# Can you defeat the evil genie? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903 "2022-12-21T14:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [December 21, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/61 "2022-12-21T19:47:36Z")
And of course the genie will arrange for you to buy it, then launder it or lose it. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/62 "2022-12-21T19:48:31Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > “I wish that the next lottery ticket I buy for myself is the sole winning ticket for the largest prize pool for which that ticket is valid.” Shame about that scandal involving cheating at the lottery headquarters and the clear paper trail leading back to you. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/63 "2022-12-21T19:49:15Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > I think they forgot to mention that the human brains have to be experiencing maximum torture at the time of the extraction. Okay, but if we know what the chemical is, we can figure out a way to synthesize it. Worst case scenario, you just never use the vaccine, and the net effect is the same as if you’d never met the genie. > [@Folly](#): > > Also, AIDS is not the virus HIV, so I’m afraid an AIDS vaccine might involve losing your immune system or something. AIDS is already literally not having an immune system. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/64 "2022-12-21T19:50:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@Lumpy](#): > > > > Can the genie add on unasked for things that are not inherent in your wish just to spoil them? > > First time dealing with a genie, huh? Well if that’s the case no possible wish could have a good outcome for you. “Okay, your wish to win the lottery is granted; and then you will die of monkeypox”. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/65 "2022-12-21T19:50:45Z")
Since the genie didn’t specify that I couldn’t ask for powers, I would just ask for omnipotentcy. So I can just undo any mistakes I make anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/66 "2022-12-21T19:51:09Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Since the genie didn’t specify that I couldn’t ask for powers, I would just ask for omnipotentcy. That’s asking for more wishes, which is explicitly ruled out. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/67 "2022-12-21T19:51:11Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > AIDS is already literally not having an immune system. Hmmm. Quite right. All this time I thought “auto-immune” was part of the initials somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/68 "2022-12-21T19:52:45Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > “Okay, your wish to win the lottery is granted; and then you will die of monkeypox”. if there isn’t an ironic twist, it just ain’t a genie wish. Or a monkey’s paw wish. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/69 "2022-12-21T19:52:56Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Shame about that scandal involving cheating at the lottery headquarters and the clear paper trail leading back to you. Ah, but then the ticket wouldn’t be “valid”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/70 "2022-12-21T19:53:33Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > “I wish that the next lottery ticket I buy for myself is the sole winning ticket for the largest prize pool for which that ticket is valid.” Then just wait until your local PowerBall, or similar lottery, is up to a good amount. I can’t help but wonder if, while you’re waiting, you’re going to buy some fries at McDonald’s, maybe twist the cap off a bottle of Pepsi, and realize that, hey, you just won a free soda… ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/71 "2022-12-21T19:54:00Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Since the genie didn’t specify that I couldn’t ask for powers, I would just ask for omnipotentcy. So I can just undo any mistakes I make anyway. The genie can’t give you omnipotence because they don’t have it themselves. Very powerful yes, omnipotent no. In fact the whole story behind how they ended up in those lamps and bottles began with their thinking they were powerful enough to challenge God and discovering otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/72 "2022-12-21T19:54:35Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > That’s asking for more wishes, which is explicitly ruled out. No it isn’t. I won’t need any wishes then. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/73 "2022-12-21T19:54:58Z")
1 trillion dollars in 1 dollar bills would weigh 1,102,311 tons. 1. It could land _on_ you. 2. If you are in a building, the building will explode, killing you. 3. If you are outside on _very_ stable ground, and it lands without hitting you, congratulations! You are going to be the star of every media outlet on Earth…as the victim of the largest mass mugging in human history. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/74 "2022-12-21T19:56:08Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Ah, but then the ticket wouldn’t be “valid”. The largest prize pool for which the ticket was valid was for “0” because of the cheating. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/75 "2022-12-21T19:57:32Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > > [@Lumpy](#): > > > > “Okay, your wish to win the lottery is granted; and then you will die of monkeypox”. > > if there isn’t an ironic twist, it just ain’t a genie wish. Or a monkey’s paw wish. That’s what I meant when I asked if something “not inherent to your wish” could be tacked on. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/76 "2022-12-21T19:57:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I can’t help but wonder if, while you’re waiting, you’re going to buy some fries at McDonald’s, maybe twist the cap off a bottle of Pepsi, and realize that, hey, you just won a free soda… Yes, it requires a certain amount of discipline to make sure nothing you buy is tied to a contest. But it only has to be until the lottery is up to a decent amount. I personally wouldn’t wait a year or more for Powerball to get to the hundreds of millions levels. I’d be happy with our Canadian Lottomax, which hits 50-70 million every couple of months. Since that’s a tax free lump sum, it’s the equivalent of winning maybe 150-200 million in a US powerball lottery. I’ve got a few more words to use, so maybe I could name the lottery in particular? “I wish that the next Lottomax lottery ticket I buy for myself is the sole winning ticket for the largest prize pool for which that ticket is valid.” ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/77 "2022-12-21T19:58:05Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The genie can’t give you omnipotence because they don’t have it themselves. Very powerful yes, omnipotent no. In fact the whole story behind how they ended up in those lamps and bottles began with their thinking they were powerful enough to challenge God and discovering otherwise. Well second place is first loser. I’m starting to doubt that this “genie” has any powers at all. I’d need to see case histories and examples of favorable outcomes, free demonstrations at no cost to me and that I can turn down at any time. Otherwise it’s back in the lamp and a 1 star Yelp review. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/78 "2022-12-21T19:59:06Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > “I wish for a turkey sandwich on rye bread with lettuce and mustard. And I don’t want any zombie turkeys and I don’t want any other weird surprises. Got it!?” You turn into a turkey yourself. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/79 "2022-12-21T20:01:43Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You turn into a turkey yourself Seems like a pretty weird surprise. The turkey being a little dry, though… ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903/80 "2022-12-21T20:01:55Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > The largest prize pool for which the ticket was valid was for “0” because of the cheating. Okay, let’s see… “I wish that the next Lottomax lottery ticket I buy for myself is a legally valid winning ticket that is the sole winning ticket for the largest prize pool for which that ticket is valid.” Damn, 33 words if we’re counting “the” and the like. “I wish that the next Lottomax lottery ticket I buy for myself is the sole legally valid winning ticket for the largest prize pool for which that ticket is valid.” Exactly 30! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-defeat-the-evil-genie/976903.md?page=5)