten years but I would defintely agree to lose ten years off the end of my life.

Would you choose perfect beauty or perfect intellect?

Also come on... eternal damnation in exchange for sixty or so years on Earth? You will REALLY be regretting that in thirty six trillion lifetimes.

[Hawkman]

Would you trade ten years of life, for ten million dollars?


I would, yes. I might not age myself ten years but I would defintely agree to lose ten years off the end of my life.

You know, this sounds remarkably short-sighted. Trading ten years off the end of your life might just be the last ten years you've got. One is reminded of these lines from The Goon Show...
"He says he wishes to die rich, Sire."
"Very well. Give him this bag of gold and then strangle him."


Would you choose perfect beauty or perfect intellect?

For myself, or as qualities of a potential mate? For myself, intellect. As for a partner, well the beauty doesn't have to be perfect, but I wouldn't want to rule it out completely.

Would you like to travel to work in a tank?

[Clopin]

I'd rather live to 70 with no worries or stresses about money and a fortune without ever having to work than live to eighty and work for forty years of my life.

[Pompey Bum]

Would you like to travel to work in a tank?

No, I'd rather not have to work. Tanks for the offer, though. :)

Would you rather have hallucinations that (actually non-existent) horrors were trying to get you, or have actual horrors like a potentially recurrent cancer trying to get you?

[Clopin]

Mhm, hard to say, but I think I'll take the hallucinations.

Would you eat dog?

[piaya]

No.

Would you go on a hunger strike?

[Pompey Bum]

I'd take cancer. Only live long if it's worth it.

Would you rather watch an intellectually stimulating and emotionally stirring movie (2 hours @price of a movie) or read an equally intellectually stimulating and emotionally stirring novel of 1000 pages (@price of an ebook)?

[Pompey Bum]

Would you go on a hunger strike?



No, but I'd eat a dog. When I lived in Africa, we used to eat rats.

Would you withhold information from your doctor out of embarrassment?

[Clopin]

I would unless I was really worried about dying or something serious like that.

Would you give your guaranteed spot in a lifeboat to a child?

[Pompey Bum]

My child (which I don't have). Or my wife. Or my Dad (who wouldn't take it). Otherwise, happy landings! :)

Would you use a socially forbidden ethnic slur (in a non-polemical context) just to show that you had free speech?

[Clopin]

Sure, if I had some cause to do so.

Would you take a lucrative job shilling on the internet for Putin's government? You just have to make a few pro Russia posts every day and you get plenty of roubles.

[Pompey Bum]

Maybe if I were desperate for money, but I'm not, so no.

Would you cancel your wedding at the last moment (that is, just not show) if you were scared it was a mistake?

[Clopin]

Yes I would, but I would be very unlikely to propose marriage or agree to marriage in the first place if I thought there was any room to doubt.

Would you (assume you are single for the sake of the hypothetical) sleep with a woman who you knew was married.

[Pompey Bum]

Yes I would, but I would be very unlikely to propose marriage or agree to marriage in the first place if I thought there was any room to doubt.

Well do as you like, Clopin, but if you are ever in that position, remember this advice. Every groom who ever got married had those fears, because on the most primal level, marriage accords with what nature wants females to do, which is to grow a nice, safe garden; and not what it wants males to do, which is to pollinate as many blossoms as possible. All grooms panic. Go through with it anyway. If it goes badly you can always get out.


Would you (assume you are single for the sake of the hypothetical) sleep with a woman who you knew was married.

Well, I wouldn't recommend it. It's dangerous and seldom works out. But I can see some situations where it might potentially happen. Love and reason don't always see eye to eye.

Would you rather go to an intellectually stimulating and emotionally stirring movie (2 hours @price of a going to a movie) or read an equally intellectually stimulating and emotionally stirring novel of 900 to 1000 pages (@price of an ebook)?

[Clopin]

Haha well I was thinking of more serious concerns than the monogomy issue at least. If I can't reconcile my desire to pollinate with what I want out of family life I'll, hopeully, be able to realise that before things get so far.

The book; they are different mediums and I sort of don't think film can do as much for me. 900 pages is also a lot more to work with than a two hour film.

