# Would you, for a million dollars.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408 "2000-11-16T03:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/1 "2000-11-16T03:34:53Z")
… be able to kill a total stranger? Someone will provide a weapon, the target is immobile, male, adult. Other than that, no knowledge of who or what he is. It is stipulated that you would get away scot free on this one… Could you, would you? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/2 "2000-11-16T04:37:19Z")
Yes. But only if I get to pick the weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/3 "2000-11-16T04:46:35Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/4 "2000-11-16T05:06:19Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Lexicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ac8455/32.png) [@Lexicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lexicon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/5 "2000-11-16T05:07:09Z")
No. I would like to think I could say yes, but cold-blooded killer I am not. I would start to think about what if he has a wife? Kids? Family? What if he’s the only guy who years from now will donate a kidney or bone marrow to my sister? So I don’t think I could do it. The only circumstances under which I think I would be capable of murder are defense of my home, my loved ones, or myself, war, psychotic episode, or revenge. I think that about sums it up. All that money just isn’t enough for the risks involved. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/6 "2000-11-16T05:13:34Z")
No way ---
**Author:** ![Siddhartha\_Vicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Siddhartha\_Vicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siddhartha_Vicious)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/7 "2000-11-16T05:17:42Z")
Yes, absolutely…oh, wait. I mean no. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/8 "2000-11-16T05:20:17Z")
No. The taking of a human life for money is not something I think I could or would do. I could not play the John Cusak role in the movie Grosse Point Blank. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/9 "2000-11-16T05:33:39Z")
A million bucks? No way. But can we negotiate? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blastfurnace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@blastfurnace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blastfurnace)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/10 "2000-11-16T05:50:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by imthjckaz \* > \*\*I could not play the John Cusak role in the movie Grosse Point Blank. \*\* To be fair, he knew the background on these people. Like he said (paraphrased): “If I show up at your door you probably did something to bring me there.” Of course, you may have pissed off some “bad” people. But good and bad are subjective and arbitrary. I could do that. But to kill someone out and out for no reason besides a million? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/11 "2000-11-16T06:01:59Z")
No. Well, if it were, say, Joseph Mengela. Sure. But even some other “bad” people…and certainly if I didn’t know anything about the person at all. A million dollars doesn’t go very far if you have to spend it all on intoxicants to distract you from your terrible self-loathing. I should know, and I have’t even killed anybody yet. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2000, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/12 "2000-11-16T06:03:52Z")
Could I just **maim** someone for half a million? ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/13 "2000-11-16T06:16:08Z")
I don’t think I could even hurt a stranger’s feelings for a million bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/14 "2000-11-16T06:27:39Z")
Hmmmmmmm, I guess if someone yelled, “HE’S COMING RIGHT FOR US!” I’d have to, I’d be obligated by law . . . right? ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/15 "2000-11-16T08:07:22Z")
Would I fellate a goat for a million bucks? You bet I would! What’s that? Oh. Yeah, I’d also kill a goat for a million. [sub]As long as I didn’t have to kill the guy by hand, I’d probably be able to rationalize and repress what I did. So yep, I’d do it.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/16 "2000-11-16T08:42:03Z")
I’m with **AudreyK** on this one. I couldn’t even hurt his feelings… ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/17 "2000-11-16T09:09:37Z")
This is the scary part: I honestly don’t know. I do not believe in heaven or hell so I don’t believe there would be any eternal punishments for doing it. I do not believe in the sanctity of life. I only believe in the sanctity of MY life. This forces me to respect other peoples lives in the hopes that they will respect mine. However, you have stipulated that there will be no reprisals if I do it. I probably wouldn’t do it, because in reality you can’t guarantee no punishment and because in reality my feelings about life do not 100% conform to my intellectuals reasonings. But this does sound like a good short story. Man offers total stranger the deal outlined in the OP, $1,000,000 and no problem with the law. After much anguish the stranger says yes and kills the victim. Cut to man approaching next stranger. New stranger is offered the deal outlined in the OP. After much anguish he says yes and goes to kill the victim. Story ends with the reader learning that the new victim is the first guy who said yes. Maybe it would have been a good Twilight Zone episode. ---
**Author:** ![Danielinthewolvesden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/18 "2000-11-16T09:18:32Z")
Well, tell me the dude is a drug dealer, or a gangbanger or other scum, and I could muster up the moral justification for it. But, otherwise- no. ---
**Author:** ![JimmyNipples](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@JimmyNipples](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyNipples)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/19 "2000-11-16T13:06:37Z")
No I couldn’t kill for any amount of money. Now, ask me if I’d poke out my eye for 10 million, or have my leg amputated at the knee for 5 million. That, I’d do. Does that say something about me? Obfus…I think that was a Twilight Zone episode. It was a mysterious man with a magic box or something. You could wish for anything, but it would somehow affect the previous user of the box. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408/20 "2000-11-16T13:18:31Z")
Nope… not for any amount of money and not for any reason. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-for-a-million-dollars/41408.md?page=2)