# If everybody became like you **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2009, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848 "2009-12-11T10:32:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [December 11, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/21 "2009-12-11T15:09:11Z")
It looks like I’m in the minority here. I just can’t see a downside to a world full of mean, old ladies. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/22 "2009-12-11T16:20:11Z")
The world would be populated entirely by 64-year-old gay men, none of whom would be attracted to each other. A rather sad demise of the human race. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/23 "2009-12-11T16:21:44Z")
People would pay more attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/24 "2009-12-11T16:24:48Z")
I would probably get along with them, but it would become supremely boring pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/25 "2009-12-11T16:26:27Z")
Oh God…seriously? I mean, it would be great that I would never lack for a bowling partner or someone to go to a baseball game with, but beyond that, yuck. If I didn’t have other people in my life with different personalities who expose me to new knowledge or interests, or to challenge me in various ways…I can’t even begin to imagine. Plus, I get pretty annoying after a while. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/26 "2009-12-11T16:29:42Z")
We would drown in clutter. It would be _Hoarders_ in the Smithsonian and at St. Jude’s and in the Houses of Parlaiment. Nobody would get anything done because we have all, every one of us, lost the car keys. And oh god something smells under the world’s fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/27 "2009-12-11T16:35:14Z")
Another vote for “society would collapse.” It would be a world of extremely laid-back academics who never buy anything except books, and I don’t think that would be enough to keep the economy going. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/28 "2009-12-11T16:40:28Z")
**Anne Neville** , can I live in your world? I promise I won’t rock the boat too much! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/29 "2009-12-11T16:54:04Z")
It would rock. There would be a combo strip club/video arcade/comic shop/bowling alley/buffalo wing shack/movie theater on every street corner. Of course the economy would collapse since we would never leave that shop but oh what a fantastic demise it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/30 "2009-12-11T18:13:48Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Because I won’t ever be having kids. If everyone felt the same way, the race dies out Oh crap, I never plan to have kids either. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/31 "2009-12-11T18:15:54Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > Well, CNN would report the latest on Pride and Prejudice and knitting. So that would be a bonus, but I suspect I would really get bored looking at myself after awhile. People wouldn’t become physical clones of you, they’d just act like you and be a lot like you in other ways. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/32 "2009-12-11T18:16:45Z")
TV programming would suddenly get awesome, as all my favorite TV shows that were cancelled would likely come back. But then I’d have a hard time deciding what to DVR since it would all be to my liking, so that’d make things pretty difficult. Also, I think I’d be screwed on the job hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/33 "2009-12-11T18:19:28Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking would happen with me. I don’t have the aptitude to make sure that all of the important jobs in the world get done so the gaps in my ability would start to show pretty early. Not to mention the fact that most of the jobs you see on “Dirty Jobs” would never get done! Well everybody would retain their life experiences, including their job experience, so maybe once they became like you they would be OK with continuing to do their job. Although finding replacements would be difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/34 "2009-12-11T18:20:35Z")
People would look still different, wouldn’t they? I sure don’t want to look at billions of myself. In any event, I think I would quickly find it irritating, and then I would find it boring. BORING! B-o-r-i-n-g. Variety is the spice of life. Some of my most enjoyable friendships are with people who aren’t very much like me at all. On the other hand, it would be a crime-free society (other than some minor traffic offenses), with civil liberties for all, a passionate attachment to democracy, a love of history, flags everywhere, and far more reading than now goes on, so I guess that would be for the better. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/35 "2009-12-11T18:21:00Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Another vote for disaster. I’m good at some things, bad at others like everyone else; and those things I’m bad at wouldn’t get done well if at all. And then there’s the fact that while intelligent I’m no genius, so the cutting edge of science just got blunted. Plus; everyone has blind spots, mistakes and errors of perception they tend to make; in a world where everyone is different many of those errors cancel each other out. In a world where everyone is the same, everyone will tend to make the same mistakes at once. Everybody would keep their intelligence levels, so that wouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/36 "2009-12-11T18:24:21Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Same here. I’m not sure who would do all the housework and yard work, since everybody would really want to pay someone else to do it. > > The economy collapses further, as people start shopping only when they know they need something (and replace things only when they break, not when they need a newer or cooler one). People would rather stay home and play computer games or read a book than go out. > > The credit card companies really hurt, as everybody starts paying off their bills every month. When they can’t do that, people feel a deep sense of shame, and don’t want to admit even to their closest friends that they can’t pay off their credit cards. Everybody lives below their means so they don’t have to keep track of their spending. > > People stop taking out car loans. Small cars become popular, as everybody wants a car that they can write a check for and that is easy to fit into parking spaces. > > Gas prices go down, partly because of the unpopularity of large vehicles, partly because everybody now tries to avoid driving when they can. Transit use goes way up, as it is now preferred over driving. Those suburban communities where you need a car to get to shops and restaurants become ghost towns, as nobody wants to live there. > > Everybody starts keeping kosher. I’m sure the food industry would eventually adjust, but it would probably be interesting while it did. > > The fashion industry goes heavy into comfortable clothes, polo shirts, and T-shirts. And into shades of blue. > > Population growth goes way down, as people are reluctant to have kids (I do want kids one day, but I’m scared that I couldn’t cope with everything). People stop having unprotected sex except when they want kids (I have never had sex without birth control, since I’m not ready for kids yet). > > Tolerance for risk in general goes way down. Nobody participates in risky activities any more. Nobody wants the jobs where you can make a lot of money but have no job security. Wow, that’s a pretty bleak outlook. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/37 "2009-12-11T18:29:08Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > People would look still different, wouldn’t they? I sure don’t want to look at billions of myself. Everybody would still be the same physically, and their voices would be the same, and they would retain their knowledge and life experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/38 "2009-12-11T19:01:32Z")
_Finally_ you could watch judo on TV. Of course, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, bowling, golf, and hockey would disappear, so there is a lot of TV time to fill. Great Debates would be kind of boring, though. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/39 "2009-12-11T19:29:34Z")
I’m assumin a range of looks, genders and intelligence would still be the norm. So essentially we’d be looking at a world of pacifist, anarchist, atheist nature lovers who love Sci Fi and hate sport? Paradise at last! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848/40 "2009-12-11T19:44:50Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Wow, that’s a pretty bleak outlook. Yeah, I realize that my comfortable existence requires that there be people who are not like me around. Takes all kinds to make a world, and all that. In the world of people all like me, we’d have real problems when it came time to elect some leaders. Nobody would want to deal with the hassle and long hours. Everybody would prefer to just have a regular 9-5 job, then go home and play computer games or read. Everybody would rather do their own thing than have power over others. We wouldn’t have sports teams, and that would be a problem. If the Steelers didn’t play, what would keep the crowds home when I want to go to Costco? The book and wine industries would rejoice, though. All states would change their laws, so that wine and beer could be sold at any store, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Animal shelters would also be happy, because everybody would want at least one cat or dog that didn’t come from a puppy mill. The stores that sell puppy mill animals would go out of business, as would the puppy mills- they wouldn’t be able to get anyone to work there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-everybody-became-like-you/520848.md?page=3)