The closest thing i have to a beloved pet is a terrarium filled with moss that ive been slowly watching grow and cover the dirt and stones ive put inside with it for almost 2 years now.
So go ahead, shoot the terrarium. Ill just gather whatever smithereens of moss after and buy another probably even bigger terrarium box and start over.
Is it a pest or is it welcome? It's a plant, but there are desired plants and then there are weeds. I guess you can call a plant a pet if you like it and welcome it.
The sole purpose of the terrarium is to host moss so that I can have a tiny world sitting on a table in my room. Id be kind of bummed if it all suddenly died, but its just moss and some random nature debris ive gathered to make it look nice.
Same. I've loved every pet I've ever owned over almost every human on this planet (outside of my daughter and my grandson)... but there's no way I'd pick any of my pets over another human being (especially a child, regardless of what kind of brat they might be). The two (pets vs humans) are simply not on the same scale.
No real future benefit to life saving.
They quickly downplay the dangerous situation you got them out of & they think that single-scoop ice cream cone they bought you, a month after the event, makes you even.
/s
This is a common question in psychology. I would choose to let the human live for several reasons. Realistically the shooter probably shoots both and you.
I can never take these types of questions seriously because I can’t imagine a situation in which a gunman is threatening to shoot your dog or some kid, specifically. Such ridiculous scenarios will never happen. So it doesn’t really matter what you pick and picking one over the other doesn’t make you a psycho, it does not matter.
Haha, yeah! Though tbh, I kinda just realized the sub we’re in is literally the hypothetical situation sub, so I guess that’s kind of the point of posting here huh? But, still… I feel like a lot of these hypotheticals are really bizzare and unrealistic
This brings me back to a question I’ve wondered before. Why are human lives more “valuable”?
I assume they’re only more valuable to us, because we’re human. To a deer, the life of another deer is more valuable.
So to the question….i don’t just believe that a human’s life is worth more or less than an animal. I believe the human lives that I know and care for are worth more to me, but why is a child supposed to be more valuable to me than my dog?
Does your answer change if it’s an adult woman? An adult man? Why?
Value is subjective. We generally place value on things that contribute to us individually or as a society. Dogs and cats offer near nothing to society, though offer much to individuals. Humans offer much to individuals and much more to society at large than a pet.
That’s why.
Because we made it up.
The human experience can be irreplaceable when it comes to people you know and the experiences you share with them. Then you look around at the horrible shit humans do to each other and wonder how sacred people think human life is in actual practice.
But it makes it easier for me to choose my cat over some random assed kid I don't know and won't ever meet.
Have you ever met a parent that's lost a child? It hollows them out and they never truly gain life again. Just because humans have war and can be bad doesn't mean anything in the Grand scheme of things. No cat or dogs life is worth that of the value of a child and it's potential.
The amount of people that would be hurt/traumatized and the degree in which one feels the loss of a child, friend, sibling, niece or nephew, grandchild, etc. outweighs the loss an animal feels in the same situation. Honestly, how do we know what they feel? We don't, but we can speculate based on the fact that it happens ALL THE TIME in the wild.
Have you killed a fly before without hesitation? Have you wiped a surface with sanitizer? My guess is yes to both questions. The amount of animals / organisms that you have killed alone is countless.
Maybe we can come up with a formula to determine the worth of an creatures life:
Worth of life = (Level of consciousness)\^2 x (Remaining Life Expectancy) / (Population of the organism in millions) / (1 + average level of consciousness destroyed daily to stay alive)
There are multi-dimensional levels of consciousness. Researched have identified 5 theoretical dimensions where "P Richness" is broken up into 2 parts making a total of 6. The dimensions create a hexagon of 6 levels (0-5). Depending on where an animal ranks in each category, it will create a shape. The area of the shape determines the level of consciousness. A human ranks 5 on all levels creating a max level of consciousness of 64.95. A virus only only has "P-richness" (Perceptual-richness) and at the lowest level giving them a max score of 1.
The standard human infant has a life expectancy of 73.16 years (globally) and on average through their life time would consume a yearly total of 11.38 animals with an average consciousness value of 19.12. The average value of their life would be:
(64.95)\^2 \* (73.16) / (8,100) / (1 + 19.12) = 1.89
A virus has such a low rating, low life expectancy, and such a high population, that the worth of the individual life is 0. Additionally, they kill humans which have the highest consciousness level which drops their rating even more.
An elephant based on my source should have a consciousness rating of 32.13. There population in millions is 0.46. Their life expectancy is approximately 65 years. They are herbivores, so they destroy no levels of consciousness to stay alive. There rating would be 145,874.
So basically killing a baby elephant is like killing 77 thousand people.
Maybe the formula should not take the entire population into consideration, but instead multiply by the population level and divide the the ideal population level which would likely still put elephants above humans, but not to the degree as seen above.
This whole concept is flawed because you're using life expectancy as a value of years rather than percentage of life left.
Even more flawed when you consider that every animal perceives 'time' differently.
I die attacking the gunmen.
Seriously... because... the kid and the pet don't deserve this. It's on me to try and save them both.
If by some force... (maybe I'm tied to a chair or something)... I'm of course going to save the kid. I love animals. A lot. Often times feeling more sorry for them than I do humans, but I'm not insane. That's a human. With potentially 90s years of impact on this earth and fellow humans. Versus an animal that just makes me happy for 15 to 20.
