What would you do?
You comply with the guard's wishes, and hang your son to spare another life.
You refuse knowing that your son and one other will die but at least it will not be by your own hand.
You comply with the guard's wishes, and hang your son to spare another life.
3
You refuse knowing that your son and one other will die but at least it will not be by your own hand.
6
Although neither option is palatable to most of us please cast your vote in the poll and explain your reason for your decision in the comments section. Any other preferable solutions you can think of are also welcome.
You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don’t he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don’t have any doubt that he means what he says. What should you do?
Ok I need to adjust something in my CSS to make the poll questions readable...darn!
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime just highlight until I get it fixed - thanks :)
Got it partially fixed .....
ReplyDeleteOk I just couldn't be the one to kick the chair out from under my child, even if it cost another life as well as his.
ReplyDelete(Once I voted I can't read anything in the poll box)
ReplyDeleteHopefully better now, thanks to Missy.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't decided, I think this is a hard one. Either way your child is going to die. I'm asking myself what would he want me to do?
I wouldnt hang my own child even at the cost to another and I feel no guilt over my decision. Besides Id prolly be hanging right next to him as Id jump that guard and shoot his ass for being such an ass to make someone even have to make a choice like that!!
ReplyDeleteI'm still wavering.
ReplyDeleteLeslie my first instinct was similar to yours, but knowing Matt he would hate to be the cause of someone else dying because of his actions, and could I let him die knowing that?
But it wouldnt be on his shoulders it would be on mine, my decision lead to the death of the other person, not my sons and I'd make sure he understood we're all responsible for our own choices in life regardless of the ripples it causes. Yes he made the decision to try an escape and his decision caused me having to choose but thats where his burden is ended its my choice which causes the death of another not his.
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm believer in we have a choice in everything in our lives, most people dont understand why I believe this way and its very hard to explain because they always bring up something like...if someone shot me did I have a choice in that, or if something bad happened to me did I have a choice in that, the long of it is you may not have had a choice in the event that happened to you but you have a choice as to how you react, how you allow it to effect you for the short term or long term. My son's choice lead me to have to make a choice thats where his burden ended and mine began...
yea, this one is hard.
ReplyDeleteThis is beyond difficult to contemplate and to be honest, I cannot imagine what I would do in such an instance. I could never harm my own child, but to take another life in the process of sparing myself that pain... what a difficult decision.
ReplyDeleteI hope I would remove the chair from beneath my son, thus sparing another life... Knowing he was to die regardless of what I did (because no guard would truly spare him in such a case and place) I would prefer to be the one to there whispering soft words of love as he left me... I would want him to enter things unafraid and with me by his side. And I know I could not bear another mother to lose her child as I had to simply because of my lack of ability to do what was asked. It would be hard and I would never forgive myself, but I truly hope I would do as asked... at least then no other mother would suffer that day and I would know my son left the world hearing my soft and loving tones as opposed to the wicked laughter of sadistic guards.
Still, I cannot honestly say how I would truly react in such a circumstance... this was a difficult one, Angie. One that will keep me thinking all day.
In truth, the easiest thing would be to give my own life for his... but knowing how horrid these places were, the guards would never accept such a thing. And, I would offer my life to free me from having to make the decision and spare another as well, but such guards would never allow that either. They were horrid individuals filled with evil hate. Goodness, I cannot imagine such a decision and thank goodness I have never been forced to make such a choice.
ReplyDelete*sighs*
Leslie, I do understand where you are coming from but like Marie I don't think I could opt for either option without feeling guilty. Actually Marie your reasoning on this one is very similar to mine & I'm 99% sure that I will vote the same way...but I'm going to sleep on it.
ReplyDeleteJen, will be interested to know which way you eventually decide to vote.
I actually cannot vote on this one, so I am morally dilemma'rd. :(((
ReplyDeleteI can only vote one way, grab the guard's gun and waste him. Sorry for the raw emotion but that evil needed to be exterminated before it went that far, Us humans never learn. We let the evil gain strength before we see we need to do something.
ReplyDeleteI would offer myself to be the other inmate and die together with my son, life is useless anyway in a concentration camp.....
ReplyDeletePatrick, I'm thinking that if the guard is sadistic he probably wouldn't agree to that, but it would be worth a shot.
ReplyDeleteGreg, it would be worth a shot, never know you could overpower him!
Sounds painful Alli lol
I had to vote to refuse, I couldn't concievably be responsible for the taking of a life of any of my family, unless it was for medical reasons. Having said that neither option would be desirable.
ReplyDeleteI'd be telling the other inmates "life sucks and then you die" because one of them is about to meet an untimely demise.
ReplyDeletePersonally speaking (and I mean no offense because I like this blog series you've got going) but this one seems to lack a true moral crisis...or maybe I'm just a cold-hearted bastard :P Now if the scenario was "hang your son yourself and live or don't hang him and die with him"...that would be interesting. I honestly don't know how I[d answer that one without giving it some serious thought.
The voices in my head that make all my decisions for me, have said to tell you they have gone to the pub to think cos this ones a wee bit hard lol
ReplyDeleteThis ones hard for you Tick? I would have thought this one easy for ya, I have been shocked!
ReplyDeletenext time the voices need to take me with them lol
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are cold hearted, there are no right or wrong answers, because what may be a dilemma for me might not be one for you.
ReplyDeleteSee the example you gave is easy for me , I would choose to die with my child rather than be the one to kill him and live.
Not much of a dilemna for me, I refuse simply because if we are all in a concentration camp I assume we are all going to be killed anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat's another angle to consider it from.
ReplyDeleteI voted not to move the chair, let somoene else do it. Ok some innocent person will also die but if we're all in a concentration camp I somehow suspect the person will be killed quickly and will be "saved" the torture/horror of life in a concentration camp.
ReplyDeleteOk that was really difficult because I can also vote the other way because I wouldn't want an innocent person to die because of my decision.... ouch my head hurts.