Question - You are Cast Away On an Island

[Creepy-male]

You are cast away on an island, it is a paradise and you landed there by accident. No one else is around and you'd like to get off the island. One day a ship arrives to your rescue with passengers aboard, although they've been attacked by pirates claiming to be lost travelers so they don't trust you. They ask for indentification to prove your identity, early on in despair you dropped an item at the bottom of a murky pond while you were trying to access a cave in the rain. This item can prove your identity without a doubt. It's incredibly hard to see under the water and the depth is extremely deep, your item is very small. An almost impossible feat.

What do you do in order to get off the island?

1) Take a deep breath, try to remain calm, swim to the bottom and try to retrieve the item without drowning and repeat as necessary
2) Attempt to craft a fake item to prove your identity from the materials on the island and hope you aren't discovered when you get to port
3) Get used to life on the island and wait for another ship to arrive to your rescue that will believe your story

It's also important to note that talking your way out of this is completely useless, the people on the ship have already had their trust abused and won't listen to a thing you have to say.

[Raver]

I'll go with #1 and basically hope I get lucky and find the item. If that fails go with #2, craft a fake item asap and if that fails then I have to settle with #3 assuming there is enough time for all three.

[DirectorAbbie]

I'll go with option 1.5 and craft some sort of tool for scooping along the bottom of the pond.

[mu4]

So many options..

Ask them to let me log in on facebook.

Ask them to call coast guard, or local rescue service. I'll stay until the next ship show up.

Take their ship by force.

Ask for scuba gear so I can retrieve item.

Ask them to retrieve item with scuba gear.

[Creepy-male]

So many options..

Alright well let's continue to expand on the thought experiment.

Ask them to let me log in on facebook.

They are afraid you will snatch their computers. Mainly because of the pirates they encountered.

Ask them to call coast guard, or local rescue service. I'll stay until the next ship show up.

They are very guarded about letting you use their resources due to the abuse of trust from pirates.

Take their ship by force.

This is always an option but you are outnumbered and can't head back to port without explaining yourself to the authorities or being on the run. This is assuming there are people on the ship that will be missed if they don't arrive at their port when expected. You can take it by force, but you may become stampeded and overpowered by the larger group and its extremely likely if you do accomplish taking it by force you will be permanently on the run from authorities. This is assuming you have the capability to operate the ship once you have seized it, and your actions won't lead to some massive problem like running too close to a rocky shore and having the hull penetrated and then being stranded again.

Ask for scuba gear so I can retrieve item.

Once again due to trust issues from having dealt with pirates they won't lend you scuba gear. They are afraid you will steal it and they will not have scuba gear in order to retrieve any lost items they may need.

Ask them to retrieve item with scuba gear.

They don't trust you enough to perform service for you, once again this is from having to deal with pirates that raided their ship to a traumatic point. Only a few survivors got out untouched and they are permanently changed by the experience. The pirates were extremely clever and tried almost every trick to penetrate the ship's defenses, and those that witnessed it were so traumatized they permanently have trust issues involved with allowing strangers to use their resources.

[mu4]

Alright well let's continue to expand on the thought experiment.

They are afraid you will snatch their computers. Mainly because of the pirates they encountered.

They are very guarded about letting you use their resources due to the abuse of trust from pirates.

This is always an option but you are outnumbered and can't head back to port without explaining yourself to the authorities or being on the run. This is assuming there are people on the ship that will be missed if they don't arrive at their port when expected. You can take it by force, but you may become stampeded and overpowered by the larger group and its extremely likely if you do accomplish taking it by force you will be permanently on the run from authorities. This is assuming you have the capability to operate the ship once you have seized it, and your actions won't lead to some massive problem like running too close to a rocky shore and having the hull penetrated and then being stranded again.


Once again due to trust issues from having dealt with pirates they won't lend you scuba gear. They are afraid you will steal it and they will not have scuba gear in order to retrieve any lost items they may need.

They don't trust you enough to perform service for you, once again this is from having to deal with pirates that raided their ship to a traumatic point. Only a few survivors got out untouched and they are permanently changed by the experience. The pirates were extremely clever and tried almost every trick to penetrate the ship's defenses, and those that witnessed it were so traumatized they permanently have trust issues involved with allowing strangers to use their resources.