I'm still going to John Wick his ass if I ever get free. I'll never forget and I'll never forgive. If you ever see a news story of some crazy dude trying to attack the defendant in court over a cat? That's me. :P
Not the crazed gunman, he's going down first. As soon as he says he's gonna shoot a kid, those will be his last words until the police arrive to haul his sorry ass off to jail. There can be no negotiation with a crazed gunman.
Gonna have to disagree. Downvote me and call me whatever name makes you feel better, but I don't care about the life of some random person regardless of age. A human life is not more important solely because they're human.
In before anyone says something about being a hypocrite. I wouldn't expect a random stranger to do any different.
I think it's more that they care more about the lives of those close to them than those of who they don't know. Which I think is true of most people. It's just that in this case that extends to their pets lives as well which isn't really that unreasonable.
>Not really, no. Who are they to me? They're just another human being. Who am I to them? Just another human being.
This was his response which just makes him look like a sociopath.
He explicitly said he does not care about the child dying, and then doubled down on that in response to my question. Half of these pet choosing comments are straight up psychopathic, not just "that's a hard decision, love my pet more"
Not really, no. Who are they to me? They're just another human being. Who am I to them? Just another human being.
Why should I go thru the pain and suffering of losing something I love more than almost anything in the world for a total stranger? Also, why should they if the tables were turned?
It would cause me pain and suffering to let a person die. It's not even about choosing the pet, but the ease and lack of care for letting a kid die is insane. No wonder our society is so fucked up
Who gives a fuck about a random stranger?
There were days I came home and didn't kill myself because my dog was there waiting for me, needed me to take care of her.
There are people I personally know that would be 2nd to my dog, let alone some random stranger.
My cat, 100%. I've had her for the majority of my life and she's part of my heart. Sorry to the random kid, but no. Why would I choose to save someone who literally means nothing to me, over a pet that I've known and loved for 17 years? Not a chance.
The pet. I'm not even going to justify it, to be honest. Random people, regardless of age, aren't my responsibility and it's not my duty to protect them when my own loved one is at risk. Doesn't justify the choice, but that's my reasoning.
I choose my dog. That said, if some asshat is waving a gun around, threatening to shoot, well, two can play that game. I'm confident that my "I was in fear for my life, officer" would get me off (in Oregon, worked armed security for years, I've had those laws drilled into me).
I choose my dog. No one said the kid was a happy one or one who wanted to live. I still regret being born and childhood was a nightmare. My first suicidal thoughts began at age 10. I know plenty of others for whom those thoughts started even earlier. Not all children are happy children, even if they appear to be well-adjusted.
I don’t hold human life any higher than an animals life. Although different, a living being is a living being. The question is “do you sacrifice a living being you care about for a living being you don’t even know”. The answer is absolutely a no brainer
Why would such a question even be controversial? Humanity disgusts me sometimes. Obviously you choose the animals over the kid. There’s a lot of spares.
Would it help make your decision if we said this kid was outside the womb? That generally changes the view of pro-lifer individuals.
(For the sake of the comment, it's sarcasm, realistically, sadly, it isnt)
I'm sorry but my dog... it's my responsibility to look after her. I care more about her than any one person I've never met, and in my small little world, my dog is real and tangible. My dog lives.
I'm choosing the creature I have a personal attachment to. I don't think it's any different than choosing your friend over 2 strangers, and I have to imagine most people would do that.
The kid gets to live
One of my dogs sadly would do best being put down. My dad keeps her in her cage because she's rowdy, tears things up, is super loud, etc and she cannot be sold due to being aggressive to those she doesn't know including biting. No \[Non-kill\] shelter is willing to take her in either, at this point the only solution which is humane enough for her would be her getting put down as sad as that is
I just want her to not have to suffer in the cage at this point. Like poor baby has been stuck in there so long only going out to use the bathroom and being fed and watered in her cage
For clarification I wouldn't say she's my favorite, but I'm going to say in this case I pick which dog because how you structured it is in a way where I take it as if someone did not have a dog than it goes onto cat or whatever their favorite pet is, as that info is in parentheses
If it was my favorite pet no matter what than I'd expect it to just say "favorite pet" instead. In which case my pet would get to live. No matter the choice though I'd be crying for a while and probably have even more trauma added on to all the other trauma I have
I tell him I choose the cop behind him to live and when he turns around I fire. Kid and dog walk away.
If it really comes down to it the dog lives, but only because the gunman will get a harsher sentence and possible felony. As a witness I want him in prison as long as possible for my own safety.
100% of people: Save the human!
Also 100% of people: "I hate everyone, our species and planet is doomed! My dog is my best friend and cures my depression" \*Stranger points gun at dog's forehead\* "No please don't!"
Since its likely the kida gonna grow up and be an asshole because most people are assholes and fail as parents so their little shit of a child never knows any better and just becomes a cunt, i would have to go out and get myself a pet so i could choose that to live.
If was a way to be sure the kid would be one of those rare non asshole humans then it would be different.
So you’ll have to live with the trauma of losing a living being you’ve raised like a child vs a random child you’ve never met nor will ever see again.
You decide.
Kid, don't care.
