Everyday sadists take pleasure in others' pain

[Diane]

I'd clean toilets too for sure. Released 2 moths last night when I got home. I'd left the nite light on and they go to the light. But the hornet that bit me on the thumb a few weeks ago didn't have a chance. Even after I fought back and killed him, I felt bad about it. I reacted out of pain and fear. Wasn't his fault my big fat thumb grabbed the potted plant he was sitting on. Not certain if after they sting they die anyway, some bugs are like that.

On rainy nights peeper frogs and toads really begin to travel. Last night was one of those nights. I had to swerve back and forth across the rural road to avoid squashing them. I couldn't even imagine that squash noise under my tires, it would make my skin crawl. I was laughing hysterically at one of them. It appeared he has jumping straight up and down in the road. "What are you doing you crazy peeper?" It took me a few moments to realize that was an illusion. He was jumping right up the middle of the road straight towards my car. AHHH! The only solution was he went in between the tires and directly under the middle. all ended well.

 

[Lilou]

I also chose to clean toilets.

I had a discussion the other day with my son about killing bugs inside the house. He does not want to kill any of them. I recalled a story to him, when years ago, I allowed a spider to live while I was cleaning, then a few minutes later, the darn thing bit me and it took weeks to heal! I may actually kill harmless ones, but am no longer willing to chance it.

I usually kill the fast moving ugly ones, but have allowed the slow moving, grand-daddy long leg spider to take up residence near my plant stand.

 

[domi]

Would be interesting to use some adapted variant of this in job interviews.

I have to think the people that score high in this experiment are also high RWA scorers.

 

[Andromeda]

I have a tendency to over think and question test questions too, however, the question almost always ends up way more simple than I think it might be. In this case, I didn't over think it, I picked toilets because I saw all the options as a list of unnecessary tasks to choose from. I thought that if the test was given on paper, there would be no imminent danger, it'd just be a matter of preference. I'd definitely prefer cleaning toilets!

Of course, if it came to my attention that there was a dangerous bug involved, I would change my choice and do what is necessary for safety, but I still wouldn't like it!

 

[whitecoast]

My instinctive response was to choose ice water. But after putting in a little more thought I decided on toilets, since that's actually a productive activity, and not just a masochistic one like ice water.

As for "needing more information" with regard to killing bugs, maybe mentally substituting bugs for butterflies would make the context of the question more clear. They're not exactly pests or nuisance insects the way lice and ticks and mosquitoes are. :)

 

[Joe]

My instinctive response was to choose ice water. But after putting in a little more thought I decided on toilets, since that's actually a productive activity, and not just a masochistic one like ice water.

As for "needing more information" with regard to killing bugs, maybe mentally substituting bugs for butterflies would make the context of the question more clear. They're not exactly pests or nuisance insects the way lice and ticks and mosquitoes are. :)

Yeah, I think that's what threw me, the idea of "bugs" being "pests". If they had said butterflies it would have been really easy. Then again, the answer was in the question if I had really just taken it at face value "Which would you RATHER do", i.e. there is no context, just straight up "rather do", all things being equal.

 

[mabar]

As for "needing more information" with regard to killing bugs, maybe mentally substituting bugs for butterflies would make the context of the question more clear. They're not exactly pests or nuisance insects the way lice and ticks and mosquitoes are. :)

I rather clean toilets, I clean toilets everytime, now cleaning dirty toilets, I supposed depend on the level of dirty, there are dirty ones from more dirty ones, on to the more, most, too much dirty ones, that could like see them as swimming in a latrine ... hmm ... I have my doubts, I suppose I could do it with a kind of astronaut suit ... I was wondering about not preferring killing bugs, I supposed I do not like the action verb killing, but I do, mostly mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches, flying cockroaches, I consider them quite nasty and threatening ... now with the aspect of "more information" ... cleaning toilets is pretty much killing germs.

 

[msante]

I choose clean toilet. I don't like clean toilet but this task do not hurt anyone. I do not like kill bugs or kill nothing, althoug if it is in my house or if is necesary for survival reasons I do it.
I must to say that the thread title "Everyday sadists take pleasure in others' pain" in some way influence my choise because beforehand suggested me that kill bugs action is relation to infringe pain, and that don't like me.
On the other hand I did not consider ice-water option beacause it is unnecessary suffering, ie, no benefit to anyone.

Respect to research it is poor. The statistical sample is small, and I was interested in knowing about those who chose "helping the experimenter kill bugs" what kind of personality match this choice. Is there here the type behavior "authoritarian follower"? Are this type of personality sadistic fearful?

 

[Turgon]

I also chose cleaning toilets before reading the article. It was the only sensible answer for me. Beforehand though, I did go over what the questions really meant. I mean I would kill bugs if I needed to, as in some sort of infestation, but even still I will try and take them outside if it can be helped. Unless they are mosquitoes or fly's which I can't stand. Helping an experimenter seemed out of the question. And I did think about ice baths for health reasons, but don't enjoy those whatsoever. So, cleaning the toilet is at least helpful. Who wants a stained toilet?

 

[Lisa Guliani]

I'd clean toilets.

 

[Vic]

I went for the ice water. I've cleaned public toilets in the past, and had to dispose of many a small creature. Not good for me. I'm one of those strange individuals that must inspect the shower floor every morning in order to rescue any microscopic (well, almost) life that's relaxing in it, so that I can safely rescue them before I take a shower.

And, has been noted above, ice cold water can be used as a health enhancer. Plus, once you are in ice water for a few seconds the body goes numb, therefore painless. Though staying in it for too long will kill you of course.

 

[Jacques]

Before you read the article, answer this question: Which of the following would you rather do?

killing bugs,
helping the experimenter kill bugs,
cleaning dirty toilets,
enduring pain from ice water

I'd clean the toilets.

So do I.

 

[Deleted member 4320]

Ice water appears to be the best, the only question is how cold and how long. Later is cleaning dirty toilets, helping the experimenter kill bugs and killing bugs, at end. All of these contain something repulsive, but considering that toilet will be cleaned, it's finally quite pleasant and it's worth the sacrifice, more than the use of cold water. Well, I choose cleaning dirty toilets in that case.

 

[obyvatel]

Before you read the article, answer this question: Which of the following would you rather do?

killing bugs,
helping the experimenter kill bugs,
cleaning dirty toilets,
enduring pain from ice water

I'd clean the toilets.

So do I.

So do I. That answer was immediate and spontaneous for me. After having a family and attending to quite a lot of clogged toilets, this was not a theoretical question. When I thought about it, if asked the same question 10 or more years ago, I would probably have chosen the ice- water option - in keeping with the "tough guy" image that I had at the time. As for bugs, what I do is trap and release outisde whenever possible. The ones that I have not shown mercy in the past were mosquitoes. Grew up with swarms of them and squashed them at every opportunity.

 

[paralleloscope]

I'd clean the toilets.

So do I.

Me too, ideally with that kind of attitude.