[Poll] Can you be bribed?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by lychee, Dec 3, 2019.

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What is the LEAST amount the suspicious person could offer to entice you to do what they ask?

  1. At least 1 million kg gold

    13 vote(s)
    17.6%
  2. At least 100,000 kg gold

    2 vote(s)
    2.7%
  3. At least 10,000 kg gold

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  4. At least 1,000 kg gold

    4 vote(s)
    5.4%
  5. At least 100 kg gold

    7 vote(s)
    9.5%
  6. At least 10 kg gold

    5 vote(s)
    6.8%
  7. At least 1 kg gold

    7 vote(s)
    9.5%
  8. At least 100 grams gold

    8 vote(s)
    10.8%
  9. At least 10 grams gold

    6 vote(s)
    8.1%
  10. At least 1 gram gold

    3 vote(s)
    4.1%
  11. At least 0.1 grams gold

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  12. 0.01 grams gold or less

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  13. I would do what they asked for free

    4 vote(s)
    5.4%
  14. I would never accept their bribe - and stay quiet

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  15. I would never accept their bribe - and continue my job

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  16. I would never accept their bribe - and show up with my friends

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  17. I would never accept their bribe - and try to investigate this person

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  18. I would never accept their bribe - and report this to my boss

    2 vote(s)
    2.7%
  19. I would never accept their bribe - and try to arrest them

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  20. I would never accept their bribe - other reason

    1 vote(s)
    1.4%
  21. I’m unsure

    4 vote(s)
    5.4%
  22. I do not wish to respond

    2 vote(s)
    2.7%
  1. lychee

    lychee [- slightly morbid fruit -] ❀[ 恋爱? ]❀

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    :blobpoliceangry::blobpoliceangry::blobpoliceangry:

    You are transmigrated to a medieval-style isekai universe and you are a city guard.

    Everyday, you take a regular patrol route throughout the city.

    One day you are approached by a suspicious person and they offer you a bribe. Tomorrow, if you change your patrol route and simply don’t show up at District X, they will pay you a sum of gold.

    They discourage you from asking other guards (or informing your superiors) to patrol/monitor your district, because the deal will be called off if they detect any unusual activity in the specified district. The suspicious person says they have many eyes watching the street, and they will know if any authorities show up. Their personnel are highly skilled and can even detect undercover agents.

    You will only receive payment after you’ve done what they asked. If they confirm that nobody showed up, a bag of gold will be left under a bridge for you to fetch.


    + + +

    Searching your memories, you recognize that the "former you" accepted this kind of bribe in the past.

    Occasionally, you changed your patrol route and skipped over certain neighborhoods.

    A few times you sneakily paid a local resident to keep an eye out to see what kind of trouble they're up to — but nothing ever happens. It appears that they are monitoring and testing your trustworthiness with random bribes, and the criminals are unlikely to try anything for real unless they determine you are a reliable individual.

    You spoke to several of your fellow city guards, and apparently you aren’t the only one being bribed. Many of the guardsmen are randomly bribed on a regular basis, although incidents rarely occur.

    You heard some stories of guards trying to show up at the bribed locations, but those guards simply just never received a bribe offer again.

    This underground organization is clearly very slippery and sly.

    + + +

    In this world, city guards are underpaid. Your salary is slightly above minimum wage, and you live a very cramped lifestyle.

    You have to carefully budget the amount of food you eat every week, and you worry about making your rent payments. You are unable to buy many amenities or recreational implements. Your local government is fiscally conservative and is unlikely to raise your salary.

    You have absolutely no savings because you use up all your money every month.

    Since you lack savings, it is impossible for you to change your job or go job hunting, because you would literally become a beggar if you are jobless.

    Accepting a bribe is illegal for city guards. However, bribing is commonplace and many your coworkers in the city guard frequently accept bribes. It is rare for your government to enforce the anti-bribery law, and the most you have ever seen is a coworker receiving a "slap on the wrist" for being caught accepting bribes.

    + + +

    It is not possible for you to arrest the suspicious individual.

