Red or Blue Pill (Not Matrix related)

[Jaymann]

Assume for this poll the Red Pill takes you back in time to when you turned 6 years old, knowing what you know now, everything else in the world remains the same. You might or might not meet your current spouse. You might have children, but they could not possibly be the one(s) you have now.

[Brian]

This one's easy. I'm very happily married, have good (adult now) kids, and very much do NOT want to fuck around with timelines (law of unintended consequences and all that).

I'm taking the cash.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I’m pretty happy with where I’m at now, but boy did I waste a lot of years from about age 16 - 27. Still, I’m not sure it’s worth trying to do it all over again. Of course, if I could be the first to conduct all the cool experiments that have taken place since the mid 80s, I would be a science god. Hmmm....

[Kraken]

I don't want to go back to 1963. If I could reset and stay in 2020, that would be different. The next few decades are going to be momentous, and I'm equal parts sorry and glad that I'm unlikely to live through them.

[gameoverman]

No pill for me. I can't guarantee the outcome of the other choices so I'd rather not mess with things.

[Holman]

I'll take the money. Going back to the past with your present knowledge is a sure Monkey's Paw.

[Madmarcus]

The blue pill.

Having knowledge of future things and ideas would be great but I'm not a kid any more even if I can still be childish. I don't think of myself as jaded or cynical but compared to 6 year old, 10 year old, 14 year old, or 18 year old me I'm a crusty, world weary, realist. My life is good right now. I don't think the change in personality would lead to a better outcome.

[Jaymann]

I enabled re-voting and changed my vote to blue. I like the red pill sense of adventure, but my kids and grandkids could benefit immensely from a cool $10 million.

[dbt1949]

I'd take the red pill. Mistakes could still cost me my life but I'd take the chances.
Too many bad decisions growing up.

[Jeff V]

I have some pills that are both red and blue! They are just mildly effective against headaches and other assorted creakiness.

I don't want to go back to 1963. If I could reset and stay in 2020, that would be different. The next few decades are going to be momentous, and I'm equal parts sorry and glad that I'm unlikely to live through them.

If you went back to '63, you'd still be a hippie. Think of all the legal weed could buy today with the cash!

The next few decades are going to be momentous, but I fear not in a good way. One thing the Romans learned is when populations can no longer sustain themselves where they are, they go migrant -- and no wall is going to stop them. Too much population is concentrated in areas that will be profoundly affected by climate change and other factors and that's going to doom the first world if they don't address this in an effective, proactive way.

Who here has read the book, Mote in God's Eye? (Niven/Pournelle). A race called "Moties" achieved an advanced state of civilization -- until overpopulation led to cataclysmic wars that pretty much nuked the society back to the stone age. Lather, rinse, repeat...human diplomats (or some such) discovered this was a cycle endemic to the species and was doomed to repeat itself. I think there's a tipping point where the next world war will wipe out more than all the others combined. Not an extinction event, but who knows how livable the planet will be, much less the robustness of civilization. Will it happen over the next few decades? Maybe...flash points include climate change, xenophobia, and religious fuck-nuttery. I currently don't see enough effort in rallying to common cause to adequately address any of those factors.

If reset to age 6 (more than 50 years ago), I would accumulate whatever $$$ I can and then go all-in on the tech giants as they enter play. I would easily surpass $10M (probably be closer to $10B) by the time I'm the age I am today. The question is, I know what sort of play ends up leading to current wife and kids. Would I have the patience to hold out for them? Having millions or billions as a younger man, odds are I wouldn't still be single at 48, found my wife as I did, and have the wonderful children we have. I wonder what knowledge of them from such a young age would play into it...

[gameoverman]

If I went back to being 6 years old I'd be telling everyone "Yes killer bees are going to get here but it's not going to bee as exciting as you think. Oh, and no, we will not have flying cars any time soon. We will have cars that drive themselves though, so we'll have that going for us, which is nice." and then the other kids will beat me up for saying there won't be flying cars.

