How much would your moral compass slip in a life or death situation?

I am too honest to lie or sabotage, and too poor to resort to bribery, but spinning the truth isn’t exactly lying. I would make a case for the old couple staying off the chopper as they have already had more of a life than the others, and would toss either the the frat-boy and his SO or two of the employees a set of car keys and tell them to try and get the old couple away. In fact, employees may have a better chance at escape simply due to familiarity with the area. Regardless, I wouldn’t split the couple.

That would keep all of the kids who haven’t had a chance to do much living yet with whatever parents they came to the island with while my wife and I also get seats.

What a horrid scenario! I think and I say think because I have never been and never want to be in that situation, that I would maksute the children were the first priority then possibly one of the parents then younger generation eg teens mid twenties to go the route 20 to 30% chance of survival, as they are hopefully younger and fitter. I would defo try to.squeeze more people in the car, have you seen how many people u can fit in a mini!! Not sure I would feel right leaving people behind. However if people voluteered, maybe draws names out ofhat, I would try to make sure they had as much equipment they would need to aid their survival as much as possible. I really would find it hard though. just as a side note me and my family were stranded on a greek island when tell pleasure cruise boat we were on sprang a leak after hitting rocks, after waiting 7 hours they managed to send the first rescuefa boat, the announcement clearly stated families with young children first the second boat will only be another 30mins max but the amount of older couples and couples in their mid 20s that pushed prams out of the way to try ad get on the boat…it was shocking! Luckily the crew were turning them away. But I wouldn’t have wanted it to be a life or death situation those folk would have trampled over anyone to get on that boat!! rant over!!

If space and not weight was the problem with the helicopter, I’d volunteer myself, and anyone else willing, to be tied to the landing gear. It’d allow more people to get on safely (women + children) who might not be able to undergo being tied to landing gear.
As @jerv already said, it’d be best for the employees who know the area to drive away, taking the elderly couple with them if possible. If not, if I was that elderly couple, I’d prepare as best I could, and then wait for it with my wife in my arms.

I personally do not think any one person’s life is more valuable or worth saving than another, regardless of age. Therefore I would draw straws and the winners are the grinners, end of story. The rest I would pile into or onto the car and get the hell out of there as fast as the car would go all the time thinking nasty thought about the lucky ones on the chopper.

@rooeytoo The problem is, how do the children go about picking straws? Regardless if a child is rotten to the core, they have a whole lifetime to change. If they win, and their parents lose, I guess they receive the equivalent of watching their parents die? I would honestly like to hear your view on why the elderly couple should have the same chances as the two small children/baby.

I’d probably do what I could to get my family out of there. Then I’d either attempt the drive (if there was a car available) or find a nice bed and get good and drunk in anticipation of my inevitable fate.

Kids first, all on the helicopter. Then draw straws for a parent or two to ride with them. Everyone else in the cars. Four employees stay behind, if it comes to that, drawing straws to see which of the lucky ones gets to escape with the rest of us. The employees have the best shot at getting to safety, being familiar with the area. They’ve also got a duty, to my mind, to make sure their customers are safe before they tend to themselves. I’d feel the same way if I were one of the employees.

Women and children go first….period.

I’d fill the bird with everybody that would fit….pull out my Glock and order 2 of the crewman off the helicopter and let my S/O and dear friend on board and take my chances with the highly trained crewmen on the ground after they got over having a gun drawn on them that is!

I had to read this and then go away for a while to work it out. I hate disaster movies for the simple reason of that feeling of hopelessness they give you. That being said:

I guess I would be there with my husband and my 6 year old son. I would do absolutely anything I had to to get my young son on board the helicopter and then stay behind myself if I had to. My life has no other reason or purpose other than my son and if I could die knowing that he was OK after facing this kind of danger, that would be OK. I would hope that my husband would stay behind too, so all the kids could go, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to save him. I might not even wake him up.

I agree with @john65pennington. Larvae.

The problem I have with the “women and children first” idea is twofold.

1) How are the kids going to deal with losing their father?
2) How is the wife going to deal with losing their husband?

Maybe I have a special take on this since I now have two teenage cousins with no parents; my uncle took his own life after my aunt died. All three of them had a hard time accepting her loss, he took it harder than they did, and now I worry how my cousins are going to be affected in the long term since they lost both parents.

So I would do everything I could to keep kids and couples together, and to get the kids to safety even if that means leaving an adult couple to possibly die together.

The thing that’s always silliest about these scenarios is the idea that people will
1. do the rational thing
2. abide by the intent of the respondent
3. sit around and debate the issue
4. not panic

I would try to save anyone I could from the panic that is probably gripping all around (probably except for the helicopter crew). If that was even possible (in a panic situation, all bets are off), and if time permitted, then we’d jettison everything possible from the helicopter, including excess fuel, to allow for more weight-carrying capacity, including (as @Prosb suggested) suspending additional people outside. Perhaps one or two of the helicopter crew (three being such a weird number to crew or pilot a helicopter) could be persuaded to stay behind and increase the odds of survival of those staying behind or leaving by alternate means.