Would you land with the allied forces on d-day if you knew for sure you would not be killed or seriously wounded, just to check things out. If no are there any battles you would want to participate in? With the same assurance that you won't be killed or maimed.

[Pompey Bum]

Haha well I was thinking of more serious concerns than the monogomy issue at least. If I can't reconcile my desire to pollinate with what I want out of family life I'll, hopeully, be able to realise that before things get so far.

Believe it or not it's not as rational as that. It's like drowning. On some evolutionary level you just say: What in the Sam Hill do I think I'm doing here? I remember when my brother got married. I was his best man and with him just before he entered the chapel. I had never seen a human being turn green before. Actually green--this weird creamy green. And he (and I) have got the best marriages I know. Anyway, if it should ever pertain to you, remember my advice. 'nuff said.


Would you land with the allied forces on d-day if you knew for sure you would not be killed or seriously wounded, just to check things out. If no are there any battles you would want to participate in? With the same assurance that you won't be killed or maimed.

If I wouldn't get hit? You're damn right, I'd be at all of 'em. Normandy, Gettysburg, Thermopylae, whatever--as long as I didn't object to who I was fighting with or what for. Jesus, Clopin, that's like asking Taylor Swift if she'd sleep with a record producer. :)

Would you tell a moderately pretty/fairly plain girl she was gorgeous to get her in bed?

[Clopin]

Believe it or not it's not as rational as that. It's like drowning. On some evolutionary level you just say: What in the Sam Hill do I think I'm doing here? I remember when my brother got married. I was his best man and with him just before he entered the chapel. I had never seen a human being turn green before. Actually green--this weird creamy green. And he (and I) have got the best marriages I know. Anyway, if it should ever pertain to you, remember my advice. 'nuff said.

Well I'm pretty anti-marriage generally so we'll have to see if it ever comes up. I want kids though... kids of my own genetic material too.


Would you tell a moderately pretty/fairly plain girl she was gorgeous to get her in bed?

Of course, if I thought that was the right thing to say. Even average looking girls are told they're gorgeous about fifty times a day, so generally I don't find it helps the cause all that much.

And hey man a lot of people might not want to be at any sort of battles!

Would you double date with James and Nora Joyce?

[Pompey Bum]

Nah, writers are nothing but trouble.

Would you apologize to end a fight, even if the other person was flagrantly to blame?

[Clopin]

Never.

Would you lose a limb in order to save the life of a random stranger (you pick the limb).

[Pompey Bum]

Never.

Yes, best to wait on marriage for now, then. :)


Would you lose a limb in order to save the life of a random stranger (you pick the limb).

If I could choose one of the stranger's limbs, sure. But for family or a beloved friend, the proverbial right arm.

[papayahed]

Probably not, I'm kind of attached.. (hahahahahahahahaha pun intended!)


Would you go to a wedding alone where you only knew the groom's father?

[Dark Muse]

I am not a big fan of weddings, so I probably wouldn't got to a wedding period unless I was close personal friends with the couple getting married.

If you worked in a restaurant would you spit in the food of a costumer who annoyed you or was rude to you?

[Clopin]

Yes, but not over something petty; they would have to be intensely rude or personally insulting. I once dropped a guys drink and ice cream on the floor and then spent fifteen minutes very, veeery, laboriously cleaning it up instead of serving him, until he eventually left (I was the only one working at an ice cream place) because he called me stupid when I misinterpreted his asking for a raspberry pop as asking for raspberry ice-cream. I was indispensable at that job fortunately (very busy summer and I was pretty good) but I was fired once due to customer complaints while working as a cashier. People seem to think they can speak to the person bagging their groceries however they like; well they can't and I will always defend myself in that sort of situation.

Would you poison the food of the nastiest person you knew in highschool if you could get away with it? They will vomit and have a stomach ache for weeks (assuming you get the dosage right).

[Dark Muse]

If I knew I would get away with it and not get caught than yeah I probably would do it.

What would you do if you had the power of invisibility?

[Clopin]

Lots of horrible things...

Same question.

[Dark Muse]

My answer to that question might incriminate myself

If you could have any supper power what would you choose?

[Clopin]

Dorian Gray style good looks which never fade.

Would you marry a repulsive man for a fortune if you knew he would be dead within a year?

