# If you could would you dictate how other people live their lives? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120 "2014-01-18T01:17:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/21 "2014-01-19T18:12:43Z")
I can’t even run my own life; I’ll be damned if Ill run yours, Sunshine. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/22 "2014-01-19T18:15:24Z")
Absolutely not. It is the divine right of every living person to choose their own hell. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/23 "2014-01-19T18:19:57Z")
Wasn’t there a whole bunch of folks back in the 1920’s-1940’s who had it their mission to _make_ other people do things _their way_? They get pretty bad press these days, but it doesn’t seem to stop other groups from trying the same approach to controlling their environment. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/24 "2014-01-21T10:09:02Z")
Yes, but only because it is for their own good to iive their lives in the way I dictate. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/25 "2014-01-21T14:12:36Z")
> [@Domesticated\_Primate](#): > > People WILL keep to the right! If they know what’s good fot them. This should be law, or it should be heavily enforced where it already is. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/26 "2014-01-21T15:55:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Wasn’t there a whole bunch of folks back in the 1920’s-1940’s who had it their mission to _make_ other people do things _their way_? No. No, there wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/27 "2014-01-21T16:22:48Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > No. No, there wasn’t. Okay. I heard it through the grapevine anyway. Must have been a joke or something. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/28 "2014-01-21T18:29:35Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I have a little list… Just a little one? Ha, I have a very long one! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/29 "2014-01-21T18:36:43Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I have a little list… You know who ELSE had a little list? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/30 "2014-01-21T20:07:10Z")
Allan Sherman: “Go kiss an analyst, a psychoanalyst. (Go kiss an analyst, Go kiss an analyst; We really must insist That you kiss an analyst.)” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/31 "2014-01-23T15:32:50Z")
Not unless it significantly effects my life … the def of “significantly” relative to their choices is the key thing. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120/32 "2014-01-23T20:58:47Z")
I wouldn’t have any idea where to start. And I wouldn’t want to make the damn effort anyway. Decisions are hard work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-would-you-dictate-how-other-people-live-their-lives/679120.md?page=1)