A Jail Time Scenario

[The Free Joy State]

Solitary confinement can be used for protection in the West IRL.

Creating long complex narratives can prevent getting to the heart of the question.

And telling thread-visitors they've done something they'd never do (especially something morally abhorrent) can make it impossible to engage.

the scenario necessitates that you are in for life imprisonment without possibility of parole though

I am not in jail. I am watching a little digital war criminal, who is in jail, and not caring what happens to them.

If the little digital war criminal gets stabbed in jail, I'll shrug and play a different video game -- one with a more identifiable character. If he goes crazy in solitary, I'll go and read a book.

That's what I mean when I say that asking thread visitors to imagine they did something morally abhorrent prevents engagement.

[Victorious Decepticons]

Option 2. Humans suck; if I didn't think that way, I wouldn't have been genociding them in the first place.

A private area where they couldn't bug me anymore wouldn't be a punishment, but a nice hermitage paid for and maintained by the State.

[Infected Mushroom]

the scenario necessitates that you are in for life imprisonment without possibility of parole though

I am not in jail. I am watching a little digital war criminal, who is in jail, and not caring what happens to them.

If the little digital war criminal gets stabbed in jail, I'll shrug and play a different video game -- one with a more identifiable character. If he goes crazy in solitary, I'll go and read a book.

That's what I mean when I say that asking thread visitors to imagine they did something morally abhorrent prevents engagement.

yeah but you have a tendency to immediately/instantly de humanise war criminals

I feel that this is not necessarily the case for everyone

[The Free Joy State]

I am not in jail. I am watching a little digital war criminal, who is in jail, and not caring what happens to them.

If the little digital war criminal gets stabbed in jail, I'll shrug and play a different video game -- one with a more identifiable character. If he goes crazy in solitary, I'll go and read a book.

That's what I mean when I say that asking thread visitors to imagine they did something morally abhorrent prevents engagement.

yeah but you have a tendency to immediately/instantly de humanise war criminals

I feel that this is not necessarily the case for everyone

Why do you seem to want people to identify with war criminals? You didn't want us to kill Witch Hitler, didn't want us to kill Witch Hitler again, and now you're making thread visitors the successor to... Witch Hitler?

Why must we endeavour to identify with those who murder innocent civilians out of false ideas that they are superior to others?

[Victorious Decepticons]

yeah but you have a tendency to immediately/instantly de humanise war criminals

I feel that this is not necessarily the case for everyone

Your feelings are correct.

The main thing that bothers me about these scenarios is that you keep having them lose. *Harrumphs*

You could also skip the witchcraft angle. Basic, and in some cases even crude, weaponry has always worked just fine for the mass deletion of humans. All it really takes is for the aggressors' side to have either more numbers or more power than the targets, plus the level of hostility needed to actually do it.

This isn't always a case of the targets being oh-so-innocent, either. I know of at least one where as soon as the power equation got reversed, it was payback time - and in the "no trials, no reports to file" kind of way.

[Infected Mushroom]

yeah but you have a tendency to immediately/instantly de humanise war criminals

I feel that this is not necessarily the case for everyone

Why do you seem to want people to identify with war criminals? You didn't want us to kill Witch Hitler, didn't want us to kill Witch Hitler again, and now you're making thread visitors the successor to... Witch Hitler?

Why must we endeavour to identify with those who murder innocent civilians out of false ideas that they are superior to others?

I don't support war criminals but I do encourage people to look at everything on a case by case basis and to try to delve into the reasons/factors/circumstances that lead to people making certain choices. This is always a very important aspect of justice.

I don't necessarily view this thread as a successor thread to the Witch Queen thread even though it draws from the same hypothetical universe. I've always felt in the Witch Queen thread that Annie was massively misunderstood (in fact, it was shocking to me that a large number of posters refused to considerer her age or state of mind)

This thread is touching on something a bit different though. Its asking you to choose an option in a No-Win scenario. Its an exercise where you have to imagine you are a permanent prisoner and must make a permanent choice.

[Alvecia]

Why do you seem to want people to identify with war criminals? You didn't want us to kill Witch Hitler, didn't want us to kill Witch Hitler again, and now you're making thread visitors the successor to... Witch Hitler?

Why must we endeavour to identify with those who murder innocent civilians out of false ideas that they are superior to others?

I don't support war criminals but I do encourage people to look at everything on a case by case basis and to try to delve into the reasons/factors/circumstances that lead to people making certain choices. This is always a very important aspect of justice.

I don't necessarily view this thread as a successor thread to the Witch Queen thread even though it draws from the same hypothetical universe. I've always felt in the Witch Queen thread that Annie was massively misunderstood (in fact, it was shocking to me that a large number of posters refused to considerer her age or state of mind)

This thread is touching on something a bit different though. Its asking you to choose an option in a No-Win scenario. Its an exercise where you have to imagine you are a permanent prisoner and must make a permanent choice.