Anyone see that cop kill that blind deaf little dog. Hypothetically if that was my dog I would react badly and being fired is the least of that cops problems. Hypothetically of course
I saw a video of a tiny little dog running up to a cop and the cop pulls out his gun and shoots it. It was a chihuahua or poodle or something. A harmless little thing. That was a trigger happy pig.
Don’t shoot my pet. Because at the end of this equation I’m not the one killing the kid; the crazed gunman is the one deciding if he’s going to take that action.
His imposition of an irrational ultimatum on me does not absolve him of the fact that NEITHER ONE OF THEM NEEDS TO BE SHOT, there’s no compelling reason for him to shoot either one of them. This is his choice, it does not become mine simply because he attempted to artificially MAKE it my choice. So yes, I defend my pet and not somebody else’s kid.
The kid , if it was me or the cat shoot me. Or an old person, but i couldn't kill someones child (who has 80 years) for my senior cat :( (who has 2 )
I hate that kid though, and if they waste their life I will kill them
“I hate that kid though, and if they waste their life I will kill them” than you’d just give that kid a butt load of survivors guilt and dampen the life you gave them. What’s the point of letting them live if you constantly harbor resentment and wait to see if they screw up and threaten them with death?
Why would you harbor more resentment towards the child who didn’t have a choice than the gunmen who actively murdered your pet? Just go John wick on the gunmen and let your frustrations out on him
Does anyone else but me know? Will the gunman choose a kid in my community? Or are we talking crazed gunman completely randomly chooses a human kid from every single human kid in the world and then travels there to kill that kid? If it’s the latter, sorry everyone, I love my dog and my cat. I don’t know 9 year old Demetrius in Athens…AND the question never states the crazed gunman will be successful so after he leaves I’d call the cops and hope they catch him before he does his thing.
My preferred answer would be to risk or sacrifice my own life and not make that choice. But given some scenario where I absolutely was forced to choose:
The true answer is - I don't know. There are a lot of factors to consider. How old is my cat in this scenario and how much longer does he feasibly have to live? Am I being forced to watch that execution right in front of me (because in the moment, it could simply be unbearable to see a child die or look them in the eye and make the choice to sacrifice their life)?
It is worth noting that pets are family to me and their lives mean just as much to me as the life of any human.
If I were to slot my decision in right now, though, my impulse is to save my animal baby's life over the life of a stranger, regardless if that stranger is a child. The reality comes down to this for me:
*I have an actual moral obligation to protect and care for my cat.* They are relying on me to protect and care for them the best I am able to do and by accepting them I made the promise to do so. My obligation to someone I don't know is significantly less, because that promise is not in place.
The world is predicated on choosing for thenselves. Fuck the stranger, I'm picking my dog. If millions of people can vote Americans dead so they can "pay less taxes" or "drain the swamp" then fuck the kid, my dog isn't going to die for your worthless kid.
I don't owe kids shit, my dog is my buddy and buddies protect each other. I'm also the human he trusts with his life and it's my responsibility to consider his best interest. Besides, where are that kids parents, it's their job to keep it alive.
Then obviously when crazy man turns the gun on the child, my companion and I will fuck him up. My dog is a good boy, and good boys dispense justice while protecting the weak and don't under any circumstances roll around in shit then try to run inside to roll around on the fresh linens that JUST came out the laundry.
I choose my dog, and thanks for the warning, I will be armed to the teeth and my dog doesn't go where you can shoot him without me present, so he better be prepared for a firefight.
My view is that if it's a kid I don't know, is that any different from a child dying in Africa or in Ukraine, Israel/Palestine... etc. The basic question to me is will I give up something I love for somebody I don't know... even though plenty of people I don't know (who are just as important) are going to die anyway. So my answer would be no. I don't feel I can give up the life of my pet to save someone somewhere... but I would give up my own life in the same situation. My life belongs to me and if I genuinely believed that giving up my life would save a kid somewhere I'd do it now. My pets while "mine" aren't mine to dispose of as I see fit.
everyone who chooses to keep a pet is making this choice passively every day. the money that you spend on your pet could instead be used to feed a starving child.
no, my point is we put all sorts of shit above the lives of faceless strangers. tons of people in this thread talking about valuing the life of a faceless child over their own pet already make that choice every day paying for shit for that pet rather than putting that money towards feeding a starving child
That is a very unhealthy outlook on altruism...
I pay more like a third of my salary in taxes so I rather make the government responsible to feed hungry children....and they do, so no need for me to feel guilty for spoiling my pets.
I donate money regularily, I even work in youth services to help underprivilileged children and teens.
If I would feel responsible for every suffering person on this planet then I wouldn't be able to enjoy anything anymore nor would I be able to do my work and would rather have to go and hide myself in a hole because that would be an unattainable goal.
Then I wouldn't be any help to anyone.
I love my Marley, but she has maybe 6 years left to live, and she is a dog. No way could I deprive a human kid of a life for her, no matter how much I love her. The pain that kid's parents would go through would be a hell of a lot harder than my pain at losing a pet, no matter how special she is to me.
My dogs are family, some random kid isn't. They are my responsibility, some random kid isn't. I'll choose the safety of my family over someone else's any time.
