Moral Dilemma - Interview Killer Question

Baby-K · 04-04-2003, 04:40 AM

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car. Think before you continue reading.

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

So if you were asked this during a job inteview, how would you answer?

congressmn · 04-04-2003, 07:49 AM

but wht if the old friend and the old lady dint drive?

Baby-K · 04-04-2003, 07:51 AM

Then I suppose you should take the dream lover & hightail it outa there?

congressmn · 04-04-2003, 08:12 AM

the friend saved my life in an attempt to save his own.

the old lady has seen her good years, guess it's time for her to move on to the next level.

and the poor women needs love, and that i think is the most important, so yeah i TAKE HER!

Sween · 04-04-2003, 08:48 AM

i guess this is one of those questions where there is no right and wrong answer its used to judge your personality type myself would pick up the love of my life.

The old ladys probly there to show comitment to others and helpfull ness the old friend is loyalyty and the love of life is ambition. the perfect answer wouyld be i would come back and pick them all up in due time!

Sminty_Smeagol · 04-04-2003, 09:15 AM

I would pick up the friend who saved my life. The old lady... eh, she'll die whether or not i pick her up in my car soon anyways. The lover... I don't have a perfect lover, I really don't, I like all different types of people, so when you get within my boundaries, no one person is any better than the other (for a potential lover)

Baby-K · 04-04-2003, 09:19 AM

Ah hell, I forgot to put what I'd do, so here goes:

I'd drive over the old lady, shag the dream lover against the bus stop & drive off with my friend to go have a few drinks.

But knowing me I'd probably get there drunk, shag the old lady, drink the friend & attempt to drive the dream lover...........

Linaewen · 04-04-2003, 09:20 AM

I would pick up the old lady. The old friend could probably get home by herself/himself, and my ideal partner- I don't think I will know if that person has all the qualities I would want just by looking at them, thus they would probably not be my dream partner anyway.

The old lady, IMO, would be the most helpless, so I would get her.

congressmn · 04-04-2003, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Baby-K
Ah hell, I forgot to put what I'd do, so here goes:

I'd drive over the old lady, shag the dream lover against the bus stop & drive off with my friend to go have a few drinks.

But knowing me I'd probably get there drunk, shag the old lady, drink the friend & attempt to drive the dream lover...........

with that kinda answer they wud surely make the managress right away!

reason: you have dealt with both the possible scenarios : drunk and sober. they wud love that.

Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn · 04-04-2003, 09:49 AM

the old friend

good answer baby-k

Gwaimir Windgem · 04-04-2003, 10:04 AM

I would pick up the elderly lady. To me, it seems heartless to just leave someone who's helpless, "Ah, she'll only live a few more years, might as well cut it short". I believe strongly in the elderly and the very young, and other folk who can't help themselves very well.

Baby-K · 04-04-2003, 10:10 AM

Has anyone considered putting th old lady in the car & tying the other two to the roof?

Then again - no, by the time you get to the hospital you'd probably find yer mate making out with your perfect partner

Oh and also (I forgot this previously) - what would my perfect partner be doing at a bus stop - is the Ferrari in for a service?

And another problem - why stop at all - they're all at a bus station anyway & the bus is bound to come soon enough - why not just drive past screaming & yelling & laughing at the suckers?

Laurelyn · 04-04-2003, 10:12 AM

I'd leave some of the junk in my car there in place of both the old lady and the friend. Having cleaned out my car, there is now space for two people. On a piece of paper that I left behind, however, I might have given Mr./Miss Dream Lover my number.

Of course, if my car really only has two seats, I think I'll pick up the old lady.

Cirdan · 04-04-2003, 11:07 AM

I'd lend my car to my trusted friend to drive the old lady to safety while I stay at the bus stop and comfort my new parter until the bus comes.

Gwaimir Windgem · 04-04-2003, 11:09 AM

See, why can't I think of something like that?

Oh. I suppose the "halfwitted" bit probablyt has something to do with it...

Cirdan · 04-04-2003, 11:21 AM

yes, but I wasted my daily alottment of brain on a theoretical situation.

Now where did I leave my keys?

