Looks that could kill

[Klippy]

If you possessed the ability to end someone's life by simply wishing it, how would you use this ability? Let's assume you have to use the ability and there's no way to suppress it. You simply have to use it some way.

Would you use it to end the lives of murderous criminals and save the lives of innocent people or would you use it without restriction, ending the lives of whoever made you angry or sad?

What if you knew someone who had this ability? Would you turn them in, even if you were harmed by them for doing so, or would you encourage this vigilante do-gooder (or perhaps evil doer)?

Also, in b4 "this is d3th n0te".

 

[-ty-]

If I had this ability, yeah, I know who I would choose to kill, if I had to, lol. I would have a better life at first, but I would always feel guilty about it. It would probably make me sick.

NO WAY would I turn them in! They would probably kill me next.

 

[Chikara]

Someone in here say Desu Noto?

I don't think I'd even use it to be honest. I let my emotions get in the way and it kind of fogs up my brain.

However, if I knew someone who could do it, wouldn't turn them in. Depending on the circumstances, I'd most likely just try to convince the person to stop so they wouldn't get into trouble. Which might mean they'd kill me but whateva, I refuse to be a tattletail.

Buuuuut if they were using it to kill people just to kill people, I think I might have to say something to the police.

 

[Hiidoran]

Killing is so permanent... I'd rather just maim them. Though I'm guessing that's not really an option here, is it?

If I had this ability, I'd like to say that I'd try and only make sure I killed people whom I felt the world absolutely needs to be rid of like Steve Carell. Then again, who am I to really judge those kinda things. If I'm killing that many people, I pretty much deserve to look in a mirror and use the power on myself. Haha. Wait, was that an option? 'Cause I'm pretty sure it'd eventually lead to that if I had to keep using this ability...

In all reality though, I think I'd become complacent with the ability. I'd probably develop some sort of God complex and think my judgment was final. It's almost unavoidable. Just trying to be realistic I supposed. ]: Though it does sound kinda harsh.

If I knew someone could do this... I'd just be kinda honored that I was chosen to know. I'm still alive, so they must somehow trust me with the knowledge, or, they haven't found out yet and I'd like to keep it that way. "Justified" or not, I don't think any one of us could really stop someone like that on our own. Scary situation there, Klip.

 

[Klippy]

I know a lot of people are going to say "who am I to judge people like that?" but I realized that, at least in American society, we already do this. We have juries of "peers" and everyday people decide the fate of a person, whether to execute them or free them, so we already have this power, only it's not a single person's choice, but a group of people. I know it's not the exact same, but kind of a similar situation, so when you're on a jury, it's almost like you have the power of life or death over the individual on trial.

As for myself, I honestly don't know what I'd do. I'd like to believe I'd use it for good and simply rid the world of evil criminals (murderers, rapists, etc), since they've committed such a destructive act. I suppose at base value, you'd end up being a murderer yourself, so like Larry, I guess in the end, you'd have to ice yourself as well. It's easy to decide and say what you'd do, but you'd never really know unless you could do it. I guess it all comes down to whether you'd feel guilty or not. I have a feeling I wouldn't use it for selfish reasons however. I'd like to think I'm level-headed enough to not let it control me or what I do, but you never know.

If I knew someone else had the ability, I'd like to know how they were using the power and if it was for selfish reasons, I'd probably pretend to support them and try to stop them somehow. Maybe get in contact with the police and assassinate them if they let their guard down around me and they were just plain evil. (If they only murdered criminals, then I'd just leave them be and quietly support them. As long as they didn't go nuts, I'd be fine with it. Then, at least, the murders wouldn't be on my head)

 

[Morkula]

I'm not usually one to support the death penalty anyway, as it denies the person any chance for repentance and remorse for what they did. I also think that having a lifetime to think about what they did is a far worse punishment than ending it all early in most cases. So I don't think I'd be one to use this power anyway.

But since I'd have to use it, I'd only use it in the most heinous of cases. People who've committed incredible atrocities, like Osama bin Laden or Hitler, for example. I would have a lot of trouble bringing myself to end someone's life though, and I'd probably have a lot of regret afterwards - even if the person whose life I'd ended was a horrible person.

If there was no way to suppress the power, I'd be afraid that I'd wish someone dead in the heat of anger and not really mean it - but at that point it would be too late. So it's not a power that I'd want at all.

And if I knew someone who had the power, I'd likely do all in my power to convince them to use it only in rare circumstances or try to suppress it somehow. If they went really crazy with it and just started murdering people left and right, I'd obviously have to find some way to end it - get the police involved, maybe. I don't think I could bring myself to end their life on my own, and it would likely tear me up to even report them and have the police or whoever end their life - especially if it was someone I was close to.

 

[Mr. X]

If you tried to report a person having the ability to kill someone by wishing it, you would get a free trip to the mental asylum. Heck, they might even throw in a free jacket as well.

But anyway, if I had that power lets just say that I know a couple towns that would loose a good portion of their populations.

 

[Yoshikko]

Hmm I think I would use it, but I would be absolutely overwhelmed, it's a scary power and I think it can easily take control of you and I wouldn't want to become a crazy killer who's lost it, because of such a power. Sometimes though, e.g. on television, I see people do such horrible things, that the thought of wanting to annihilate them really crosses my mind, and I think that I wouldn't hesitate to use it in such situations, where I find myself boiling with rage and a burning desire to wipe someone from the face of the earth. But this might result in killing someone in wave of anger.

Still though, I think I wouldn't be able to live with myself, the idea of having taken someone's life is just too unsettling, no matter what that person might have done. But I do think that having killed one person might feel worse, than having killed 100. It's because killing one person seems so personal, but killing 100 people is just in general, a bunch of people. I know it sounds bad, but that's how I imagine it would feel.

