# Would you be sacrifice your own life for a guaranteed Trump loss? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 9, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280 "2019-04-09T14:31:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/1 "2019-04-09T14:31:40Z")
Inspired by [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=873531). I was a bit appalled by the apparent willingness of people to play with millions of people’s lives to get Trump out. This was a devils’s bargain, since we have no ability to induce a major recession ourselves, it’s down to our personal wish. So, let’s make it a bit more personal. My original thought was would you kill yourself, but that’s a bit morbid, so lets say a wizard just zaps you into oblivion so you don’t have to do the deed yourself and boom, Trump loses in 2020, guaranteed. Certainly a massive recession would result in millions of lost jobs and probably several suicides. Some people will go destitute, becoming homeless, drug use to kill the pain, and other suffering and death. Not to mention the financial discomfort of probably most of the country. It seems to me that your measly life is nothing compared to that and as an added bonus, the elimination of your carbon footprint will result in several tons of emissions removed per year. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/2 "2019-04-09T14:43:28Z")
I hesitate because I think he’s going to lose anyway (I know, I’m an optimist) However, if the scenario is he wins and I live or he loses and I die, I would certainly give the matter a lot of thought. Many in our armed services have been willing to give their lives to protect our country, and I would hope I would do the same. Obviously, it’s a big decision, so I’ll sleep on it for a couple of days before I sign. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/3 "2019-04-09T14:57:10Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Inspired by > > I was a bit appalled by the apparent willingness of people to play with millions of people’s lives to get Trump out. You got the responses you did because your question was goofy. You can’t magically guarantee a recession or a good economy, you were basically just asking “do you like Trump y/n”. We know what a Trump presidency leads to, we are living it, we know we don’t want it, your magical alternatives are not real. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/4 "2019-04-09T14:58:42Z")
Guaranteeing that disgrace former president Trump loses the election by itself doesn’t guarantee a significantly better outcome all around. It’s too much of a monkey’s paw to give up my life over. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/5 "2019-04-09T15:02:02Z")
Absolutely not. I despise that Trump is president and what he’s doing to our country, but my life is much more than who is in the White House. I’ve got kids, parents and a wife who all need me around. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/6 "2019-04-09T15:06:53Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/7 "2019-04-09T15:08:51Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > You got the responses you did because your question was goofy. You can’t magically guarantee a recession or a good economy, you were basically just asking “do you like Trump y/n”. We know what a Trump presidency leads to, we are living it, we know we don’t want it, your magical alternatives are not real. FWIW, I didn’t come up with the other poll. I’m just trying to remove the impersonal factor. I also thought it should explicitly state guaranteed Trump loss, so we know for a fact that the negatives of the Trump presidency would be eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/8 "2019-04-09T15:17:06Z")
Isn’t that the classic, “curing the disease by killing the patient”? Once I’m dead, I won’t care what happens on this planet, believe me. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/9 "2019-04-09T15:18:31Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > You got the responses you did because your question was goofy. I started that poll, not him. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/10 "2019-04-09T15:30:26Z")
It would have to be for an absolute good. If you could guarantee me a Democratic house and senate, and single-payor healthcare, and massive climate change legislation including basic research funding for alternative fuels, then I might be willing to go there. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/11 "2019-04-09T15:31:44Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > You got the responses you did because your question was goofy. Goofy? That one was transparently contrived and clumsy. This one is just plain puerile and fatuous. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/12 "2019-04-09T15:35:46Z")
_ **Me:** _ All you have to do is take these pills, and then put this plastic bag over your head and cinch it really tightly around your neck… _ **You:** _ And you’re _sure_ this will make Trump lose? _ **Me:** _ Huh? Oh. Yeah, guaranteed! You’re like, so brave! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/13 "2019-04-09T15:57:27Z")
