Values Exercise

[Matt1]

My public speaking class was given this and I was quite stunned at all the stupid answers everyone came up with. Logic is an acquired taste I suppose. Anywho, I'm interested to see how all of you respond.

Who is Responsible?

Read the following short story. Individually answer the question that directly follows the story.

In a house is a young woman married to a man who works very hard. She feels that he is cheating on her and has some evidence to support her feeling. When her husband goes off on still another "trip," the young wife meets an attractive man who invites her to his house. She spends the night with him and at dawn leaves, knowing that her husband is returning home soon.

In order to get back home, she must cross a river. The bridge over the river has been blocked by a sniper who has killed everyone who has come near him. The young wife decides to ask a ferryman to take her across the river, but he demands one hundred dollars to take her across. The young woman has no money. She runs back to her lover and asks for the money; he refuses to give her the money. She then calls a friend who lives nearby and explains the situation to her friend and asks for the money to cross. The friend is disillusioned by her conduct and refuses to help. Her only choice is to go home by the bridge in spite of the danger, and the sniper kills her.

Question: Who is the most responsible for the tragedy? Don't look at anyone else's answer before you answer.

[ILovePapaSmurf]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Who is the most responsible for the tragedy?

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="purple">Interesting...She is the one repsonsible for her own death. She knew a sniper blocked the road where she needed to go and still went through it ending her own life. Plus, if she knew where her lover lived and knew the sniper was there, why not risk the chance of getting caught in a place where she knows it is safe.</font color>

[Efexeye]

I feel that the woman's husband is at fault- if he hadn't strayed in the first place, none of the other events would have transpired. I guess you could blame it on her too, for not confronting him with what she knew- but then, that goes back to the fact that if he hadn't cheated in the first place..

[Omaru]

I'd say husband for being the first cause too,
but then you have to wonder why she didn't just confront him anyway, or stay with her lover to show that two can play at the game, but she went back as if there was some sort of need to salvage their relationship, overall I blame the guy though.

[FanGirl]

I vote it's morally the woman's fault. She shouldn't have stooped to his level and cheated and she shouldn't have been so concerned about getting back to her husband so he wouldn't know that she would risk death.

Legally, the sniper pulled the trigger that ended her life despite the circumstances surrounding how she got there.

[ratm1966]

There are really two people responsible for the tragedy.

1) The Sniper - He/she was out there killing people. If he wasn't doing this, she wouldn't have died.

2) The Wife - She made the decision to go out and cheat on her husband. When forced to make a decision on getting caught or risking the sniper and making it home, she chose to risk the sniper just to keep the fact she cheated from her husband. She had free will and no one twisted her arm on both decisions she made.

Now that I have written my true feelings on the matter, I will say it was probably actually the husband's fault, as we all know the woman is always right.

[Threadkiller]

Agreed, the answer is clearly --- The Sniper.

If someone is going to go to jail or go to hell for it, it's the sniper.

Sure she is guilty of being irresponsible but she didn't kill herself.

[Razorback]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Question: Who is the most responsible for the tragedy? Don't look at anyone else's answer before you answer.

[/ QUOTE ]

The sniper.

RB

[Razorback]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Agreed, the answer is clearly --- The Sniper

[/ QUOTE ]

What happened to "don't look at anyone elses answer?"

RB

[TomHarrington]

My first thought was that the sniper is responsible, but upon reflection I think Martha Stewart is to blame.

[Mighty_Wingman]

The sniper, he pulled the trigger.

Duh ?

[Robbo_the_Hood]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Who is the most responsible for the tragedy?

[/ QUOTE ] If the sniper doesn't pull the trigger then she's not dead. So I blame the President because if the sniper's plant didn't close down and relocate to Mexico, the sniper wouldn't have gotten drunk and started shooting people on the highway.

No wait, I blame the sniper.

[KingBison]

Definately the sniper.

The woman may have been commiting all kinds of moral and ethical rules but she was breaking no laws. The man murdering people is where the blame lies. The only law that was broken was murder. Thus the only person who should be charged with a crime is the person who broke the law. The Sniper.

[JIM]

I feel there were two tragedies.
One a murder, another of infidelity.
In My opinion, the sniper is at fault in this case.

[Threadkiller]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
What happened to "don't look at anyone elses answer?"


[/ QUOTE ] I answered it before I read everyone else's answer. Then posted my answer. I guess it does look like I let the other answers influence mine.

[BAMSS04]

In reply to:
Who is the most responsible for the tragedy?

I don't know, in a since you could be talking about two or even three different " tragedys". There is the "apparent" infidelity of the husband. The "actuale" infidelity of the wife. Those two answers are obvious, its both their faults. And if she was dumb enough to walk across a bridge when a sniper is shooting people then she deserves to die, but in the end the sniper could have spared her so it was ultimetlly the sniper.

[TitanSkiFreek27]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Who is the most responsible for the tragedy? Don't look at anyone else's answer before you answer.

[/ QUOTE ]

I feel the woman is responsible for her own death. She doesn't know for sure that this "trip" isn't actually a buisness trip, so it can't be blamed on him. She knew the risks of crossing the bridge and decided to go anyway. She gambled her own life so she is at fault

[Omaru]

Blaming the sniper is like blaming the rebels for the cause of the contractors death's on the second death star. The woman knew the risk, she endangered her own life with her decision.

[Efexeye]

I think a more appropriate issue to raise is: Was the woman's response to her husband's (assumed) infidelity appropriate?

[Zens_7s]

I will repeat my drunken verbal answer from last night.

It's the womans fault. Why? She should have learned how to swim and skipped the bridge and the sniper. What kind of idiot doesn't think outside the box. /forums/images/icons/smirk.gif

[FanGirl]

I think she was thinking with her......did I just type that?

[karmattack]

I'd say the sniper is the MOST responsible, even though the woman is the one who made the most wrong choices to put herself in that position. I mean, that is one sketchy dame...I would use the word "tragedy" loosely. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

EDIT: I have to include my response to Zens comment. The woman clearly can't think outside the box -- she was too busy thinking INSIDE the box.