# You meet/find a real-life genie, what do you ask him? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816 "2016-12-15T22:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/21 "2016-12-18T18:01:27Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Fishhooks and C-4! Which brings to mind the old Farside cartoon ------- [https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/58/6b/d0/586bd0692ef3201c41e8cd1c796d6bdc.jpg](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/58/6b/d0/586bd0692ef3201c41e8cd1c796d6bdc.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/22 "2016-12-18T20:55:55Z")
My question to the Genie: Why do you always give out \*\*\*three \*\*\*wishes? Why not two? Why not four? Why not seven? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/23 "2016-12-18T20:58:01Z")
I’d ask what the djinn wishes for. ETA: [_Djinn, No Chaser_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5d5Gem0ur4). I liked the story better, but I could only find the video. . ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/24 "2016-12-18T21:14:59Z")
Obligatory [Orange Head Joke](http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/the-greatest-anti-joke-ever.452572856/) mention ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/25 "2016-12-18T23:20:54Z")
Are you one of those evil genies that turns my wishes into nightmares? Or are you the good kind where my wishes turn out to be awesome? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/26 "2016-12-18T23:29:50Z")
_How the Fresh Hell_ did you get into that _little lamp?_ . ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/27 "2016-12-18T23:43:25Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’d ask what the djinn wishes for. > > ETA: [_Djinn, No Chaser_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5d5Gem0ur4). I liked the story better, but I could only find the video. Fun Fact: Although that video was from _Tales From The Darkside_, it came from a Harlan Ellison story first published in 1982…in _The Twilight Zone Magazine_. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/28 "2016-12-18T23:52:14Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Fun Fact: Although that video was from _Tales From The Darkside_, it came from a Harlan Ellison story first published in 1982…in _The Twilight Zone Magazine_. Yes. I bought _The Twilight Zone Magazine_ regularly. I read the story. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/29 "2016-12-19T19:47:21Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/30 "2016-12-19T20:19:51Z")
Before I would have come up with some very broad cosmic level wishes that would benefit me and those around me in many different ways, But now I’ve decided that the first wish has got to be to cure my wife of her physical, and emotional ailments. I owe her that much. We’ll deal with the other two wishes later. The problem with my first idea is that it would likely lead to the following scenario. Wish one: I wish I had all knowledge of everything in the entire universe. Wish two: AGGGGHHHH! No its too much I can’t handle it. I wish I forgot everything I learned in the last 5 minutes. Wish three: I’m on my third wish? Huh I wonder what happened to the other two? OK, I wish I had knowledge of everything in the entire universe. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/31 "2016-12-19T20:34:30Z")
I’d be curious about the extent of his powers. Could I wish for the universe to cease existing? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/32 "2016-12-19T20:43:07Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I’d be curious about the extent of his powers. Could I wish for the universe to cease existing? Oh, so you’re one of _those_, are you? No more wishes for you! ---
**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:** [December 19, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/33 "2016-12-19T21:12:56Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Wish one: I wish I had all knowledge of everything in the entire universe. > Wish two: AGGGGHHHH! No its too much I can’t handle it. I wish I forgot everything I learned in the last 5 minutes. > Wish three: I’m on my third wish? Huh I wonder what happened to the other two? OK, I wish I had knowledge of everything in the entire universe. > [@DrForrester](#): > > Obligatory [Orange Head Joke](http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/the-greatest-anti-joke-ever.452572856/) mention OK, I admit it, both of those had me genuinely laughing out loud! > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > If I thought that there was a chance I’d ever actually meet a genie, I’d memorize [this](http://hubbinash.org/comics/comic3/). And this is just genius, I’m going to print it out and carry it around just in case 😉 > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Since he’s obviously been alive for thousands (tens of thousands?) of years, I’d ask him which (if any) religions are factually based. > > then I’d ask how exactly he violates the laws of thermodynamics, and what his power source is. > > Then I’d ask if there were any limitations to his powers. > > Then I’d ask what he would do if he had free will to do whatever he wanted. Those were basically what I would ask him as well. 