# One of these people have to die. Who do you choose? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569 "2014-05-29T16:37:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Weeping\_Wyvern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@Weeping\_Wyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weeping_Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/61 "2014-05-30T12:32:52Z")
I’m not saying I would necessarily have the courage to carry through with it in reality, but I definitely think that the \*right \*choice would be to save all three and let myself perish. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/62 "2014-05-30T13:22:12Z")
The smoker, since s/he is killing her/himself by choice anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/63 "2014-05-30T15:16:22Z")
I choose to strangle the others, leaving plenty of antidote for myself. You know, in case the Evil Genius decides to include a _bonus round_… or two. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/64 "2014-05-30T15:34:25Z")
Save the kid – give at least a chance to get laid before he goes. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/65 "2014-05-30T15:52:33Z")
The fact that it’s an old man, rather than an old woman, tilts me towards picking him. [3/4 of Americans over 90 are women](http://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2011/11/28/life-after-age-90), and the women in that group will continue to outlive the men. (While contemplating a specialized Death Pool list for this year, I looked up the list of supercentenarians - people 110 years or older. They’re almost all women.) The geezer may live another 4-5 years, median. Maybe more, maybe less. A year in the life of a 9 year old, even if it’s not the only year he’s got left, is usually a much bigger deal than 4-5 years in the life of a middle-aged person, let alone a geezer. So I’m offing the geezer. The smoker and I aren’t even under consideration. Smoking certainly reduces both your life expectancy and your quality of life, but that 42 year old smoker will probably live another 30 years, give or take. Ditto 60 year old me, with my father turning 89 next month, and my 87 year old mother. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/66 "2014-05-30T16:14:44Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Save the kid – give at least a chance to get laid before he goes. Well, there’s still time either way, if Smokey or Grampa volunteers (although I’m sure as heck not doing it). ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/67 "2014-05-30T16:24:53Z")
I need more information. Who has the biggest tits? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/68 "2014-05-30T17:09:49Z")
Me. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/69 "2014-05-30T17:25:27Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I need more information. Who has the biggest tits? > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Me. Good to know, but we just mean out of the three people in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/70 "2014-05-30T17:35:07Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Save the kid – give at least a chance to get laid before he goes. At 9 years old? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/71 "2014-05-30T17:40:44Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Good to know, but we just mean out of the three people in the OP. I am “you” when I am reading the scenario, so if I am supposed to take cup size into account, then there is no question that I get one of the antidotes. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/72 "2014-05-30T17:43:05Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Now that I see stepping outside the hypothetical is an option, I immediately do so. Immediate death? I don’t think so: **I’m outside the hypothetical**! You can’t touch me! Then I go around the outside of the hypothetical until I find the mad genius and I poke him through the edges of the hypothetical until he’s dead. Then it’s cotton candy for everyone! Can’t we have chocolate instead? Sugar with a lot of air mixed in wasn’t even very appetizing to me when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/73 "2014-05-30T18:13:00Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Can’t we have chocolate instead? Sugar with a lot of air mixed in wasn’t even very appetizing to me when I was a kid. Don’t fight the hypothetical. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/74 "2014-05-30T18:32:17Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > change my vote to old man from kid… Wow you’d off the kid just because I would have killed the old man? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/75 "2014-05-30T18:36:24Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > At 9 years old? I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that might be a bit strange. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/76 "2014-05-30T18:55:06Z")
As these sorts of things go, considering I have no emotional attachment and playing along, it should be a straight logical return on expected value. That is, not just how much time that person has left but how much they and society as a whole will get out of it. A given person doesn’t have to be the best to survive, just not the least, sort of like not having to be the fastest to outrun a bear, you just have to not be the slowest. As such, considering I’m both a decade younger than the smoker, in very good health, and don’t smoke, it makes no sense to choose myself over him, so I should be safe. Based on some life expectancy tables from 2009, someone who is 89 can expect 4 years and 4 months if male and 5 years 3 months if female. For someone who is 42, it’s 36.40 and 40.35 respectively, so even if that person is a smoker, it’s hard to expect that person wouldn’t likely outlive the 89yo, and exceedingly likely to live more than another year. Obviously, the kid’s life expectancy is limited to less than a year. So, if we go just based on that, the kid is the logical choice. But I don’t think that’s the place to stop, there’s also quality of life and productivity and all of that. A 42yo smoker is likely in an established career of some sort, if that person has kids, then chances are those kids are still at home, and if not, still young and getting started on their own. Even a 42yo smoker probably has less health problems than a kid with cancer or an average 89yo. So, not only does the smoker probably have more years left than the other options, the smoker probably has more left to contribute to society and to family at that age. I have to eliminate the smoker. So, now we’re left comparing likely 4-5 years for the 89yo against 1 year for a 12yo with cancer. I could agree with the idea that each year for someone younger is worth more than for someone older because it’s a larger chunk of that persons life, so they might be an argument in that favor (1/12 \> 5/90). However, with cancer that is aggressive enough to kill the kid in a year, I don’t think we can directly compare the quality of life, chances are that kid may be relatively normal for a while, but the last few months will be miserable. What sort of quality of life does the 89yo have? If they’re in poor health, then it’s all probably comparable again, and the kid wins. If the 89yo is in decent health and more likely to die from something rather sudden, like a fall, an acute illness, or a heart attack, then chances are that 89yo can have a better quality over a larger chuck of his total relative span. Still kind of a wash without more information. So what’s the affect of their deaths on everyone else? Economic impact is pretty much equal, as one is too young and the other is too old, and both probably have ongoing and long term health costs. For the 89yo, even their kids are probably grandparents by now, and while it wouldn’t be welcome, it’s not very heartbreaking for someone of that age to die, since people have had plenty of time to expect it. For the kid, it’s a lot harder of their friends and family, but at the same time, they probably know the prognosis, but also expect to get the next year to grieve. So, I’d say that’s probably the strongest thing in favor of the kid. As such, I think it looks like the kid slightly edges out in terms of relative life expectancy, but not total and also in terms of the impact on friends and loved ones. Quality of life could be a wash. So, it seems to me that the most logical choice is to save the kid and let the 89yo die, though I could change my mind if the 89yo seemed to be in generally good health. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/77 "2014-05-30T19:40:08Z")
Good thing the old man isn’t 68, like me. But the way I see it, the old man will feel like a piece of shit if I pick anyone else. So, just to spare him all that grief, I’d pick him. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/78 "2014-05-30T20:51:13Z")
The cancer kid. Dying from poison is easier than dying from cancer. I’m doing him a favor. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/79 "2014-05-30T23:45:37Z")
I picked the old guy, and after reading all of these very good posts I still pick the 89 year old. He had 9 years times 10, and the 42 year old is probably contributing a lot to society. I’m 40 and (hopefully) will do a lot of good for several decades. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569/80 "2014-05-31T00:35:49Z")
I collect blood from myself, the old man and the 42 year old. If we are assuming the evil genius is an adult he will have enough blood to flush the system of the 9 year old kid with a forced transfusion. That leaves us three adults free to take the antidote and the evil mad genius is full of poison. If that isn’t a deadly enough dose I can infuse him with the blood I collected before we took the cure. Then we’ll see if he has more antidote. How do I do all this? Minions! No one out evil mad geniuses me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-these-people-have-to-die-who-do-you-choose/689569.md?page=5)