# I think that survival kits should have suicide tools. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715 "2014-10-28T03:16:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/21 "2014-10-28T14:18:47Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > And if the Suicide Survival kit was a success, you could broaden your market to those in other dire circumstances with no prospect of escape: the Suicide Commuter kit, the Suicide Stagnant-relationship kit, and so on. If you would like to commit suicide, press or say “one”. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/22 "2014-10-28T14:23:37Z")
Anyone who can’t figure out how to kill one’s self using a survival kit deserves to die, or live, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/23 "2014-10-28T14:26:37Z")
> [@Flywheel](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > I don’t know. Shoot yourself in the head with the flare gun or something. > > Now that’s attention-seeking… Is that what they mean when they say suicide is really just a cry for help? ---
**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:** [October 28, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/24 "2014-10-28T16:17:42Z")
Anyone on a boat can shorten their suffering to an hour at most by simply stepping overboard. As compared to the last week of delirium from lack of water & sunstroke, some might find that a huge improvement. Anyone in rugged terrain and still able to walk can probably find a suitable drop-off nearby. It only takes 3 or 4 stories of fall if they land head first on a hard surface. See, Mother Nature’s bounty often provides all you need both to survive and to un-survive. The choice is yours. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/25 "2014-10-28T16:18:03Z")
I think a litigious society would make it impractical. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/26 "2014-10-28T16:21:56Z")
actually, this is a very interesting question you pose… one of the most interesting i’ve seen here in a few days ---
**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:** [October 28, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/27 "2014-10-28T17:26:45Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > If I had one in my car, I would be tempted to use it every time I’m stuck in traffic for 10 minutes. Yeah, my next bad hair day would be my last. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/28 "2014-10-28T18:32:35Z")
If I discovered that my hunting/boating buddy’s “survival” kit included a bottle of cyanide, he would be spending the night tied to a tree or the mast. just sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/29 "2014-10-28T19:18:37Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > And if the Suicide Survival kit was a success, you could broaden your market to those in other dire circumstances with no prospect of escape: the Suicide Commuter kit, the Suicide Stagnant-relationship kit, and so on. The Suicide DMV kit would solve several problems at once. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/30 "2014-10-28T20:02:52Z")
Y’all don’t have enough imagination. Has anyone seen the film Dante’s Peak? Pierce Brosnan’s character got trapped in a cave in inside his car. He had to survive until rescue in a space so small he couldn’t move. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to spend a week waiting to die in a dark space so cramped I couldn’t even move. No cliff to jump off there. And no easy way to kill yourself when your arm is pinned between a rock and a hard place, and you don’t have a handy knife to cut your own arm off. Just a long, hard wait to die of thirst. Or wolves. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/31 "2014-10-28T20:09:29Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I don’t know. Shoot yourself in the head with the flare gun or something. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Is that what they mean when they say suicide is really just a cry for help? > [@msmith537](#): > > They say being eaten by a bear is just like falling asleep…in a giant furry blender. > [@Staggerlee](#): > > And if the Suicide Survival kit was a success, you could broaden your market to those in other dire circumstances with no prospect of escape: the Suicide Commuter kit, the Suicide Stagnant-relationship kit, and so on. > [@Telemark](#): > > If you would like to commit suicide, press or say “one”. > [@OneCentStamp](#): > > The Suicide DMV kit would solve several problems at once. I’m at work and trying not to laugh out loud, but you guys are making it a real challenge, let me tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/32 "2014-10-28T23:12:55Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And no easy way to kill yourself when your arm is pinned between a rock and a hard place, and you don’t have a handy knife to cut your own arm off. Just a long, hard wait to die of thirst. Or wolves. Come on. Why would you want to kill yourself? Think of what Liam Neeson would do in this situation: he’d shatter the rock to with a Force-blow, grab an approaching wolf with his single good arm and throttle it with his hand to use its skin as a sling, produce a firearm, a tracking device, and a bag of plastique explosive from from some hidden stash, and proceed to go find his daughter and rescue her from some perceived trouble by killing dozens of Eastern Europeans whether they needed it or not. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/33 "2014-10-29T01:53:13Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Y’all don’t have enough imagination. > > Has anyone seen the film Dante’s Peak? Pierce Brosnan’s character got trapped in a cave in inside his car. He had to survive until rescue in a space so small he couldn’t move. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to spend a week waiting to die in a dark space so cramped I couldn’t even move. No cliff to jump off there. > > And no easy way to kill yourself when your arm is pinned between a rock and a hard place, and you don’t have a handy knife to cut your own arm off. Just a long, hard wait to die of thirst. Or wolves. I think most people wanted to kill themselves about 15 minutes into the film. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/34 "2014-10-29T02:10:32Z")
“And if you buy a large popcorn, we throw in a free suicide pill!” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/35 "2014-10-29T03:17:35Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Come on. Why would you want to kill yourself? Think of what Liam Neeson would do in this situation: he’d shatter the rock to with a Force-blow, grab an approaching wolf with his single good arm and throttle it with his hand to use its skin as a sling, produce a firearm, a tracking device, and a bag of plastique explosive from from some hidden stash, and proceed to go find his daughter and rescue her from some perceived trouble by killing dozens of Eastern Europeans whether they needed it or not. > > Stranger Well, after all, he does have a very particular set of skills. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/36 "2014-10-29T14:04:46Z")
I do have a kinda morbid thing for death, blood and gore. But I really find it fascinating the way people are reacting to this idea. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/37 "2014-10-29T15:13:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The situations where you’re going to be without any hope of rescue or survival, and are inevitably going to die of starvation or thirst, are extremely rare. Even if you are lost at sea there’s almost always going to be some chance a boat will find you before you succumb. > > The most likely suicide option would have to be a pill. But such pills would be used far more often to commit suicide by people who were not in a survival situation (just because they were suicidal) than used in the extremely rare situation you propose. But don’t you see, the irony of buying a survival kit just to obtain the suicide pill might be the stimulus someone needs to turn their life around? Even depressed people can enjoy irony. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/38 "2014-10-29T16:05:27Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “Shoot, a fellah could have a pretty good time in Vegas with all that stuff. ‘Cept the cyanide pills. Why’d they go an’ put a fool thing like that in there?” > > Stranger I tried Googling that and the only result was your post. I’m dying for some context here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/39 "2014-10-29T16:08:49Z")
> [@skdo23](#): > > I tried Googling that and the only result was your post. I’m dying for some context here. 🙂 Google just the first sentence of the quote. That’s the actual (movie) quote, the second part is **SOAT** ’s riff on the quote. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715/40 "2014-10-29T23:07:22Z")
Dr. Strangelove was my first Kibrick movie. I love the twisted sense of humour. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-that-survival-kits-should-have-suicide-tools/702715.md?page=1)