    In your country, while it is illegal for government workers to accept bribes, it is not illegal for a civilian to offer bribes. It is totally the responsibility of the city guard to refuse the bribe.

    You cannot arrest a person without accusing them of a crime, and the suspicious individual technically hasn't done anything illegal. Loitering in the streets is not illegal, and you have no evidence that they are a criminal.

    Your society has an “innocent-until-proven-guilty” legal system, and your attorneys have discouraged you from arresting people without clear evidence that they’ve done something illegal.

    Note: 1 gram gold = $50 USD

    1. What is the LEAST amount of gold the suspicious person could offer to entice you to do what they asked?

    2. Would you ever report the existence of the bribes to your superiors? What if they discover that the older you accepted bribes?

    3. Suppose your bosses are aware of the widespread bribing and they want to change the policy so that guardsmen turn in 20% of their bribes to the police as an unofficial form of revenue. Would you go along with this?

    4. If you were willing to be bribed in this situation, is there a situation you would refuse to be bribed in?

    5. Suppose the underground organization is a longstanding massive organization that has been around for hundreds of years. They do some unsavory things like assassinations, smuggling, drugs, and human trafficking, but generally speaking their existence keeps things organized. The streets of your city are very safe/orderly. Would you try to take down this organization even though it would bring chaos to the criminal underworld and cause petty criminals/gangs to roam your streets again from the power vacuum?
     
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  2. otaku31

    otaku31 Well-Known Member

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  3. Trane

    Trane Well-Known Member

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    Ask for an over the top amount and see if they agree. That would be suspicious and you can determine that they will not pay up, thus giving you a reason to report
    If they are willing to pay half up-front, then I would still report them. Because those fools paid me already:blobspy::blobspy:
     
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  4. CarmineCalico

    CarmineCalico Well-Known Member

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    I accept all bribes of good quality chocolate. Also good tea. Maybe just food in general? :blobicecreamlove:
     
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  5. MangoGuy

    MangoGuy Rambling Mango

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    Not gold. Gold is heavy to carry, and tough to get rid of. Unless they got other benefits, I might as well stay honest.
     
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  6. Robbini

    Robbini Logical? Illogical? Random? Or Just Unique?

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    Honestly, if they're looking for unusual happenings, WOULDN'T THE PATROL NOT APPEARING AS UNUSUAL COUNT? Would be my first response.
    And I would ask for guarantees from them that noone will report it to any other guards.
    As for the amount... unsure.
    I would offhandedly ask my colleagues about their thoughts on such a situation, and if any of them have ever done it. If some of my superiors have done it, I might mention it at some point, if I really trust them, and know I would never brought down with them if they get caught.
    I would ask for written permission that me accepting the bribes, if not outright allowd / ordered by them, is atleast acquiesced to by them.
    If it's an area where people I know live in, and I get along with well, unless I have absolute guarantees that nothing will happen to them, and that noone will know I was supposed to patrol there.
    Depends. Do they eliminate all competition or does noone just dare to have a try while they're around ?

    Though i'm curious whether I would be seen as more trustworthy by the criminals or by the citizens if I demand to see what's going on, but don't actually do anything to prevent what's going on unless it's acquaintances or not hideable
     
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  7. Aegis21

    Aegis21 Hiki wanna be

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    I'll go for 10kg of gold,but split into 10 bags of 1kg each,I will use them as bribes to my superiors ehen needed and emergency funds to run away,I will not report them as long as they don't do shit bad for me,and sometimes superiors need to be paid to look another way,I will only not accept a bribe if it will be detrimental to those I hold dear,or not worth the risk,and I don't care about their morality or good or bad as long as the money is real
     
  8. TiggerBane

    TiggerBane Always asleep yep yep yep| Canidae lover

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    This is the second dumbest idea I have seen today. Then again I didn't see a lot of dumb ideas today. Inquisitor Draco!!!
     
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  9. Lurking

    Lurking Do the dead suffer, or is it a sweet release?