If they're this guarded, then it doesn't matter.

1. They won't trust the real item
2. They won't trust the fake item
3. This seems to be the only option

I will try #1 if I fail, then #2, if I fail #3

Or easiest, next easiest, then #3 or take the ship by force, don't care how many there are, I will still try. Assuming they don't kill me and they take me back as a prisoner, than it works out for me regardless.

[Creepy-male]

If they're this guarded, then it doesn't matter.

1. They won't trust the real item
2. They won't trust the fake item
3. This seems to be the only option

I will try #1 if I fail, then #2, if I fail #3

Or easiest, next easiest, then #3 or take the ship by force, don't care how many there are, I will still try. Assuming they don't kill me and they take me back as a prisoner, than it works out for me regardless.

It's just a fictional scenario, the assumption is the first item will prove things without a doubt to anyone, and you have to have some item to prove your identity rather than using your words because they want to see some result versus take your word for something because that requires trust which they don't have because its been abused too far.

Taking it by force is an option as well but this isn't really realistic because you are hugely outnumbered and don't have resources like firearms on you, although they may have them on the ship. The idea is you are stranded on the island and every ship you encounter is a large group of people. So every interaction is you versus a large "society" of people. It's about as realistic as believing a single person can take over the world as a loner by force without any "social ties". Let's say you do win against the ship, then you'll arrive at some much larger group of "society" once you make it mainland and leave the island. Your arrival back to that society will already be with a bad reputation, the people you killed originated from there, and you originated from the island. You would be starting with a negative reputation socially, but you would be off the island. By no means is it impossible. However as I see it both retrieving the item from under the murky waters and taking the ship by force are epic feats where odds are not in your favor. But the item will prove your reputation positively and taking the ship by force will tarnish your reputation.

I think taking it by force only makes since when its easier to do that and live with the consequences than it is to retrieve the item. But let's assume both are extremely difficult, it may be even harder than you realize to take the ship by force because people on board may have weapons and security and you are vastly outnumbered.

[Waster]

I think I'd take option 0 and stay on the island as long as it was habitable.

If it wasn't though I'd take option 1 and just try to improve my breathing times.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Probably #3. #1 could work, but I could get really sick from the murky water anyway even if I do find the item, so what would be the point? Depending on how far away I am from real medical help.... it wouldn't be a wise idea. It's stupid to jeopardize my own health just to get people to trust me... when staying on the island seems nowhere near as dangerous as trying to escape in this situation.

#2 could work but just my luck people will figure it out then some sociopathic str8 male pirate man will slash my throat the instant he finds out I have a fake ID.

#3 is the safest for survival really. Another ship without all this bullshit would eventually come in time , and if not well at least I still have my life. The other two I might get out quicker but then again it's also deadlier. I'd rather wait 2 years, survive, and wait for another ship. Then I'd get back on the internet and look up porn again after not seeing it for 2 and a half years and have the world's best orgasm. Best choice for me.

[Creepy-male]

I'd probably alternate between option 1 and 3 and avoid number 2. I would attempt to retrieve the item or wait for another ship with a more trusting crew. The second option becomes worse the longer you wait also because you loose more contact with society and your existence off the island becomes less and less noticable to the ebbs and flows of non-island society. So you will raise major issues about who you are and why you lied once you are found out-- essentially they could suspect you are a spy, they may even attempt to use you out of fear, and that may cascade into a chain of events of major trust issues. Now if you manage to catch a ride early on and fool them and make it to port and you come back and your real identity can be verified, its likely no one will be upset by this, especially if you don't murder or abuse the crew on board and you weren't banished to the island for a reason. But given the framing of this thought experiment the crew doesn't really trust you because of pirates and so for the situation I would go for 1 and 3 as it would be extremely difficult to balance the line with number 2. If you cross it and abuse the crew on board they will likely be very harsh because of them being traumatized by pirates.

You also have to be weary that they are actually pirates in disguise and will rob you once you board their ship, and you have no wear to run to. Especially with such a major trust breakdown, I'd definitely attempt to recover my item from the bottom of the waters or simply wait for a more trusting ship.

[DirectorAbbie]

What about trying to appear small, helpless, and feminine? I think I should get a circumstance bonus to trust.

[Creepy-male]

What about trying to appear small, helpless, and feminine? I think I should get a circumstance bonus to trust.