No-win scenarios aren’t anything different, they’ve been posited since we were able to think. The Trolley Problem being one of the most famous examples.

[Ifreann]

Solitary confinement can be used for protection in the West IRL.

Creating long complex narratives can prevent getting to the heart of the question.

And telling thread-visitors they've done something they'd never do (especially something morally abhorrent) can make it impossible to engage.

the scenario necessitates that you are in for life imprisonment without possibility of parole though

No it doesn't.

[The New California Republic]

Option 1. Because contact with other people is preferable.

[Infected Mushroom]

the scenario necessitates that you are in for life imprisonment without possibility of parole though

No it doesn't.

If it weren’t for life the stakes would be different

[Ifreann]

No it doesn't.

If it weren’t for life the stakes would be different

And then maybe people could think about whether they'd choose solitary if they knew it'd only be a short sentence, and about how long they think they could tolerate solitary before it'd be worth it to risk genpop.

[Infected Mushroom]

If it weren’t for life the stakes would be different

And then maybe people could think about whether they'd choose solitary if they knew it'd only be a short sentence, and about how long they think they could tolerate solitary before it'd be worth it to risk genpop.

It’s intended to be a permanent gig

[Infected Mushroom]

Option 1. Because contact with other people is preferable.

Even at the risk of being attacked?

[Infected Mushroom]

yeah but you have a tendency to immediately/instantly de humanise war criminals

I feel that this is not necessarily the case for everyone

Your feelings are correct.

The main thing that bothers me about these scenarios is that you keep having them lose. *Harrumphs*

You could also skip the witchcraft angle. Basic, and in some cases even crude, weaponry has always worked just fine for the mass deletion of humans. All it really takes is for the aggressors' side to have either more numbers or more power than the targets, plus the level of hostility needed to actually do it.

This isn't always a case of the targets being oh-so-innocent, either. I know of at least one where as soon as the power equation got reversed, it was payback time - and in the "no trials, no reports to file" kind of way.

Oh?

Interesting

Which case do you have in mind?

[Blargoblarg]

Option 2 for me, because I'm an introvert and as long as I have something to do like read books or play video games I think I'd probably be fine. Besides, I'm not sure I'd survive Option 1 if all the other prisoners hate me and would try to attack me whenever they get the chance.

[Page]

I'd choose general population, I think I have enough IRL charisma to gather some other prisoners to my cause.

And if I fail and I get attacked I'll just fight to the death, better to die than live an empty existence.

[Ifreann]

And then maybe people could think about whether they'd choose solitary if they knew it'd only be a short sentence, and about how long they think they could tolerate solitary before it'd be worth it to risk genpop.

It’s intended to be a permanent gig

But it doesn't need to be. So you don't need to invent crimes that would guarantee a life sentence.

[Infected Mushroom]

It’s intended to be a permanent gig

But it doesn't need to be. So you don't need to invent crimes that would guarantee a life sentence.

As you know, I enjoy exercising a measure of creativity and story-telling in these types of threads

otherwise you end up with really flat dilemmas like the Trolley Problem

a number of posters have said to me that they like the elaborate story telling

[Ifreann]

But it doesn't need to be. So you don't need to invent crimes that would guarantee a life sentence.

As you know, I enjoy exercising a measure of creativity and story-telling in these types of threads

otherwise you end up with really flat dilemmas like the Trolley Problem

a number of posters have said to me that they like the elaborate story telling

One might even begin to suspect that you keep making these threads just so that people will interact with your fictional setting.

[Infected Mushroom]

As you know, I enjoy exercising a measure of creativity and story-telling in these types of threads

otherwise you end up with really flat dilemmas like the Trolley Problem

a number of posters have said to me that they like the elaborate story telling

One might even begin to suspect that you keep making these threads just so that people will interact with your fictional setting.

I view it in part as a creative craft but I am largely interested in the very good discussions these threads produce

[The Emerald Legion]

But if were following cinematic laws then you and the other magic users will rampage and defeat everything in your way somehow and then when it looks like the magic users are about to win and take over the word the hero's will pull something out of their arse and save the day and place you back in prison and putting you back at square one.

This is an IM production, so we'll probably end up as monarch of Earth.

Clearly the solution is to devour the souls/hearts of the other prisoners to restore and amplify your magical strength. Now how can you do that inside a glass madness box?

[Infected Mushroom]

This is an IM production, so we'll probably end up as monarch of Earth.

Clearly the solution is to devour the souls/hearts of the other prisoners to restore and amplify your magical strength. Now how can you do that inside a glass madness box?

well you would be alone, except for the guards and the occasional psychiatrist/profiler who gets the clearance to interview you

that means tons and tons and tons of alone time

[Internationalist Bastard]

This format is flawed as I’d be working for the world government in this scenario

[Infected Mushroom]

This format is flawed as I’d be working for the world government in this scenario

oh how come?

[Ifreann]

This format is flawed as I’d be working for the world government in this scenario

oh how come?

IB used to work for the real UN.