# Black Box...with a bit of a twist **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527 "2026-02-09T22:14:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/81 "2026-02-12T18:15:21Z")
I, also, misread the OP. Okay, my chances of surviving just increased a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/82 "2026-02-12T18:17:44Z")
Curious. Can you be accused of murder if the victim cannot be known from among the millions or billions that drop dead? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/83 "2026-02-12T18:27:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Can you be accused of murder if the victim cannot be known from among the millions or billions that drop dead? Not as legal systems and constitutions are currently worded, in a world where magic murder buttons don’t exist. If that changed then legal systems would change pretty sharpish too (once new lawmakers, judges, etc. have been sworn in to replace the ones just wiped out) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/84 "2026-02-12T18:38:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > chances of surviving just increased a lot I am curious as to why you think this. Surely with a 48 hour delay where people can be convinced or threatened into not pressing the button again, everyone has a better chance of surviving? When someone can keep pressing and call out a dozen names in minute your chance of surviving goes down whoever you are. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/85 "2026-02-12T19:19:10Z")
But the only people who hate you that much don’t know what your real name is, right? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/86 "2026-02-12T19:20:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The box makes no mistakes. It will kill the person you are thinking of, when you decide they are the one. Do you have to know their name? Could it be a user name on a message board? Asking for a friend. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/87 "2026-02-12T19:23:24Z")
User name works, exact name not needed. Just think of a particular person. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/88 "2026-02-12T19:34:31Z")
Now I’m certainly fucked ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/89 "2026-02-12T19:37:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > User name works, exact name not needed. Just think of a particular person Ahhh but what about accounts that are run by multiple people? _Buying time while the button overlords headquarters can be targeted by ICBMs 😉_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/90 "2026-02-12T19:39:18Z")
Ahhh, but what about the rule stating that you have to think of a specific individual? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/91 "2026-02-12T19:41:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > what about the rule stating that you have to think of a specific individual Exactly, maybe griffin1977 is actually not one person but a team of highly skilled agitprop agents. Who is killed when you press your button and say “that dickhead Griffin1977”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/92 "2026-02-12T19:44:58Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > chances of surviving just increased a lot > > I am curious as to why you think this. Surely with a 48 hour delay where people can be convinced or threatened into not pressing the button again, everyone has a better chance of surviving? When someone can keep pressing and call out a dozen names in minute your chance of surviving goes down whoever you are. Because i thought the world was going to be full of unused buttons for a long time, and I’ll probably piss off someone sometime. But now that they’ll all be, err, dead after 48 hours, i only need to worry about people who currently hate me. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/93 "2026-02-12T19:49:47Z")
Button don’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/94 "2026-02-13T08:28:14Z")
Per the clarification, they only have to think of the target person, not necessarily their full name. I’m toast. I mean, explicit death threats are relatively few and fairly far between, but in any given 48 hour period I receive multiple expressions of quite aggressive loathing. I don’t suppose those communications have actual murderous intent in the world we currently live in, but the world we currently live in doesn’t contain magic buttons for people with poor impulse control and anger management issues to press. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/95 "2026-02-13T10:45:08Z")
The cleanest logical extent of “arm everyone to create a safe society”. well… not exactly the same. In this “death note” type scenario the black box is 100% precise, accurate, and detached from the murder. Guns, at least, do require a line of sight, some training/practice, and is subject to the physical conditions and constraints of the real world. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/96 "2026-02-13T13:09:56Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Per the clarification, they only have to think of the target person, not necessarily their full name. I’m toast. Yeah, you are a celebrity, even if a fairly minor one. Every celebrity is toast. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/97 "2026-02-13T13:40:07Z")
I think anyone whose opinions or even just whose voice or actions are on public display is at risk, not because they deserve to be murdered and not even because there are that many people with underlying murderous intent, but just because the device under discussion is so available. All it takes is hotheaded reaction, poor judgment and impulsive behaviour, and those things are not scarce in our world. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/98 "2026-02-13T14:05:02Z")
I suspect the vast majority of people will not settle any personal vendettas.. at least with their first attempts. I wonder how long most people will keep trying names they think the world would be better off without. Eventually most people will run out of public figure names because somebody else beat them to each one. Of those who started with public figures that they believe they’re doing the world a favor by eliminating, how many just keep going as long as that light stubbornly stays on. What percentage of people are _still trying_ when the 48 hours is almost up… Will there be online efforts to help those people who are still trying to pick somebody. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/99 "2026-02-13T14:41:36Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > I suspect the vast majority of people will not settle any personal vendettas.. at least with their first attempts. I wonder how long most people will keep trying names they think the world would be better off without. Eventually most people will run out of public figure names because somebody else beat them to each one. I think this is the key question. What do button pressers do, on average once they reach the end of their list of despised public figures? I can see it going either way, maybe for most button pressers the reality will sink in (presumably there will ample evidence of the effect of pressing a button, including deaths witnessed live, either on TV or some cases IRL). And they will go “holy crap” and stop even thinking of pressing the button. On the other hand maybe some people will get a blood lust, and feel cheated out of taking a life, and just settle for their asshole neighbor once they fail with Obama, Biden, AOC, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527/100 "2026-02-14T01:22:13Z")
I feel very safe, I’ve never pissed anyone off that much. There would also be no reasons for anyone to want revenge on me or to be jealous of me in any way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-box-with-a-bit-of-a-twist/1027527.md?page=6)