The point of the fictional scenario is that their trust is abused and your word is insignificant to them, they need some material result in terms of actions and items. The pirates they encountered used every single trick in the book to fool them and take advantage of them in every way. Including appearing small, helpless, and feminine. They've already seen that blow up in their face.

Just tell them about thyself. Usually if you tell people about life, who you are, what you´ve done with it, it humanizes you further; thats when you guilt trip the fuck out of them. :}

Same as above. The pirates they encountered used every single trick to buy their confidence with words. They told them about their life, who they are, and what they did with their item -- the people on the ship were moved by the humanity of the "pirates" and then pirates raided them of several resources, killed, and raped many of the crew. The ones that survived untouched are now forced to be changed by this experience and they will no longer take another person's confidence on words. Not because they are heartless but because they've already had their trust abused. It's not your fault, and its not their fault either, its the fault of the pirates that abused the innocence and trust of the ship in the first place. Also keep in mind you are a traveler on an island and have no pre-existing reputation with them, so they can't really just buy into your stories, for all intensive purposes your meeting with the ship is a blank slate.

I don't do anything. It's apparently a paradise, so I wouldn't bother leaving.

Ok that would be similar to option 3. It is paradise the only exception is you are in isolation from other people, there is no "island society". But it is paradise, you could live on the island as a solo individual a comfortable life.

[Absurd]

Ok that would be similar to option 3. It is paradise the only exception is you are in isolation from other people, there is no "island society". But it is paradise, you could live on the island as a solo individual a comfortable life.

It is not 'similar' in any way, but thank you.

[Creepy-male]

It is not 'similar' in any way, but thank you.

Alright well I'm just trying to keep the discussion around a simple form of options 1,2, or 3 and see how people can expand around those ideas. I'm not trying to give you orders.

[Absurd]

Alright well I'm just trying to keep the discussion around a simple form of options 1,2, or 3 and see how people can expand around those ideas. I'm not trying to give you orders.

It's fine. Add that I can take people of that ship as slaves and put them to work on my fantasy island, I mean paradise island, where all your dreams comes true (for a price). Add that after work is done people can board a plane found in the middle of island to leave its premises for their homes on the continent (somebody damaged the ship).

Shout "Ze plane! Ze plane! Is in the ocean!" and this is the option I'm going to choose. Easy.

[InvisibleHim]

Just tell them about thyself. Usually if you tell people about life, who you are, what you´ve done with it, it humanizes you further; thats when you guilt trip the fuck out of them. :}

[Absurd]

I don't do anything. It's apparently a paradise, so I wouldn't bother leaving.

[munenori2]

What do you do?

Seduce all the crew and passengers, start an island colony, convert the ship into building materials, live in paradise forever.

[SyrupDeGem]

Hmmm well maybe you wantto rethink your wording, ponds are not so deep, i'd go with that. Ponds are (arguably) by definition pools of water in which light can penetrate to the bottom. That does not seem so scary to me. I'd not like to remain alone and i'd not make a flase identity.

If the Island is a paradise then i wonder if that is subjective. If i thought it was paradise maybe i would stay... and maybe like someone else mentioned convince others too stay too. Infact maybe i'd get the identification climb aboard and recruit family & friends from back home and so return.

Of course i could use my fourth option and turn back into a mermaid and swim back to blighty.

[Creepy-male]

Hmmm well maybe you wantto rethink your wording, ponds are not so deep, i'd go with that. Ponds are (arguably) by definition pools of water in which light can penetrate to the bottom. That does not seem so scary to me. I'd not like to remain alone and i'd not make a flase identity.

If the Island is a paradise then i wonder if that is subjective. If i thought it was paradise maybe i would stay... and maybe like someone else mentioned convince others too stay too. Infact maybe i'd get the identification climb aboard and recruit family & friends from back home and so return.

Of course i could use my fourth option and turn back into a mermaid and swim back to blighty.

Thanks for the suggestion, what I mean by pond is something that is not very large in size but extremely deep, like the sort of thing you would find at the mouth of a cave. As I'm not a specialist in classifications of bodies of water I used pond because when I think of a lake I think of something that spans a large area. Maybe there is a term for this, but I'm more interested in the idea I'm conveying than anything else. Regardless thanks for the suggestion, at least you get the idea (the size of a pond, but extremely deep).

