Thought Experiment

[iwealth]

Guys, the sporting event is immaterial.  This kind of thing could have happened anywhere people normally go.  Don't get bogged down in the Specific example

It can happen anywhere, but probabilities are important when considering how to spend that $500.

[MediumTex]

Guys, the sporting event is immaterial.  This kind of thing could have happened anywhere people normally go.  Don't get bogged down in the Specific example

It can happen anywhere, but probabilities are important when considering how to spend that $500.

The way I suggested the $500 be spent would have protected you from threats outside of your line of sight no matter where you were.

[MediumTex]

I guess it wouldn't have hurt if we had a list of "normal routine" stuff that'd take place over the course of those 5 days. (Just in case you ever plan on doing this again) Tough to anticipate our guy would be attending a professional sports event where it'd have made a ton of sense to spend some of that $500 on a ticket for a friend. This way you could spend the $500 intelligently based on your expected exposure.

Yeah and attending a sporting event is not routine either unless you're one of those Animal House-style drunk nutjubs that are into attending sporting events every week or something.  Come to think of it, that's a very good reason not to go to one (and risk getting killed)!

MT, was this based on an actual case?

It was based loosely on the guy who was attacked after a Dodgers game a couple of years ago and was left severely disabled, though the facts of that case were a little different.

I based it on a real event so that I would know what type of media coverage to expect (a little, not a lot). 

People die all of the time from hitting their heads when they fall so fast that they don't have time to brace themselves.

[MediumTex]

When I was a kid I took a karate class at the YMCA and the teacher would tell a story at the end of each lesson.

One of his stories was to imagine you are in a room full of weapons and you can only choose one to deal with whatever may be behind a door in the room leading into another room that you must pass through.

The weapons room is full of swords, battle axes, throwing stars, etc.  There is also a broom leaning against the wall.

It turns out that the room you had to pass through was full of bees, and thus the broom would have been the best weapon to get through the room intact.

That story always stuck with me and I have thought about it a lot when I felt my mind trying to narrow a problem based on my personal biases and beliefs.

[Mountaineer]

When I was a kid I took a karate class at the YMCA and the teacher would tell a story at the end of each lesson.

One of his stories was to imagine you are in a room full of weapons and you can only choose one to deal with whatever may be behind a door in the room leading into another room that you must pass through.

The weapons room is full of swords, battle axes, throwing stars, etc.  There is also a broom leaning against the wall.

It turns out that the room you had to pass through was full of bees, and thus the broom would have been the best weapon to get through the room intact.

That story always stuck with me and I have thought about it a lot when I felt my mind trying to narrow a problem based on my personal biases and beliefs.

Agreed.  It is extremely important to be able to think outside of ones personal box.  So, how many uses can you come up with for a coat hanger?  10, 100, 1000, more?  WITHOUT USING GOOGLE!  Use your mind as it is.

... M

[screwtape]

Agreed.  It is extremely important to be able to think outside of ones personal box.  So, how many uses can you come up with for a coat hanger?  10, 100, 1000, more?  WITHOUT USING GOOGLE!  Use your mind as it is.

I like watching the reality TV show "Naked and Afraid". Anybody else?

Seems to tie in with this thread, at least a little, though not sure how. Maybe I've had one too many.

[MachineGhost]

People die all of the time from hitting their heads when they fall so fast that they don't have time to brace themselves.

As good a reason to take calcium, D3 and a K complex as any!

[Pointedstick]

Magnesium too! Gotta make sure that calcium can be properly absorbed.

[Mark Leavy]

MediumTex -

I very much enjoyed reading this "thought experiment".  And I have some thoughts.

I think your premise is a good one - and I applaud your exploration of externalities versus the internal solutions of the individual.

I also think that the way you posed the question didn't really give the forum a good way to explore the ideas you hoped that they would.  On first reading, it came across as more of "Guess what I am thinking" versus "Case Study in Singular versus Group Dynamics"

But then again, I didn't do a damn thing to explore the idea and you did.  So there's that.

[MediumTex]

I also think that the way you posed the question didn't really give the forum a good way to explore the ideas you hoped that they would.  On first reading, it came across as more of "Guess what I am thinking" versus "Case Study in Singular versus Group Dynamics"

Here is what I wrote in the description of the experiment:

How do you spend your $500?

You may be surprised at what your answer tells you about yourself.

Should I have said:

How do you spend your $500

You might be surprised to find that this is actually a "Case Study in Singular versus Group Dynamics."

It wouldn't have been as much fun that way.

For me, the interdependence point wasn't even one I was going to make when I started thinking about the situation and the takeaways.  I was mainly thinking about the idea of clever and subtle solutions vs. obvious self-reliance oriented solutions, but as I realized how many resources are available for the asking if you bring in more people to assist with the problem, it felt like that was just as important a point, and it was something that I sort of learned as well.

Anyway, I hope that was stimulating.