# Arms, Legs or Eyes - Which Would You Choose If You Had No Choice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 10, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168 "2013-07-10T19:45:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 11, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/21 "2013-07-11T13:18:40Z")
I’m trying to figure out why losing your legs means no sex. It’s like it was thrown in as a bonus. Why not include a speech impediment with the loss of your eyes or diabetes with the loss of your arms? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/22 "2013-07-11T13:22:52Z")
So do I still have hands emanating from my shoulders? (Kidding) I went with blind. I used to have a blind friend and he used to get all kinds of pity sex. Plus, I have an arm chair theory that there are some women out there who are turned on by the idea of get’n freaky with a guy who can’t see them. Or some shit like that. I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/23 "2013-07-11T13:26:14Z")
Polls are supposed to have an “other” option. Take my spleen. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/24 "2013-07-11T16:37:36Z")
One could learn to eat with their feet. There was even a documentary about a girl who did such a thing; she had no arms and drove a car with her feet, ate with her feet, painted with her feet, etc. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/25 "2013-07-11T16:57:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m trying to figure out why losing your legs means no sex. Me too. Particularly on this board, it should be the arms. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/26 "2013-07-11T17:13:03Z")
And if I ever lose my mouth? ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/27 "2013-07-11T17:59:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s like it was thrown in as a bonus. It was. > [@chargerrich](#): > > 1. Losing both legs, at the pelvis and yes that means no more sex (sorry my rules I suspect _most would choose legs if not included_). ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/28 "2013-07-11T18:15:45Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > And if I ever lose my mouth? Stop it! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/29 "2013-07-11T19:12:10Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Me too. Particularly on this board, it should be the arms. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/30 "2013-07-11T19:15:44Z")
Why would losing your pelvis make it impossible to have sex? Orgasm is a mental concept, and there is another commonly used sexual orifice. Yes, orgasm without stimulation is less common in men, but hypnotic therapy has had a way around that for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/31 "2013-07-11T20:42:44Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > You are about to become disabled, for the rest of your life and your options are: > > 1. Losing both arms, at the shoulder - trouble eating, no driving, no video games, someone else brushing your teeth and helping you clean yourself. Do your rules also stipulate an inability to re-learn doing these things with one’s feet? Because it is very much possible to do so. I just don’t think all these people picking “legs” are really thinking it through. This world is a world constructed to be lived in on two feet. Not having legs, or being able to walk, or ambulate yourself without the use of a clunky machine, serves as a huge impediment to what a person is able to access and experience in it. Not to mention the social stigma that comes with such an existence; it wouldn’t be matched by someone who was armless but still standing. And I think the lifelong health issues experienced by someone who is missing both legs would probably be more dire than those of someone missing both arms; things like circulation, blood pressure and others (although this is just my guess). _And_ you add the “no sex” stipulation to the mix, and I can’t understand why anyone would pick “legs”. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/32 "2013-07-11T21:10:34Z")
I would also go with legs. I already have plenty of secondhand knowledge of the ins and outs of life as a wheelchair user. I can’t see myself adapting well to doing things like feeding myself with my feet. The idea of going blind freaks me out. Needing a wheelchair is something that feels familiar and normal to me, and I can do without sex. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/33 "2013-07-11T21:12:24Z")
> [@Silvorange](#): > > I would also go with legs. I already have plenty of secondhand knowledge of the ins and outs of life as a wheelchair user. I can’t see myself adapting well to doing things like feeding myself with my feet. The idea of going blind freaks me out. Needing a wheelchair is something that feels familiar and normal to me, and I can do without sex. But obviously no first hand knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/34 "2013-07-11T21:38:05Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > But obviously no first hand knowledge. So what? I have plenty of firsthand knowledge of myself and what I do best. I might make a different choice if it involved being that way from birth, but I know what kind of loss I am best equipped to handle at this point in my life. My hypothetical choice of disabilities does not mean that I think you have it easy, either. I do think that some of the things that bother you about it (social stigma, loss of sex per the scenario given) are less concerning to me. I would actually be more worried about getting too fat due to less exercise and less muscle mass, and not having the upper body strength to transfer myself. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/35 "2013-07-11T21:51:17Z")
> [@Silvorange](#): > > So what? I have plenty of firsthand knowledge of myself and what I do best. I might make a different choice if it involved being that way from birth, but I know what kind of loss I am best equipped to handle at this point in my life. My hypothetical choice of disabilities does not mean that I think you have it easy, either. I do think that some of the things that bother you about it (social stigma, loss of sex per the scenario given) are less concerning to me. I would actually be more worried about getting too fat due to less exercise and less muscle mass, and not having the upper body strength to transfer myself. I just meant that the disparity between the experiences of someone who has no functional legs (or who uses a wheelchair) and someone who is intimately familiar with that person with no legs is vast and wide and not really comparable. But I understand your point. But I also mentioned health concerns as being a reason why I thought legs would be a poor choice, as well as the other reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/36 "2013-07-11T22:18:03Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I just meant that the disparity between the experiences of someone who has no functional legs (or who uses a wheelchair) and someone who is intimately familiar with that person with no legs is vast and wide and not really comparable. But I understand your point. But I also mentioned health concerns as being a reason why I thought legs would be a poor choice, as well as the other reasons. Right, so I base my opinions on the knowledge I have of people close to me who have dealt with similar things. You certainly have a much closer experience to one of the options than I do, but I don’t have any reason to suppose that you know any more than I do about being without arms or sight. As for the general experience of being a middle-aged, overweight female wheelchair user living not only in this city but in the very same house that I now live in, I will go with my mom’s over that of a young male bodybuilder. No snark intended, or at least only very small amounts. I am actually always interested in hearing your perspective on discussions like this. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/37 "2013-07-11T22:38:07Z")
**Ambivalid** , you mention health concerns related with the legs option. What do you mean exactly? Is upperbody weight & aerobic exercise somehow inadequate? I can see how not having legs is a PITA, but I can still do pretty much everything I do now without legs. Take my arms and I can’t cook, clean myself or the house, operate a computer, work on cars, or tie my own shoes. Legless mobility issues can be overcome relatively simply. I’d rather lose my legs AND eyes than my arms. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/38 "2013-07-11T22:48:00Z")
Losing arms or eyes means that I can’t do my computer job any more. I could still work in a wheelchair. However, if you’re gonna castrate me on top of that, forget it. I’d rather lose my arms. But then how the fuck am I gonna masturbate? No eyes then. Now how am I gonna watch porn? This is like the Gift of the Magi! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/39 "2013-07-12T03:41:44Z")
Wouldn’t losing the pelvis mean the loss of the bladder and rectum as well as the reproductive organs? ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/40 "2013-07-12T04:37:34Z")
Legs for me. No sight would be unbearable. Being unable to manipulate objects would also be unbearable. Wheelchair (and no sex) seems like the lesser punishment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168.md?page=3)