As for paradise, this is subjective I agree. The point I'm shooting for is a place that is paradise in solitude but is missing people to make it a completely satisfying place. I guess you could argue its not a complete paradise but once again I'm more interested in the idea I'm conveying than anything else. The fact you've pointed this out shows you get the idea.

Four is a valid option I guess, assuming you are a mermaid, which wasn't really in the framework of the OP, but whatever I'll hold no grudges against shapeshifting mermaids because at this point it doesn't really matter.

[SyrupDeGem]

Thanks for the suggestion, what I mean by pond is something that is not very large in size but extremely deep, like the sort of thing you would find at the mouth of a cave. As I'm not a specialist in classifications of bodies of water I used pond because when I think of a lake I think of something that spans a large area. Maybe there is a term for this, but I'm more interested in the idea I'm conveying than anything else. Regardless thanks for the suggestion, at least you get the idea (the size of a pond, but extremely deep).

As for paradise, this is subjective I agree. The point I'm shooting for is a place that is paradise in solitude but is missing people to make it a completely satisfying place. I guess you could argue its not a complete paradise but once again I'm more interested in the idea I'm conveying than anything else. The fact you've pointed this out shows you get the idea.

Four is a valid option I guess, assuming you are a mermaid, which wasn't really in the framework of the OP, but whatever I'll hold no grudges against shapeshifting mermaids because at this point it doesn't really matter.

Oh wow!

I am so glad you get it. I am also a vixen. A shapeshifting fox, mermaid, humanoid (and some other top secret futuristic beings).

[Park]

1 > 3 > 2. Did you just see Cast Away with Tom Hanks?

[Creepy-male]

1 > 3 > 2. Did you just see Cast Away with Tom Hanks?

Yes I have, I enjoyed that movie a lot the first time I saw it.

[blackburry]

#2.

and/or probably just sneak on to the ship. be sneaky.



the options of living on the island would be okay, I guess. I'd probably get sick of the ocean fairly soon after being stranded.
but just as with most things- you get used to it and eventually it becomes a part of life.

[1981slater]

If I am in an island, I would do a threesome with Jessica 129 and Britney Spears

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Absurd, do you ever tire of gaslighting?

And no, I never tire of being gay or sensitive or whatever insult you will inevitably retaliate me with.

leave haveluciddreamz alone. He's good people, even if he is heterosexual.

[Absurd]

Absurd, do you ever tire of gaslighting?

I don't think you know how to use that term properly, that's a given, but to answer your question, no I don't seeing you can't even use it properly. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime...

And no, I never tire of being gay or sensitive or whatever insult you will inevitably retaliate me with.

I'm sure calling you gay and sensitive you being gay and sensitive is very insulting to you. You're insulting my intelligence here.

leave haveluciddreamz alone. He's good people, even if he is heterosexual.

No worries Chris Crocker, Britney knows what she is doing.

[mu4]

There are a lot of things that can happen in a situation like this and there are no "canned" answers, unless set arbitrarily.

This thing started off unrealistic, and the answers don't mean much or say much. Nobody really wants to answer 1/2/3 given the situation and a grasp of reality.

There is no moral dilemma either as even deception belies some level of truth, as the item does exist but is inaccessible/difficult to access.

Realistically, the people on the ship would have to do a morally bad thing to leave the individuals stranded on the island. They can certainly do that, but I don't think they would.

They could tie you up, imprison you due to their suspicions but people generally want to be good. It would be more reasonable if the pirates found you and gave you a set of options. In that scenario, realistically the pirates might just murder you regardless.

Because the scenario provides unrealistic options and a unrealistic situation, people will naturally attempt to escape the confines of the question.

[InvisibleJim]

What if you are such an incredible human being that you can build a completely functional accomodation and farming and sewage systems in less than a few days but your brilliant radiance shines out into the night attracting all manner of rescue vehicles? Would you actually want to leave the island?

[Absurd]

[ashlesha]

1, with 2 as a fallback. i also really like abbie's idea.

i'm introverted as hell but i need human contact. if i was stranded all by myself i would probably kill myself after a couple of years if i hadn't been found. if i hadn't gone completely batshit insane first.