*scratches head*

Elven Archer · 04-04-2003, 01:40 PM

Stay till the bus comes,making sure the old lady gets on safe and sound, give my car to the friend who once saved my life,or at least let him borrow it, and walk where ever i'm going with the "partner i've been dreaming about".

sun-star · 04-04-2003, 01:48 PM

If it were that wild and stormy it would probably be dark, so I wouldn't know if it was my perfect partner or not. I need light to make that kind of decision

And if the friend's clever enough to save my life, they're clever enough to get home on their own. So I'd pick up the old lady.

BeardofPants · 04-04-2003, 02:00 PM

If I really gave a shite about people, I'd do this: I'd take the old lady, give my friend my phone number and insist on a catch-up at some later stage. The guy I had the hots for would be so impressed at my caring, sharing side, that he'd ask my friend for my phone number. Of course: I don't, so I wouldn't pick any of them up.

Celebréiel · 04-04-2003, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cirdan
I'd lend my car to my trusted friend to drive the old lady to safety while I stay at the bus stop and comfort my new parter until the bus comes.

Thats a great answer! I wouldnt have thought of that...

04-04-2003, 04:40 AM	#1
Baby-K Corruptor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Jozi SA Posts: 1,885	Moral Dilemma - Interview Killer Question You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus: 1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die. 2. An old friend who once saved your life. 3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about. Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car. Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application. You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again. The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. So if you were asked this during a job inteview, how would you answer? __________________ Don't wet yourself with excitement. Last edited by Baby-K : 04-04-2003 at 07:46 AM.

04-04-2003, 07:49 AM	#2
congressmn Incharge: neighbourhood security Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: on my 499th post Posts: 481	but wht if the old friend and the old lady dint drive? __________________ i am nothing. i am a cold stone, which deceives with the light it reflects, giving illusions of warmth.

04-04-2003, 07:51 AM	#3
Baby-K Corruptor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Jozi SA Posts: 1,885	Then I suppose you should take the dream lover & hightail it outa there? __________________ Don't wet yourself with excitement.

04-04-2003, 08:12 AM	#4
congressmn Incharge: neighbourhood security Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: on my 499th post Posts: 481	the friend saved my life in an attempt to save his own. the old lady has seen her good years, guess it's time for her to move on to the next level. and the poor women needs love, and that i think is the most important, so yeah i TAKE HER! __________________ i am nothing. i am a cold stone, which deceives with the light it reflects, giving illusions of warmth.

04-04-2003, 08:48 AM	#5
Sween im quite stupid Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Cockermouth Posts: 2,058	i guess this is one of those questions where there is no right and wrong answer its used to judge your personality type myself would pick up the love of my life. The old ladys probly there to show comitment to others and helpfull ness the old friend is loyalyty and the love of life is ambition. the perfect answer wouyld be i would come back and pick them all up in due time! __________________ Yeah god hes ok but i would rather be judged by a sheep than that idiot

04-04-2003, 09:15 AM	#6
Sminty_Smeagol Manic Cardboard-Box Dweller Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In a house Posts: 1,071	I would pick up the friend who saved my life. The old lady... eh, she'll die whether or not i pick her up in my car soon anyways. The lover... I don't have a perfect lover, I really don't, I like all different types of people, so when you get within my boundaries, no one person is any better than the other (for a potential lover) __________________ I love the fishes.

04-04-2003, 09:19 AM	#7
Baby-K Corruptor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Jozi SA Posts: 1,885	Ah hell, I forgot to put what I'd do, so here goes: I'd drive over the old lady, shag the dream lover against the bus stop & drive off with my friend to go have a few drinks. But knowing me I'd probably get there drunk, shag the old lady, drink the friend & attempt to drive the dream lover........... __________________ Don't wet yourself with excitement.

04-04-2003, 09:20 AM	#8
Linaewen Fair Dinkum Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 2,319	I would pick up the old lady. The old friend could probably get home by herself/himself, and my ideal partner- I don't think I will know if that person has all the qualities I would want just by looking at them, thus they would probably not be my dream partner anyway. The old lady, IMO, would be the most helpless, so I would get her.

