Assuming inexpensive, destination-unlimited time machines

[james_davis_nicoll]

[Poll #1680849]

Comments

[terheyt.livejournal.com]

I wish you had included another question on this poll, as I'd like to see how well the answers mapped. "Are/were you at any time an abused child?"

I also note that while the vast majority of commentors are of the No opinion, the current tally is 12 Yes, 9 No, and 11 Would Like To Complain.

[bastets-place.livejournal.com]

I was, by both the standards of the time as well as the standards of current childrearing theory. (abused, that is)

I voted against the plan, for a variety of reasons that will remain undiscussed at this time.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I was not in any sense I recognize (or any sense I think society would recognize) an abused child.

I voted "yes"; but as I hope my comment made clear, I think that if the full consequences of doing so were laid out, I would very likely have to change my vote to "no". It's a no-brainer "yes" so long as it's really "free", and no cost other than "inexpensive" is mentioned in the question, but of course any real situation wouldn't be; both direct immediate consequences (what having those children here would involve) and indirect consequences (time-stream questions) would have to be considered.

[daemonnoire.livejournal.com]

If I could go back in time and stop the root cause of childhood abuse among the females in my family with the assurance that each of us would still be born as a result, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Then again, the source of that abuse is what led to a hundred small choices which led to my sisters, and was the direct cause of the eventual reconciliation between my parents where I was the end result. Saving my elder sisters from abuse would mean wiping myself from history, resulting in paradox.