Just _how_ will the wizard bring about Trump’s loss? Is he magically rigging the ballots, or is he magically educating millions of Americans? Trump himself is in many ways a symptom, not the problem itself: Even after he leaves office, the people who voted for him, and their reasons for doing so, will remain. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/14 "2019-04-09T16:12:54Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Inspired by [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=873531). > > I was a bit appalled by the apparent willingness of people to play with millions of people’s lives to get Trump out. This was a devils’s bargain, since we have no ability to induce a major recession ourselves, it’s down to our personal wish. So, let’s make it a bit more personal. > > My original thought was would you kill yourself, but that’s a bit morbid, so lets say a wizard just zaps you into oblivion so you don’t have to do the deed yourself and boom, Trump loses in 2020, guaranteed. > > Certainly a massive recession would result in millions of lost jobs and probably several suicides. Some people will go destitute, becoming homeless, drug use to kill the pain, and other suffering and death. Not to mention the financial discomfort of probably most of the country. > > It seems to me that your measly life is nothing compared to that and as an added bonus, the elimination of your carbon footprint will result in several tons of emissions removed per year. Whatever. As I’ve said before, call me a single-issue voter, but it’s all about global warming. Not all of the Dem candidates recognize this. Not all of those who recognize this, are willing to admit that the filibuster needs to go in order for us to have a chance to act in time. And of course there’s no guarantee that the Dems will win the Senate, which would make the filibuster moot. So the manner of our win matters. Would I sacrifice my life for an intelligent, comprehensive, WWII-footing-level program to get our country to zero carbon emissions as quickly as possible, where we’d be willing and eager to share any and all of our tech breakthroughs with the rest of the world for free? That would be something I’d have to talk over with my family, of course: I’m not free to make such decisions on my own. But if such a trade were possible, I’d be willing to say goodbye to my wife and son to maximize the chance that my son would spend his life on a reasonably hospitable planet, even if he lives to see the 22nd century. But I would not do that merely for a Trump loss. That guarantees far too little. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/15 "2019-04-09T16:26:49Z")
The question isn’t as binary as the OP hopes. Here’s the real binary choice: 1. If you sacrifice your life Trump is guaranteed to lose. 2. If you choose to live, Trump is guaranteed to win. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/16 "2019-04-09T16:34:46Z")
Unfortunately you have come to a corner of the internet where unsatisfied individuals come to share their revenge fantasies and savior complexes, so your poll is likely to be skewed. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/17 "2019-04-09T16:37:25Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Unfortunately you have come to a corner of the internet where unsatisfied individuals come to share their revenge fantasies and savior complexes, so your poll is likely to be skewed. I’m quite satisfied, thank you very much. But I do love my country, and would therefore be willing to sacrifice a lot to help it get over the current infestation in the White House. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/18 "2019-04-09T16:38:57Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I was a bit appalled by the apparent willingness of people to play with millions of people’s lives to get Trump out. And yet, Trump is working to make millions of Americans’ lives worse. Are you not appalled by that? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/19 "2019-04-09T17:00:38Z")
Who wins? Not just that Trump loses. I have read “The Monkey’s Paw”. I don’t trust wizards. How do I know the election won’t result in somebody worse? And yes, there can be someone worse. What if he loses to Roy Moore? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280/20 "2019-04-09T17:10:19Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Unfortunately you have come to a corner of the internet where unsatisfied individuals come to share their revenge fantasies and savior complexes, so your poll is likely to be skewed. I can only speak for myself, but I’m living the life I’ve always longed for. I’ve got no interest in revenge on anyone, though I’d like to see rich and poor alike receive the same justice. And I’ve long since learned that I can’t save anyone but myself, and if I’m lucky, some of my loved ones. But ever since adopting the Firebug a decade ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about the world he will live in. I’ll be checking out somewhere around mid-century, but he’s \>50 years younger than me (crazy, huh? ;)), so in a hospitable world, he’ll probably be around for a half-century after I pass on. So I think about that half-century that he may see that I surely won’t. It matters to me that our world continue to be a pleasant place to live in during that half-century that I will not see. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-sacrifice-your-own-life-for-a-guaranteed-trump-loss/832280.md?page=2)