Poll: Who would you rather let die, your pet or me?

[Wierdguy]

I came to terms long ago with the fact that Im a selfish souless bastard with the empathy level of a hyena.

Id probably dodge the whole situation all together leaving both you AND my pet to die. Alternativley if I HAD to choose Id go for my cat - I dont know you, why should I care about you or your family?

And before someone sais it yes; I would totaly expect someone to choose me if the situation was reversed - thats the whole idea behind "selfish souless bastard"

 

[Brawndo]

Here's a different way of wording the same question
"Would you rather your pet die, then an unknown stray animal?"

That would be more equivalent to "would you rather save your mum or a random stranger?"

 

[crunchieman]

You.

Nothing personal, it's just as you said I don't know who you are or what you're like I know what my dogs like. I like my dog he's great you could be a horrible person.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Doh!

I meant to say I would save the OP, but the wording of the poll tricked me into saying the opposite.

Yay for badly worded polls.

But whatever. It's an awkward question, and to be honest, I take offense to implying a human life is inherently more valuable than that of an animal.

Don't get me wrong, I'd save a human over an animal if forced to choose, but it's seriously arrogant.

 

[micky]

aah i meant to click pet! just subtract one from you.

 

[William Ossiss]

There is a serious lack of empathy in the modern world.

your point? come on dude... no one gives a shit about anyone. all these people who were "pray for japan" without donating (and even then) are just trying to make themselves feel better. it's like this:
the reason donations exist in the world is for people to
A.) make themselves feel better
and
B.) find ways to get tax deductible stuff

it's like the wealthy people joining a cause. then deciding on cleaning up a river. then driving there in hummers. redundant, no?
no one actually gives a shit outside of their own little family/friend circle. you ask a person about a murderer and they wont care. ask someone about something that effects them... and they WILL care. see how simple it is? if people truly cared about others, the world would be a MUCH better place. there would be no war, etc. but as long as people view differences as bad, as long as they remain selfish, the world cannot grow. it cannot expand. it sits here in it's wretched state and rots as those who live on it pollute, rape, and kill. it's sad, really...

fun fact: the one thing that, if removed from the earth, would contribute to its survival... is humans. humanity is a plague.

i apologize for this rant. but wwhat else did you expect from a bunch of twoleggers?

 

[tokae]

Are you all equally prepared to die so my cat can live?

Mind you she throws up in my bed occasionally and yesterday she clawed the sh*t out my friend when he picked her up.

That's not the point, to make a emotional decision there needs to be emotional bonds right?
So you try to pose us an "emotional dilemma" by making us choose between an animal that we know and love and a complete stranger who in the next sentence alienated everyone who has a bond to their pet...
And then you try to get out of it by posing ethical statements that have been uttered all through philosophic-history without any conclusions being drawn because it's an "Uroborus-circle".
You didn't clarify yourself, and now when you realize that many wouldn't care for you, you instead get insulted?
I could say that you are right to be, but that would be a lie.

(As I stated in an earlier post, I have no pets but my pet rock and some teddy-bears, but they have been with me my whole egotistical life and they sure as hell outrank other egotistical people that I've never met/seen/spoken to.)

 

[Dango]

I don't have a pet, so you're in luck OP!

 

[kickyourass]

I'd like to say that I'd save you, but to tell the truth if I was actually put into a situation where I had to choose between a total stranger or my dog, I honestly don't think I could make that decision.

P.S. When you're asking the question "Would you save me, a complete stranger, or your pet?" Calling people selfish because they care about their pets, is probably the worst way to go. By insulting the people your polling, you've pretty much botched a big chunk of the thread cause most people are not going to choose a complete stranger who just insulted them, over a pet they have an emotional connection with.

 

[Godhead]

I would save my cat. I've had her for more than half of my life. Sorry OP. :/

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

I love my pet. He brings me such joy every day. Even though I know he will die before I even turn thirty, I do as much as possible to cherish every moment with him and extend my time with him by giving him good pet care. My life would change significantly if he died.

I would save you in a heart beat.

 

[Aurora219]

In a real situation, I'd choose the human. In the theoretical sense, or if it was a case of having to press one button of two when I've never met you, it'd be the pet to be saved.

 

[Iconoclasm]

Animals are non-rational - it is better to save a rational animal.

I love my cat and all, but it's the very fact that it cannot understand this reasoning that a stranger would be saved before it

 

[Dr Snakeman]

I'd save you, but be very upset that my pet died. However, I would still think I made the right decision, as human life is inherently more valuable than animal life.

 

[Griphphin]

People have killed for inanimate things, money and other stupid reasons. I could care more for a wall more than I care for a person if I had the right reasons. It just depends on what I value the most. I wouldn't say that makes me selfish.

I don't have a pet right now but if I had a cat or a dog(which is more likely), I'd kill OP. I'd probably kill my pet if it was a snake/hamster/fish(not a mutation of the three) or something else.

My god, I'm a racist.

OP's profile says his occupation is a college student. You can't go to a pet store (or anywhere for that matter) and buy a college student like you can a dog. A lot of time and effort has been invested in the OP and those around him to get him where he is, and you would let all of that potential go to waste for a dog? A dog will only ever sit there and be happy, making you happy as well simply by not being a douche, what would it ever do in the grand scheme of things? The biggest thing it could do to influence others would be to pull a Napoleon and dive overboard to save a person that would do something important.

A better way to look at it would be would you rather save a friend or a dog? I feel this is applicable because the OP is a friend to many people, though they may not be you. Where you will mourn the dog's death for a time, you will probably eventually buy a new one (as heartless as that sounds, I've seen it happen time and time again, with my family and others), nobody can replace what the OP could have done for the world with the education he has and is getting.

 

[josemlopes]

Crap, I wanted to vote to save the OP, but yeah, the post and the poll dont connect

 

[DuctTapeJedi]

"I'm so sorry Jabba the Cat, but he's a person...! And you've lived a full life, I've fed you I don't know how many hundreds of times your own weight in table scraps."

 

[Kurokami]

This is a serious question. I want to know whether you would rather save the life of your pet animal or me in an emergency.

I am a complete stranger and you know nothing about me, therefore I could be a disliked loner or beloved by family or friends, a dumbass or a prodigy, a criminal or a volunteer with children and the elderly. You can't know.


EDIT:

These poll results are hardly surprising; a similar question was posed by another user on a forum I frequent and most people were more than happy to let that OP die, even kill and torture him, over their dog or cat. There is a serious lack of empathy in the modern world.

Even as a pet owner myself (I have a cat), I feel that people who put the lives of animals they own over other human beings are SELFISH. Selfish because their pets love them unconditionally and provide companionship, and they don't want to give this source of happiness up, while many people don't get along well with other humans. However, I personally could never live with the guilt knowing that I let another human being with family, friends, a significant other, a job where they provide value to others, hopes, and dreams die for an animal that is barely self-aware and mainly exists to make me happy and entertain me.

It would pain me to do so, but I would kill my cat myself so that any one of you may live.

EDIT 2:

Yes, the poll question was poorly worded when compared to the content of the OP, sorry.

Don't have a pet but I assume I'd save you since animals don't really quite match up to human life for me, in an emergency you would likely be much more valuable too, should I be willing to resort to canabalism or have contacts of your own assuming we could be stranded. Most importantly, you'd owe me your life after, too. =]

 

[loc978]

I'm actually torn here... I mean, to the posed question, I choose to save my dog over a complete stranger... but realistically, your name is Brawndo! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru6p5NLXxvY]