Concurrently, we’d modify the other vehicles (boats? cars?) to increase their carrying capacity. In a survival situation, “passenger seats” are a luxury that can be done without, for example. No luggage. People can strap themselves to the roof, etc. There’s no such thing as “maybe room for eight”; we can make this work. It might look like a clown car, but we can fit sixteen people in a vehicle that you thought “might” carry eight.

Everyone goes, one way or another.

In a panic, on the other hand, it could very well be a literal “fight for survival”, and I’d probably kill several people who tried to interfere or spread their own panic.

If there were competing plans to escape, then I’d attempt to mediate an agreement that neither team will deliberately interfere with the other team’s attempt, resources, escape routes, personnel, etc. would be divided up ahead of time, and we’d each do what we could. Penalty of instant death for whoever attempts to undermine the other team.

@WasCy For ground vehicles, I agree. Sadly, helicopters have some pretty sharp limits on their carrying capacity based solely on weight. Now, cars are definitely more flexible in this regard, and even the smallest truck can carry an impressive amount

However, as this question seemed to be more about morality and what you would do if you had to pick people to stay, I answered accordingly.

I know what I’d like my answer to be….but I don’t really know what I would really do. I’ve always thought I could be cool if I was attacked by a dog. I could just punch him in the throat or something…but the other day two loose dogs attacked our Spaniel without provocation and the sheer violence of it left my mind completely blank, except for fear. Fear that they would turn on me. Dakota, our lovely, peaceful, gentle, white German Shepherd, however, is a much cooler character. She methodically, kicked both of their asses, so every one is OK. I could not believe what I was seeing…the gentlest, sweetest dog on earth turned into Cujo for a few seconds. That’s as long as it took to send the other two yelping out of the yard in terror. And they weren’t little dogs. Could. Not. Believe it.

Anyway, I was disappointed at myself for not being able to think of what to do because of my fear.

@Prosb – It is the way I see it. I am an old woman, I am valuable to society, I am equal to all, end of story. I have always thought women and children first was ridiculous, sexist and ageist. Life is not fair, draw the straws and take your chances.

I honestly don’t think I could go ahead of a child….

@rooeytoo I understand your viewpoint, and that you can personally place yourself in the shoes of the elderly couple better than most people. I wouldn’t agree on the value to society part though. Unless you plan to work until you hit the grave, you’ll be a drag once you retire. Even if you did work into your grave, a baby/young child has a lot more time left to work/contribute, unless you happen to be capable of staying alive another 50+ years.

And it is true that the world is unfair, but that doesn’t mean people always have to be. If that logic worked, murder wouldn’t be a crime. You could just say “Trust me, he was stupid. He’d have probably gotten hit by a bus within a week. I did the world a favor, and I don’t even get a thank you?”

@Prosb If space and not weight was the problem with the helicopter, I’d volunteer myself, and anyone else willing, to be tied to the landing gear. If the chopper is dropping off supplies there is a good chance the supplies weigh more than a few extra people. If it has wheels instead of skids that might mean being able to tie off three more people –unless some will dangle by a cord—, would you put yourself as maybe being one of those of the kids, women and old folk were safe inside? Would you try to convince or talk any of the men to dangle outside?

@augustlan Kids first, all on the helicopter. Then draw straws for a parent or two to ride with them. Everyone else in the cars. Four employees stay behind, if it comes to that, drawing straws to see which of the lucky ones gets to escape with the rest of us. A whole world of hurt is coming and you have maybe dozens of minutes or a half hour at best that you can be sure you have. All the kids on the chopper and one parent to go if they draw the right straw. How do you handle Frat Boy and his g/f, or the old man if he insists that his loving wife of 45yr be in the chopper no matter whom else has to stay?

@john65pennington Women and children go first….period. In this new-age way of thinking why would women not be given equal chance to perish or survive as the men? Children first then adults either man or women draw?

@Cruiser I’d fill the bird with everybody that would fit….pull out my Glock and order 2 of the crewman off the helicopter and let my S/O and dear friend on board and take my chances with the highly trained crewmen on the ground after they got over having a gun drawn on them that is! If the pilot say he will not take off without his co-pilot, and the co-pilot said he ain’t leaving because he is related to the crew member etc. would you shoot one of them?

@cazzie I would do absolutely anything I had to to get my young son on board the helicopter and then stay behind myself if I had to. I believe that is a very truthful answer.