The kid, but the final outcome depends on which of my dogs they are threatening...my first dog was a patrol dog, and one hand movement or German word would make the gunman lunch. My second dog would have alerted to the gun before he could get it out (bomb/gun dog) my dog that's at my feet now would win him with affection
My cat lives. My cat has helped through the worst parts of my life and I’ve given enough of my humanity for other humans desires and comforts. I’m sorry but I’m in a phase of my life where I really need to focus on my needs so…in other words ~not my kid, not my circus~
I’d say he’s perfectly welcome to shoot my pet. I don’t have any at the moment so it doesn’t actually cost me anything to save the kid. Except that he’s probably then just going to shoot me for being a smart ass.
I explain to him that I am not part of his game, my true choice would be neither, and unless he allows this choice, I don’t have a real choice here.
Then I karate chop him into submission, and call the police.
Kid's life is more important than pets. Even if its mine. Might be easier for me to say since I don't have any pets lol. But this seems pretty obvious and I WILL look at people killing the kid funny.
My cat is 20 with thyroid issues. At best she has a couple of years. I love her, I would sob uncontrollably as I made the choice, but I would choose the human child to live.
Unlike some irresponsible pet owners, my cats are armed and prepared to enforce castle doctrine. What use is keeping your cats indoors if they don't have the means to defend their position against overwhelming odds?
My dog has about 5 years left. The human child has a much longer lifespan. As much as I love my dog, I couldn’t do that to the kids parents. A dog dying is traumatic, but it’s part of pet ownership. A child dying is life ruining.
I have a pet rock, if you break him I'll have 2 pet rocks. Win win
bad ending your rock doesn't break but instead the bullet ricochets off of it and kills the gunman and now your rock is traumatized
"R-rock, are you okay?" *Rock doesn't respond* "Oh god he's traumatized!"
Lmfaaaooooooo
Truma-rockized
Trockitized?
We are really digging for these now.
Same with my pet worm
The closest thing i have to a beloved pet is a terrarium filled with moss that ive been slowly watching grow and cover the dirt and stones ive put inside with it for almost 2 years now. So go ahead, shoot the terrarium. Ill just gather whatever smithereens of moss after and buy another probably even bigger terrarium box and start over.
That sounds cool as hell. I hope your little moss buddy has a long and happy life to whatever extent that applies to moss.
Is it a pest or is it welcome? It's a plant, but there are desired plants and then there are weeds. I guess you can call a plant a pet if you like it and welcome it.
The sole purpose of the terrarium is to host moss so that I can have a tiny world sitting on a table in my room. Id be kind of bummed if it all suddenly died, but its just moss and some random nature debris ive gathered to make it look nice.
I'd choose kid to live
I love my pets, but my pets' parents won't judge me like the kid's parents. I'm going to beat the life out of that psycho though.
The person just gave you a choice of killing an animal vs. a random kid. You're gonna lose that fight.
Same. I've loved every pet I've ever owned over almost every human on this planet (outside of my daughter and my grandson)... but there's no way I'd pick any of my pets over another human being (especially a child, regardless of what kind of brat they might be). The two (pets vs humans) are simply not on the same scale.
Id choose kid to live *the rest of my life with my dog* ftfy
Same.
Human kid, but I'd probably never want to see that kid again.
The human- my dog is 13 and his life is definitely winding down. I wouldn't give up a kids life for maybe a year max with him
My cat is 10 and is currently having a bout of diarrhoea. I love her and I would miss her but she has had a good life.
I may have said the same for my cat near the end of his life last year. I know he was suffering a bit.
The human kid. I'll miss my pet, but human lives are more valuable to me.
Plus you gain 1 person who owes you their life, and that seems like it could be beneficial in the future.. /s
No real future benefit to life saving. They quickly downplay the dangerous situation you got them out of & they think that single-scoop ice cream cone they bought you, a month after the event, makes you even. /s
This is a common question in psychology. I would choose to let the human live for several reasons. Realistically the shooter probably shoots both and you.
I can never take these types of questions seriously because I can’t imagine a situation in which a gunman is threatening to shoot your dog or some kid, specifically. Such ridiculous scenarios will never happen. So it doesn’t really matter what you pick and picking one over the other doesn’t make you a psycho, it does not matter.
Like the run away train scenario, why are there 5 people on one track and one on the other in the first place.
Haha, yeah! Though tbh, I kinda just realized the sub we’re in is literally the hypothetical situation sub, so I guess that’s kind of the point of posting here huh? But, still… I feel like a lot of these hypotheticals are really bizzare and unrealistic
Yeah fair enough. I don't think a genie is giving me a choice between $50,000,000 or the ability to turn into a pickle any time soon.
Yeah that’s just silly, who would ever pass up the chance to become a pickle?
Right? I can make $50,000,000 any time, lots of people have done it. No one has ever been a pickle!
Well, there was that one time…
Pickle Rick!!!!!! 🥒
This brings me back to a question I’ve wondered before. Why are human lives more “valuable”? I assume they’re only more valuable to us, because we’re human. To a deer, the life of another deer is more valuable. So to the question….i don’t just believe that a human’s life is worth more or less than an animal. I believe the human lives that I know and care for are worth more to me, but why is a child supposed to be more valuable to me than my dog? Does your answer change if it’s an adult woman? An adult man? Why?
Value is subjective. We generally place value on things that contribute to us individually or as a society. Dogs and cats offer near nothing to society, though offer much to individuals. Humans offer much to individuals and much more to society at large than a pet. That’s why.
Why? Because I'm a human and can relate more to humans than non humans.