🙂 > [@Trinopus](#): > > I’d ask if I can swap a wish for, say, twenty yes/no questions. > > Even if “Yes: that’s one” is the answer, cool! 19 yes/no questions from someone who has stood face-to-face with Allah! I actually didn’t know that was part of the genie mythology, interesting. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’d ask what the djinn wishes for. I really like this one, like someone else mentioned I would ask what he would do if I released him from his bondage with the intention of doing so after my wishes (checking of course that taking my wishes first wouldn’t antagonise him!) > [@Grrr](#): > > Are you one of those evil genies that turns my wishes into nightmares? > > Or are you the good kind where my wishes turn out to be awesome? How do you know he would tell you the truth though? If I was feeling brave and assuming making a wish is not in itself a dangerous thing to do my first wish would that the genie would answer any questions I have truthfully before checking whether it would be safe to make any other wishes. > [@marshmallow](#): > > I’d be curious about the extent of his powers. Could I wish for the universe to cease existing? I actually thought about this one, given the generally depicted abilities of genies if they existed we should have some evidence of it just by someone making huge reality changing wishes, perhaps each person making a wish branches off into their own alternate reality where the wish has come true and everyone else carries on in this reality as if nothing has occurred? Thanks for the answers everyone, they were all really interesting reading! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/34 "2016-12-19T21:22:42Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > My question to the Genie: Why do you always give out \*\*\*three \*\*\*wishes? Why not two? Why not four? Why not seven? Well, there was a stoner who found and rubbed a lamp. The genie who appeared offered two wishes, which led to an inordinate number of questions about three versus two, but finally the stoner gave in and made his first wish. “I want o joint of the _finest_ weed. One hit wonder type smoke, and after each hit the joint returns to its original state, so it’ll last forever.” _Poof_ The stoner has a giant spliff in his hand. He lights it and takes a ginormous hit, burning it to the halfway point. He exhales a cloud so thick he cannot see the genie and as he wished, it’s the best weed he’s ever smoked. A breeze blows the cloud of smoke away and the stoner sees the joint is in his hand, whole! The genie asks the stoner for his second wish. Predictably, he replies, “I’ll have another one of these!!” ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/35 "2016-12-19T21:31:41Z")
First question: Is there a trick to your wishes, or are they straightforward. In other words, if I wished to live to the age of 318 in good health, would I be less than I am now or subject to some strange conditions of the wish? I don’t need ‘to the heat death of the Universe’ immortality, but if I could live a couple of hundred years in decent health, I’d be interested. ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/36 "2016-12-19T23:18:52Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > First question: Is there a trick to your wishes, or are they straightforward. In other words, if I wished to live to the age of 318 in good health, would I be less than I am now or subject to some strange conditions of the wish? > > I don’t need ‘to the heat death of the Universe’ immortality, but if I could live a couple of hundred years in decent health, I’d be interested. You might want to see this movie, The Man From Earth. Good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/37 "2016-12-20T00:04:54Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Which brings to mind the old Farside cartoon ------- > > [https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/58/6b/d0/586bd0692ef3201c41e8cd1c796d6bdc.jpg](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/58/6b/d0/586bd0692ef3201c41e8cd1c796d6bdc.jpg) The subject of the thread reminds me of [this](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTU5WDQ1MA==/z/xawAAOSwvFZW7akG/$_1.JPG) _The Far Side_ cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/38 "2016-12-20T04:35:26Z")
If the genie is Barbara Eden, I sure hope I get more than 3 wishes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816/39 "2016-12-20T04:55:11Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > If the genie is Barbara Eden, I sure hope I get more than 3 wishes. Just how many times do you need to see her naked? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-meet-find-a-real-life-genie-what-do-you-ask-him/774816.md?page=1)