# Which of these rewards for heroism would you prefer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448 "2014-09-24T17:24:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/21 "2014-09-24T19:41:48Z")
If she’s that damn petty after I saved her life then she can keep her money and offers. ---
**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 24, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/22 "2014-09-24T19:46:32Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > If she’s that damn petty after I saved her life then she can keep her money and offers. How is offering you a minimum of $50,000 petty? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/23 "2014-09-24T19:49:27Z")
Option #4 would probably be the most fun, and if I were single, I might just take it to pursue an MFA in acting somewhere. However, I’m not single, and I can’t put a fun time pursuing an improbable dream ahead of the financial security possible through option #3. Double the salary of a corporate General Counsel for at least two years would really help position us for retirement, so that’s my choice. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/24 "2014-09-24T19:49:42Z")
#3 would be perfect for me. If she can wait another 5 weeks for me to retire from here (I’d be a dog to run out on them before I said I would) then I’m in for working another 2 years at an excellent salary. Especially if I can work from home. I wouldn’t be able to stand #2. Except for the requirements for sending links to the boss, this is what I’m doing about 1/2 the time now. Just sitting around thinking of new ways to amuse myself, between bouts of trying to pass on my expertise to anyone who will listen, and doing the occasional other useful thing. My second choice would be #1. At 65 I don’t think #4 is practical, and although learning new things is always interesting, I don’t think I would have the discipline to get through another 4 years of college. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/25 "2014-09-24T19:51:00Z")
4! I don’t make much more than that working full-time now. And I’d love to get a degree plus some guaranteed work experience in any field of my choosing. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/26 "2014-09-24T19:51:13Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How is offering you a minimum of $50,000 petty? She’s a multi-billionaire, she doesn’t need to play games with someone who saved her life, which is what putting those terms and restrictions on the options are. Granted a one-off payment of $50’000 is fairly straightforward but if she offered me that as part of all the other options I still wouldn’t take it, I can survive without it and I didn’t do my downright heroic and no-doubt incredibly impressive and selfless act for monetary gain in the first place. ---
**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 24, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/27 "2014-09-24T19:56:35Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > She’s a multi-billionaire, she doesn’t need to play games with someone who saved her life, which is what putting those terms and restrictions on the options are. Granted a one-off payment of $50’000 is fairly straightforward but if she offered me that as part of all the other options I still wouldn’t take it, I can survive without it and I didn’t do my downright heroic and no-doubt incredibly impressive and selfless act for monetary gain in the first place. The OP says naught about heroism; nor does it say she’s MULTI-billionaire. 🆒 It’s reasonable to think that she was choking on a McNugget and you performed the Heimlich. Nice of you, yes, and valuable to her, but do you think she should give you millions for it? But yes, she doesn’t NEED to play games; she WANTS to play games. If you don’t want to, why not simply take the fifty grand? > [@Rachellelogram](#): > > 4! I don’t make much more than that working full-time now. And I’d love to get a degree plus some guaranteed work experience in any field of my choosing. I keep telling you that you can get a job at Rhymer Enterprises paying a cool half-million a month if you’d just get over your whole “But Skaldie, murder is WWWWRRRROOOONNNGGGGG” thing. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/28 "2014-09-24T19:58:27Z")
Pssst… “heroism” is in the title. Oh, hey, what’s that knocking on my door? Arrrrrrrrgh-----! ---
**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 24, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/29 "2014-09-24T20:03:38Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Pssst… “heroism” is in the title. > > Oh, hey, what’s that knocking on my door? Arrrrrrrrgh-----! Don’t bother me with facts. I can’t punish you directly on account of your lack of a penis, but that doesn’t mean I can’t drop Taye Diggs into a live volcano. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/30 "2014-09-24T20:16:50Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The OP says naught about heroism; nor does it say she’s MULTI-billionaire. 