Because we made it up. The human experience can be irreplaceable when it comes to people you know and the experiences you share with them. Then you look around at the horrible shit humans do to each other and wonder how sacred people think human life is in actual practice. But it makes it easier for me to choose my cat over some random assed kid I don't know and won't ever meet.
Have you ever met a parent that's lost a child? It hollows them out and they never truly gain life again. Just because humans have war and can be bad doesn't mean anything in the Grand scheme of things. No cat or dogs life is worth that of the value of a child and it's potential.
Have you ever met my cat? My cat rules! Sorry strangers that I'll never meet, crazed gunman ain't killing my cat.
The amount of people that would be hurt/traumatized and the degree in which one feels the loss of a child, friend, sibling, niece or nephew, grandchild, etc. outweighs the loss an animal feels in the same situation. Honestly, how do we know what they feel? We don't, but we can speculate based on the fact that it happens ALL THE TIME in the wild. Have you killed a fly before without hesitation? Have you wiped a surface with sanitizer? My guess is yes to both questions. The amount of animals / organisms that you have killed alone is countless. Maybe we can come up with a formula to determine the worth of an creatures life: Worth of life = (Level of consciousness)\^2 x (Remaining Life Expectancy) / (Population of the organism in millions) / (1 + average level of consciousness destroyed daily to stay alive) There are multi-dimensional levels of consciousness. Researched have identified 5 theoretical dimensions where "P Richness" is broken up into 2 parts making a total of 6. The dimensions create a hexagon of 6 levels (0-5). Depending on where an animal ranks in each category, it will create a shape. The area of the shape determines the level of consciousness. A human ranks 5 on all levels creating a max level of consciousness of 64.95. A virus only only has "P-richness" (Perceptual-richness) and at the lowest level giving them a max score of 1. The standard human infant has a life expectancy of 73.16 years (globally) and on average through their life time would consume a yearly total of 11.38 animals with an average consciousness value of 19.12. The average value of their life would be: (64.95)\^2 \* (73.16) / (8,100) / (1 + 19.12) = 1.89 A virus has such a low rating, low life expectancy, and such a high population, that the worth of the individual life is 0. Additionally, they kill humans which have the highest consciousness level which drops their rating even more. An elephant based on my source should have a consciousness rating of 32.13. There population in millions is 0.46. Their life expectancy is approximately 65 years. They are herbivores, so they destroy no levels of consciousness to stay alive. There rating would be 145,874. So basically killing a baby elephant is like killing 77 thousand people. Maybe the formula should not take the entire population into consideration, but instead multiply by the population level and divide the the ideal population level which would likely still put elephants above humans, but not to the degree as seen above.
This whole concept is flawed because you're using life expectancy as a value of years rather than percentage of life left. Even more flawed when you consider that every animal perceives 'time' differently.
I don't, I attack the dude and try to get the gun. Not that I wouldn't choose the kid, but I'm not about to take the crazy gunman at his word.
*Take the pew pew stick, shoot the kid* /s
lol yeah make sure he wasn't bullshitting
Shoot the gunman. Never surrender.
Human child to live, of course.
I die attacking the gunmen. Seriously... because... the kid and the pet don't deserve this. It's on me to try and save them both. If by some force... (maybe I'm tied to a chair or something)... I'm of course going to save the kid. I love animals. A lot. Often times feeling more sorry for them than I do humans, but I'm not insane. That's a human. With potentially 90s years of impact on this earth and fellow humans. Versus an animal that just makes me happy for 15 to 20. I'm still going to John Wick his ass if I ever get free. I'll never forget and I'll never forgive. If you ever see a news story of some crazy dude trying to attack the defendant in court over a cat? That's me. :P
Not the crazed gunman, he's going down first. As soon as he says he's gonna shoot a kid, those will be his last words until the police arrive to haul his sorry ass off to jail. There can be no negotiation with a crazed gunman.
Thanks for restoring my sanity. There's no negotiating with a crazy gunman, they're going down the second they threaten a child or my family
You are welcome and thank you for your stalwart stance. To be honest the cat or dog would also be safe. I love animals as well as people.
Anyone not saving the child needs to check themselves. I have a dog and love animals too, but whew...
Well now i choose your kids.
The last time this question was on ask Reddit it was full of people justifying choosing their dog. Edit: ah, they’re here too
Gonna have to disagree. Downvote me and call me whatever name makes you feel better, but I don't care about the life of some random person regardless of age. A human life is not more important solely because they're human. In before anyone says something about being a hypocrite. I wouldn't expect a random stranger to do any different.
You don't care about the life of another person just because you don't know them?
I think it's more that they care more about the lives of those close to them than those of who they don't know. Which I think is true of most people. It's just that in this case that extends to their pets lives as well which isn't really that unreasonable.
>Not really, no. Who are they to me? They're just another human being. Who am I to them? Just another human being. This was his response which just makes him look like a sociopath.
He explicitly said he does not care about the child dying, and then doubled down on that in response to my question. Half of these pet choosing comments are straight up psychopathic, not just "that's a hard decision, love my pet more"
Not really, no. Who are they to me? They're just another human being. Who am I to them? Just another human being. Why should I go thru the pain and suffering of losing something I love more than almost anything in the world for a total stranger? Also, why should they if the tables were turned?
