Highly contrived what if scenarios

CommandoDude

I just saw a thread on another forum asking "What would you do if America invaded Canada" and jesus this OP's premise is HIGHLY specific predicting this to occur in 20 years.

What is with stupid threads like that?!

Gelzo

@title: That's specific concepts of an afterlife in a nutshell.

InsanityAddict

Methoughts this would be about ridiculously contrived ethical dilemmas. Or paranoid people constantly fussing about everything that could go wrong.

Legionnaire

@OP Well it happens in Fallout. Maybe they really like their Fallout.

captainbrass

Well, people have written books of equally contrived "what if" scenarios. I once read one just about recent British politics e.g. what if John Smith hadn't died or Michael Heseltine had become Tory leader. It's as good a premise for fiction as anything else.

Personally, if America invaded Canada I would...probably not do that much. Maybe write a letter to the paper complaining about the injustice.

The_Edge

What if TV Tropes was a multi-dimensional entity that slowly robs humanity of it's creativity be voiding it with labels?

Icalasari

What if yo momma wasn't so fat that she was mistaken for a beached whale?

The_Edge

What if everything happened?

Icalasari

What if I mentioned an outdated meme like Candle Jack in this

Gelzo

Waltzy

I remember being annoyed by this in my junior year history class. We were debating affirmative action and my history teacher was like, "What if there were two students that were exactly alike in every way regarding their grades, and they were both the same gender, but one of them wasn't white, how would the college decide which one to pick?"

And I was like "If they're both good students, I doubt any college will pick just one, they could find room for both."

"But what if there is absolutely no more room?"

And at that point I just stopped listening.

Icalasari

^ I'd just say, "Whoever applied first"

If they then pulled out, "They applied at the same time," I'd respond, "Then they'd choose the one they read the application of first"

If they THEN said, "The person approving applications read both at the same time," I'd say, "Really? He has chameleon eyes? How does his brain handle the incoming information? Does he ever get words confused when reading two different things at once? How do the insurance companies deal with him?"

...Ok in theory I'd try to fuck with the teacher (although I definately would mention the whoever applied first). In practice I'd give up like you did

Waltzy

Haaha~! That's brilliant. XD I wish I had the opportunity to do that now. :<

RedEyedAbyss

Rule of If..then statements in real life: the probability of your plot working out is inversely proportional to the amount of them you use.

Icalasari

^^ What if you had the opportunity to use that? ?

LouieW

CommandoDude,
What is with stupid threads like that?!

I suppose people just find it entertaining to consider those kinds of hypothetical situations. I have definitely seen what you are talking about though, especially with hypothetical World War III or U.S./China conflicts, and I agree that those types of conversations can be frustrating to read/hear. I guess my biggest issue with them is that they seem to describe war as if it was just some game rather than an awful event that disrupts the lives of average people who just want to continue doing what they are doing peacefully.