Thirteen Interesting “What If” Situations – How Would YOU Respond?
Please feel free to give your opinion on these situations even if you’re not playing Thursday Thirteen. There are no right or wrong answers here – it’s a question of scruples and what would you do?
1. A brown-wrapped package stamped SE XUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL INSIDE is delivered to your house and addressed to your spouse. Your spouse is not home. Would you open it up without your spouse’s permission?
My answer: I would hesitate … for about 30 seconds and then hell yes! I’d rip that puppy open and see what was inside. I actually asked the husband if given the same situation, if he would open a package like this addressed to me and he said no. When I asked him why, wouldn’t he be curious? He said, “What if it was a gift or something? I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
HAHAHA! As if!!
2. You’re seated in a non-smoking section of an airplane. Two seats away in the same non-smoking section, a passenger lights up. Do you ask the smoker to put out the cigarette?
My answer: No. But I would definitely bring it to the flight attendant’s attention. But then again, I just might confront the passenger. I think it would depend on how, uh, feisty I was feeling that day. *grin*
I’m finding my patience is wearing really thin about smokers nowadays. Especially considering our city is virtually smoke-free so any time I smell it I REALLY smell it, you know? Ex-squeeze-me, but if you want to give yourself black lung, be my guest. But I’ll be damned if you give it to me in the process. Humpf.
3. A friend gives you a job in his factory. You’ve been working there six months when your co-workers vote to strike. Do you join the picket line?
My answer: Oh wow, that depends on what they were striking about. For example: if the employees were making $20 an hour to push a button or stuff boxes and they were striking because they wanted more money, probably not. Personally, I think unions are part of the reason a lot of companies are seeking overseas workers – simply because we can’t afford to pay the wages factory workers demand.
However, if they were striking because of unsafe working conditions or something along those lines, then I would probably jump on the wagon. I don’t know, I have strong feelings about this sort of thing because I used to work at Wal-Mart and there would be periodic threats for unions and the issues they cited seemed so … inconsequential when compared to the overall impact forming a union would have on the company and eventually, our jobs. I would be hard pressed to ever support a union – again, it would depend on what the issues were.
4. You own a restaurant and serve rolls with every meal. Often the rolls are returned to the kitchen seemingly untouched. Would you serve them again?
My answer: I would be tempted – sorely tempted. Simply for the fact that it would save me in inventory and cost. But in the end? I couldn’t live with myself if I did something like that. You never know where that roll had been or what the customer had done with it (maybe they licked it? GROSS!).
However, if very many of them came back, I might make giving rolls to customers optional – give the customers an option of whether they wanted a roll or not. That would be a much better alternative than re-serving them. Don’t you ever wonder if that REALLY happens?
I bet it does. *shudder*
5. A co-worker confides in you and tells you he/she is having marital difficulties. Your best friend also knows your co-worker and suspects that the marriage is rocky and pumps you for information. Do you reveal anything?
My answer: My first answer is “of course not!” But realistically? Given it’s my BEST friend whom I’m assuming I tell everything to? Probably.
But then again, it might depend. If the co-worker asked me not to tell anyone, I would respect his/her wishes. When the best friend pumped me, I wouldn’t say anything due to my promise. I would hope the best friend would understand and admire my resolve not to break a promise to someone.
6. You and your spouse are invited to play cards at another couple’s house. After a few hands of gin rummy and a few drinks, they suggest a new game – strip poker. Do you play?
My answer: Newp. Absolutely not. Oh sure, it would be fun to act “naughty,” but I’ve seen too many friends succumb to this sort of temptation and then their life/marriage crumble as a result of giving into temptation.
So no. I’d high-tail me and the husband out of there and race home and have our own game of strip poker. *wink*
7. Your spouse has died within the year and you are a single parent. You have just begun to date, but every time you go out, your child throws a temper tantrum. Do you curtail dating for a while?
My answer: A lot of my answer depends on how old the child is in this scenario. I really think getting involved in another relationship while the child is young (baby to teenager) is a bad idea anyway you look at it. It would be an unfortunate and sad situation to find myself, and my family in, but I really think I would just concentrate on surviving and making our lives as comfortable and secure as possible given our loss. I think getting involved with someone during that time period is just asking for more trouble.
Now once the kids have graduated from high school, that’s a different situation and my answer would be different. At that time, my life is my own once again and if my (grown-up) children had a problem with my dating, then they would just have to get over it.
8. You were in Vietnam and could have come in contact with the defoliant Agent Orange. You and your wife want to have a baby. Would you risk having children even though the defoliant has been traced to birth defects?
My answer: Wow. This is a really tough scenario. If there was any way I could be tested to find out for sure, then I would subject myself to any and all tests to find out. If it was determined that I didn’t appear to have absorbed the agent, then I would probably risk it.
But if there was even a SLIGHT chance I might be infected and it would infect my child, I probably would not. I just don’t think I could live with myself if I knowingly went into a situation where I was gambling with my child’s life. My gamble could affect my child’s quality of life – why would that be fair to my child? I would most likely not have children and adopt instead.
9. Your ex, who lives out of town, is coming to visit the children for a weekend. The kids want him/her to stay at the house. You have the room. Do you agree?
My answer: Depends. What sort of relationship do we have? Is it friendly? Is it hostile? Is he a jerk? A bad influence on the kids (hence the reason we split up?). If the split was amicable (as amicable as it can be given the circumstances) and we seemed to have reached an understanding both in our relationship and in his relationship with the kids … maybe. If our split was hostile and we couldn’t stand the sight of each other, probably not.
Here’s money for a hotel room, buddy.
10. Your 8-year-old hears the words “sexual intercourse” on television and asks you what it means. Do you given an explanation?
My answer: Of course. I don’t believe in keeping things like that from children. If you make a mystery out of something, then the child’s natural inclination is to want to find out more about it. And if that’s the case, then I would rather give him/her the correct information. However, I would water it down to an 8-year-old’s understanding and not get too technical. Kids deserve to know what is going on, they’re not stupid, but keep it age appropriate.
11. At your company, you have been accused of discriminating against women in your hiring practices. A new position opens up. Would you hire the female over the male candidate, even though the man has slightly better qualifications?
My answer: If the male had better qualifications, than I think it’s my duty to both my company and my employees to hire the best person for the job. However, I would document the holy heck out of the entire procedure and most likely discuss it with my boss/associates beforehand so that there’s a paper trail and witnesses in case it became an issue later.
12. You’re on a jury, but are not sequestered. The judge has warned you not to discuss the case with anyone and to stay away from news coverage of it. You hear that the case is on TV tonight with a special story on the jurors. Do you tune in?
My answer: Okay, this is going to sound weird, but yes, probably. Simply because I would be curious to see what the public conception about the case was. Not to mention, what if there was a case conflict of interest concerning one of the jurors? I would want to know so we could assess that particular’s juror’s possible persuasions.
However, I only say that because I’m a pretty fair person and really don’t allow myself to be swayed into the masses. If I honestly thought someone was being treated unfairly and the evidence backed that opinion up, then I would be the annoying 12th juror who wouldn’t go along with the plan. I would have to live with my decision for the rest of my life. That’s a long time to feel guilty about something.
13. Your new employee is the nephew of the company president. He’s lazy, incompetent and antagonistic to his co-workers. Do you fire him?
My answer: No. But I would try my best to make sure my boss realized what a loser his nephew was. In addition, I would work to document his behaviors and build a case against him so when/if it came time to fire his butt, I’d have documentation to back it up. (I’m all about the paper trail, people. *grin*)
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