Context: So I just remember this after digging through memories.

So my mother was watching/reading some weird social media thing and there was this this question was asked to guys in China, and it’s supposed to be a dilemma because if you say save your mother, your girlfriend will break up with you, if you say save your girlfriend, your mom’s gonna disown you (cuz filial piety).

And so anyways, I think I was like 15 or something, and my mom asked me the question… I kinda froze because idk what to say… it was such a weird question. Then mom was like: “Of course you have to save me first, I raised you, remember? You only have one mother in this world.” … Something something… “People with blood relations to you comes first”.

Now reflecting on that memory, that was so awkward…

Ever been asked this question?

How would you answer if your mom asked that?

  • Tedesche@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    If either my girlfriend/wife or my mother asked me that question, I would refuse to answer and instead ask them why they were asking it. I’d explain that that’s a very nasty question to ask because it’s a loyalty test, even if they don’t mean it as one, and it puts me in a very awkward position—why would they want to do that? I’d ask them to consider how they’d feel if either their mother or spouse asked them that.

    And if they didn’t immediately see my point, that would slightly lower my opinion of them, to be honest.

  • m4xie@lemmy.ca
    151·
    1 day ago

    I don’t have a partner and I’m a PADI certified rescue diver.

    If I see my mother drowning I’m going to hang around until I’m sure she’s fully dead.

  • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    1 day ago

    No. My wife doesn’t ask bullshit questions just to start arguments out of insecurity. And my mother is dead. No, she did not drown.

  • TAG@lemmy.world
    5·
    1 day ago

    It is easy for me to answer, my mom is old. My wife can probably tread water while I get my mom to shore.

    I told my wife this and she replied that she is a strong, independent woman who can swim perfectly well on her own. The right answer is that I should grab my mom and start bringing her towards the shore while my wife swims ahead and helps me pull her in once we get to shallower water.

  • Apytele@sh.itjust.works
    2·
    1 day ago

    There are so many questions to which there is no right answer, but most of them do have a wrong answer (in this case, neither) and it would significantly increase both-

    peoples ability to make a non-wrong decision in time to do any good

    -and-

    their ability to find peace afterwards

    -if assholes would stop acting like anyone is a bad person for not seeing their version of the right answer.

  • morphballganon@mtgzone.comEnglish
    2·
    1 day ago

    Both my wife and I suck at swimming, so I guess we’re both drowning. My mom might be able to save herself but likely not anyone else.

  • Smoogs@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 day ago

    Some mothers and girlfriends can swim.

    So yes it’s a weird question. It doesn’t describe the situation very well as to how a person is drowning like is it fatigue? Have they somehow been knocked out? Is the situation so dire that it does not actually really matter who is rescued first and you could actually rescue both?

    It’s like if the world opened up a pit to hell and you can only save one relative who will it be

    It’s so unlikely that you’d be in that position so much as you’d be likely also falling into the pit of hell so it’s just creating meaningless drama and if someone keeps posing such questions to you I’d keep an eye on why they are dramatizing so much. Like why do they need to keep reestablishing their meaning to everyone’s life in comparison to other people who also hold meaning? Why does someone else need to be reduced for someone to feel meaningful? That’s some narcissistic traits being cracked open there.