this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
129 points (92.7% liked)

Antique Memes Roadshow

9529 readers
215 users here now

Giving you the backstory and appraisals of vintage memes!

Submissions should be vintage memes or commentary about vintage memes. Commenters are advised to appraise the internet value and provenance meme antiquities.

Rules:

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 24 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 62 points 1 month ago (1 children)

By making the train divert it gives more time for the victims to potentially escape/be rescued, and slows it down since it has to go around the bend, potentially making the impact less fatal.

...

At least, that's what I'll be telling the cops with an extra $100 in my pocket.

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

with a turn like that it'll likely derail and save everyone's.

[–] athatet@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It will fall on the lever guy. Checkmate atheists.

now history will remember the lever guy as a true hero. cherishes by all. not as a cunt who tried to make 100$ from a tragedy.

[–] q181c@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But then it kills the six passengers

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

good.

There are 6 passengers and non of them reached for the emergency breaks?

[–] q181c@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

The emergency brake was replaced with a lever which would activate a bomb under your lever. All six chose to preserve your life instead of their own.

[–] joyjoy@piefed.social 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I would pull the lever because it's a longer path for the trolley to travel. I'd be giving the people tied up a few extra seconds of life. I'd be a hero.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

congratulations! you've got what it takes to become an executive of a multinational company!

[–] stickly@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Trick question, trolley has a slightly higher chance of derailing on the turn. Taking the $100 is morally correct

[–] spittingimage@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Not exactly in the spirit of the trolley problem, but I feel like my time would be better spent frantically tugging at the ropes holding those people in place. Probably won't help much, but at least I could live with myself.

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

frantically tugging at the ropes holding those people in place

Exactly.

Probably won't help much

Oh. I thought we were tightening them.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 6 points 1 month ago

Always carry a knife.

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 month ago

How could you be considered responsible for their deaths? They are going to die no matter what you do, as opposed to the original trolley problem

[–] remon@ani.social 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It's not like bill will get vaporised. As long as you get 50% of the shreds you should still be able to trade it in.

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I feel like walking over to the place where five people just got butchered to pick up a little bit of money is somehow worse, though.

[–] remon@ani.social 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Good thinking ... if you also check their wallets you might get more than just $100.

[–] Jestzer@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

If it were 2010 and this conversation took place on Tumblr, you sure bet it would be screenshotted and sent around as a meme.

Put me in the screenshot!

[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 month ago

$100 isn't enough money to hire a lawyer

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 month ago

Pull it and then give the money to the families

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

There is no outcome where those deaths don't happen. Their deaths are inevitable. Hitting the switch changes absolutely nothing about that fact. This is actually one of the least culpable you would be in the death(s) resulting from of any trolley thought problem I've ever seen.

The bigger question is why you are even concerned with the 100 dollars in light of the gory massacre you're about to witness. Even if you can't do anything, you should want to. Or at the very least, the people should be your entire focus. Ignoring it entirely to strategize about profiting less than 2 days worth of minimum wage pay out of the situation... That's some psycho shit. You'll be a great fit at Palantir.

[–] gmtom@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

I mean other than being too literal about the scenario and saying something like I would half flip the lever causing the trolley to derail. Then I would either just freeze and not act in time either way, or if I somehow had enough time to think it through, and I knew all the parameters with 100% certainty I don't think I would do it, $100 isn't that much money and thinking about my own financial gain when people are about to die would make me feel gross.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 2 points 1 month ago

Every single trolly problem meme forgets the very simple and fundamental philosophical and moral point that I would simply jump in front of the trolley before even comprehending the situation.