# Every man has his price...what's yours? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049 "2011-08-25T16:11:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/41 "2011-08-26T03:56:54Z")
This reminds me of a philosophy professor I had back in the day, although it’s hardly the same siutuation. But at the start of the semester, he told the class about one time when he had to flunk a student. The student went to see him in his office, and sitting there right across from his desk, very casually, as if he were commenting on the weather, offered him $20 to give him an A. “What the …?” he thought. Naturally, the prof went ahead and flunked the guy. But he said it got him to thinking about how much he _could_ be bought for and finally decided his price was a cool million. So he told us in all seriousness that anyone giving him $1 million would be guranteed an A. I didn’t pay it (although I did end up with an A anyway), and I don’t think anyone else did either. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/42 "2011-08-26T05:39:31Z")
Well, since he’s asking me to name a price, then I’ve obviously chosen the most expensive choice (defended below): $10,000,000. I think, though, that you were probably meaning to ask is what the _minimum_ price I’d accept to maintain my silence would be. I’d probably be willing to just walk away free of charge without his beating me, too, but since he’s offering to pay, and he’s rich, and he offered any amount at $50,000 or higher, I’d take it. Despite being willing to walk away free of charge, once he introduces money into, the leverage is mine; I’d be insulted by his offer of, say, $10,000. I think I’d be willing to go to the police just to spite him for making such an insulting offer. So, the girl. If she’s allowed to heal to the point that her injuries would be undetectable (per the bad guy’s description), then as badly hurt as she might look, she’s not going to die. Whether I saw the altercation or not, she’d still be in the same circumstance. Plus it’s mostly likely not her first beating, and probably won’t be her last until she makes her own decision to get away from the creep. So, I leave for free until money enters into it, and then I extort something that doesn’t offend me. Oh, this is assuming the girl is completely anonymous to me. If it were someone I knew, well that changes things completely. ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/43 "2011-08-26T08:03:00Z")
> [@Elysian](#): > > £530 > > 🙂 > > You get a cookie if you know where that’s from. I also thought of Johnson when I saw the thread title! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/44 "2011-08-26T16:15:19Z")
Being able to deny “Screw the rules, I have money!” would be enough reward for me. So very satisfying! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/45 "2011-08-26T20:34:16Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Well, since he’s asking me to name a price, then I’ve obviously chosen the most expensive choice (defended below): $10,000,000. > > I think, though, that you were probably meaning to ask is what the _minimum_ price I’d accept to maintain my silence would be. Well, that’s the poll title - the minimum you would accept for your silence. That’s your price - the point at which you stop being insulted and start to think “…hang on, I could seriously use that amount of money…would it be so bad?” That’s where you can be bought. Asking your price might be slightly different perhaps, but the two are the same in their purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/46 "2011-08-26T21:04:45Z")
**ColdPhoenix** , if you are in England I will indeed send you a cookie. PM me the address 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/47 "2011-08-26T21:16:18Z")
I’d ask for something else - Tell him, “Turn yourself in to the police…OR…pay $10M to me (which I would transfer it to the woman at a later date)…OR…let the woman return the favor to you with this baseball bat I just happen to have with me… **OR** any combination of the 3 choices”. “You have 10 seconds to comply.” ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/48 "2011-08-26T21:25:35Z")
Can’t buy me. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/49 "2011-08-26T21:33:07Z")
My conscience is a real bitch even when I don’t screw up. This deal would eat me alive. The more money I took the worse it would be. I’m not bought. And this from the guy who likes to say he loathes humanity. I think it’s more true to say I loathe inhumanity. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/50 "2011-08-26T21:40:11Z")
Fuck that “I’m too pure” noise. I’d do it for six weeks worth of bar tabs. Okay, maybe not, but a cool $10,000,000 will suffice. Is allowing someone to get beat up worth $10,000,000 to me? Of course. I’d feel bad about it, then immediately schedule a trip to Santorini to ease my conscience. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/51 "2011-08-27T04:06:05Z")
Give me $5 million. Then I offer HER a cool million to walk away from the jerk. And the $5 million could hire a lot of attorneys of my own should I decide that I’m still going to do something about it. Elite Attorneys, Schmelite Attorneys. I now know this guy’s secret and I bet a lot of tabloid journalists would like to know it and catch him in the act too. Hell, I could even fund a few of them for kicks. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/52 "2011-08-27T20:51:11Z")
Violence really isn’t my thing. It wouldn’t be worth living with the guilt. I’ve felt very strong guilt for extremely minor offenses. If it were theft or embezzlement or some nonviolent crime, then I would probably have a price. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/53 "2011-08-28T11:37:07Z")
It’s good to know that the majority would do the right thing. The only thing that’s bothering me is those asking to what degree is the abuse. How much pain/degredation is acceptable? Hmmmm? ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/54 "2011-08-28T18:15:08Z")
I’m not above attempting to capitalize on the situation. There’s just so many goddamn variables, I couldn’t even guess what it’s worth. I’d really need a professional abuse appraiser to help come up with good asking prices. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/55 "2011-08-28T18:34:57Z")
I was going to post something altruistic, but even though I’d feel terrible about it, I’d stand there and clap for $10M plus, to be honest. I’m not a horrible person, far from it, but $10M??? And like some others said, it doesn’t seem to be against the rules to contact and help out the woman, so I’d definitely do that. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049/56 "2011-08-28T19:11:21Z")
Sorry, but that person couldn’t afford my price. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-man-has-his-price-whats-yours/594049.md?page=2)