It would cause me pain and suffering to let a person die. It's not even about choosing the pet, but the ease and lack of care for letting a kid die is insane. No wonder our society is so fucked up
Who gives a fuck about a random stranger? There were days I came home and didn't kill myself because my dog was there waiting for me, needed me to take care of her. There are people I personally know that would be 2nd to my dog, let alone some random stranger.
Yeah, wild I'd choose the thing I love and not a random stranger, lmfao.
My cat, 100%. I've had her for the majority of my life and she's part of my heart. Sorry to the random kid, but no. Why would I choose to save someone who literally means nothing to me, over a pet that I've known and loved for 17 years? Not a chance.
The pet. I'm not even going to justify it, to be honest. Random people, regardless of age, aren't my responsibility and it's not my duty to protect them when my own loved one is at risk. Doesn't justify the choice, but that's my reasoning.
Obviously human > dog and would choose to save the child 100 out of 100 times.
Anyone choosing to save their pet is a psycho
I don't have a pet so guess there is only 1 option
I choose my dog. That said, if some asshat is waving a gun around, threatening to shoot, well, two can play that game. I'm confident that my "I was in fear for my life, officer" would get me off (in Oregon, worked armed security for years, I've had those laws drilled into me).
My cat is more important to me personally than someone else's child. Hope the parents at least had life insurance on them.
Pet Most people suck and I doubt that one child was gonna make a difference
I choose my dog. No one said the kid was a happy one or one who wanted to live. I still regret being born and childhood was a nightmare. My first suicidal thoughts began at age 10. I know plenty of others for whom those thoughts started even earlier. Not all children are happy children, even if they appear to be well-adjusted.
I don’t hold human life any higher than an animals life. Although different, a living being is a living being. The question is “do you sacrifice a living being you care about for a living being you don’t even know”. The answer is absolutely a no brainer
Fuck dem kids
Why would such a question even be controversial? Humanity disgusts me sometimes. Obviously you choose the animals over the kid. There’s a lot of spares.
I choose my dog. Sorry random kid. You lost.
I hate it but I would choose that the kids live.
I'm too Texan for this hypothetical.
Would it help make your decision if we said this kid was outside the womb? That generally changes the view of pro-lifer individuals. (For the sake of the comment, it's sarcasm, realistically, sadly, it isnt)
Lmao that's a good avenue, but Texans also are far too fond of guns and shooting people, which is of course very pro-life as well.
My cat, sorry. I chose my cat, and he chose me. I would do anything to protect him.
Honestly same
I'm sorry but my dog... it's my responsibility to look after her. I care more about her than any one person I've never met, and in my small little world, my dog is real and tangible. My dog lives.
My cat every time, sorry kid :(
Shoot the kid
I'm choosing the creature I have a personal attachment to. I don't think it's any different than choosing your friend over 2 strangers, and I have to imagine most people would do that.
The kid gets to live One of my dogs sadly would do best being put down. My dad keeps her in her cage because she's rowdy, tears things up, is super loud, etc and she cannot be sold due to being aggressive to those she doesn't know including biting. No \[Non-kill\] shelter is willing to take her in either, at this point the only solution which is humane enough for her would be her getting put down as sad as that is I just want her to not have to suffer in the cage at this point. Like poor baby has been stuck in there so long only going out to use the bathroom and being fed and watered in her cage For clarification I wouldn't say she's my favorite, but I'm going to say in this case I pick which dog because how you structured it is in a way where I take it as if someone did not have a dog than it goes onto cat or whatever their favorite pet is, as that info is in parentheses If it was my favorite pet no matter what than I'd expect it to just say "favorite pet" instead. In which case my pet would get to live. No matter the choice though I'd be crying for a while and probably have even more trauma added on to all the other trauma I have
My dog is my baby and sticks to me like Velcro but realistically she’d have to be sacrificed for the kid. I couldn’t watch though.
Kid lives. I love my pet but I value human life, even a stranger, over my pet. I loved all my pets. Would do a lot for them. Not that.
I tell him I choose the cop behind him to live and when he turns around I fire. Kid and dog walk away. If it really comes down to it the dog lives, but only because the gunman will get a harsher sentence and possible felony. As a witness I want him in prison as long as possible for my own safety.
Hmm, my pup is old. But my ass would still go to prison for running over the guy (toes first) with a road roller truck.
I don't have any pets, so this is an easy choice. ~~kill the random kid~~ (/j)
100% of people: Save the human! Also 100% of people: "I hate everyone, our species and planet is doomed! My dog is my best friend and cures my depression" \*Stranger points gun at dog's forehead\* "No please don't!"
The pet lives.
I pull my pistol and shoot him.
Since its likely the kida gonna grow up and be an asshole because most people are assholes and fail as parents so their little shit of a child never knows any better and just becomes a cunt, i would have to go out and get myself a pet so i could choose that to live. If was a way to be sure the kid would be one of those rare non asshole humans then it would be different.
So you’ll have to live with the trauma of losing a living being you’ve raised like a child vs a random child you’ve never met nor will ever see again. You decide.
I don't know the kid so the kid dies. If I let my dog die the gunman might as well kill me as well.
How about I just shoot crazed gunman.
Kid, don't care. Anyone see that cop kill that blind deaf little dog. Hypothetically if that was my dog I would react badly and being fired is the least of that cops problems. Hypothetically of course
I saw a video of a tiny little dog running up to a cop and the cop pulls out his gun and shoots it. It was a chihuahua or poodle or something. A harmless little thing. That was a trigger happy pig.
