From Himself's Sociology class

[melindrha]

At first when he started talking about this part of the chat I thought it would be one of the "Would you kill one person to save 5" kind of scenarios. Then, when I realized it was more about Dunbar's Number/the Monkeysphere, I warmed up to it.  I know it's meant to examine prejudices, but this being me...  My personal responses and the whys will

Comments

[melindrha]

Definite saves:

a 25-year-old Black militant who graduated from Harvard
a Mexican farmer, illegally in the U.S.
an attractive lesbian, occupation M.D.
a sorority girl majoring in fashion merchandise
a male radical hippie working as an environmental ecologist
a 59-year-old female community leader
a call girl

Why? The Harvard guy because in the long run, we'll need his education. The farmer because we will need his skills. The doc is kind of a duh. The hippie will have knowledge/skills we'll need later. The community leader (besides the pic of Laura Roslin I got) because at that size of a group, she'll be invaluable for soothing the waters. The call girl and sorority girl (and the doc, if she'll take one for the team) are for breeding stock and would be told that at the door. I would demand that everyone who enters be STD free, regardless of who it is. If they lied, they go back outside.

[prowdistmonkey]

1.) 25-year-old Black militant who graduated from Harvard

Education.

2.) Mexican farmer, illegally in the U.S.

Agriculture.

3.) attractive lesbian, occupation M.D

Doctor.

4.) call girl

Breeding stock.

5.) mildly mentally challenged male teenager who is a musical genius

Arts and culture.

6.) 59-year-old female community leader

Build bridges

7.) homosexual football star

Breeding stock and physically capable in cases of potential emergency. Plus being the only other gay person he'll break down eventually. :P

[arielstarshadow]

I can't truly answer this without knowing the details of the others on my committee - it's entirely possible I'd want to kick one of them out and replace them with one of those listed. Also, the genders were not listed for all of them, which is another problem, as gender is rather important in this sort of situation in terms of selection (based on my criteria, at any rate

[ratontheroad]

Without thinking to hard, my answer is to preserve education, knowledge, and ability, after providing for the most important skills:

a 25-year-old Black militant who graduated from Harvard
an attractive lesbian, occupation M.D.
a male radical hippie working as an environmental ecologist
a 59-year-old female community leader
a drug dealer from an upper-class family
a mildly mentally challenged male teenager who is a musical genius
a handicapped telephone operator

These are the people who are described as having skills and/or education. I was on the fence about the telephone operator... I'm hoping they will have some technical skills.

[rel13612]

I end up saving:
an attractive lesbian, occupation M.D.- While normally in post WWIII
situations you would only want those who may help re- establih the population. She is a Doctor so duh she is in.

The 25-year-old Black militant who graduated from Harvard has a 75% chance depending on what he got his degree in.

The 59yo female community leader- leadership skills are valuable and its her or the politician.

I would argue to save the Mexican Farmer, but likely get outvoted.
Its hard to let Americans die, but what good is saving them now
if you can't feed them later. I see his knowledge of food
production as a specialty skill.

a mildly mentally challenged male teenager who is a musical genius-if
I think there is real prospect of his music calming people.

Draw slips for the other 2or3 leaving their fate in God's hands.While praying for the holy man. Sorry still a little too close to the car accident for me to accept man should be deciding who dies.