And I don't think that I would turn that person in - if they would have something against me, they'd probably already have killed me, and since I would be still alive, I guess there's no need for me to turn them in because obviously they like me enough, and I wouldn't mind being friends with someone like that, at least if they don't abuse the power.

 

[Zet]

I'd use it to get rid of anyone that tries to change my destiny.

 

[Sydian]

I don't think anyone deserves death, really. I mean, I could just use it on those that murder others, but what kinda hypocrite would I be? Killing for good? It's almost like one of those "God told me to kill these people" stories. But since you're making me use this power, I mean, I'd guess I'd just use it on people like that...but I mean, what if they turned out to be innocent? I don't even know. No one should be giving me that power in the first place, because I would be like, the dumbest person to give it to. I can't even think of how to use it, so if I actually had it then...well, lol. I'd probably go mad. I suck at answering these questions.

 

[Alex]

I would use it as a last resort. If someone seriously had to be stopped and the only way was to kill them, then I'd take the action. But it'd be tough to do. Because it's always hard to kill someone: that person has loved ones, they're someone's child, someone's sibling, and possibly someone's spouse.

I'd never kill someone in my own personal gain. That is to say, if it were to further my own desires. If someone pisses me off or makes me sad, I would not kill them. It's tough to say if I would if they ended the life of someone I love. I'm not one to support the death penalty, but opinions can change drastically when it's a personal matter... With that type of power in my hands, I would only hope that no one tries anything funny with me or my family.

The only types of people I can see myself using this power on are politicians. People who influence a large mass of other people's lives. Even then I'd feel real guilty about it.

As for whether or not I'd rat someone out with the power, absolutely not. It's none of my business. Plus, there's a high chance I'd end up dead, haha. If they were using it in a way that I don't condone, I would probably try to talk some sense into them, but pushing my thoughts on them too much may also end up in me being belly up. It's a dangerous game to play.

 

[Star-Lord]

It's an incredibly tough call.

It always boils down to the argument of it being morally correct to murder someone in cold blood. Or at least in my understanding, what else does it go down to ultimately? Sure, there are always tons of factors and there would certainly be a line of ambiguity if you were to be killing someone like a murderer or a rapist. They've done absolutely awful things. Everybody can accept that. But would you be much better in the end? In the end it's always going to be killing someone. Even if say, you were to kill a terrorist who has injured thousands of people, would you truly be able to live with yourself? It's tough to say, and it takes a different sort of person to be able to go through with that without any sort of moral qualms.

Do forgive me, but I think it would take a sociopath or a psychopath to be able to do this sans difficulty. I mean, they're the sort of people that already have their emotions detached. As everybody above me has already pointed out, it would be incredibly taxing on somebody's heart. And it's already a difficult responsibility to have. How is somebody able to get rid of all the bad people in the world, if one was to assume that was their goal? It's impossible, quite frankly. It would continue to go around, but would it truly make a difference?

And although many people think now that they wouldn't abuse it, I personally don't think it's the case. No disrespect meant to anybody that has posted or is going to post of course. None of us have been able to experience that sort of raw power. Look at many of the dictators in the world right now. They have the sort of power and will to execute anybody that they would like at their hands. Now obviously not everybody is like this, but it's still an extremely distressing thought because nobody can truly know what will happen with it. It becomes an issue of safety, because I can easily see someone just putting an end to the world if they wanted.

As for myself, I wouldn't be able to do with it. The scenario says that I'm being forced to use it, but that's probably just giving you the sense of death on your tail. Although I'm terrified of dying, it's for the greater good. I wouldn't be able to handle it at all. It's far too big of a responsibility. Although if I didn't have a choice at all, I suppose I would try to eliminate the people who are blocking the change of civil rights and the general quality of life in certain countries.

 

[2Cool4Mewtwo]

Would you use it to end the lives of murderous criminals and save the lives of innocent people or would you use it without restriction, ending the lives of whoever made you angry or sad?

I would use it for both occasions to be honest, though I certainly won't abuse it. If I also "knew" that someone else had this ability, I would probably do nothing about it. I can't just go up to the police and say I'm going to turn this guy in for having this "power." They would laugh at me 'til they run out of breath or something. All I need to do in that case is not to get on that guy/girl's nerves.

 

[twocows]

Huh! Weird. The population's almost been cut in half! It's 3.5 billion women and only about 100 or so men! And look, they're all men that happen to be my friends! What a strange coincidence!

Kidding aside, I would never use it. I don't care if you say I should have to use it, I would sooner take my own life than allow myself to take another's.

 

[Freedom Fighter N]

Wow, people here live in some sort of the-world-is-pink illusion. If I had that power, I would cold-bloodily terminate whomever pisses me off. Go on, lynch me for that.

 

[Bluerang1]

I don't want to kill anyone but if I had to, probably Gaddafi or the Syria leader. They aren't doing well for their countries, or so the news say.

 

[twocows]

Wow, people here live in some sort of the-world-is-pink illusion. If I had that power, I would cold-bloodily terminate whomever pisses me off. Go on, lynch me for that.

Your lack of morals doesn't make the rest of us naive. I'm plenty aware there are people who would abuse the power. I still wouldn't do it myself.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I'm with two cows I'll much rather take my life than kill people...
but If I really had to...I'll take care of the worst people alive...but I'll rather not as that would make me just as bad :(

 

[.Fenris]

Welup, I do believe I would use only to prevent a murder or rape.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

First I'd use it against certain people who have made my life truly miserable, both online and IRL. But then I'd probably forget about it until the next time someone goes and does something really nasty to me again.

As for finding out that someone else had this power, I'd try to make sure I stayed on their good side... depending on how cunning said person is, I may or not report them based on whether I believe they could find out it was me who turned them in.