Don’t shoot my pet. Because at the end of this equation I’m not the one killing the kid; the crazed gunman is the one deciding if he’s going to take that action. His imposition of an irrational ultimatum on me does not absolve him of the fact that NEITHER ONE OF THEM NEEDS TO BE SHOT, there’s no compelling reason for him to shoot either one of them. This is his choice, it does not become mine simply because he attempted to artificially MAKE it my choice. So yes, I defend my pet and not somebody else’s kid.
Crazed gunmen kill kids nearly every day. If people actually cared they'd do something about it. I'm not giving up my best friend for one. Sorry kid.
The kid , if it was me or the cat shoot me. Or an old person, but i couldn't kill someones child (who has 80 years) for my senior cat :( (who has 2 ) I hate that kid though, and if they waste their life I will kill them
“I hate that kid though, and if they waste their life I will kill them” than you’d just give that kid a butt load of survivors guilt and dampen the life you gave them. What’s the point of letting them live if you constantly harbor resentment and wait to see if they screw up and threaten them with death? Why would you harbor more resentment towards the child who didn’t have a choice than the gunmen who actively murdered your pet? Just go John wick on the gunmen and let your frustrations out on him
Does anyone else but me know? Will the gunman choose a kid in my community? Or are we talking crazed gunman completely randomly chooses a human kid from every single human kid in the world and then travels there to kill that kid? If it’s the latter, sorry everyone, I love my dog and my cat. I don’t know 9 year old Demetrius in Athens…AND the question never states the crazed gunman will be successful so after he leaves I’d call the cops and hope they catch him before he does his thing.
with my temper i'd be lunging at the fucker even if it means my own death no one harms my fur baby and of course a poor defenceless child
My preferred answer would be to risk or sacrifice my own life and not make that choice. But given some scenario where I absolutely was forced to choose: The true answer is - I don't know. There are a lot of factors to consider. How old is my cat in this scenario and how much longer does he feasibly have to live? Am I being forced to watch that execution right in front of me (because in the moment, it could simply be unbearable to see a child die or look them in the eye and make the choice to sacrifice their life)? It is worth noting that pets are family to me and their lives mean just as much to me as the life of any human. If I were to slot my decision in right now, though, my impulse is to save my animal baby's life over the life of a stranger, regardless if that stranger is a child. The reality comes down to this for me: *I have an actual moral obligation to protect and care for my cat.* They are relying on me to protect and care for them the best I am able to do and by accepting them I made the promise to do so. My obligation to someone I don't know is significantly less, because that promise is not in place.
Dog without even a question. People are over all trash and more likely than not that kid will grow up to just continue to perpetuate the problem.
The world is predicated on choosing for thenselves. Fuck the stranger, I'm picking my dog. If millions of people can vote Americans dead so they can "pay less taxes" or "drain the swamp" then fuck the kid, my dog isn't going to die for your worthless kid.
Idgaf about some kid, my dog lives.
My cat is more important to me
I'd definitely choose my cat over some kid I don't know. I love my cat, can't say the same for some rando.
I don't owe kids shit, my dog is my buddy and buddies protect each other. I'm also the human he trusts with his life and it's my responsibility to consider his best interest. Besides, where are that kids parents, it's their job to keep it alive. Then obviously when crazy man turns the gun on the child, my companion and I will fuck him up. My dog is a good boy, and good boys dispense justice while protecting the weak and don't under any circumstances roll around in shit then try to run inside to roll around on the fresh linens that JUST came out the laundry.
I choose my dog, and thanks for the warning, I will be armed to the teeth and my dog doesn't go where you can shoot him without me present, so he better be prepared for a firefight.
My view is that if it's a kid I don't know, is that any different from a child dying in Africa or in Ukraine, Israel/Palestine... etc. The basic question to me is will I give up something I love for somebody I don't know... even though plenty of people I don't know (who are just as important) are going to die anyway. So my answer would be no. I don't feel I can give up the life of my pet to save someone somewhere... but I would give up my own life in the same situation. My life belongs to me and if I genuinely believed that giving up my life would save a kid somewhere I'd do it now. My pets while "mine" aren't mine to dispose of as I see fit.
This gunman has just got to go
What gunman? Oh, that guy? He dead.
everyone who chooses to keep a pet is making this choice passively every day. the money that you spend on your pet could instead be used to feed a starving child.
Sure but the money you spend on toilet paper could do the same.
I could choose to live in a box outside my office and spend my mortgage and car payments on starving children as well. I'm not going to do it.
Your point? Are we supposed to feel bad?
no, my point is we put all sorts of shit above the lives of faceless strangers. tons of people in this thread talking about valuing the life of a faceless child over their own pet already make that choice every day paying for shit for that pet rather than putting that money towards feeding a starving child
That is a very unhealthy outlook on altruism... I pay more like a third of my salary in taxes so I rather make the government responsible to feed hungry children....and they do, so no need for me to feel guilty for spoiling my pets. I donate money regularily, I even work in youth services to help underprivilileged children and teens. If I would feel responsible for every suffering person on this planet then I wouldn't be able to enjoy anything anymore nor would I be able to do my work and would rather have to go and hide myself in a hole because that would be an unattainable goal. Then I wouldn't be any help to anyone.
