# Stupid decisions made by a character in a book or movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794 "2008-09-09T16:16:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/61 "2008-09-11T13:22:24Z")
Every hero in every action movie who had the villain at his mercy, then turned away saying “you’re not worth it” or something similar instead of killing him. The villain, of course, makes one last failed attempt to kill the hero at that point. Just once, _just once_, I’d like to see the hero catch a bullet in the back of the skull for doing that and the villain go on to triumph. Sometimes stupid should be lethal. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/62 "2008-09-11T13:26:41Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > But it would have; Adrian alive can do yet more damage in the service of his scheme. If Manhattan cared enough to kill Rorschach, he should have killed Adrian too. I always read it as an undercurrent of Manhattan believing that Veidt had done the “right” thing. To everyone else it was monstrous, but to Veidt (a man so smart he has lost his humanity) and Manhattan (who wasn’t really human), it was the only way to save humanity. It is the rest of us who are meant to sit back and think that if this is the only way of saving humanity, it shouldn’t be saved at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/63 "2008-09-11T13:43:36Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Every hero in every action movie who had the villain at his mercy, then turned away saying “you’re not worth it” or something similar instead of killing him. The villain, of course, makes one last failed attempt to kill the hero at that point. Just once, _just once_, I’d like to see the hero catch a bullet in the back of the skull for doing that and the villain go on to triumph. Sometimes stupid should be lethal. Or better yet have the hero say “You’re not worth it…but fuck it.” and blow the villain away. Whehter you’re a fan of 24 or not, the episode where Jack kills Nina in cold blood while she’s mortally wounded and helpless is probably what most of us would do if given the chance to the person that \*murdered your wife and has been a constant source of threat and danger since then. \* ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/64 "2008-09-11T13:44:46Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Was that after someone else had already been taken by the Alien, while looking for said cat? Yep. The stupid maintenance guy. Seriously, now would anyone here, in that position go looking for the cat? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/65 "2008-09-11T14:01:12Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > Yep. The stupid maintenance guy. Seriously, now would anyone here, in that position go looking for the cat? Harry Dean Stanton wasn’t looking for the cat - he was, along with everyone else, looking for the cat-sized alien that had recently popped out of John Hurt’s chest. In a standard horror movie cliche, he was scared by the cat jumping out at him, and then decided it might be a good idea to catch and cage the cat so there aren’t two cat-sized things wandering around the ship. **Then** he got eaten by the much larger than expected alien. Sigourney Weaver going back for the cat was stupid though. > [@Pushkin](#): > > Makes me wonder all of a sudden, Doctor Manhatten zapped Rorschach, knowing (he must have, given his nature) how the future would work out. So does that mean nothing comes of Rorschach’s diary in that nut job paper? I always thought that even if they published the diary - who would believe them? A crackpot newspaper that no doubt has been railing against the USA-Soviet alliance nonstop suddenly claims they’ve got a diary from a hated costumed adventurer who hasn’t been seen in 6 months which proves that Veidt was behind it all - who is going to believe them? Especially if Adrian’s still around to deny, disprove, & spin as necessary? ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/66 "2008-09-11T14:13:19Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Harry Dean Stanton wasn’t looking for the cat - he was, along with everyone else, looking for the cat-sized alien that had recently popped out of John Hurt’s chest. In a standard horror movie cliche, he was scared by the cat jumping out at him, and then decided it might be a good idea to catch and cage the cat so there aren’t two cat-sized things wandering around the ship. **Then** he got eaten by the much larger than expected alien. Sigourney Weaver going back for the cat was stupid though. > > I always thought that even if they published the diary - who would believe them? A crackpot newspaper that no doubt has been railing against the USA-Soviet alliance nonstop suddenly claims they’ve got a diary from a hated costumed adventurer who hasn’t been seen in 6 months which proves that Veidt was behind it all - who is going to believe them? Especially if Adrian’s still around to deny, disprove, & spin as necessary? No…its been awhile but if I recall they were looking for the alien with the motion detectors and found the cat. It ran off and they all got mad at HDS because he let the cat go and they might pick it up again on the detector. So he was actually looking for the cat when he got ate. But I see your point, he was originally looking for the small alien. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/67 "2008-09-11T14:29:50Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > No…its been awhile but if I recall they were looking for the alien with the motion detectors and found the cat. It ran off and they all got mad at HDS because he let the cat go and they might pick it up again on the detector. So he was actually looking for the cat when he got ate. > > But I see your point, he was originally looking for the small alien. I think we’re agreeing here. He was looking for the cat, but it wasn’t in a stupid “Oh dear, I cannot possibly leave the cat behind to save my own life after I’ve watched all my coworkers be brutally killed”, it was “Damn, that cat is tripping the motion detectors as well, and we know it’s in this room, better go get it so it doesn’t keep screwing up our search for the small alien that killed JH, and which we can’t possibly let have the run of the ship while we’re all in hibernation, but is probably too small to kill a prepared, adult human.” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/68 "2008-09-11T15:53:16Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I think we’re agreeing here. He was looking for the cat, but it wasn’t in a stupid “Oh dear, I cannot possibly leave the cat behind to save my own life after I’ve watched all my coworkers be brutally killed”, it was “Damn, that cat is tripping the motion detectors as well, and we know it’s in this room, better go get it so it doesn’t keep screwing up our search for the small alien that killed JH, and which we can’t possibly let have the run of the ship while we’re all in hibernation, but is probably too small to kill a prepared, adult human.” Well, here’s an outside, non-canonical source of information: way back when, there was an **Alien** game released on the Commodore 64 (and other platforms, I’m sure). In the context of the game, it was possible to set the self-destruct and escape in the _Narcissus_ escape shuttle with no more than three crew members. However, the shuttle would not launch if the ship detected any living thing remaining on the _Nostromo_. That included the cat. So, if you wanted to keep the alien from getting to Earth, you had to capture Jones the cat and stuff him in a carrier before you could escape. The alien’s biology was sufficiently bizarre that the computer didn’t recognize it as a living thing. This might explain, at least, why Ripley took the cat with her. Also, the cat was a far better alien detector than the motion detectors were, so it was handy to have him around. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/69 "2008-09-11T17:19:01Z")
My favorite: Poltergeist. The family has just saved the daughter from the demon inside the TV - you know, the whole pulling the rope through the ceiling thing. They’ve decided to move out of the house IMMEDIATELY. But… not before Dad goes out somewhere, Mom puts the two kids to bed **in the same room where the daughter disappeared once before** , and then goes to take a bath to relax. I mean, seriously, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??? ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/70 "2008-09-11T18:11:41Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > Alien…Ripley going back for the cat. > > I mean seriously, I have three cats and I love them all to bits, but in that situation. Dead cat. I can always get another. Are cats almost extinct in the future so this “Jones” is invaluable? I doubt it, else why would it be on mining ship? > > Dangerous, extremely deadly hostil, hard to kill alien life form on the loose, ship about to explode like a supernova, all other crewmembers killed in a gorey grisly painful way and she goes looking for the cat. Idiot. At the time everyone else was dead and the ship was in self-destruct mode, she didn’t go back looking for the cat. She had dropped the cat’s carrier in the hall when she noticed the alien was between her and the shuttle. With her only exit cut off, she attempted to halt the self-destruct, but failed. So, she had to chance the shuttle anyway. By the time she got back to where she had dropped the cat, the alien was gone (having already climbed aboard the shuttle), and she continued to the shuttle. She was, however, surprised that the cat hadn’t been eaten. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/71 "2008-09-11T18:13:10Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > But… not before Dad goes out somewhere, Mom puts the two kids to bed **in the same room where the daughter disappeared once before** , and then goes to take a bath to relax. You forgot to mention that she lights up a doobie to boot. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/72 "2008-09-11T20:18:07Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > “Before I kill you, Mister Bond…” How many times must I tell you not to mock the way of the villain? It’s a lifestyle choice, Mephistopheles-damn-it! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/73 "2008-09-11T20:21:29Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > In all fairness, how is she going to convince anyone? “I know Susie Salmon’s murderer!” “What? You do? How?” “I _am_ Susie Salmon! I’m her spirit living up in heaven, I just took over Ruth’s body temporarily!” “…” > > As for boinking angel guys, I think it was implied that Susie had a crush on that boy (I can’t remember his name) specifically. But yeah, the fact that Ruth doesn’t know about the sex _is_ pretty creepy–a weird little parallel to Susie’s assault in the beginning of the book, if you think about it. I read the text quite differently. Ruth knows, or believes, that Suzie’s ego still exists in some fashion and is with her. She asks Suzie if she wants anything, and very quickly Suzie gains temporary possession of her body; Ruth clearly gave Suzie permission to do what she did. Moreover, Ruth is clearly the means by which Suzie’s story comes to Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/74 "2008-09-11T20:23:33Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > My favorite: Poltergeist. > > The family has just saved the daughter from the demon inside the TV - you know, the whole pulling the rope through the ceiling thing. > > They’ve decided to move out of the house IMMEDIATELY. > > But… not before Dad goes out somewhere, Mom puts the two kids to bed **in the same room where the daughter disappeared once before** , and then goes to take a bath to relax. > > I mean, seriously, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??? This has got to be the winner. Or at least high up in the list somewhere. Smart move - leave house instantly. Leave stuff behind, just get the hell out. Dumb move - Get high and take a nice hot bubble bath first. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/75 "2008-09-11T21:02:09Z")