🆒 It’s reasonable to think that she was choking on a McNugget and you performed the Heimlich. Nice of you, yes, and valuable to her, but do you think she should give you millions for it? > > But yes, she doesn’t NEED to play games; she WANTS to play games. If you don’t want to, why not simply take the fifty grand? > > I keep telling you that you can get a job at Rhymer Enterprises paying a cool half-million a month if you’d just get over your whole “But Skaldie, murder is WWWWRRRROOOONNNGGGGG” thing. Well WhyNot points out why the OP kind of threw me then 😉 Though granted it doesn’t say she’s a _multi_-billionaire, still a common or garden variety billionaire is enough, she obviously doesn’t value her own life or more likely your efforts at saving her very much if she’s only willing to give you $50’000, that’s like me giving someone a fiver for the same thing. Granted she doesn’t have to give _anything_, but its still cheap, in addition she sounds like someone who would expect you to be beholden to her for her largesse, I don’t want to be caught up in the shenanigans of someone like that. And lest people think I’m a money-hound I’d be quite satisfied with a genuine and heart-felt ‘Thank you’ with no monetary reward at all, but all that other stuff? Aaggghhh I don’t even know quite why it rubs me the wrong way, but it does. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/31 "2014-09-24T20:27:11Z")
#3 since I wouldn’t have to go into the office. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/32 "2014-09-24T20:37:09Z")
At my age, I’ll take the cash. I thought about #4 (the scholarship), to finally get a degree in architecture, but I can no longer do a lot of math, so I’d be totally lost in a class like calculus. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/33 "2014-09-24T20:45:22Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > By generous benefits I was referring to medical, dental, and vision insurance. And really. how much vacation do you need from job whose duties could be satisfied by surfing the Dope, Facebook, and Twitter for a couple hours a day? > > Anyway, the point of the six and a half hour workday was to emphasize that you have to be in the office that long each day. So the billionaire won’t care if you write a novel during that time, or play video games, or sleep (as long as she gets her six links), but you won’t be allowed to do charity work that takes out away from the office during her time. I’d need vacation time for frequent travel, of course. Hard to do a Norway jaunt over a weekend. And there’s lots of volunteer jobs that can be performed anywhere, including, in this situation, at my workplace. [See?](http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/virtual) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/34 "2014-09-24T20:47:58Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > It’s reasonable to think that she was choking on a McNugget and you performed the Heimlich. Nice of you, yes, and valuable to her, but do you think she should give you millions for it? Did I save her life and otherwise she would have died? Could I have stood by and laughed maniacally instead (assuming I have some animus against billionaires)? If I were her I might be more grateful than $50 grand. I mean, it’s not to sneeze at, but it’s not really life changing either. ---
**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 24, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/35 "2014-09-24T20:50:19Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > I’d need vacation time for frequent travel, of course. Hard to do a Norway jaunt over a weekend. > > And there’s lots of volunteer jobs that can be performed anywhere, including, in this situation, at my workplace. [See?](http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/virtual) I’m not gonna bother clicking the link; I believe you. And, anyway, the billionaire won’t care as long as she gets her six links. You can accomplish that in an hour in MSPIMS and the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/36 "2014-09-24T21:09:56Z")
#2. In fact, I want #2 so much that I feel like finding an eccentric billionaire to follow around in the hope that I can save her life and receive #2 as my reward. It’s pretty much a 50% raise to do all the fun stuff I do now, minus all the annoyances of my actual job. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/37 "2014-09-24T21:28:47Z")
Possibly number 4, assuming that by university of choice, I could just, y’know, choose to get into Harvard. Number 2 also sounds good, seeing as finding funny links is what I do already for free. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/38 "2014-09-24T21:30:20Z")
#3 for me, it would be the most rewarding financially and I wouldn’t have to be in an office. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/39 "2014-09-24T21:38:10Z")
ummm. Presuming that the billionairess does this frequently, and finds herself making the offer several times per year, after I collect my own option 1, can I also have **Disposable Hero** ’s? I won’t make any assumptions about the size of his annual salary; I’ll just accept the extra $50K and smile ingratiatingly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448/40 "2014-09-24T21:48:33Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > #3 since I wouldn’t have to go into the office. From the OP: “you’re guaranteed to keep the job for at least two years, but you’ll have to actually work…” This is just doing your regular job at double pay, you could do a half-assed job and not get fired but if you’re just a plain-old no show then the deal’s off. As for whether I’m from an alternate reality, does President Obama have a beard on your Earth? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-rewards-for-heroism-would-you-prefer/699448.md?page=3)