[Absurd]

if i was stranded all by myself i would probably kill myself after a couple of years if i hadn't been found. if i hadn't gone completely batshit insane first.

It doesn't have to end this way, but when you accept your fate(?), it might. Something KFC already accepted, that is, he accepted he has no way out at all, resting only on three scenarios as if he uttered to himself "I'm dead."

[Creepy-male]

It doesn't have to end this way, but when you accept your fate(?), it might. Something KFC already accepted, that is, he accepted he has no way out at all, resting only on three scenarios as if he uttered to himself "I'm dead."

Lol its just a game, quit tying that back to me personally. The experiment's purposefully over dramatized to convey a sense of "death-ground" to it, that was my intention but its a game not a sacred analogy for life, so quite acting like it is and then apply that back to me to make attacks against me.

[Absurd]

Lol its just a game, quit tying that back to me personally. The experiment's purposefully over dramatized to convey a sense of "death-ground" to it, that was my intention but its a game not a sacred analogy for life, so quite acting like it is and then apply that back to me to make attacks against me.

I'm not making any, it's a game apparently. Besides, looks like you're over invested in it and take a stab at it as an attack on you. No wonder you're so calm and collected.

[InvisibleJim]

I'd probably do 1 or 3. 3 if I wasn't capable of 1. There is an alternative to ask them to radio for assistance/pass on the message about where you are. 2 seems dishonest and distasteful.

[ashlesha]

kentucky fried chicken?

[Absurd]

Yes.

[JWC3]

I'd just let them hog-tie me and throw me in the brig until we got to shore and someone could vouch for me or offer them a copy of my missing persons report.

[anndelise]

I wouldn't do any of the 3 options. If there's only 1 of you, that's a lot different than a group of pirates with weapons, so they would be less threatened by you. Just tell them to handcuff/tie your hands behind your back, and you can be kept captive in a cell or whatever on the boat, under watch, while you ride to your destination. You get to where you want to go, and they don't feel threatened. Done.

This is what I was thinking, too.
It's not like having an ID says anything much. It could be a fake ID for a fake identity. It's not like they could verify the 'proof'.

Also, ID says nothing about one's personality, in particular one's personality under such extreme conditions.

I'd also greatly distrust these people if they demand proof of identity from someone who survived a shipwreck and is stranded on an island. It's not like proof of identity is high on one's list when trying to survive whatever caused the shipwreck.

However, i hesitated on posting an answer because I don't know if I would place myself under the control and whim of a group of people that I don't know and who place unrealistic demands. Yes, they are fearful. But damnit...so am I. If they can't acknowledge the unfairness of their many to my few, and be willing to negotiate, then I can't trust them not to toss my tied up body overboard at the first sign of trouble coming from elsewhere.

Also, another option is that they can send a message to one of my loved one's as well as the appropriate authorities that I am at the location I am (or estimated location) when they arrive to safety. Making my stay on the island less contingent on the luck that a ship might happen to pass by. As any ships there now are actively looking for me...I'd hope. (While hoping it's not one of the pirates this group was concerned about!!)

But then again...I wasn't sure if I would trust them not to harm my loved one instead of delivering a message.

*sigh*

[Creepy-male]

lol its a pretty simple cut and dry topic, but if you want to break the form be my guest.

Lol at hkkmr saying its "natural" to break the form, you are basically defining what is natural and not natural which is a little hypocritical. What you really mean to say is it's natural for you and people will either naturally relate to that or they won't. Either way I was trying to keep things on a guided track because of how it relates to the concept of identity and society. The three options are basically; prove yourself, use a fake identity to get what is needed in the moment, or wait for someone else to rescue you and have to prove nothing. I was interested in how people could play around with those three ideas. I'm not so interested in whether or not the ship has a facebook login or how well armed the ship is in order to take it by force. I'm just trying to get a feel for how people are naturally inclined to deal with those types of situations by a small thought experiment, its not so much about how resourceful and cunning you are at escaping an island prison. The island is supposed to be a metaphor for isolation, which is commonly used in many situations. Really I'm not trying to impose order for any other reason than to keep the topic focused on a certain pathway, but like I said above several times-- I can't actually do anything about it if you want to drift off topic. It's just a mediocre thought exercise or hypothetical situation, its especially nothing to get worked up about.