# A Possible Failure Of Priorities **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817 "2011-10-06T19:45:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/1 "2011-10-06T19:45:09Z")
A friend was showing me some new camera equipment he bought – he recently became a first-time father, and wanted good stuff to document the kid. “Nice lens you’ve got there,” I said, popping the lens off of my camera, “mind if I try it?” I wanted to mount it on my camera and take a few shots. But nope, he didn’t trust me to hold his camera lens. 'Cause, you know, it’s very expensive…valuable…and I might drop it. “No man, sorry…you know how it is. Here, **hold Jerry for me** and I’ll put the lens on your camera for you”. So, Jerry – if this board is around years from now, and you come across this, remember the order of things: A $600 camera lens = too valuable for anyone but your dad to handle. Six-week-old you = Sure! Take the kid – they bounce, don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/2 "2011-10-06T19:53:04Z")
Kids squirm more than lenses do. But they also have more handles to grab for as they’re on their way to the floor. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/3 "2011-10-06T20:58:35Z")
Maybe he thought you had more experience with babies than with lenses? ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/4 "2011-10-06T21:11:14Z")
If he wouldn’t trust you to hold his lens, why should you trust him to hold your camera? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/5 "2011-10-06T21:23:43Z")
The kid was like a week old. The lens was BRAND NEW ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/6 "2011-10-06T21:43:32Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > Maybe he thought you had more experience with babies than with lenses? I was thinking this too. Don’t you have like 3-4 kids, Hal? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/7 "2011-10-06T22:08:13Z")
time needed for him to replace lens, maybe 30 to 50 hours of work. time needed for him to replace new born kid, maybe 30 to 50 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/8 "2011-10-06T22:57:32Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > “Nice lens you’ve got there,” I said, popping the lens off of my camera, “mind if I try it?” I wanted to mount it on my camera and take a few shots. Am I the only one who thinks this dangerously close to bad porn writing?😛 ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/9 "2011-10-06T23:01:36Z")
Oh, I so hope you get to tell Jerry this story when he’s old enough to hold it against his Dad. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/10 "2011-10-07T00:47:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The kid was like a week old. The lens was BRAND NEW And you know how it is with kids. They lose half their value the second they leave the vagina. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/11 "2011-10-07T00:49:34Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > time needed for him to replace lens, maybe 30 to 50 hours of work. > > time needed for him to replace new born kid, maybe 30 to 50 minutes. You are off by a factor of 10 IME. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/12 "2011-10-07T01:04:26Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > time needed for him to replace lens, maybe 30 to 50 hours of work. > > time needed for him to replace new born kid, maybe 30 to 50 minutes. Maybe for him but 9 months work for his wife. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-failure-of-priorities/598817/13 "2011-10-07T01:13:41Z")
The difference between men and women - “If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant’s life, she will choose to save the infant’s life without even considering if there is a man on base.” (Dave Barry) It seemed relevant. 🙂