[dbt1949]

I don't suppose you know how to keep your mouth shut?

[Alefroth]

I’m pretty happy with where I’m at now, but boy did I waste a lot of years from about age 16 - 27. Still, I’m not sure it’s worth trying to do it all over again. Of course, if I could be the first to conduct all the cool experiments that have taken place since the mid 80s, I would be a science god. Hmmm....

Wouldn't you, like, have to know how to do the experiments?

[Victoria Raverna]

Red pill so that I can go back to try and fail to save the world.

[Madmarcus]

Red pill so that I can go back to try and fail to save the world.

Its the best idea but I'm just too selfish. Or maybe lazy.

[Blackhawk]

Red pill, tell your story, then make a few dozen very specific predictions to prove it. Then describe how human civilization had failed and we were resorting to cannibalism by 2015 due to climate change caused by factors X, Y, and Z, and that we'd been unable to do anything about it due to tyranny in government by the end of the 20th century using loopholes A, B, and C. All lies, but it might get people moving.

[mori]

You are 6 years old today. It is a reset with only knowledge remaining. I take the money. If I get hit by a bus as a 6 year old the next day with this knowledge, no one has anything. If I get hit by a bus 10 million richer a day later, a whole lot of people are happier. Either way it will not matter in the end.

[Kraken]

Red pill, tell your story, then make a few dozen very specific predictions to prove it. Then describe how human civilization had failed and we were resorting to cannibalism by 2015 due to climate change caused by factors X, Y, and Z, and that we'd been unable to do anything about it due to tyranny in government by the end of the 20th century using loopholes A, B, and C. All lies, but it might get people moving.

I just changed my vote to red pill. It hadn't occurred to me to become a god, but taking my 2020 vision back to 1963? I totally could do that.

[em2nought]

I was gonna take blue, but I changed my mind because I'd get to spend time with my brother and father again.

[Madmarcus]

The problem is that you are 6. Who is really going to listen to a six year old?

I don't remember a ton from when I was six that would be good predictions that would really wow people. So my parents get to think I'm crazy for saying I can predict the future and the random changes plus changes due to my interference start making my already so-so predictions rather unreliable.

[Blackhawk]

Also, given the new constraints (the original discussion was vague as to whether you went back to when you were six, or just became six today), I'd take the cash. No way I'm effectively killing all three of my children and all three of my grandchildren just to get rich and enjoy some nostalgia.

Now, let my spouse go with me, and give us an assigned day to 'get busy' to guarantee the same kids (because magic), and I'm all over the being six again.

/edit - shit, that would mean that to save my first son and my grandkids, I'd have to get nasty with my first wife again. I'll take the cash.

[Victoria Raverna]

The problem is that you are 6. Who is really going to listen to a six year old?

I don't remember a ton from when I was six that would be good predictions that would really wow people. So my parents get to think I'm crazy for saying I can predict the future and the random changes plus changes due to my interference start making my already so-so predictions rather unreliable.

You can finish high school by 7 years old. Then maybe you can get your bachelor degree or even higher degree by 8 years old.

There'll be a lot of people that want to listen to you then.

Remember to invest in Apple, then invest in bitcoin in the early day of the currency. You'll be super rich then people have to listen to you.

[Victoria Raverna]

Also, given the new constraints (the original discussion was vague as to whether you went back to when you were six, or just became six today), I'd take the cash. No way I'm effectively killing all three of my children and all three of my grandchildren just to get rich and enjoy some nostalgia.

Now, let my spouse go with me, and give us an assigned day to 'get busy' to guarantee the same kids (because magic), and I'm all over the being six again.

/edit - shit, that would mean that to save my first son and my grandkids, I'd have to get nasty with my first wife again. I'll take the cash.

You're not killing them. They still exist in the timeline that you left.

You have a chance to change an alternative timeline to be better than the one we have now.

[gameoverman]

I don't suppose you know how to keep your mouth shut?

