so you go to the train station in a us city right. and there's an old man sitting there, waiting for the train. the intercom announces that the next train will be there in five minutes. really odd since you just missed the last one and they usually go through in thirty minute intervals.
except the announcement says it's an evil train, and that's even weirder. you look at the old man, confused, and wonder aloud what could possibly make a train evil.
"Well," he begins, "the Evil Train comes every five minutes, and the drivers are paid a six figure salary, and every car is air conditioned, and the seats are extra wide with no armrests, but the cost to ride is a one-time payment of your immortal soul."
You stare at him, unsure if he's joking or not.
"Course, most people only have one soul, so that one time payment allows you to ride the Evil Train anytime, anywhere after your payment, however many times you want."
He says all of this in such a matter-of-fact manner that it leaves no room for doubt that he believes what he says, wholly and truly.
"How... How do they collect the payment?"
"Oh, that's really fascinating. See, those ticket booths have an option to sign a contract for an Evil Train pass, giving away your immortal soul. But there's nobody enforcing against fare evasion on the Evil Trains, so technically you can use them for free if you don't mind committing a crime that you'll never be persecuted for."
The old man leans in close. "Some people say that the reason they don't enforce it is because they're doing research on who's willing to commit a petty crime they know they can get away with. I think that's a load of bull, since they don't have any way to track the identity of the riders that evade the fare."
You can hear the train approaching. It's triple digit heat outside, and you don't have time to sign the contract before this train gets here. Then again, the next one should get here in another five minutes, but you don't know how long the contract is, or how many Evil Trains run before the schedule returns to normal trains that only run every thirty minutes, and the air conditioning in those is always broken, and the seats are so narrow you'd swear they're made for children.
What do you do?
I ride this Evil Train, without signing the contract.
I skip this Evil Train, and sign the contract to get on the next Evil Train.
I wait for the next normal train, which will get here in thirty minutes.
Something else, which I will explain in the tags.
Voting ended onSep 4, 2024
