# A moral question inspired by the film The dark crystal( spoiler warning) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794 "2020-06-30T14:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794/41 "2020-07-09T17:22:47Z")
> [@eburacum\_45](#): > > What would be evil is if they could easily sustain themselves by harvesting the ‘life-energy’ of crops, and they just hadn’t tried it. > A bit like meat-eating, really. 🤨 If you want to discuss the ethics of meat-eating, point me at the thread. For this thread I’ll just say that there if the Skeksis chose to draw their life energy from cows I would consider that exactly morally equivalent to them drawing it from turnips. (Though I will concede that the turnips might not see eye to eye with me on this.) ---
**Author:** ![eburacum\_45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum_45/32/3385_2.png) [@eburacum\_45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum_45)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794/42 "2020-07-09T17:25:29Z")
I think you are referring to potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794/43 "2020-07-09T17:34:22Z")
I never try to see eye to eye with a potato - all on its own it has me outnumbered. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794/44 "2020-07-09T19:39:20Z")
Don’t play if you can’t win. ---
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794/45 "2020-07-14T14:34:41Z")
We’re doing it now. Stem Cells. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794/46 "2020-07-14T21:46:44Z")
Unless the stem cells are forcibly removed from someone against their will, it’s not really the same thing. Currently, donors of stem cells are both willing and also are not suffering any sort of loss due to the extraction of stem cells. One key aspect of the classic villain extracting life force trope is that the victim loses something, even if temporarily, and almost always unwillingly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moral-question-inspired-by-the-film-the-dark-crystal-spoiler-warning/913794.md?page=2)