Today, I'm gonna put just a little twist on the "If you had to choose between being blind or deaf, which would you choose?" line of questioning...
You see, I've heard that question a million times. It's a good question, in that it makes you really consider the little things that we take for granted most of the time. I don't think I could live without music, and I don't think I could live without seeing. My answer? I wouldn't want to choose. If I had to, I'd flip a coin or something. Nobody wants to give up a sense.
Or, do they? Ponder these for a moment...
Would you give up one of your senses if, in return, you were able to read other people's minds? Keep in mind that you might not have total control of this... just like you might accidentally see a plumber's hairy butt crack, you might accidentally find out that everyone you work with is a pedophile. I'm not sure I'd be mentally and emotionally prepared for that.
Or, how about this... would you give up one of your senses for the power of invisibility? Or the power to fly? Or super strength? Is there a super power that you'd be willing to trade one of your current senses for?
Maybe you'd consider this... how about, would you be willing to be color blind if, in return, you'd be as smart as Einstein? Or Steven Hawking? How about if, instead of being smart, you'd have the body of Salma Hayek or Brad Pitt? Or Angelina Jolie or Vin Diesel? Would you trade color vision for that?
One last question... would you give up your powers of speech (to humans) for the ability to talk to/understand animals?
I'm curious as to what people will say...
« close it up
Posted by mikey at 09:11 AM.
Filed under:
And you? •
(14) Comments •
Permalink
Next entry: Movie rant
Previous entry: Why is it that...
My first gut instint without much thought at all is to give up my ability for speaking to humans so I can understand animals. Because I can still type, write, learn sign language to talk to humans. You said speech...so yeah. I think I could do that trade. I do most of my communicating through email and chat now anyway!
Posted by
itchy on 05/22 at 09:42 AM
gah! instint = instinct
Posted by
itchy on 05/22 at 09:42 AM
would i want to read other people's minds? hell no. not for all the tea in china. (is there a lot of tea in china?)
i don't think i would give up one of my senses in return for a superpower. i mean, superheros are always such depressed tortured souls in movies. besides, let's say i gave up my hearing for the ability to fly. it's all well and good until i don't hear that 747 coming.
now, would i go color blind for Salma Hayek's body? hmmm. it's a common misconception that color blindness means you can't see any color - you can, you just don't see the same colors everyone else does. and Salma Hayek does have a slammin body... tough one. i'll go with no. i don't think i could give up my photography obsession just to look like her.
Posted by
geeky on 05/22 at 09:46 AM
The senses ones are difficult because whatever you give up would be very difficult.
Color-blindness on the other hand...Red-green or even if I had to see everything in I Love Lucy monochrome, I'd be willing to trade it for super smarts. Then again, if I didn't have the ability to do anything useful or make money or make myself happy with the super smarts, it wouldn't be such a good trade. Maybe this is even more difficult than I thought.
I'm not making that last trade because as bad asmost humans are, animals are even worse. Sure I could talk to them, but they'd never say anything besides "Give me food." It's not like you're ever going to run into a herd of cattle discussing the NBA playoffs or a pack of dogs debating the validity of political rhetoric.
Posted by
Craig on 05/22 at 10:11 AM
1. Aw hell no! I can barely take what goes on in my head, much less other people's.
2. this is a tough one. having super-strength would come in so handy! but then people would expect me to, i don't know, go around saving the world and i don't know about all that.
3. color-blind to be hella-smart? yeah, you know. i think i would just do that. i wouldn't, however, do it just to look like a celebrity.
4. No.
Posted by
Patricia on 05/22 at 11:24 AM
I would happily give up my sense of "taste" for the ability to be invisible. No need to fly since we can still do that even if it takes a machine. But giving up taste would keep me from over eating or eating the horribly fatty foods. I would only be eating to survive. Yeah, it would be a sacrifice because taste is such a pleasure - but not having taste would actually have some benefits for me. And being invisible - damn, you could really go to town with that superpower. You get on free plane trips to Europe and all kinds of things like that. Dude you could get into concerts free and even be on stage and no one would know. Follow them to their dressing room after the show! The possibilities are endless with invisibility.
Posted by
Lori on 05/22 at 11:29 AM
I would trade my sense of smell for invisibility or flying. Who needs smell when you can sneak up on anyone you want or never have to deal with traffic ever again.
Posted by
Macca on 05/22 at 12:50 PM
Here's the catch with giving up smell-you also give up your sense of taste too. I have a highly developed sense of smell (even for a smoker). Everytime someone thinks they smell something, they call me over to confirm it. Not something I want to put on my resume, thankyouverymuch. So I guess I already have a superhuman power.
And I love the way everyone is splitting hairs over this. "Give up speech to talk to animals, but can still type and blog and chat..." Good one. Ok, then I want the ability to mess with time. I can fuck around in the future and when I am done having my fun, I can go back and get whatever sense I traded back.
Boy-talk about a lot of "non-sense".
Posted by
Manic Witch on 05/22 at 02:40 PM
Hell yeah I'd give up my sense of smell for Selma Hayek's body! How long do I get to keep it? Does it start to rot after a while?
Oh wait...you mean LOOK like her.
Nevermind.
-z
Posted by
z on 05/22 at 03:08 PM
I don't know... I kind of like who I am. Sure, who wouldn't want to be smarter or better looking or have some kind of super power - but with any of those things comes greater responsibility. Ugh, who needs that?!
Give up seeing the color in a sunrise/set, the trees turning in the fall, or the green grass of summer? Nah. Not me.
Posted by
DJ on 05/22 at 03:25 PM
Um...Would I want to give up something in exchange for anything...no...Why? Well...It would be like bartering would you work every Saturday in exchange for 4 day work weeks...somewhere down the line, the novelty wears off....
As for psychic powers...yeah...no thank you....its like getting other converstions on an old cordless phone...you can't always control it or know what it means...
As for taking one power instead of another...I defer you to my first answer...eventually...you need all your faculties intact...
Posted by
supperswep on 05/22 at 06:28 PM
I would give up my sight because I couldn't live without my music anymore.
Posted by
Martini Mambo on 05/22 at 06:28 PM
tough call but i'd go deaf, i love pretty pictures much more than good music besides i wouldn't have to listen to my wife yelling at me
Posted by
tim steel on 05/23 at 07:14 AM
i would stay the way i am.
Posted by
julie on 05/23 at 10:34 AM
