Could you kill someone?

[Mollyiere]

I was just watching a programme where a man said something like "obviously we all the ability to kill inside us, it happens everyday".

Anyway - then I started wondering if I actually could do it. Could you?

I’d like to think so if my family or myself was threatened. I can’t say for certain if I’d have the guts in a real situation but I hope I could if it meant protecting myself or my kids.

Depends on who. I couldn't kill someone I knew and loved. But a stranger, yeah probably if they weren't a nice person. I think I would actually be more upset over killing an animal than some humans. The man who raped me, I could gut him like a fish every day for the rest of my life and never get bored. The guy I saw kicking his dog because it wasn't keeping up with him, yep I would take him out with no regrets. People who hurt kids too, they'd be goners. The nice lady at the bus stop, not so much.

It really is quite a subjective question but if the purge were real, I'd be fully booked.

@VegetarianDeathCult

Absolutely. I think it’s hopelessly naive to believe otherwise. Even leaving aside the context of being conscripted/signing up and trained to kill in wartime, as many ordinary men did — and three of my great-uncles who fought in WWI lived long enough for me to know how ordinary they were — I have family members who fought in the war of independence and the Irish civil war and at least one who lived into my lifetime killed a neighbour he’d known all his life in that conflict.

Why would I be any different?

^100%

The circumstances in which we can kill can come together in our lifetimes. The farmer who beat the farm hand to death when he caught him abusing his daughter. The soldier who is trained to see the target not the human and then pull the trigger. The home owner who fights back during a violent robbery. All those killings are motivated by different emotions - anger, duty, fear. Sometimes curiosity and sometimes killing through addiction.

It is possible for all of us. It is good that so few of us do.

Nope. Its against my beliefs and religion

Not with a knife or a hammer but maybe with a gun. I'd struggle with the fact for the rest of my life behind bars though so there's very little that would make me want to ever do it in real life. It's best just to get along with folk.

To save DD, yes. But having seen someone die (of natural causes) I can't imagine how horrendous it would be to know you were the cause of that.

@ParkheadParadise

Yes, I think I could. Months after my dd died. I was sitting at traffic lights in my hometown when the bastard who took her life crossed the road he looked happy and was laughing. I wasn't in a good place mentally at the time. For a split second, I nearly put my foot on the accelerator and killed both of us. The only thing that stopped me was dd2. She was a couple of months old and in the back in her car seat. I didn't drive for weeks after that. After the trial, I thought seriously about paying someone to do him in.

So sorry

Yes.

not without breaking my new years resolution, I've been doing so well to keep it this year as well

As long as you never harm(ed) the Deputy (and I do believe your assurances), you're an absolute minimum 50% there

Obviously, the implication of this thread is taking a targeted, identified person's life quickly and deliberately, but I think there are much more subtle nuances to the question. People who work in cigarette factories/advertising for financial gain. Even the monks who originally brewed Buckfast were potentially indirectly guilty of the same, considering that plenty of its consumers would clearly not do so responsibly and in moderation. People who design/market/manufacture/host fixed-odds betting terminals that are designed in such a way to tempt people to.... well, we can all surmise what could very easily happen (and almost certainly has). What if you were selling your car second-hand as you knew it had intermittent faults that you could hide from the buyer until the deal was done - faults which could potentially (in however small a way) directly cause or contribute to an accident which could prove fatal?

I don't think I could.

Premeditated, I couldn't do it mentally.

In self defense, I'd probably just freeze. My flight/fight/freeze always seems to go to freeze - to the point I once got hit by a car because I froze when I saw it flying round the bend. Luckily the driver slowed down enough it only left bruises.

As a 'twist' to this interesting (hopefully theoretical) thread, would anybody change their answer if they could be 100% certain that the law would never find out or be able to convict them - and/or nobody who knew you would ever find out?

I had a horrific dream a few nights ago where DD was being snatched from her bed by masked intruders. I grabbed the knife from under my bed (dream knife-its not something I have lingering under my covers in real life!) and just went for it.

It was awful but I honestly didn't care. My focus was getting DD out of the situation and it didn't even occur to me to negotiate.

In real life, I'd do it in a heartbeat if it meant securing her safety. If I was just super angry at someone? Nah.

