Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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One person, wife. Of course I'd expect her to disperse it amongst kids, if any.

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The kidnapped person is not the one receiving the funds, obviously.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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One person, wife. Of course I'd expect her to disperse it amongst kids, if any.

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The kidnapped person is not the one receiving the funds, obviously.

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Oh. It's my policy not to negotiate with terrorists. I wouldn't give anything for anybody in that case.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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i have some money and i'd give it up for just about anyone i know and think is a decent person. i may even do it for relative or even complete strangers, i dunno.

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you are either a very special kind of person or lying to yourself

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

definitely lying, else why not just give up your net worth right now? you could probably save many african children

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Only 3. Wife, daughter and grandson.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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OP is pretty clearly trying to figure out which poster's family members to kidnap. Nice try, you Yankeee bastard.

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[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] hilarious.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

definitely 20+, although unrelated (and I wouldn't ask for it) all of them would eventually pay me back.

also i would save people i don't know, that i know would at least give me my money back (i.e. celebs, rich people)

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Pretty much anyone I like. I can just make more money.

I wouldn't do [censored] for strangers.

I think this would be more interesting if you had to give up future earnings too. My wife and parents might make the cut there, that is about it.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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definitely lying, else why not just give up your net worth right now? you could probably save many african children

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i dunno, obviously it's impossible to say what you would do unless faced with the situation. but, i think the analogy of just giving it all away now doesn't hold. there's no real way to find someone out there about to die who i could give some amount of money to and immediately that person would have a normal and great life. also, i'm not the only one who can save them and am being faced with that decision at the moment.

i guess relative strangers may be a bit over the top, but if i somehow knew the persons background and all the good things he or she does with his or her life, i really think i would rather give up my money and save them then let them die.

i mean its only money and i can always make more. i expect my current net worth to be a pretty small fraction of my total lifetime earnings.

EDIT: It also would feel amazingly fulfilling which would be a nice change of pace from playing poker, slacking off in school, and working on wall street making rich people richer.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Can I make them my slave afterwards?

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

I don't think 7 years of indentured servitude would be out of the question.



But I would probably give it up for my close friends/family members. It would be a tough call if I was a millionaire, and in reality you could never be "sure" you're getting the person back, so in a real life situation it's probably like 5 for me. In the perfect situation that you describe where I'm 100% positive I get the person back, like the hi-jacker has a great reputation or something, I'd probably give it up for at least 30 close friends/family members.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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totally relative to the value of the person. society leads us to believe people are more valuable than they really are. all men are created equal, but we do not all die equal.

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I choose my friends based on their value, doesn't everyone? Even if that value is only to me.

And I give up everything for any of my friends. Hell probably some acquaintances. What is weird is I have friends who are worth so much more I would fully expect this to be one sided.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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definitely lying, else why not just give up your net worth right now? you could probably save many african children

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You are the only person I've heard besides Norman Chad say "else" in lieu of "or else". I'm not sure where Chad is from, but is this a regional thing? I've lived in Missouri and Texas and people always say "or else".

Not a character assailment.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

nah not really, i say both. when i use just else it feels more like a logical statement to me.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

This is a silly question, because if your net if fairly low, then the person can easily pay you back quickly. Answers will vary largely depending on what each respondent is worth.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

also i guess i had assumed that the person wouldn't know you had given up $X. that makes it much different.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

I'm pretty sure I have a negative net worth, so I'd give it up for each and every one of you in this thread.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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I would probably pay for everyone I like and know if there was some guarantee the 'nappers wouldn't kill them and run. I couldnt live with myself otherwise.. :/

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Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

What Naj quoted.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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I'm pretty sure I have a negative net worth, so I'd give it up for anyone.

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Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Angelina Jolie for sure, I know she would [censored] the [censored] out of me and reimburse my loss

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Saying you won't do this for a stranger is different than saying you will not spontaneously donate your net worth to some random starving people. In this hypothetical you are on the spot, this persons life is solely your responsibilty. Starving people have some responsibility for their own survival and on top of it they could be saved by other peoples money as much as yours. Basically if some starving people you've never met kick it you share the responsibilty for letting them go with a ton of other people. Maybe we're guilty but we're only kinda guilty. Here if we don't cough up the dough it's totally on us. You really come off like a dick now even if it's just to yourself. I'm not saying I'd do it for anyone just that's it's different than donating your money to random starving people. But c'mon have a heart guys, >20.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Answer should be however many people would do the same for you.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

I suppose I didn't word it clear enough.

Most of you got the general gist of it though, which was how many people in your life would you be willing to make a tremendous sacrifice for.


My answer I think would be easily over 20, however if it were "give up your life for", my answer would definitely be 0. Living is pretty [censored] awesome IMO.

Now, if/when I have kids, I assume I will be willing to give my life for them, else I probably shouldn't be having them.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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This is a silly question, because if your net if fairly low, then the person can easily pay you back quickly.