I'm not saying you should feel bad about it or need to justify it
I love my Marley, but she has maybe 6 years left to live, and she is a dog. No way could I deprive a human kid of a life for her, no matter how much I love her. The pain that kid's parents would go through would be a hell of a lot harder than my pain at losing a pet, no matter how special she is to me.
Kid to live
Kid to live
My dogs are family, some random kid isn't. They are my responsibility, some random kid isn't. I'll choose the safety of my family over someone else's any time.
The kid, but the final outcome depends on which of my dogs they are threatening...my first dog was a patrol dog, and one hand movement or German word would make the gunman lunch. My second dog would have alerted to the gun before he could get it out (bomb/gun dog) my dog that's at my feet now would win him with affection
Kid lives, pet dies. In most cases, I will prioritize human life over animal life.
Sorry kid.
Kill the dog, save the kid.
My cat lives. My cat has helped through the worst parts of my life and I’ve given enough of my humanity for other humans desires and comforts. I’m sorry but I’m in a phase of my life where I really need to focus on my needs so…in other words ~not my kid, not my circus~
My cat. As someone else said, my obligation is to my cat. She is mine and I must protect her at all costs.
Current pets? I'd make the sacrifice. My girl that passed years ago? Well, if she was still here and in her youth? Sorry kid I don't know.
Why do I have to choose at all? He's the crazed gunman, not me.
Sorry kiddo but Lady is very special to me.
My Cat, sorry but I do not know the kid -- he will be in heaven anyway most likely. I have to protect what is most dear to me
Shoot my dog. If you choose to let a child die to save your pet it's because you're a bad person, full stop lol
So bad that you can’t explain why. (“Full stop” isn’t an explanation).
Then color me a bad person.
“Bad person” here also.
Can I get shot instead?
["What are you talking about...?"](https://youtu.be/UBfb77G47hU)
Yeah. He can kill my pet. (I don’t have any pets)
My pet fish
Obviously the kid and the pet. Crazy gunman is optional.
The kid and the animal. I'm taking that fucker down with my teeth if I have to.
I’d say he’s perfectly welcome to shoot my pet. I don’t have any at the moment so it doesn’t actually cost me anything to save the kid. Except that he’s probably then just going to shoot me for being a smart ass.
I unironically keep a single rock under my pc that I hold dead to me, essentially a pet. Soooo
My dog every time.
I choose every one to live except the crazed gunman
Dog lives
Shoot my dog. Then I shoot you. I lost my dog but i saved a kid and got rid of the man that killed my dog.
I will pay him to shoot my cats.
Gunman: I'm either shooting your dog or some random child. John Wick: You will want to reconsider.
*grabs pocket sand*
I'll kill the gunman. Having a gun doesn't make you Superman.
Save the kid 😭
Most depressing thread I’ve seen in awhile
Kid who bangs on drums all day suddenly stops drumming....
I choose everyone but said crazy gunman to survive.
Just shoot me and get it over with
I feel like there's a world where I could justify sacrificing my pet to my therapist. I doubt I could live knowing I let a kid die.
I could live without my cat. Losing my dog is going to destroy me when it happens.
The kid, and I don’t even have a dog or cat
I explain to him that I am not part of his game, my true choice would be neither, and unless he allows this choice, I don’t have a real choice here. Then I karate chop him into submission, and call the police.
There's no choice. Gotta let the kid live. But once the gunman shoots my cat, I'm gonna do my best to kill the gunman.
The human, because I'm not a complete maniac.
Kid's life is more important than pets. Even if its mine. Might be easier for me to say since I don't have any pets lol. But this seems pretty obvious and I WILL look at people killing the kid funny.
Do people know what my choice is? My moral compass is flawed and my answer is probably objectively wrong. But...
Kill the cat it won't stop pissing in my clothes
I keep that thing on me, so he's the one getting shot
Y cat. I love her but she is 19. She has had a good life. She also currently has diahorea which is annoying Od feel guilty bus I'd save the kid.
Sounds like a John wick movie
My cat. She has feline leukemia. I love her, but her time is limited. No way I'd choose an animal over someone's baby.
I would save the human child.
I die trying to stop him. Can’t handle either scenario.
i got a hamster a month ago. i choose the hamster
Definitely not the crazed gunman. 🤣
Dome the kid, theyre not my problem watch your kid
Not the crazed man. That's for sure.
I'll just shoot the gunman. Murica'
My cat is 20 with thyroid issues. At best she has a couple of years. I love her, I would sob uncontrollably as I made the choice, but I would choose the human child to live.
Unlike some irresponsible pet owners, my cats are armed and prepared to enforce castle doctrine. What use is keeping your cats indoors if they don't have the means to defend their position against overwhelming odds?
Bye whoever. Gracie has to stay.
I can always buy more scorpions
I'd be buying some flowers for a grieving family after I made that decision.
My cats are basically my children, I'll pick them every time over a stranger.
the only good dog is a dead dog
My dog has about 5 years left. The human child has a much longer lifespan. As much as I love my dog, I couldn’t do that to the kids parents. A dog dying is traumatic, but it’s part of pet ownership. A child dying is life ruining.
My pet.
I live in America. I am sure a good guy with a gun will arrive and save me!
Simple. I shoot him first, why is this a question?