What Would YOU Do?

[JFN1]

I'm doing a bit of research. I believe I know the answer to the question I pose below, so please be patient with me, and please indulge my curiosity without flaming me for it. I promise there is a point to this.

Thank you for your assistance.

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A man is going to be late for work. He is afraid if he is late, he will lose his job and be disgraced. He's been late quite a lot lately, as his car is a piece of junk, but instead of buying the parts he needs to keep it dependable, he went partying instead. So his car doesn't always start, and thus, he's been late for work several times in the past few weeks.

Today, however, it is not his fault. There is terrible traffic due to an accident, and even though he left his house for work ten minutes earlier than usual, he is very likely going to be late and lose his job.

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The accident involves a school bus with 10 learning disabled kids aboard, all around 12 years old, on their way to a field trip at the museum downtown. The bus driver wasn't paying attention, and swerved on a bridge to avoid rear ending the car in front of him. Now the bus is caught on the guard rail, teetering over the edge of the bridge. It is nearly 100 feet to the river below, and if the bus falls, the children and the driver will surely die.

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You are in a position to help the guy who is late, get to work on time.

You are also in a position to save the school bus full of children.

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What do you do?

[GodlessBiker]

1. I'm not Superman. I can't pull a bus from the precipice. But I can help a guy get to work.

[JFN1]

3. In this scenario, you can save the bus

Doesn't matter how - you have the power to do so.

[GodlessBiker]

4. Then either choice is morally justified.

[MNDemNY]

2. Both.

[Lerkfish]

5. I doubt I"ll know the backstory on the guy, but I will realize the urgency of the

bus situation. Even if I cannot directly help, I will stop and do what I can to either prevent the bus from falling, stabilize it, evacuate it or assist other rescue efforts, or, if necessary, retreive victims if it does go over.

your question has two nonintersecting parameters:

you give us the backstory on the man, as if to judge whether he is guilty or not for his situation, but that is apples and oranges to the imminent danger of the kids on the bus.

if you wanted to discover a valid poll, you could have asked about the man whether we would fire him or not when he finally arrived.

I think the way you structured the poll implies that one has to make a choice between the two. IF you wanted to resolve both issues, first attempt to save the kids, tell the man to help you, and then aftwards go with the man to his work and tell his boss how he tried to save a bus full of kids with you, successful or not.

but that is not one of your choices.

[Maeve]

11. Nice answer!

Not either but both!

"Cake or ice cream?" "Yes"

[FSogol]

6. Triage anyone? You have to assist in the most pressing danger first.

Any future dangers such as the loser losing his job have to come 2nd.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. You assume

that folks will be willing to help either the kids on the bus or the guy who is late to work.

Sadly, many folks are going to help neither. They are going to look out for themselves. And some are probably going to interferre with the emergency ehicles rushing to the scene.

[woo me with science]

8. Um, is there a point to this?

Is this supposed to be some kind of analogy or something?

[JFN1]

15. There is a point.

I will make it once I have enough data to support my conclusions. This poll is part of that effort.

[Bucky]

9. 1st: two questions. Do the kids have money on them and how far away are the cops?

[Sebastian Doyle]

10. If this dude is capable of going to work, then I'll assume he's not injured.

So I'll draft him into helping me get the kids off the bus, thereby providing him an alibi, with witnesses, and any boss who would fire him for an act of heroism would immediately be branded a total asshole by the community.

[Iggo]

12. BAM!!! Winner! (n/t)

[Lerkfish]

13. I already suggested similar to that in my answer further up

but you're right, it is the best solution

[Iggo]

14. Yep.

Bonus points for providing Mr. Loserman with a hero's alibi.