04-04-2003, 09:49 AM	#10
Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn The Elven Queen Of All Pyros Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Im like a little bug stuck in the lamp...never going anywhere Posts: 795	the old friend good answer baby-k __________________ Would you judge my future based on what i did in the past? Procrastinators Unite!!!.....tomorrrow.... Kids in backseats cause accidents...accidents in backseats cause kids As long as there are tests..there will be prayers in school

04-04-2003, 10:04 AM	#11
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	I would pick up the elderly lady. To me, it seems heartless to just leave someone who's helpless, "Ah, she'll only live a few more years, might as well cut it short". I believe strongly in the elderly and the very young, and other folk who can't help themselves very well. __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

04-04-2003, 10:10 AM	#12
Baby-K Corruptor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Jozi SA Posts: 1,885	Has anyone considered putting th old lady in the car & tying the other two to the roof? Then again - no, by the time you get to the hospital you'd probably find yer mate making out with your perfect partner Oh and also (I forgot this previously) - what would my perfect partner be doing at a bus stop - is the Ferrari in for a service? And another problem - why stop at all - they're all at a bus station anyway & the bus is bound to come soon enough - why not just drive past screaming & yelling & laughing at the suckers? __________________ Don't wet yourself with excitement.

04-04-2003, 10:12 AM	#13
Laurelyn Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Valinor, right next to Telperion . . . what did you expect, Michigan? Posts: 1,315	I'd leave some of the junk in my car there in place of both the old lady and the friend. Having cleaned out my car, there is now space for two people. On a piece of paper that I left behind, however, I might have given Mr./Miss Dream Lover my number. Of course, if my car really only has two seats, I think I'll pick up the old lady. __________________ The Third Age of Entmoot has begun. Angel of music, guide and guardian! Grant to me your glory! The country I eat and spend the day in is by no means the country I sleep and dream in. Define patriotism. Hold the boat, you spastic monkey! ~ Elenka

04-04-2003, 11:07 AM	#14
Cirdan Elf Lord of the Grey Havens Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: somewhere else Posts: 2,381	I'd lend my car to my trusted friend to drive the old lady to safety while I stay at the bus stop and comfort my new parter until the bus comes. __________________ There exists a limit to the force even ther most powerful may apply without destroying themselves. Judging this limit is the true artistry of government. Misuse of power is the fatal sin. The law cannot be a tool of vengance, never a hostage, nor a fortification against the martyrs it has created. You cannot threaten any individual and escape the consequences. -Muad'dib on Law The Stilgar Commentary

04-04-2003, 11:09 AM	#15
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	See, why can't I think of something like that? Oh. I suppose the "halfwitted" bit probablyt has something to do with it... __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

04-04-2003, 11:21 AM	#16
Cirdan Elf Lord of the Grey Havens Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: somewhere else Posts: 2,381	yes, but I wasted my daily alottment of brain on a theoretical situation. Now where did I leave my keys? scratches head __________________ There exists a limit to the force even ther most powerful may apply without destroying themselves. Judging this limit is the true artistry of government. Misuse of power is the fatal sin. The law cannot be a tool of vengance, never a hostage, nor a fortification against the martyrs it has created. You cannot threaten any individual and escape the consequences. -Muad'dib on Law The Stilgar Commentary

04-04-2003, 01:40 PM	#17
Elven Archer Elven Warrior Join Date: May 2002 Location: America! Posts: 480	Stay till the bus comes,making sure the old lady gets on safe and sound, give my car to the friend who once saved my life,or at least let him borrow it, and walk where ever i'm going with the "partner i've been dreaming about". __________________ "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: 'it goes on'." ~robert frost

04-04-2003, 01:48 PM	#18
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	If it were that wild and stormy it would probably be dark, so I wouldn't know if it was my perfect partner or not. I need light to make that kind of decision And if the friend's clever enough to save my life, they're clever enough to get home on their own. So I'd pick up the old lady. __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

04-04-2003, 02:00 PM	#19
BeardofPants the Shrike Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA <3 Posts: 10,647	If I really gave a shite about people, I'd do this: I'd take the old lady, give my friend my phone number and insist on a catch-up at some later stage. The guy I had the hots for would be so impressed at my caring, sharing side, that he'd ask my friend for my phone number. Of course: I don't, so I wouldn't pick any of them up. __________________ "Binary solo! 0000001! 00000011! 0000001! 00000011!" ~ The Humans are Dead, Flight of the Conchords

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