[Dark Muse]

I might be tempted for a moment but in the end I don't think I could truly follow through with actually doing it.

If you could live in any period of time (besides this one) which would you choose?

[bounty]

I think I have a bit of the explorer in me so something like the early 1800's in America with the westward expansion sounds appealing.

given the choice between singing well, being able to play any musical instrument, or having good artistic talent (drawing, painting, sculpting) which would you choose and why?

[Clopin]

Singing well because I dislike my voice and I know that's something I will never learn. + 4thegirls.

Would you rather be an excellent poet, an excellent novelist, an excellent philosopher or an excellent historian and why?

[Pompey Bum]

Would you rather be an excellent poet, an excellent novelist, an excellent philosopher or an excellent historian and why?

Probably a philosopher, in the hope that it might make my experience of life more meaningful. History sounds like more fun, but there is some overlap. Definitely not a poet or novelist though.

Would you rather be outstanding in a field you find dull or mediocre in a field you find interesting?

[Clopin]

Eh probably the first one. If I were an outstanding car salesman or accountant or something I could make money and keep my hobbies hobbies.

Would you throw out a tupperware container full of food you knew was rotten instead of opening it and cleaning it out?

[Pompey Bum]

No, I'd just sterilize it well.

Would you spend the night alone in a reputedly haunted house for a nominal reward ($50 American or so)?

[bounty]

I'd do it for free, though I wouldn't pass up the dollars if they were offered...

go without television for a year if it increased your ability to think? (there's a Seinfeld episode about that!)

[Pompey Bum]

Interesting. I don't believe in ghosts, but I wouldn't do it just because my time is worth more than that. Or so I like to fuss. But doing it for laughs is a great idea. :)

Um, yeah okay. I watch almost no TV as is. What did you say I get? To think more? Sure!

Would you let yourself become completely irresistible to the sex of your preference if it meant that you became significantly less intelligent (still within the normal range, but you know, an airhead)?

[Dark Muse]

Being a misanthrope I never felt the need to be irresistible, that would just create a bunch of unwanted attention. So no I would not.



If you haod to choose one of your senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell) to give up, which would you choose?

[mal4mac]

Smell, then I'd not feel guilty about avoiding housework.

Would you volunteer to be the first person to go to Mars if there was no return journey?

[bounty]

oh but malmac, then your taste goes away too---although that still all sounds better than losing sight or hearing.

I wouldn't, no, but I understand there are lots of people who are interested in that.

would you trade a significant amount of years in your lifespan in order to achieve something great?

[Pompey Bum]

Nah.

Would you live in an area with three months of grueling heat and extreme humidity a year, as long it didn't get cold in the winter?

[Dark Muse]

Heck no I love the cold

If you could shapeshift what animal would you be?

[mal4mac]

Cat - what an easy life! No housework...

If the British Antarctic Survey asked you to count Penguins for a year, in solitude, at minimum wage, would you do it?

[Dark Muse]

That actually sounds kind of fun. I would totally do it.

You find a wallet with th ID of the person it belongs to and 500$. Would you keep the money or turn it in?

[Pompey Bum]

I'd return it. I've got plenty of wallets.

Would you advise someone you didn't really care for against an investment you were pretty sure was unsound? This is in an unofficial capacity. You're not the person's broker. And the person is not an enemy. You've just never really hit it off.

[mal4mac]

I'd turn it in, unless I was a cat, then I'd spend it on treats.

Your wild friend, who's a skilled yachtsman, steals a banker's yacht to sail to Antartica, to find the girl who left him to count penguins. Do you go with him?

[Pompey Bum]

No. Clearly they need some cuddle time.

Would you advise someone you didn't really care for against an investment you were pretty sure was disastrous? This is in an unofficial capacity. You're not the person's broker. And the person is not an enemy. You've just never really hit it off.

[mal4mac]

If they were a banker I would recommend they invest in a yacht.

You've won a lottery and are given the choice of yacht or a mountain cabin. Which would you choose?

[bounty]

I just got done reading fatal storm: the inside story of the tragic Sydney-Hobart race. it was pretty harrowing but even if I had not read it, id say mountain cabin for sure.

would run into the ocean to save someone if you could not swim?

[papayahed]

No, no reason for both of us to drown.


