# If you had to be executed, how would you like to be put to death? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782 "2018-07-29T22:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/81 "2018-07-30T18:59:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Your OP, sir: > The only ‘no tricks’ thing that I see here is that “[t]here is no trick that gets you out of dying,” which is already true for **all** of us. We’re all gonna take that dirt nap eventually. “The time of your demise is nigh” means you are going to die SOON, not after a long life. It’s the hornets for all cheaters. You chose a legit method so you’re okay (and yes, you get to pick the altitude - but wouldn’t 30,000 feet mean a hell of a lot of discomfort at the start?) I am surprised a little that no one is going for being hit by a train. If you’re literally on the tracks, your death will be extremely quick and painless. It’ll also be a hell of a show. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/82 "2018-07-30T19:23:24Z")
Can they anesthetize me enough to remove whatever transplantable organs they want, then finish me off? If they take all my blood, I can get another gallon pin. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/83 "2018-07-30T19:33:42Z")
Engulf me in liquid nitrogen and keep me there in perpetuity on display as a deterrent to others, I’m defiantly dead. But perhaps someday they can un-thaw me and apply a new form of justice that can rehabilitate me. I think I’d have a slightly better chance than people who waited to be frozen after death. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/84 "2018-07-30T19:47:42Z")
Heroin overdose. Hello darkness my old friend … ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/85 "2018-07-30T19:49:32Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “The time of your demise is nigh” means you are going to die SOON, not after a long life. The heat death of the universe is pretty soon, compared to the rest of eternity. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/86 "2018-07-30T19:56:23Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I am surprised a little that no one is going for being hit by a train. If you’re literally on the tracks, your death will be extremely quick and painless. It’ll also be a hell of a show. There are gore videos online (usually from India) showing people cut in half by trains and still alive. I think the heat and a clean slice can cauterize arteries or something. Then there’s Peng Shulin, although that was a large truck. > **[Half Man-Half Price Store](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/peng-shuilin/)** > > Rumor: Photographs show Peng Shuilin, a Chinese man who lost the lower half of his body in an automobile accident. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/87 "2018-07-30T20:05:57Z")
I think I might choose death by guillotine. Or perhaps lethal overdose of morphine. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/88 "2018-07-30T20:09:30Z")
Plus, it’s super fucked up to involve other people in your suicide–the guy driving the train gets paid, in part, to NOT kill people and imagine how nasty it must look from the front window. Now, diving out of an airplane in a wing suit and swan diving into the Kilauea crater would be pretty amazing–get Red Bull to sponsor it and the money goes to your next of kin. Talk about making a splash! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/89 "2018-07-30T20:15:08Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I didn’t read each and every post; anyone pick death by snu snu yet? 😉 > > (I was just watching that episode earlier today and it brought it to mind) Post #15. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/90 "2018-07-30T20:24:32Z")
I don’t really care about going out like a boss. An injection where I just drifted off to sleep and never woke up seems like the best option. As mentioned above I would worry about inept firing squads, trains that just partially crush you in a glancing blow and so on. I think a guillotine would scare the shit out of me in my final moments. Avoiding discomfort is job #1. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/91 "2018-07-30T20:52:43Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I don’t really care about going out like a boss. An injection where I just drifted off to sleep and never woke up seems like the best option. > > As mentioned above I would worry about inept firing squads, trains that just partially crush you in a glancing blow and so on. I think a guillotine would scare the shit out of me in my final moments. Avoiding discomfort is job #1. Says the guy who brutally killed 17 million people. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/92 "2018-07-30T21:04:42Z")
I choose nitrogen asphyxiation - to be enacted while I’m already asleep, without me being told that it’s going to happen. I want to simply not wake up, without ever having a chance to anticipate it or fear it. Hell, that’d be better than whatever actually _will_ kill me, when it eventually happens. ---
**Author:** ![Majestic\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Majestic\_Lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majestic_Lee)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/93 "2018-07-30T21:57:23Z")
Death by mau mau 😃 ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/94 "2018-07-30T23:22:54Z")
In the cube. [Cube (disambiguation) - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_(film)) I love practical puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/95 "2018-07-30T23:42:48Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well, sure! Reasonable customizations are allowed. > [@Macca26](#): > > The botched execution rate for firing squad is extremely low. I chose firing squad for **Macca26** ’s reasoning. I’ve heard of botched lethal injections, botched hangings, and botched beheadings, but not botched firing squads. If we’re allowed some choice, I’d like to request headshots only, please. I’m sure the generic firing squad would kill me eventually, but if they focused just on shooting me in the head, it’ll be quick too. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/96 "2018-07-30T23:58:09Z")
Bullet to the back of the head, no warning given. One shot and that’s it. Part of the cruelty of the death penalty is that they know it’s coming. They have to wait for it, they have to walk to it, and they have to meekly submit to it. Fuck that. If they want to kill me they’ll take me kicking and fighting. They’ll have to beat me unconscious. They’ll never have the satisfaction of seeing me check out. Of course, I’m saying this like I didn’t do anything to deserve it. If I did I might be more pragmatic about it since, after all, it’s still somewhat more merciful than what I did to my victim. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/97 "2018-07-31T00:19:02Z")
Death by snu snu. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/98 "2018-07-31T01:33:25Z")
I choose watching ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ on repeat. Shouldn’t take too long. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Mnemnosyne](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mnemnosyne/32/3347_2.png) [@Mnemnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnemnosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/99 "2018-07-31T01:41:37Z")
I answered a question much like this before. It’s a little (okay, a lot, in fact, ridiculously so) extravagant, but my answer would definitely be ‘vaporized (or perhaps reduced to constituent atoms, even) by being at the heart of a nuclear explosion that can be seen from the Moon with the naked eye (in a space helmet, you goof, just no magnification aid).’ ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782/100 "2018-07-31T02:18:50Z")
Nitrogen asphyxiation, or nitrous oxide, if available. Preferably without warning. A couple glasses of good wine to go with what may or may not be my last meal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-be-executed-how-would-you-like-to-be-put-to-death/818782.md?page=6)