Meme without a name: Day two!

[thistlechaser]

Since I was answering comments on the first post about the meme, might as well do the second day while I'm thinking about it.

3. Lose half your hair or lose half your hearing?

This one annoys me. Way to put looks above functionality? I'd rather lose all of my hair than even a tiny bit of my hearing. (Though I have the advantage of already being okay with no hair -- I'd happily shave my head bald if I were a man.)

Since that was an annoying question, let's do the next one, too!

4. Be poor and work at a job you love or be rich and work at a job you hate?

This is a better question. As much as it pains me, I'd rather work at a job I hate and be rich. Being poor would affect your whole life, inside and outside of work -- housing, food, likely lack of medical insurance. While hating your job would follow you after work hours, not to the same extent; having a nice home and plenty of money would make working the job you hate more worth it.

What would you all pick?

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

I think I would actually pick losing half my hearing. If it was all hair/hearing, I'd go with losing hair, because not being able to hear at all would obviously make life much more difficult. But I think I could stand to lose half and still be fairly functional. Although it would depend a bit on what losing half one's hearing meant -- going completely deaf in one ear? Not being able to hear certain frequencies at all? My grandfather's been deaf-ish for a long time and now my mother (though she's pretty young) has been losing her hearing, so I've been able to see it affect their lives and also how they've been able to cope, and I think I could live with that.

I tend to be startled by sudden noises and bothered by loud things, so I wouldn't mind a dampening effect. And I'm really vain about my hair.

And I'd rather wear a hearing aid than a wig :P

As for the job, if I were completely on my own, I'd pick being poor with a job I love over rich and a job I hate. I don't actually need much, and I grew up with a much lower standard of living than I currently enjoy, which did not feel like a hardship, so I think I could cope if sufficiently motivated.

I wouldn't have a problem with being rich (or even comfortable) with a job I was merely indifferent about, and would pick that over being poor and a job I love -- but actively hating a job would sap all the enjoyment out of life, unless I could afford to be on vacation more often than actually working...

That said, having other people dependent on me, I would probably feel obliged to keep the hated but well-paying job, at least until said people were independent.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Good points. If losing half your hair meant you lost every other strand, it could still look okay.

These questions need to offer more details!

Good points about the job, too. Having a job you love (or even just are indifferent about) does make a difference in your everyday life.

[hamsterwoman]

That's true, although having had my hair grow thinner would still annoy me. But might be a toss-up at that point.

I'm always after more details on these sorts of hypothetical questions, BUT it's actually really fun to see what assumptions people make and what loopholes they find in the absence of those details :D

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

A comment below had a good thought on the hair: Losing 50% off the end should be no hardship for most people, and a benefit to many! I'd be happy with mine 50% shorter, then my next haircut would be that much further off.

[hamsterwoman]

Ha, that's very clever! I would settle for that :)