The Box movie: Would you do it?

[Sunstroke]

I actually admire your honesty.

Most people admire honesty...as long as it is "complimentary honesty."

"Do these jeans make me look fat?" is a good example of this...

[/end derailing]

[MaineDolFan]

Why do I feel like I'm getting attacked by the group here?  I'm just being honest about a morality question -- at what point do you sacrifice your morality for your own well-being?  I guess mine is at a lower point than yours is all.

Not my intent at all Dave, I'm sorry it's coming off that way.  I'm just engaged in dialog, didn't mean for it to come across any other way.  You aren't being attacked, just making conversation.

This "what would you do for a million dollars" thing has been out there forever.  I remember all this talk after that damn Demi Moore movie as well.  

[Brian Fein]

Personally, I don't think a million dollars is gonna cut it anymore.  Granted I wouldn't refuse it if someone delivered me a briefcase, but there's inflation, you know?  I think people gotta start offering 3 million or 10 million before stuff like this starts coming up.  Sure, a million is nice, but can you really retire today with ONLY a million dollars?

[Pats2006]

I would have pushed the button 3 times before they finished asking the question.

2nd that dave

[bsfins]

Wow, has this thread gone total Off the wall...I'm a little surprised at the direction it went.....So I'm gonna re-stir the pot and take it from a different approach that I'm surprised it didn't go......

1.) In the movie trailer,they're in desperate straights....Most of us aren't really in desperate straights losing our jobs,possibly our houses,cars,etc,etc..1 million dollars may not be alot of money,but it would pay off most peoples mortgages,car payments,credit card debts pretty fast.It's not push the button and we're on the glory road of easy living....I think  (FYO brought it up in the beginning of the thread) more people would even do Maine's shoot someone example,than they'd like to admit...(Again most of us aren't in serious money troubles!)


2.) People do this type of scenario everyday right now...For no where near a million dollars...and not just 1 person being killed...Afganastan,Iraq...(This isn't about the war! it's the point that we fly drones to drop bombs on buildings that kill people...The Button is being pushed....)

3.)There have been a few movies that have this premise...The very beginning of Wargames -John Spencer arguing with Micheal Madsen to turn the key to launch the missles....The Whole movie of Crimson Tide,is based on to kill or not to kill...

So anyways....I think the scenario,of inside your home (where you're the king of your own castle) kill someone blindly for money is an interesting fodder....but It's one of those situations where in real life...Most people wouldn't know till they were in that scenerio....

[Brian Fein]

Watch the news tonight.  You will undoubtedly hear a story of a man (or woman, I suppose) that "pushed the button" and killed a guy 10 feet away for a $80 watch or his wallet, his car - MUCH LESS than a million bucks.

[MaineDolFan]

I would push the button for a naked night with Cameron Diaz!  Does that make me a bad guy?

[JVides]

Wow, has this thread gone total Off the wall...I'm a little surprised at the direction it went.....So I'm gonna re-stir the pot and take it from a different approach that I'm surprised it didn't go......

1.) In the movie trailer,they're in desperate straights....Most of us aren't really in desperate straights losing our jobs,possibly our houses,cars,etc,etc..1 million dollars may not be alot of money,but it would pay off most peoples mortgages,car payments,credit card debts pretty fast.It's not push the button and we're on the glory road of easy living....I think  (FYO brought it up in the beginning of the thread) more people would even do Maine's shoot someone example,than they'd like to admit...(Again most of us aren't in serious money troubles!)


2.) People do this type of scenario everyday right now...For no where near a million dollars...and not just 1 person being killed...Afganastan,Iraq...(This isn't about the war! it's the point that we fly drones to drop bombs on buildings that kill people...The Button is being pushed....)

3.)There have been a few movies that have this premise...The very beginning of Wargames -John Spencer arguing with Micheal Madsen to turn the key to launch the missles....The Whole movie of Crimson Tide,is based on to kill or not to kill...

So anyways....I think the scenario,of inside your home (where you're the king of your own castle) kill someone blindly for money is an interesting fodder....but It's one of those situations where in real life...Most people wouldn't know till they were in that scenerio....

B, you're confusing "duty" with "profit".  Crimson Tide - duty to obey an order versus doing your diligence to confirm said order.  The people pushing buttons in Afghanistan are engaging enemy combatants that even our current President acknowledges as such (or, otherwise, why would we remain there?).  The premise of the box is would you take the easy way out and profit from the murder or somebody else.  I think this thread has remained exactly there.

[JVides]

Watch the news tonight.  You will undoubtedly hear a story of a man (or woman, I suppose) that "pushed the button" and killed a guy 10 feet away for a $80 watch or his wallet, his car - MUCH LESS than a million bucks.

Yeah, and you probably shake your head and say "what a scumbag".  For a million, would you say "what a scumbag!  But then again, for a million?  Hell yeah!"?

[bsfins]

B, you're confusing "duty" with "profit".  Crimson Tide - duty to obey an order versus doing your diligence to confirm said order.  The people pushing buttons in Afghanistan are engaging enemy combatants that even our current President acknowledges as such (or, otherwise, why would we remain there?).  The premise of the box is would you take the easy way out and profit from the murder or somebody else.  I think this thread has remained exactly there.

I mean No dosrespect to anyone in the miltary.....

No Confusion at all..if this was 1968,I'd say your statement holds water...This is the U.S. is 2009,we don't have conscription,the you sign up for the miltary,and we give our troops a salary,and last I checked up to $40,000 for college....It's not my Duty to kill anyone.....People in the Military are trained,and PAID (last time I hecked that meant profit ) to risk their life,and kill people...

that's all I'm gonna say about the military...

[NADS]

I mean No dosrespect to anyone in the miltary.....

No Confusion at all..if this was 1968,I'd say your statement holds water...This is the U.S. is 2009,we don't have conscription,the you sign up for the miltary,and we give our troops a salary,and last I checked up to $40,000 for college....It's not my Duty to kill anyone.....People in the Military are trained,and PAID (last time I hecked that meant profit ) to risk their life,and kill people...

that's all I'm gonna say about the military...

True, it's an all volunteer force but you surely realize that the majority of the US military isn't kids from the OC.  For most it isn't a choice between private college or working at a rich uncle's law firm.  I don't think of it so much as profit as survival, but I know what you're saying. 

Guys I was in tech school with worked on Gunships at their first base--that definitely covers part 2 of your previous post.  They never pushed the button but made it so someone else could. 

Now, if I happened to be one of those guys from '68 that came back from Nam I think I'd be a million dollars richer.  I think killing people is like eating potato chips...once you pop, you can't stop.  In that, you get over it or pass a point of no return once you do it enough. 

Personally, the guilt of pushing the button and knowing someone died would keep me from doing it and I'm financially in the shitter.  Realistically, I'm pro death and I agree with someone's argument that the person getting whacked probably isn't a superstar of society--I understand that doesn't make it right.  Conversely, nobody is so important that they can't take one for the team.  This is definitely one of those situations where I sometimes wish I was morally inept so I could just hit the button and take the money right out of the gate.       

I've discussed this with a friend of mine where it's like dropping a rock in a pond and the wave starts.  His philosophy is the wave hits us all or another wave starts by each person affected.  I say it has a very limited reach.  The world keeps on spinning.