[/ QUOTE ] No. What is silly is to look for these kinds of loopholes in the hypothetical, in stead of just trying to go along with the intent of it. It's pretty obvious that you're not supposed to calculate with getting your money back.

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Answers will vary largely depending on what each respondent is worth.

[/ QUOTE ] This is true.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

I'd do this for anyone with the following exceptions:
1) Someone I know (have good reasons to believe) is a total POS and a burden to society.

2) Someone with a chronicle illness who is in a great deal of uncurable pain or is gonna die within the next couple of weeks/monts.

The latter would problably not apply for anyone I care alot for.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

I'd phone the police.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Obviously a necessary assumption in this whole thing is that the victim won't be able to pay you back. Otherwise it's just a loan in which case big deal.

I'd like to say I'd give up my net worth for a stranger, and in this situation I would (as is the tendency for people to respond). The interesting implication of that position as posters have pointed out is "Why haven't you given all your money to Oxfam then?" In OP's case, we are presumably the only person who can save the victim. In the case of starving kids around the world, there are millions who can help but don't. The fact that millions of others aren't doing [censored] to help doesn't make our neglect any more ethically excusable, but it certainly does make it easier to do nothing.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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I'm not saying I'd do it for anyone just that's it's different than donating your money to random starving people.

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I don't think it's as different as we immediately think.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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I'm not saying I'd do it for anyone just that's it's different than donating your money to random starving people.

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I don't think it's as different as we immediately think.

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I think it clearly is - immediacy matters! We're all going to die, so why accumulate money in the first place?

Oh, right, because I expect to need it today, etc, LDO.

If I'm going to read in the paper that my old buddy from college will be dead tomorrow because I didn't help him, well, I can't handle that and I can make more $$$ anyway. I'll gladly pay off the 'nappers if I get a guarantee.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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I'm not saying I'd do it for anyone just that's it's different than donating your money to random starving people.

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I don't think it's as different as we immediately think.

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I think it clearly is - immediacy matters! We're all going to die, so why accumulate money in the first place?

Oh, right, because I expect to need it today, etc, LDO.

If I'm going to read in the paper that my old buddy from college will be dead tomorrow because I didn't help him, well, I can't handle that and I can make more $$$ anyway. I'll gladly pay off the 'nappers if I get a guarantee.

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There aren't people in the world who are in need of immediate basic medical care?

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

basic care <> life-threatening. DUCY?

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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basic care <> life-threatening. DUCY?

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Does "<>" mean not equal?

So if you found out that your best friend, instead of being kidnapped, was stuck in the middle of a third world country and starving to death, you wouldn't pay for a few of his meals?

Happens everyday, thankfully your friend isn't one of them.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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basic care <> life-threatening. DUCY?

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Does "<>" mean not equal?

So if you found out that your best friend, instead of being kidnapped, was stuck in the middle of a third world country and starving to death, you wouldn't pay for a few of his meals?

Happens everyday, thankfully your friend isn't one of them.

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the major difference you are missing is that you can't give money to a starving child in Africa and all of a sudden make him a middle class kid in America. In the OP you are giving someone a totally normal life back rather than them being killed.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

probably just one. doesn't even have to be an important one.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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basic care <> life-threatening. DUCY?

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Does "<>" mean not equal?

So if you found out that your best friend, instead of being kidnapped, was stuck in the middle of a third world country and starving to death, you wouldn't pay for a few of his meals?

Happens everyday, thankfully your friend isn't one of them.

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the major difference you are missing is that you can't give money to a starving child in Africa and all of a sudden make him a middle class kid in America. In the OP you are giving someone a totally normal life back rather than them being killed.

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You're right. We can't make starving children in Africa middle class Americans (as if that's a desirable thing anyways). We can feed them though. I don't understand how that isn't a pressing concern.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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You're right. We can't make starving children in Africa middle class Americans (as if that's a desirable thing anyways). We can feed them though. I don't understand how that isn't a pressing concern.

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not saying it isn't a pressing concern. just that it's a lot different.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

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You're right. We can't make starving children in Africa middle class Americans (as if that's a desirable thing anyways). We can feed them though. I don't understand how that isn't a pressing concern.

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not saying it isn't a pressing concern. just that it's a lot different.

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The point of OP's question is: "What's more important, your net worth or the life of your friend?" If you honestly believe that the implications of that question are significantly different than "What's more important, your net worth or the life of a starving child?", then I don't know what to say. I grant you that the particulars are different, but I don't think that the particulars (ie being returned to a middle class western lifestyle) mean much compared to the heart of the dilemma which is weighing the value of money vs. the value of life.

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

I couldn't live with myself knowing that I could have prevented a murder but didn't. Can always make more money, but this is an opportunity to save a life and show someone love, so I'd have to go with 20+.

Can't guarantee they'll appreciate the sacrifice, but I don't think it's my job to worry about that...

Re: How many people would you give up your net worth for?
 

Probably anyone I've known well. I simply couldn't live with myself knowing that person will never be released because I was too selfish to give up some money.