Would you go on a juice fast?

[bounty]

yes, I love juice...although I think I would miss peanut butter toast too much...so maybe not...hmmm

would you ever pretend you were someone who was being waited for at the airport, by someone who is carrying a sign trying to get your attention because he doesn't know you, and get yourself a free limo ride into town?

[Pompey Bum]

No. It's more fun to travel for real than to ride in a limo.

Would you advise someone you didn't really care for against an investment you were pretty sure was disastrous? This is in an unofficial capacity. You're not the person's broker. And the person is not an enemy. You've just never really hit it off.

[mal4mac]

No. You can never be certain about investments, if you advised the person not to invest, and the investment went well, then you would have an enemy.

You are a professor of romanticism, in competition for staff and resources with a professor of modernism. Your research assistant is very popular in the department - the secretaries love him, the students think he's a darling, even some of the modernists like him! A new lectureship comes up and you know that a modernist is bound to get it, given that your hated rival has an iron grip on the appointments committee. Do you encourage your research assistant to apply? You know he will be devastated if he does not get the post, but also know that the professor of modernism will look really bad for rejecting someone so popular.

[bounty]

im a little fuzzy---I would only get the ra to apply if he genuinely wanted the position, but not at all in attempt to shame the modernist professor.

if you were a baseball pitcher, would you purposely bean someone?

[mal4mac]

I've no idea what "bean someone" means. Does this translate as: "If you were a cricket bowler, would you adopt bodyline tactics?"

[bounty]

so far as I understand bodyline tactics, yes. it means to purposely hit someone with the ball.

[Pompey Bum]

No, I wouldn't bean a batter or even brush him back, although if I were a pitcher, the batter, catcher, and ump would do well to lie flat on the ground just the same.

Would you take a year-old magazine from a doctor's office home with you if it had an article you were interested in (but which you didn't have a chance to finish)?

[bounty]

oh absolutely...but id maybe ask too, and then promise to bring it back....

if you cheated on a play/broke a rule (in any sport) and the umpire/official/referee missed it and asked you if you did or not, would you tell him? (assume the call goes against you and your team if you tell him the truth)

[Pompey Bum]

It's an interesting question. My first thought was, yes, of course I would because it's just a game and not worth lying about. But if it doesn't really matter, then is it worth letting the team down just for my own sanctimonious conscience? Wouldn't that be a selfish thing to do, and even if it weren't, would I lose my friends over it? My personal policy when I have this kind of dilemma is to fall back on the simple truth and let the chips fall where they may. So yes, I would tell the ump the truth. If there were a more important consequence, though, if it were a matter of covering up for a friend who might get fired if I told the truth, I would most probably lie. I'm no saint, but I try to do the right thing.

Do you know the rules to curling?

[bounty]

i think mostly yes---ive watched enough on tv and even went once to a bonspiel. ive never gotten to play but I think id like to...

would you pick up a hitchhiker?

[Pompey Bum]

No. I picked up one with a pistol more than 30 years ago. Never again.

Would you tell the police if you learned that an old friend was dealing heroin to teenagers?

[bounty]

you don't see many hitchhikers around anymore...

i think I first would tell the old friend that if he didn't stop dealing heroin, I would tell the police, and then if he didn't stop, I would indeed tell them yes.

the new season of survivor starts on tv tonight. lying is an acceptable and understood, though often painful part of the game. if you were on the show, would you ever lie to advance your cause, or would you always play it straight?

[kelby_lake]

you don't see many hitchhikers around anymore...

i think I first would tell the old friend that if he didn't stop dealing heroin, I would tell the police, and then if he didn't stop, I would indeed tell them yes.

the new season of survivor starts on tv tonight. lying is an acceptable and understood, though often painful part of the game. if you were on the show, would you ever lie to advance your cause, or would you always play it straight?

I wouldn't lie because I wouldn't want people judging me- or indeed me judging myself negatively.

If a friend fell in love with a tree, married it and then insisted you acknowledge the tree as her husband and socialise with them as a couple, would you do it?

[Dark Muse]

I love trees ( not quite in that way) but I do enjoy talking to them and hanging out with them so I would be cool with my friend's tree husband.

If you were married but had the opportunity to have a one night stand with your biggist celebrity crush would you do it?

