Hypothetical: Ridding the world of evil people.

[Rain Man]

In light of your amazing contributions to a football bulletin board, you have been deemed a person with a very high understanding of humanity. (This is hypothetical if that's not already obvious.)

As a result, some higher power has approached you for help. You may assume that this higher power is someone you respect and will not turn down, whether it's God, the Illuminati, Batman, The Global Commission To Make The World A Better Place, aliens, the Teamsters, dolphins, or some other group. It doesn't matter to me.

You are given the following assignment:

1. Develop up to 10 yes/no questions that everyone in the world must answer truthfully.
2. Define a "cutoff score" where people scoring below (or above) a certain level will be categorized as non-contributing members of the world. They will suddenly cease to exist.

The rules:

A. For your ethical purposes, you may assume that some time travel or divine intervention ensures they were never born, or if you prefer ... public executions. But let's go with the most humane route that doesn't make you a mass murderer.

B. Questions may be worded any way you wish. They can be negative ("Have you ever stolen something from someone else's house?"), they can be positive ("Have you ever helped a stranger in a broken-down car?), they can be value-laden ("Do you believe in the Hindu god Vishnu?), they can be attitudinal ("Do you approve of pedophilia"?), they can be attributes ("Are you under 5 feet tall?"), they can be oddly specific ("Are you a Denver Bronco?"), they can be whatever you want as long as they're yes/no questions.

C. You can have anywhere from 1 to 10 questions. Your call.

D. People get 1 point for every yes, and 0 points for every no. You can define a minimum passing score or a maximum passing score depending on how you word your questions. For example, you can define 10 questions about positive traits and anyone getting less than 9 points is gone, or you can define 4 questions about negative traits and anyone getting more than 2 points is gone. You get to design it.

E. Recognize that once you set the scoring, the people who fail your test will cease to exist. No exceptions to the rule. If your mom fails, she's gone right along with those Taliban leaders. And if you arrange questions to save your sister the crack whore, maybe her pimp will get saved, too. This is a standardized test.

F. Recognize that you have to take the test, too.

With those rules, what are your questions, what scores will let people survive, and what percent of the population do you think will cease to exist?

[RobBlake]

You listen to Prog Rock don't you.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by RobBlake

You listen to Prog Rock don't you.

Is that one of your questions?

[RobBlake]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Is that one of your questions?

one of my questions will be music related.. unqiue thread idea.. gotta come up with some interesting ones

[Rain Man]

I'm going to start the brainstorming with a few negative questions.

1. Are you willing to personally kill someone if they disagree with your religious beliefs?
2. If you were taking money as payment from someone who has never harmed you, and they accidentally overpaid you, would you keep the money?
3. Do you enjoy hurting animals?

[KC_Lee]

1. Are you willing to personally kill someone if they disagree with your religious beliefs?
- Nope, I am an atheist. Someone's religious beliefs have zero impact on my life. As long as said beliefs do not include the harming of others or animals I really don't care what you believe in.

2. If you were taking money as payment from someone who has never harmed you, and they accidentally overpaid you, would you keep the money?
- Yep, learn to count. The onus is on the payer not the payee.

3. Do you enjoy hurting animals?
- Nope, and people that do are sick and depraved. Do I think hunters are hurting animals? Nope, 99% of the hunters that I know want to make a clean and painless kill on their quarry.

[EPodolak]

I prefer the fun threads where you do most of the work.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by EPodolak

I prefer the fun threads where you do most of the work.

[EPodolak]

Good thread idea, I'll wrangle some energy for it later.

[LoneWolf]

1. Do you believe all atheists are bad people? No
2. Have you ever given money/food to someone in need when nobody was watching? Yes
3. Have you ever intentionally harmed an animal outside of a hunting situation? No
4. If you found a wallet/purse that contained $500, would you attempt to find the owner and return all of their money? Yes
5. Have you ever inappropriately touched a child? No
6. If you saw someone stealing from someone you didn't know, would you attempt to stop them or call the police? Yes
7. If it was legal, would you kill someone because their religious beliefs were different than yours? No
8. Have you ever been moved to tears by a song, movie, or play? No
9. Have you ever farted inside a pen elevator full of people just before exiting? No
10. Are you a fan of the Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders? No

The bolder answers earn 1 point. If someone scores below a 7, they are to be sent to Brazil where they have to complete what I call the Devil's triathlon. They have to swim two miles in a river, bike 30 miles through the Brazilian ghettos with $1,000 dollars taped to their body, and run 15 miles through the rainforest covered in human blood. If they survive the triathlon, they are forgiven for being an evil person and allowed to return to society.

[bsp4444]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

1. Do you believe all atheists are bad people? No
2. Have you ever given money/food to someone in need when nobody was watching? Yes
3. Have you ever intentionally harmed an animal outside of a hunting situation? No
4. If you found a wallet/purse that contained $500, would you attempt to find the owner and return all of their money? Yes
5. Have you ever inappropriately touched a child? No
6. If you saw someone stealing from someone you didn't know, would you attempt to stop them or call the police? Yes
7. If it was legal, would you kill someone because their religious beliefs were different than yours? No
8. Have you ever been moved to tears by a song, movie, or play? No
9. Have you ever farted inside a pen elevator full of people just before exiting? No
10. Are you a fan of the Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders? No

The bolder answers earn 1 point. If someone scores below a 7, they are to be sent to Brazil where they have to complete what I call the Devil's triathlon. They have to swim two miles in a river, bike 30 miles through the Brazilian ghettos with $1,000 dollars taped to their body, and run 15 miles through the rainforest covered in human blood. If they survive the triathlon, they are forgiven for being an evil person and allowed to return to society.

This line of questioning won't work because if you switch the answers to #5 and #2 you still get the same score.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

That's why none of the questions I posted were
"Should you".

Your questions still allow too much leeway.

[vailpass]

"Are you offended by the swimming pool sign? "

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by listopencil

Your questions still allow too much leeway.

They are all yes or no questions that must be answered truthfully. Where do you see leeway in that?

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

They are all yes or no questions that must be answered truthfully. Where do you see leeway in that?

right back at you. You didn't put much though into your list.

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

1. Do you believe all atheists are bad people? No

A Christian may view everyone as "bad", even themselves, without accepting Jesus in order to cleanse away Original Sin. That doesn't mean they are going to do anything to you. That just means that they hold an opinion. Nothing evil about that

2. Have you ever given money/food to someone in need when nobody was watching? Yes

Some people have never had that opportunity.

3. Have you ever intentionally harmed an animal outside of a hunting situation? No

There are legitimate times where you may harm an animal outside of a hunting situation. I've had to put two dogs to sleep. I've been attacked by a neighbor's Doberman and had to use my bicycle as a weapon. I've used rodent traps when field mice infested our home after a particularly harsh rainy season.

4. If you found a wallet/purse that contained $500, would you attempt to find the owner and return all of their money? Yes

Use the standard "starving person steals a loaf of bread to feed their children" morals exercise for this one.

5. Have you ever inappropriately touched a child? No

It's the same as a "should you" question. You are asking the respondent to determine appropriateness.

6. If you saw someone stealing from someone you didn't know, would you attempt to stop them or call the police? Yes

Depends on the situation, depends on my relationship with the local police force, depends on the corruption level of the local police force.

7. If it was legal, would you kill someone because their religious beliefs were different than yours? No

I would say "no."

8. Have you ever been moved to tears by a song, movie, or play? No

Did you mean "yes"? Because, if not, you are describing psychotic behavior.

9. Have you ever farted inside a pen elevator full of people just before exiting? No

Not evil.

10. Are you a fan of the Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders? No

Not worth examining.