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    1. What is the LEAST amount of gold the suspicious person could offer to entice you to do what they asked?
    1kg in 1000g form. Small and inconspicious and can sell it off and get a different life
    2. Would you ever report the existence of the bribes to your superiors? What if they discover that the older you accepted bribes?
    Depends.
    3. Suppose your bosses are aware of the widespread bribing and they want to change the policy so that guardsmen turn in 20% of their bribes to the police as an unofficial form of revenue. Would you go along with this?
    Nope. Maybe 2% max tho
    4. If you were willing to be bribed in this situation, is there a situation you would refuse to be bribed in?
    If there was a crime that passed my bottom line happening.
    5. Suppose the underground organization is a longstanding massive organization that has been around for hundreds of years. They do some unsavory things like assassinations, smuggling, drugs, and human trafficking, but generally speaking their existence keeps things organized. The streets of your city are very safe/orderly. Would you try to take down this organization even though it would bring chaos to the criminal underworld and cause petty criminals/gangs to roam your streets again from the power vacuum?
    No? Im not a hero
     
  10. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    I can be bribed with hugs.
    There are a few requirements

    1. Must be female
    2. Must not have body odor
    3. Must be Asian or have an Asian sounding name(Azteca names will do just fine)
    4. or Native American, 1/16th Native American is fine too :blob_coffee:
    Besides even Sunny Leone is Asian
    upload_2019-12-3_20-0-3.png
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2019
  11. aegis062

    aegis062 Chaotic Demon Emperor

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    i would accept the 1 million kg of gold, but he would have to provide storage and exchange some of the gold for cash so that I launder the gold slowly while living a quiet and wealthy life under the radar.
     
  12. Deleted member 155674

    Deleted member 155674 Guest

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    I will accept the bribe but only in lychees :blobpeek:
     
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  13. ExcitableFoci

    ExcitableFoci Well-Known Member

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    [D]
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2021
  14. EmpactWB

    EmpactWB Active Member

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    Okay, so one troy ounce of gold (approximately 31.1 g) was worth 1.34 British pounds in the year 1351*, while in that same year a mason earned about 5 British pounds a year**. That gives a mason a yearly income of roughly 155.5 g Au/year. Given that guards are underpaid, we can assume they make less than the mason. Considering a minimum wage didn't exist in the Middle Ages, I'm not sure how to compare that precisely, but let's use the midpoint between the 1300 and 1390 figures for a laborer: 3 British pounds, or 93.3 g.

    As the scenario states that bribing is frequent, the amounts they'd be willing to consider wouldn't be all that high, and any particularly large amounts would be very obvious if I spent it. Money that isn't spent isn't actively improving my lifestyle and can be stolen or used to prove I took bribes, so I don't want to hold out for too much. At the same time, the risk to myself is undetermined, since we aren't told the official punishment for accepting bribes and we don't know what exactly will happen if I abandon the area. Someone important getting kidnapped or killed is going to reflect rather poorly on me.

    At the very least, I would need enough savings to set myself up in another town until I could find a new job if I have to flee from my fellow guards (and that might require bribing them myself). So, let's say a minimum of 100 g just for immediate living expenses and 400 g to set myself up in a new town with a new identity, which gives us 0.5 kg. But if that's the minimum I'd accept, it's probably the minimum the other guards would accept, and I need to make sure I can bribe a few of them on my way out. Four guards would be enough to capture one of their fellows without significant risk, and if it's that common, they probably aren't going to be sending out the whole crew just for little old me. So that's another 2.0 kg that I need.

    But wait, there's more! See, those guys need that much to just cover their own rear ends. They could totally let me walk away if they can also drop some gold in the lap of the local lord to say "We totally found this proof that he was accepting bribes, so even though he got away, we did our job and you got something out of it, so don't be mad, mkays?" To make it look like it was enough, it would basically have to be the same amount I've come up with so far, meaning an additional 2.5 kg to the pile.