[bounty]

I knew someone once who apparently had just such an agreement with her husband! they each gave the other a mutual pass in the event of such a possibility.

I say no though...and not that I don't have some celebrity...well, crushes might be too strong....attractions. i am confident it would do some painful damage somewhere to me, or my (hypothetical) wife...even if it were done with full disclosure ahead of time.

would you trade all your books for an extra year of life?

[papayahed]

Is this year at the end? Probably not.

Would you give up your most favorite food if you got a free book for every week you gave it up? and how long do you think you would last?

[Dark Muse]

If I got to choose the books I would give it a go. I think I could hold out for at least a month.

If you were in danger what superhero would you want to save you?

[NikolaiI]

Haha, nice question. I don't think about superheroes often. . . I would say Superman.

Same question but with any fantasy hero.

[Dark Muse]

That is a tough one. Does Robin Hood count as a Fantasy hero? I know he based upon a real person. If Robin Hood is not Fantasy enough than I might have to say Lan from Wheel of Time books

You find out that your spouse comitted murder, (but know that he/she poses no actual danger or threat to you) do you cover for them or turn them in?

[bounty]

there was a Seinfeld episode where jerry and Kramer had a conversation similar to that. Kramer said he'd turn jerry in and jerry was shocked by that. I never liked the "good friend" adage that floats around the internet saying a good friend helps you "hide the bodies."

I don't think id go right to the police---but id want to fully understand the situation and then make some steps towards disclosure. where that process would stop would depend on too many circumstances to say.

if you won/inherited a million dollars, would you keep you present job and if not, speak your mind as you left?

[papayahed]

I would first check with my financial advisor to determine if I will have enough to live on in the manner to which I'm accustomed. Although I do like what I do sooooo I might stay.

If I asked you to house sit my house plants for two weeks would you be able to keep them alive?

[bounty]

not only would I be able to keep them alive, but well loved and thriving!

if you and your spouse were fleeing from some natural disaster that would likely be fatal and your spouse couldn't continue---would you stay with your spouse (and likely die) or continue to flee (and likely live?)

[Dark Muse]

not only would I be able to keep them alive, but well loved and thriving!

if you and your spouse were fleeing from some natural disaster that would likely be fatal and your spouse couldn't continue---would you stay with your spouse (and likely die) or continue to flee (and likely live?)

I think I would stay.

You are taken back in time to Ancient Rome and have the opportunity to attend the Gladiatorial games. Would you go and watch?

[bounty]

actually dark muse, ive got a variant of that question i'll pose right after I answer yours!

I would not go watch. there's actually a legendary story about a traveler to rome who found himself caught up in the throngs heading to the games at the coliseum, and when he realized what he was viewing, he got up and walked out...and one by one, people followed him.

so my variant---

if you actually found yourself in the games, down on the coliseum floor that is, would you fight in an effort to save your life, or would you just be killed?

[Dark Muse]

Heck yeah I am fighting. Coming from Celtic stock, all the better if my opponent happens to be a Roman.

You attend a medium who can channel one individual from history for you to converse with, who would you choose?

[tonywalt]

back to 'would you'..

Would you own a medical marijuana business- albeit liberally prescribed(lets face that fact?

[tonywalt]

back to 'would you'..

Would you own a medical marijuana business- albeit liberally prescribed?

[bounty]

tony, personally I interpret the "would you" as a kind of moral dilemma question...but I don't hold the market on that. so I don't view muse's question as any less than such that we have to say "back to 'would you'"

muse, can I change your question a little? id never go to a medium, but if we had time travel and I could go back to one place in time and talk with someone...hmmm....its fun to think about how maybe bringing present knowledge into the past could alter the future. I know this doesn't occur in your version of the question, but since it does in mine...smiles...I wonder about going back to meet adolf hitler as a boy or young man...or maybe his parents even...boy either way, its just a tough question. I think id go with one of the founding fathers of America---Madison, Franklin, Jefferson---that sort of thing. itd be meaningful to talk with them about what life is like today, compared to what they envisioned it might be when they were making the constitution.

tony---nope, I wouldn't. way too much fuzzy recreational abuse in the prescribed/medical marijuana industry. I see the drug as being overall harmful to society.

if you are male, would you give up your seat in a life boat on a sinking ship? if you are a female, would you accept that offer from the man?

