OOTS #1266 - The Discussion Thread

[Tzardok]

Given that the number of people who admit to being willing to pull a lever in the Trolley Problem to kill people is much higher than the number of people who admit to being willing to do so when their participation is phrased as being more direct, I would say that it does make an emotional difference to many people.

The difference is that in the trolley problem you pull a lever and people die elsewhere. In most depictions you are far away enough that you can't even properly see their faces. With execution instruments, you pull a lever and someone dies right here and now. You can see the white in their eyes.

I don't think the lever is enough to distance yourself. Distance is enough to distance yourself.

[Peelee]

Danton quite famously requested for his head to be displayed ("Show my head to the crowd, it is worth at least that"), which he wouldn't have if that were the usual procedure.

Jeez that's a badass line.

Pulling a lever is very different to hacking someone’s head of personally.

Not when the lever hacks the head off. That's direct causation. No different than firing a gun (quite literally, in this case).

[Wintermoot]

Jeez that's a badass line.

Not when the lever hacks the head off. That's direct causation. No different than firing a gun (quite literally, in this case).

I don't think they met different re: culpability, but rather different re: harder to make yourself do. The easier and less messy it is to do the crime, the easier it is to ignore the sense of guilt/shame/disgust.

I would agree with that. I think there must be a difference in what you could do if all you had to do was pull a lever versus something more up close and personal and in your face.

[Fyraltari]

Jeez that's a badass line.

Danton quite literally made a career out of these, his last words couldn't be anything but.

Say what you want about the man, but he was endlessly quotable, if nothing else.

[KorvinStarmast]

Kreaturen des Lichts
In ein Gefängnis geboren.
Jede Spur führt in's Nichts
Und ist verloren schon bald.

I just noticed this. Relying on ages old, and fading, German that I learned as a kid ...

Creatures of the Light, in a prison born, the trail goes nowhere and is soon lost
How close did I get?

[Tzardok]

I just noticed this. Relying on ages old, and fading, German that I learned as a kid ...

Creatures of the Light, in a prison born, the trail goes nowhere and is soon lost
How close did I get?

Huh, nearly correct. It's "born into a prison".

It's part of a song by my favourite band. I'll send you a link; it's not exactly on topic for the thread, y'know.

[Coppercloud]

Yes. It was easy. It was tiring, but you didn't need any experience at it, just being able to pull a rope. So you could have a bunch of executioners in the same day.
It's the same reason crossbow became popular even when bows were faster and cheaper. You can learn to use a crossbow in a few days, but a bow takes years.

Hey, pulling is way harder than pushing. Pulling has all those tricky parts where you hold something AND move it! At the same time!
This is a quote, so I don't feel bound by my promise to respect Xykon's speech restriction.

[Peelee]

11 is still an odd number by my count.

[Coppercloud]

11 is still an odd number by my count.

If you were replying to me, I use Xykon's actual speech rule, not the one that the Quinton outlined at first. Therefore, odd numbers are actually what I'm after

[Peelee]

If you were replying to me, I use Xykon's actual speech rule, not the one that the Quinton outlined at first. Therefore, odd numbers are actually what I'm after

I was indeed. And does the last word of your post end in 11 characters? Which, according to my count, is still odd, and makes you good?

[Rogan]

I was indeed. And does the last word of your post end in 11 characters? Which, according to my count, is still odd, and makes you good?

The rule is about sentences, not speech-bubbles or posts.
The quote from the CitD had many parts ending on even letters. Only the non-quote part which explained the problem was following the rule of ending in odd letters.

[bunsen_h]

Yes. It was easy. It was tiring, but you didn't need any experience at it, just being able to pull a rope. So you could have a bunch of executioners in the same day.

Hey, pulling is way harder than pushing. Pulling has all those tricky parts where you hold something AND move it! At the same time!

It's easier to push a rope than to pull it, because less of it moves.

[Coppercloud]

The rule is about sentences, not speech-bubbles or posts.
The quote from the CitD had many parts ending on even letters. Only the non-quote part which explained the problem was following the rule of ending in odd letters.

So that is where the confusion comes from (presumably, I'm still waiting for Peelee to confirm). I slept on it, but I was still at a loss as to what Peelee meant when I woke up in the morning. I was afraid to either say something stupid or hijack the thread and make it all about my speech rules. Discussions about means of execution were much more interesting.

[Peelee]

So that is where the confusion comes from (presumably, I'm still waiting for Peelee to confirm). I slept on it, but I was still at a loss as to what Peelee meant when I woke up in the morning. I was afraid to either say something stupid or hijack the thread and make it all about my speech rules. Discussions about means of execution were much more interesting.

Correct, I was not thinking and only talking about the last word in the post.