# Would You Take Revenge? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422 "2018-01-25T01:30:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/21 "2018-01-25T14:31:54Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The best revenge is living well. The best revenge is forgiveness and compassion. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/22 "2018-01-25T14:57:34Z")
Probably not. I’m kind of tired. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/23 "2018-01-25T16:40:40Z")
There’s a whole lot of room in “revenge” between writing a bad online review and homicide. I tend to lean toward the former. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/24 "2018-01-25T17:06:11Z")
Well, it would depend on the details, but if I had a need for revenge for something serious enough that I’d bother with it then yes…doesn’t matter if only I know about it in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/25 "2018-01-25T17:12:30Z")
Does magic retrospective revenge count? Can I go back in time and cheat on then girlfriend with the girl who was throwing herself at me because said girlfriend would eventually cheat on me? I can’t really get revenge on that now (frankly it was the catalyst that kinda-sorta ruined her life, but I digress) but if I could somehow do it back then it would satisfy my revenge now, even though at the time it wouldn’t have been revenge. If not…nah…I don’t have the energy. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/26 "2018-01-25T17:12:36Z")
The cost of revenge is usually too high. If I’ve reached the point of exacting revenge, I’ll probably got nothing left to lose. But revenge, as others have noted, is not the same as seeking justice or preventing further harm. Those are worthy pursuits in themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/27 "2018-01-25T17:39:48Z")
I just work for Vizzini to pay the bills. There’s not a lot of money in revenge. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/28 "2018-01-25T17:43:01Z")
Revenge is Justice’s immature and lazy brother. It is for petty children. So, no. I don’t believe wantonly increasing the world’s net misery is ever a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/29 "2018-01-25T17:46:54Z")
I did, and ended up going to prison over it. With decades of hindsight, it wasn’t worth it in the long run. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/30 "2018-01-25T17:51:27Z")
I don’t believe in direct revenge. The legal system will handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/31 "2018-01-25T18:15:27Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > After being hit by a drunk driver, we started a multi-year legal process eventually resulting in his wife leaving him, his landlord evicting him, and him losing his job. According to my lawyers, his last known location was a homeless camp under one of the city’s bridges. And later that week I got the immense pleasure of sitting by my fire, watching the sleet and snow come down, and knowing the subhuman guttermuck that tried to kill my family was shivering (and hopefully dying) outside while I sipped expensive whiskey. Dude, this makes you sound kind of like a fucked up person. I’m assuming this was just a DUI thing, where nobody actually died and nobody was actually charged with attempted murder, right? Someone just got drunk, drove, and caused an accident because they were stupid. And you hope they die of exposure for that? And that’s not even revenge–unless you’re going to take credit for his life falling apart. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/32 "2018-01-25T20:25:52Z")
revenge for what? for cutting in the line ahead of me at the moves? Not at all. murdering my kids? well, that one would be harder. Revenge never solves anything and all that but in some circumstances it may be for the best… ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/33 "2018-01-25T21:44:54Z")
Ya, I’d burn down their house and shit on the ashes. In the real world, I’m just enjoying that my success must be killing them. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/34 "2018-01-25T21:47:45Z")
I didn’t even bother answering the absurdly non-specific poll. In most situations it would be absurd to seek revenge. But if you cut ahead of me in line I will cut _you_. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/35 "2018-01-26T03:06:13Z")
I can’t imagine a scenario where me exacting revenge upon someone, for ANY reason, is going to make me feel better or to help resolve the initial problem. So, I voted No. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/36 "2018-01-26T04:15:14Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Yes I would, and I have when able. Destroying someone’s life or finances after they’ve harmed you, and watching their growing despair is one of the best feelings possible. > > To be clear, this is _only_ for those who’ve actively tried to harm or steal from us. > > After being hit by a drunk driver, we started a multi-year legal process eventually resulting in his wife leaving him, his landlord evicting him, and him losing his job. According to my lawyers, his last known location was a homeless camp under one of the city’s bridges. And later that week I got the immense pleasure of sitting by my fire, watching the sleet and snow come down, and knowing the subhuman guttermuck that tried to kill my family was shivering (and hopefully dying) outside while I sipped expensive whiskey. > > Back in our yondering years, we tended to rent fairly cheap digs at each contracting location. Occasionally this got hilarious when a strutting little Napoleon landlord assumed we were poor like the rest of his renters and he could screw us over (we were 2%-ers at time). > > In one case the pinhead landlord burst into the house while I was gone and my wife was nursing our newborn. When she objected, he declared he could enter anytime, and barged in with a prospective buyer for the house. I’ll skip the details but when it was all over, he lost the house to foreclosure. I wanted to buy it just to put an extra FU on the deal, but my wife talked me out of it. > > In another case, the landlord tried to screw me out of my deposit. This one was too stupid to read their own rental agreement. After facing the lawsuit and discovering just how screwed he was, he actually starting crying. (This was ridiculous accusations of substantial damage to cover the fact he’d spent our deposit – not a minor disagreement over cleaning) > > So the OP; Hell yeah. If someone harms me and I can (legally) get back at them, I’ll spend substantial effort and time to return the favor. And enjoy every minute of it. 🙂 🆒 Dad?😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/37 "2018-01-26T06:02:58Z")
Would do. Have done. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/38 "2018-01-26T06:20:37Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The best revenge is forgiveness and compassion. Oh, _puh-lease._ I’ll tell you who _really_ thinks of forgiveness as the great and high Value, or at least is enamored of the idea that “to forgive is Divine” being widely proclaimed and piously promoted: _ **Guilty people,** _ that’s who. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/39 "2018-01-26T07:26:16Z")
I would not get revenge on a person. I WILL get revenge…on the \*world \*! Ahhhhahahahaha, aaaaaaaaahhahahahhHah…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha _twirls moustache, pets white cat_ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422/40 "2018-01-26T10:05:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I don’t see the point of revenge. Bringing someone to justice, yes. Preventing someone from causing more harm, absolutely. But revenge? That’s just selfishness. Seconded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-take-revenge/807422.md?page=3)