[Clopin]

Give it up to a woman just for being a woman? Uhm, no, why would I ever be expected to do that?

Would you rather be able to read twice as fast with the same comprehension and enjoyment you have at your current rate or grow muscle mass/lose weight and gain strength at twice your current rate?

[Pompey Bum]

Well, neither really. I love reading slowly and comprehend just fine either way. But okay, I'll take the muscle. I just returned from a week in the Nevada desert and I kept thinking how great it would be to be young and strong again. Can I be 21, too? I'd read real slow for that.

You are hiking in the wilderness and come upon a small trove of ancient native artifacts. They are only made of stone, and if you went through a lot of trouble, you might get $1000 for the whole thing. On the other hand there are federal laws against selling or even taking them. The laws are enforced and the punishments rather excessive. But the artifacts are really cool. Do you take them, and of so, do you sell or keep them?

[Clopin]

I would dig them up and try to sell them.

Would you take being 21 if you also became permanently illiterate (you remember all the books you've read already as well as you normally would, the memories will fade) and selectively deaf and blind to audiobooks and other didactic material?

[Pompey Bum]

No. Books are more important, and I want to keep reading until I die.

Would you rather be married to the love of your life and never sleep with another woman (or man) or be married to a fair minded, plain, but filthy rich woman (or man), and have a life-long affair with your true love (which your spouse tolerates)?

[Clopin]

The first one of course; who needs all that stress? Besides I would want to have children with the love of my life.

Would you rather be born in pre Christian Scandinavia, Rome circa AD 1-10 or South America/North America at any point before the arrival of Europeans?

[Pompey Bum]

That's a toughie. Any Scandinavian period would probably be too cold, and the pre-European New World period I'd be most interested in would be the Clovis arrival, which would have been even colder (terminal Ice Age), so I'd probably go with first century Rome, which would be an historically interesting time as well.

If you could travel in time, but only in one direction, would you go into the past or the future?

[Clopin]

Do I get younger when I go back in time? If so and I keep my memory then send me back eighteen years so I can have a do over (and invest in Apple and Bitcoin), otherwise I'm going back to a week ago with a couple winning lottery tickets. If this ruins the spirit of the question then I would go into the future but I would want to go incrementally and skip any big wars.

Would you rather always be too hot or always be too cold (you can still freeze to death if you pick too hot).

[Pompey Bum]

No, you would stay the same age, but you could run into your younger self if and provide any advice you chose--including about investments (whether you would take your own advice is, of course, an open question). And no cheating on future wars. You get what you get, and tomorrow never knows.

Generally speaking, I would rather be cool than warm; but even so, I'd rather be too hot than too cold.

If you saw a vision of Jesus fighting the devil in the sky, would you seek psychiatric help?

[bounty]

i wouldn't, but even if i were Christian or not, id certainly want to talk with someone about what i saw---it just wouldn't be a psychiatrist. although, given that i am Christian, its tough to know what id do/how id think if i weren't. hmmm....

would you kill another person in defense of your own life? if not, would you do so in order to protect the life of your spouse or children?

[Pompey Bum]

Yes to all of those, especially family. I would also kill (offensively or defensively) in a just war.

Would you lie to save yourself from getting fired (you have a wife and new born child depending on your paycheck)?

[bounty]

I like to think I wouldn't...and I hope I wouldn't. there are other jobs to be had, and family and friends to help and the moral cost isn't worth the gain.

but in the classic "are you hiding jews in your attic" being asked by a Nazi during WWII, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

in sophie's choice: "the little boy or the little girl, or both if you do not chose"---would you chose or not? and if not, what would you do?

[Clopin]

I haven't seen it but I suppose I would flip a coin if i'm choosing what I think I am.

Would you have an abortion or encourage your wife to have an abortion if you discovered the child would be born with downs syndrome or some other severe mental handicap like autism?

[Dark Muse]

I know this will be an unpopular answer but being that I staunchly don't want kids if I somehow became pregnant I would have an abortion period.

If your spouse wanted to apply to be one of the possible colonoists on mars (which is a one way ticket) would you support him/her and give him/her your blessing?

