# If you had no choice.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614 "2004-07-11T22:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/1 "2004-07-11T22:21:47Z")
If you had no choice what would you rather be, paraplegic or blind? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/2 "2004-07-11T22:24:42Z")
If I had no choice, I couldn’t very well choose between the two, now could I? ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/3 "2004-07-12T00:53:00Z")
Blind, without question. I’m a musician, by trade and by vocation. I’m quite sure that while i would require consider time and effort to adapt to my new situation, I’d at least be able to do what I love, even if no longer professionally. Hell, it never stopped Ray Charles or Stevie! ---
**Author:** ![Brandus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/4 "2004-07-12T01:12:53Z")
Blind, absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Astacey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@Astacey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astacey)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/5 "2004-07-12T01:13:57Z")
No doubt about it, either one would be a difficult adjustment but I would have to chose to be blind. Why do you ask such a thing? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/6 "2004-07-12T01:15:00Z")
Blind, no question. Give up my eyesight to maintain the control of my lower body? Maintain the ability to have sex, be continent of bowel and bladder, walk, hike, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/7 "2004-07-12T01:19:28Z")
This is more of a poll, so it would be better suited to IMHO. I’ll move it over for you, **nonpolar**. TVeblen, Pit/IMHO mod ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/8 "2004-07-12T01:22:48Z")
Paraplegic. (assuming that means loss of control of the lower half of the body) I am having trouble understanding how people would rather be blind as surely being able to see the world form a wheelchair is preferable to not being able to see it with functional legs. I may be biassed as a person who loves beautiful scenery and general imagery. ---
**Author:** ![arjee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@arjee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arjee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/9 "2004-07-12T01:23:17Z")
I’m leaning strongly towards saying paraplegic. I’m a kinda sit-back-and-watch-the-world kinda person. To never again see my kids’ eyes light up at something really doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not significantly physically active. Despite the incontinence, I think I’d adjust better to being a paraplegic than to being blind. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/10 "2004-07-12T01:33:46Z")
I would definitely have to pick paraplegia. I am a very visually-oriented person and it would devastate me to no longer be able to see the world around me. I love being able to read, to take in beautiful scenery, to look at garden flowers, to see people’s faces…so many other things that I probably take for granted. I suppose I would adapt to blindness if I had to, but it would be extremely hard and frightening. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/11 "2004-07-12T01:53:52Z")
Paraplegic, I could still do all my favorite pass times and my job, not so if blind. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/12 "2004-07-12T02:47:45Z")
My boyfriend, who actually was blind for a time due to some sort of interesting neurological problem, says he’d go with blindness. Me, I dunno. If it was just my legs, I’d go with the paraplegia. But I’m pretty attached to having feeling and function in my groinal area, and I think the loss of that AND the ability to walk would be worse than blindness. I’d just have to find a text-to-speech program that can pronounce things like “for (int i = 0; i \< items.getSize(); i++){” in an intelligible way. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/13 "2004-07-12T04:21:29Z")
Well, the way my back has been deteriorating, if it keep up at this rate it _will_ be paraplegia in about 15 years…would prefer not to lose my vision as well :rolleyes: Though I was supposed to be dead, so I can’t complain ☹ Well, I can complain, but it wouldnt do much 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/14 "2004-07-12T07:07:14Z")
If paraplegia meant the loss of the use of my legs, I could deal with that. I’m very visually oriented and would hate to lose my eyesight. I enjoy crocheting and other handicrafts, I love to read and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t still marvel at the flight of birds. I’ve always been a bit gimpy and, as a kid, even spent three or four months in a cast that went from my waist down both legs right to my toes. If I could not walk or run for that long as a kid, I can do it for even longer in my sedate and more patient middle years. ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/15 "2004-07-12T21:41:58Z")
> [@Astacey](#): > > No doubt about it, either one would be a difficult adjustment but I would have to chose to be blind. Why do you ask such a thing? Why I ask? well I have seen during Canadian federal elections two weeks ago guy who was paraplegic and he still led productive political life and was chosen to the parlament(he was from manitoba or saskatchewan).His head looked kind of funny/scary more like pumpkin or tomato -so I don’t think he ever be prime minister.And then also two weeks ago when waiting for bus I meet blind woman with beautyfull black ladrador guide dog,and that got me thinking I would go for paraplegic.Seeing is believing. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/16 "2004-07-12T22:51:42Z")
Definitely parapalegic–You still get to drive AND you get better parking spaces! Inigo needs to see. ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/17 "2004-07-12T23:02:23Z")
Most definitely blind. I need my sense of touch all over my body. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/18 "2004-07-13T00:18:13Z")
I do find them very equal in there badness. If being paraplegic also involves long term pain then I would probably prefer blindness (assuming it was painless) but without pain I would prefer (if prefer is the right word) being paraplegic. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/19 "2004-07-13T00:30:53Z")
Paraplegic. I also am very visually oriented. I’m not a physically active person so my sight (reading, computer stuff, etc.) is much more important to me than being able to walk. Of course, I’d rather be neither blind nor paraplegic, but I think blindness would take away more of the things I enjoy than losing mobility. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614/20 "2004-07-13T00:43:12Z")
> [@](#): > > If being paraplegic also involves long term pain … Then I get my medicinal marijuana license and chi-i-i-i-ill… I’m a visual artist. I’d need my eyes. Legs, not so much. And I wasn’t joking about the license… 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-no-choice/254614.md?page=2)