    Now we're talking around 5 kg of gold, enough to set a commoner up somewhat comfortably for 25 years. Of course, that's the initial investment, and future bribes could be adjusted down based on my savings... assuming I don't quit to live somewhat comfortably in a job I actually like for the next 25+ years.

    So the answer to 1 is 5 kg.

    The answer to 2a is no, and to 2b is how would they find out if I don't tell them?

    The answer to 3 is I would totally accept 4 kg of spendable gold instead of 0.5 kg for the same (non)work.

    Question 4 gets finicky, because I actually don't know the situation here. They're paying me not to know. I might ask that they leave me out of anything that injures people directly, but I'll have no way of knowing that until after the fact.

    Question 5 is easy: I'm a guard, not a hero. My job is to protect public order, not to hunt down nefarious villains in the shadows. My job is to let them roam free, no matter how much it sickens me, because the people are safer that way. If they're open to discussion, I'd try to find a way to make not doing that crap more profitable in my city than doing it is, but that's unlikely to work even within my immediate reach and certainly not outside of it.

    * - Taken from thebalance dot com
    ** - Taken from thehistoryofengland dot co dot uk
     
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  15. Green Apple

    Green Apple Actually I'm secretly an orange.

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    That's not how bribes work.
    Pay forward or gtfo.
     
  16. UnGrave

    UnGrave ななひ~^^

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    1. What is the LEAST amount of gold the suspicious person could offer to entice you to do what they asked?
    Honestly, I don't care about it if it's too little, and too large it becomes terrifying.
    2. Would you ever report the existence of the bribes to your superiors? What if they discover that the older you accepted bribes?
    Yes, and unfortunately there's nothing I could do about my criminal past other than confess and take the punishment. Honesty is key in that kind of work, and I'd immediately report on the situation to my superior and request further instruction be given to my coworkers.
    3. Suppose your bosses are aware of the widespread bribing and they want to change the policy so that guardsmen turn in 20% of their bribes to the police as an unofficial form of revenue. Would you go along with this?
    If they make it so its not banned, yes. That would make it honest to accept bribes, and make it part of my job. In fact, if I was told to accept the bribes and then put it all as "evidence" that is what I would do.
    4. If you were willing to be bribed in this situation, is there a situation you would refuse to be bribed in?
    False.
    5. Suppose the underground organization is a longstanding massive organization that has been around for hundreds of years. They do some unsavory things like assassinations, smuggling, drugs, and human trafficking, but generally speaking their existence keeps things organized. The streets of your city are very safe/orderly. Would you try to take down this organization even though it would bring chaos to the criminal underworld and cause petty criminals/gangs to roam your streets again from the power vacuum?
    If that was what I was ordered to do.
     
  17. Macrendil Ysmir

    Macrendil Ysmir Well-Known Member

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    Honestly, with all the added details its just stupid NOT to take the bribe. Just don't get caught or do it for too little gain. If I refused the bribe, they would just go ask the guy who takes over after me, and then HE can afford to buy nice things while all I'm left with is "honour" or something. Ya'know, the stuff that doesn't put food on the table or makes the wife happy...
     
  18. VesperNyan

    VesperNyan Well-Known Member

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    American political system in a nutshell. Drink 2 cups of milk per day? Yea, thats the result from American dairy special interest groups. You don't really need to drink milk unless you are a baby.
     
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  19. AMissingLinguist

    AMissingLinguist [Not Here][Blank Sect][Nuffian #N]

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    Sounds like incitement. "Not illegal to bribe" and "illegal to accept bribes". Those are some terrible laws, so I can see why most city guards accept bribes, because it's either be underpaid and starve, or bribes and live.
     
  20. foodflare

    foodflare Well-Known Member

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    I really appreciate all the effort you put in to make not taking the bribe as unappealing as possible. I woupd like to know, are you transmigrating into the fully aged guard? Because there's no way I would get myself in such a weirdly locked in situation without contingency plans if I had my memory from young. I also wouldn't take a bribe in the past if that were the case as well. But even if that is the case I wouldn't take the bribe and there's always a way to start saving. It just may require undergoing some difficulty.