[Clopin]

Well sure, but I won't remain faithful. I get to spend her astronaut salary too right? What does she need it for on Mars?

Given the choice would you hunt down and kill Joseph Mengele, Idi Amin Dada, or Joseph Kony (or none of the above)? And why?

[Pompey Bum]

To answer the abortion question, I am certain that my wife, as a devout (and non-Western) Buddhist would never chose to have an abortion. I don't think autism can be predicted in utero (can it?), but Down Syndrome can, and in that event I would respect and support her wishes. If her life were threatened by any pregnancy, however, I would insist on an abortion.

As to hunting down and killing bad men, Mengele and Amin are already dead, so God can sort 'em out. That leaves Kony (and a host of others who don't get as much media attention), any of whom richly deserve to be hunted down and killed. But I'm getting a little old for that sort of thing. Maybe you could check with Manichaean. He likes to stay active.

Would you say that Joshua Milton Blahyi (nom de guerre: General Butt Naked), a genocidal Liberian warlord whose troops killed at least 20,000 in atrocities (including the human sacrifice of a child before each battle), but who converted to Christianity after purportedly having a vision in which Jesus told him that he would die if he did not stop, and who has since involved himself in an evangelical Christian ministry, should be tried and executed for his (fully confessed) war crimes?

[Clopin]

Of course he should be tried and executed. And it was human sacrifice often derived from babies/children as I recall.

Assuming there existed a machine which would cause a criminal to never commit a crime again, with absolutely zero chance of failure; would you administer this treatment to a known murderer and torturer of over four hundred children, or would you have him executed?

[Pompey Bum]

Interesting question. My opinion is that the killer, if found guilty, should be executed as a matter of justice rather than a question of recidivism. It would be for a court to determine, of course, but if I were a governor in such a case, I would not issue a pardon.

Would you hire a less qualified minority member over a more qualified non-minority? How about a less qualified combat veteran over a more qualified non-veteran?

[Clopin]

I agree with you on the execution being a matter of justice.

In theory I would never hire the less qualified minority for any position over the more qualified white guy (I'm assuming we're in Europe/North America). In practice, however, if I had a business to run I would hire whoever is more likely to make me my money. If people are going to boycott my news organization for its over representation of white males then I would selectively hire to retain ratings, though I would prefer not to. Assuming no such issues are relevant or important I would hire the most qualified candidate over any consideration of 'social justice' or diversity. As for the veteran I don't really care. I don't think a just war has been waged in awhile and it's not my problem if you voluntarily went to Iraq and got your arm shot off.

Edit: Whoops... Would you rather have free massages for life from a very qualified masseuse who would be available anytime at all hours (just massages), or free meals for life from very qualified chef (you still have to buy all of the ingredients)?

[Pompey Bum]

Fair enough. What's the next question?

[Clopin]

Editeeeed. Sorry, I couldn't think of a good moral quandary so fast.

[Pompey Bum]

Meals by a damn site. Anyone with a normally healthy sex life has no need of massages.

Would you choose the life of an epicure who dies at 65 or a stoic who dies at 95?

[Clopin]

Stoic even if we live to the same age, and assuming healthy years. I really can't stand (full fledged) epicureans.

Would you rig an election if you were entirely certain that the candidate you wanted to win would be much better for your nation than the alternative? (your candidate has almost no chance of winning a fair election)

[Pompey Bum]

No, there are all kinds of reasons not to do that. You couldn't do it alone, for one thing, and once you break the law in the company of others, they have a life-long hold on you. It's also not how a democratic society is supposed to work--sometimes you have to work for changes that will not come in your lifetime. And even if you did it, the truth could (and probably would) come out eventually, with the potential to destroy everything you have been trying to achieve. Bad idea.

You have a close friend for many years--a one time roommate. You lose touch for about 10 years, but eventually you run into each other again by chance. Your friend is now a reformed alcoholic, and on a "sexual predator" list due to a statutory rape charge during his drunken days. You are a rising professional with a spouse and three young children. Your friend says that he can't wait to get to know them all and starts to cry. Do you invite him over and keep in touch?

[Clopin]

If I still liked him and was not running for political office then yes.

Would you pay $10,000 for a very detailed account of the lives of your ancestors going back thirty generations?