Suggested by the current “Kill X or Y” threads, but hopefully less pointless. Assume that the person you would have to choose whether or not to kill is NOT innocent – that is, that she or he has been actively trying to kill, rape, or inflict grievous bodily harm on you or the person you are defending, and that by whatever contrivance you find necessary to stipulate, you have the opportunity to turn the tables by killing him or her. Also assume that no help is in sight and that you have no knowledge that help is (or is not) to come.
Poll coming in a moment, but you needn’t let that delay you.
Before anyone complains, I realize that no one really knows what they’d do until they have been put to the test. That’s why I phrased the options as I did; I’m looking for your intellectual assessments of yourselves.
Czarcasm,I don’t wish to insult you, so forgive me if it comes off that way. Are you speaking of your character or your constitution when you say you’re not capable of hurting anyone? That is, do you mean that you are so dedicated to the ideal of not killing that you would refuse to defend yourself using lethal force, or that you feel you could not muster the resolve to do so even in a situation where you would judge another justified in doing so? I will understand if you choose not to answer this.
silenus, I’m glad to not hear any of the “shoot-to-wound” silliness.
ETA: I made the poll anonymous for obvious reasons, but I myself voted for willing to kill in self-defense of myself and any friend or family member. I’m not sure what I’d do for a total stranger.
I used to think I wouldn’t, until I got burgled when I was in the house. I believe I would have killed the guy if I’d have got hold of him.
As to whether I’d kill to protect a stranger, I dunno. I seem to have lost some of my humanity by spending time in the third world and seeing people die there. I saw a woman drown in Bangladesh a couple of weeks ago and though I was concerned and sad for her, I wasn’t emotionally moved (there was nothing I could have done to save her). I just thought “that’s awful, meh, nothing I can do”.
I think i would. And the reason I say so, is that though I am a very calm, serious person these days, I know that i can summon up a veritable font of rage when I need to.
But it would have to be in the heat of the moment. I don’t know if I could do it coldly, afterwards, but at that moment, pull the trigger or sink a knife into them? Out of rage? Absolutely.
Oh, it’d have to be for me or my SO, absolutely. Or his niece and nephew, I think I could do it for them. No one else, though.
I think you’ve got one set of selections up there twice.
I said “I’d choose to kill” in every scenario, but I challenge that wording. I’d do whatever had the greatest chance of protecting myself/spouse/children/relative/stranger, and if that included an action that had a very high chance of killing them, e.g. multiple shots to center of mass, that’s what I’d do. If something else had a greater chance of protecting them, e.g. driving away, then that’s what I’d do. If a weapon was invented that had as great or greater chance of stopping the person as a firearm, but had no chance of killing them, (e.g. a phaser on heavy stun) and was so reliable & dependable that police traded in their firearms for it, I’d happily use it instead of a firearm.
I’ve done things that have directly led to the deaths of other human beings before. It’s honestly not that hard. The only thing I would fear would be legal prosecution. I’m assuming, Skald, that for whatever reason, I have assurances that I won’t end up doing 20-life for this. So yeah, I’d kill anybody that was attacking another person for any reason, be it rape, murder, or robbery. I really have no problem removing scum from this earth and I don’t have a problem with anyone else doing it either.
I put that assumption into the OP at one point, and then took it out because I thought it was unrealistic. There’s no way I can see to get that assurance that don’t imply the scenario is rigged; and if Loki has put you in the situation, he’s goign to find a way to screw you no matter what.
Not that it really mattered anyway. I’d rather take my chances at trial than be killed. And I’d rather live in prison that let someone rape my wife.
Not so much a virtue as it is a psychological quirk-I’ve never been able to strike out, no matter how I am provoked. My jackass father once tried to “fix” me by signing me up for boxing classes-not a pretty sight.
My thread on Canadians going to hell was bloodthirsty. This one isn’t. A bloodthirsty question would be If somebody killed your dog, would you track him down and slit his throat?
I’d be strongly hesitant to kill one stranger in defense of another stranger. Who knows what incidents led to the situation? Don’t want to kill an undercover cop or interfere in a typical dirtbag-on-dirtbag crime.
I voted yes for all of them, but I wouldn’t actually try to kill someone in defense of another; if I had a gun, I’d be aiming for the gut, or thighs, or whatever (and yes, I know even LEOs can’t usually hit people in a specific body part).
Once you hit “Post Reply”, you can’t see the actual Poll questions anymore, so I couldn’t confirm it. Plus, you know, the bees and all.
And that’s my previous point. I wouldn’t kill someone because I want to kill them. I would kill someone because that’s got the highest probability to ensure the safety of the persons I’m protecting. If something else had a higher probability, that’s what I’d do, even if I thought I was legally in the clear to kill them.
Amigo, the gut counts as center of mass. And if you fire a handgun at someone’s gut or shoulder, you are trying to kill him. Probably thighs as well, but I’d want somebody like Qadgop’s opinion there.
And I refuse to consider things like shooting the gun out of somebody’s hand, because if you’re in front of the person it’s an impossible angle, and if you’re behind him or to the side, you have the drop on him and it’s not exactly self-defense at that point.
I chose other, because I don’t think “choosing” would be involved.
If I thought my life, or the life of a loved one was in serious jeopardy, I wouldn’t be putting together a balance sheet to figure out what I would do. I’d probably just spaz out and attack wildly all while hoping I don’t get snuffed.