@Mollyiere

I was just watching a programme where a man said something like "obviously we all the ability to kill inside us, it happens everyday".

Anyway - then I started wondering if I actually could do it. Could you?

Yes. If I thought they deserved it, and I'd get away with it, it wouldn't bother me.

Absolutely. If someone hurt my family. Or my DP. I have absolutely no doubt. I even know how 😂😂

I feel absolutely no remorse in certain situations. If I love someone and I upset them I’m genuinely devastated.
If it’s some random person I’m completely detached. I have no feelings towards someone I don’t really know.

When you read stories about people dying or the husbands cheating etc. I struggle to have empathy. Is that weird?

No problem if it was in the heat of the moment.

My daughter was worrying about a potential bad man abusing her in future (she overheard people in the park and she's a very anxious 8yo). She only calmed down properly when I promised I'd handle it for her, even killing him if it was the only way to keep her safe.

Otoh I didn't kill my vile abusive bitch of a MIL when she had dementia, although it would have saved tens of thousands in care home fees that we'd have inherited. Although that's partly because she wasn't worth the risk.

Absolutely yes, mercy killing for a loved one, I was in a situation where it might have come to that and I was ready to do it if asked, it wasn’t necessary in the end. Someone who was threatening my family, yes if it was the only way to keep them safe. I’m very good about compartmentalising stuff and if I felt it was necessary I wouldn’t agonise over it later. It wouldn’t make a difference to my thought process whether I thought I would get away with it or not as long as I could justify it to myself. I’m very law abiding and moral but I know 💯 I could do it, it would surprise the hell out of people who know me though.

Not premeditated. If someone attacked my DC I'd do wharever I needed to protect them. Depending on the circumstances that could end up involving the attackers death. I think I'd probably struggle to cope with it afterwards.

I would either stab or shoot in the foot in defence. That way they won’t die and can suffer in prison.

In order to help someone end their life because we don't respect peoples rights to die in this country. We let people suffer a long and painful death instead of listening to their wishes. Then yes I could kill someone.

On the over hand in cold blood probably not. As self defence probably with enough adrenaline.I don't think you know how you really will react until something happens though.

@Weirdnessabounds

Absolutely yes, mercy killing for a loved one, I was in a situation where it might have come to that and I was ready to do it if asked, it wasn’t necessary in the end. Someone who was threatening my family, yes if it was the only way to keep them safe. I’m very good about compartmentalising stuff and if I felt it was necessary I wouldn’t agonise over it later. It wouldn’t make a difference to my thought process whether I thought I would get away with it or not as long as I could justify it to myself. I’m very law abiding and moral but I know 💯 I could do it, it would surprise the hell out of people who know me though.

I'd help a loved one end their life if they were suffering badly while dying. I don't imagine I'd feel guilty in those circumstances. That doesn't feel the same to me as murder or even as killing someone in defence or self or loved ones.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

As a 'twist' to this interesting (hopefully theoretical) thread, would anybody change their answer if they could be 100% certain that the law would never find out or be able to convict them - and/or nobody who knew you would ever find out?

I already said I could in certain circumstances but if I wouldn't get in trouble there are numerous people I'd have already killed. My ex husband for raping me, a family member for physically hurting me for 10 plus years on a daily basis as a child, the woman who beat my mum up and kicked her in the head whilst she was on the floor, the scum who raped my sister when she was a child ... they're top of my hit list but I'm sure there are many more I could add quite easily.

To defend DD I absolutely could. But if someone I loved killed anyone I would definitely help them hide the body....

puts down cake, pulls on jogging bottoms (the only things that fit after all the bloody cake)

I think everyone 'could' for a number of reasons, defense ,psychotic episode, accidental etc but it's whether you could live with the guilt or not determines if you would

To those saying don't be ridiculous of course you could - I'm really not so sure you know. It's the old "you never know how you'll react in a situation until you're in it" thing. See my post above where I wanted to chase the burglars - that reaction is so completely alien to my nature generally.

Years ago I was cabin crew and we had a situation where it seemed we'd need to do an emergency landing. Really interesting watching how the passengers received the news and how they followed, or didn't follow, our instructions. A few people just froze and weren't able to do simple things like tray tables stowed, seats upright etc. I know that's not the best example but I do honestly believe you can't know for sure unless you find yourself in the situation.