The best part of going back in time is freaking people out with carefully chosen hints of the future. The bummer is in this scenario I'd be 6 years old, which is prime age for getting your ass kicked by other kids.

[LordMortis]

I don't want to go back to 1963. If I could reset and stay in 2020, that would be different. The next few decades are going to be momentous, and I'm equal parts sorry and glad that I'm unlikely to live through them.

I have no progeny and no lifemate. Going back to six? Not so much. Going back to say 17? Sign me up. I could do it again much better and I could invest. If I had a better memory I could sports book as well but alas I couldn't tell you who won what, when.

[stessier]

I don't know why everyone is worried about their kids disappearing but still think they could go back and use their knowledge of set events to because wealthy/successful.

[Jaddison]

I don't suppose you know how to keep your mouth shut?

The best part of going back in time is freaking people out with carefully chosen hints of the future. The bummer is in this scenario I'd be 6 years old, which is prime age for getting your ass kicked by other kids.

yes but your 6 year old self would now know that peer pressure is stupid and that the benefit of lifting weights so that if there is any ass kicking to be done you will be the one doing it. The only problem I see is your six year old self would be seeing the hot older girls or boys and thinking bad thoughts at the same time as the older mind inside the 6 year old body is thinking how boring and immature they are right now.

[Jaymann]

I don't want to go back to 1963. If I could reset and stay in 2020, that would be different. The next few decades are going to be momentous, and I'm equal parts sorry and glad that I'm unlikely to live through them.

I have no progeny and no lifemate. Going back to six? Not so much. Going back to say 17? Sign me up. I could do it again much better and I could invest. If I had a better memory I could sports book as well but alas I couldn't tell you who won what, when.

I don't think the sports book thing would work. Just by you being there and making changes would butterfly effect them away. There would still be broad trends, but you could not rely on exact replication. Think of every single baseball pitch happening exactly as before - not gonna happen. Same thing with having children. You could seek out your future spouse, and even get busy on the same time and date, but the sperm that gets through and (maybe) fertilizes cannot possibly be the same one. You could still have a great kid, but not the same one.

[Blackhawk]

1. You could minimize the 'butterfly effect' by diversifying long enough to get rich. Bet big on one sports game, then invest. Don't invest everything in Microsoft. Invest in a couple of dozen different 'killer' stocks so that none of them makes you massively rich by itself, so that you're not taking a significant share of any of them, and keep it to yourself.

2. Six year old me may be of prime ass-kicking age, but six year old me knows how to deal with bullies, an if that doesn't work, he has had a lot more training and been in a lot more fights than any bully he's likely to come across.

3. The only parameters we have are the image (restart at 6 with what you have/10 million dollars) and Jaymann's additional parameter that the first one means going back in time. Any other theories of time travel are just that, and not guaranteed. The Butterfly Effect as it applies to time travel of individuals is a theory, but there are competing theories. Alternate timelines is a theory. We can't take any of them for granted. So, yeah - we're back to killing our kids and grandkids. Or we're back to maybe killing our kids and grandkids, which is pretty much the same thing.

[stessier]

Your kids and grandkids are going to die regardless. Going back and changing things gives you the opportunity to improve things for others.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I’m pretty happy with where I’m at now, but boy did I waste a lot of years from about age 16 - 27. Still, I’m not sure it’s worth trying to do it all over again. Of course, if I could be the first to conduct all the cool experiments that have taken place since the mid 80s, I would be a science god. Hmmm....

Wouldn't you, like, have to know how to do the experiments?

Well, I have at some point read the papers of the experiments I would want to replicate. At the very least, I should be able to produce similar results that lead to "novel" theories. Also, I could invent CRISPR and make way more than 10 million bucks...

[paulbaxter]

At various points earlier in life I was more obsessed with my mistakes and wishing I could do certain things over/differently/better. These days I'm feeling more content and extra cash would seem like just a nice bonus. If I were forced to live over again, I'm sure I'd just make different mistakes and have to go through different hardships.