> [@Darwins\_Finch](#): > > At the time everyone else was dead and the ship was in self-destruct mode, she didn’t go back looking for the cat. She had dropped the cat’s carrier in the hall when she noticed the alien was between her and the shuttle. With her only exit cut off, she attempted to halt the self-destruct, but failed. So, she had to chance the shuttle anyway. By the time she got back to where she had dropped the cat, the alien was gone (having already climbed aboard the shuttle), and she continued to the shuttle. > > She was, however, surprised that the cat hadn’t been eaten. I’ll have to watch it again. Obviously I’ve gotten the events wrong. But I can say that Aliens…the sequel…I never would have gone back for that damned kid. Nuke the site from orbit. Too bad kid. Even my girlfriend at the time, who was a kindergarten teacher for Christs sake, said “Oh, hell no…Newt’s gone.” ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/76 "2008-09-11T21:09:20Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > This has got to be the winner. Or at least high up in the list somewhere. > > Smart move - leave house instantly. Leave stuff behind, just get the hell out. > > Dumb move - Get high and take a nice hot bubble bath first. Yeah…my cousin and I shared a house for awhile and had a debate on what to do if it were haunted. My answer was always: If its a benign ghost…you know, making a room smell like roses, maybe opening a door every so often or the sound of footsteps upstairs at night…i might…MIGHT…be able to live with it… If its a scary ghost…like appearing headless with bloody scars, saying “GET OUT”, making the walls drip blood…or kidnapping my fucking children into a TV set…funk dat! (assuming I get my child back) I can always get new stuff. I’d leave so fast the time space continuum would rupture…and really…I can have more kids. (see my take on Newt from Aliens above) I don’t have children, so please take it with a grain of salt ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/77 "2008-09-11T23:00:15Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Harry Dean Stanton wasn’t looking for the cat - he was, along with everyone else, looking for the cat-sized alien that had recently popped out of John Hurt’s chest. In a standard horror movie cliche, he was scared by the cat jumping out at him, and then decided it might be a good idea to catch and cage the cat so there aren’t two cat-sized things wandering around the ship. **Then** he got eaten by the much larger than expected alien. Sigourney Weaver going back for the cat was stupid though. The real stupid part is that he assumes that, just because he was scared by the cat, the alien was no longer likely to attack. No matter what you thought the alien was, you knew it was dangerous and it’s stupid to let down your guard. And going to get the cat when trying to escape the ship is stupid on all sorts of levels (like everything else in the film). ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/78 "2008-09-12T02:08:22Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > In all fairness, how is she going to convince anyone? “I know Susie Salmon’s murderer!” “What? You do? How?” “I _am_ Susie Salmon! I’m her spirit living up in heaven, I just took over Ruth’s body temporarily!” “…” Ah, but the thing is, she didn’t NEED to convince anyone that she knew who Susie’s killer was. The actual killer had been under suspicion already and skipped town just ahead of being taken in for more thorough questioning by the police. In the years since that time the detective on the case had obtained some suggestive (albeit mostly circumstantial) evidence that this guy was guilty not only of Susie’s murder, but several others. And Susie knew all this because she’d been watching everything from heaven! She didn’t need to do anything more than pick up the phone, call the police, and say “Hi, this is Ruth, I just saw that weird guy who was suspected of killing Susie, let me tell you where he is.” Then she could have had sexy time with Ray if she really wanted to, although I’d still have found it very creepy. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I read the text quite differently. Ruth knows, or believes, that Suzie’s ego still exists in some fashion and is with her. She asks Suzie if she wants anything, and very quickly Suzie gains temporary possession of her body; Ruth clearly gave Suzie permission to do what she did. This was perhaps the author’s intent, I don’t know, but I do know that _I_ sure wouldn’t intend “Do you want anything?” to mean “Please feel free to have sex with my body while I’m unconscious.” I can believe Ruth would willingly allow Susie to take possession of her body, but there’s no indication that she understood what Susie had in mind. Heck, the book up to that point gave no indication that Susie would choose sex over trying to help capture her killer or contacting her family, so I don’t see how Ruth could have guessed. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/79 "2008-09-15T19:06:39Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > What exactly does “indirectly involved with her rape” mean? And does the character in question actually cohabit with the direct,physical rapist? I means he told her attackers she’d be home alone because he’d be away on errands at the time. Cohabiting on the same farm with the mentally challenged man that raped her. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794/80 "2008-09-15T20:29:19Z")
Pretty much everyone in **House of Sand and Fog** made the dumbest decisions possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-decisions-made-by-a-character-in-a-book-or-movie/462794.md?page=5)