@WasCy We don’t always agree but in part I agree with you here.
1. do the rational thing
2. abide by the intent of the respondent
3. sit around and debate the issue
4. not panic
#1 won’t have much of a chance to happen because #4 will take off first more than likely. If it were a group of law enforcement people, fire fighters etc., their training might kick in automatically but a bunch of vacationers not a chance. If mere moments are believed to be at hand many will be thinking about their own neck and those of their loved ones. The debate period if any will be very short. If there is a strong personality there to take the reigns and keep calm as in the Miracle on the Hudson most might get out alive. Surely some will try to throw someone else under the bus or gain an edge to make sure they and theirs are safe first and then others if it is possible. There maybe heroes but not everyone will be.

@Dutchess_III I’ve always thought I could be cool if I was attacked by a dog. I could just punch him in the throat or something
I was disappointed at myself for not being able to think of what to do because of my fear. Fear and pressure can cause you to botch something you know that you know how to do. People miss shots they always make because of pressure, people forget basic things they can remember on a dime when they fear enters the picture. The clear thought people have now when death is not knocking might find they can’t think fast enough when their mine is saying “get out now” or die.

@Hypocrisy_Central,....Well I’d like to think that if I’d had a few more seconds to think I could have acted bravely. It happened REALLY fast and was over really fast. So I’ll keep thinkin ^^^

@Hypocrisy_Central Reconsidering, if the helicopter could take the weight, and a healthy man or woman getting on took up space inside instead of someone on the ground incapable of hanging off, I would TELL them, “You are hanging. Hanging, or staying on the ground.”

I would be willing to kill, if someone is unwilling to give up a seat for the young or incapable, when they can clearly see they would make it out fine without being inside. You have no excuse, you will not live while I do.

@Prosb – I have contributed to society all of my life, paid my taxes and been a good citizen. I still work and probably will until I die, so you can go on and on about how a child with an unproven track record, meaning he/she could grow up to be a druggie or drain on society in the many ways folks do, I will continue to go with equity and the luck of the draw. If the child draws the right straw and I don’t so be it, if vice versa happens, so be it.

I have in my career so far, paid in to social security more than I will ever be likely to collect, I don’t see myself as a “drag” even if I do decide to retire although at this stage of my life, I don’t forsee that happening. I like to be productive and I enjoy earning money.

I would command my horse Pegasus to transform into my invisible airplane and see that everyone got out safely.

Following the age vs. baby it is a tough choice. I guess it falls to weather you go off pure logic and not emotion or emotion first. Notwithstanding if one doesn’t want to die any debate is moot. To say if anyone is to be left, why not a young child or baby? Depending on the situation, a baby could make escape more difficult because the baby cannot assist in its own survival or the survival of anyone else in the party. The old might help some but maybe not as much as the younger more fit people. We have an affinity to want to safe and help smaller children and babies for many reasons, one being they are cute, helpless, and have done no harm; add in the fact they have not had the chance to live life to the fullest. The old has their hurdles, they have not a whole lot of life left. They do still have life and experience that they can pass down. How valuable is that? I guess it comes down to what they know. If you are looking at who has something to contribute to society today in the present moment it goes to the aged, Their history states it and unless they have Alzheimer’s or something like that and they are lucid they can still help out more in the few years they have left before the baby gets to being productive in any way.

Few can stomach tossing a baby under the bus, they are just too cute and adorable. That goes even if it is not you own. Any parent having to save a child that is their own would be willing to do just about anything in a desperate moment to make sure their child lives. I would not put murder off the table.

In a situation where it is a chopper and making space so there is no physical demand on escape I am sure most would say give the kid a chance because you can; even if it is not logical because of what babies do for the hearts and minds of people.

@Hypocrisy_Central Look at it this way; you can fit 2–3 kids in the same space as one average-sized adult (unless you are one of those wimps who cares about seat belts). Hell, if you get something like an old Lincoln Continental, you might be able to fit one in the glovebox!

@Prosb – thank you, hope you’re not too sickened!

Actually if one looks at history, say for instance the Titanic or actually any situation where live and death is the choice, many are trampled when the ones in the back row decide they should get out first. I am simply being honest and stating my reasons for thinking all life is equal. Again in history there was a time when the elders were revered, their life experience and knowledge respected. It does seem as if the world has shifted and now children have more value than anyone else. I just don’t go along with either school of thought, I think we all have equal value. If that sickens you, well, take an aspirin and hope we are not together in this imaginary remote area!

Well @Hypocrisy_Central if you are going to change the criteria on the fly then so will I….no I won’t shoot anyone but I will order both crewmen and the pilot off the bird as my loved one….my 15 year old is proficient in instrument flying of the helicopter we are about to fly away to safety in thanks to Hovercontrol flight sims!

I could see myself being capable of dicking people over for those seats, but at the same time I’m probably too much of a pussy to do it. Though, I’d like to think that I’m just too lazy to be bothered, but that’s just a cover.