Taking Tea in the Kasbah



Last week’s question asked you to consider which jazzed-up body function you would prefer to have: confetti burps or glitter farts. I must say I was a little worried many of you would find the question a little too awkward to comment on.

I’m so glad I was wrong.

Hands down, the confetti burps won in a major landslide victory. The main reason that was given for choosing this over the glittery toots was the horrific mess that glitter can make and the challenges of cleaning it up from one’s nether regions. By contrast, confetti belches seemed much more appealing to many of you. Some people even thought it would be fun to have a confetti party whenever the urge to burp arose. Way to make lemonade outta lemons, clever readers.

I will say there was one lone holdout for the glitter farts. I will also say I was totally impressed by her response for sticking to her preferences, even in the face of so many confetti votes. It takes a strong person to stand up for sparkly toots. Obviously. *fist bump to Glitter Farts reader – you know who you are*

As for me, I’m going with my initial instinct – confetti burps. Less mess. Allows you to be more discreet. And you’ll always have extras for all of those one-woman dance parties. Win-win-win.

And now, on to this week’s question:

Would You Rather

have the power of invisibility

photo credit: Liz Gealach via photopin cc

photo credit: Liz Gealach via photopin cc

– OR –

the power to read minds?

photo credit: nataliej via photopin cc

photo credit: nataliej via photopin cc

***

Which will you choose, wise readers? The ability to become invisible at will or the ability to read the minds of others? I’m curious to know which you would rather possess. Sit, sip, and share. I always love to hear from you.

20 thoughts on “Wednesday’s Would You Rather Question: Invisibility or Mind Reading

  1. on ,
    Deb E said:

    If it’s controllable, i.e. I can decide when to switch it on or off, then probably mind-reading. Both are sneaky & invasive, though… I bet it wouldn’t take me long to feel guilty for it. Hmmm… then again, invisibility could come in handy simply to slip into places where you ought to pay to get in, or something… And when you’re a hard up writer… OK… I’ve changed my mind (ha!), invisibility it is!

    • Yes, you would have the ultimate power to turn it on and off at will. You make an excellent point – getting into places for free would definitely come in handy when funds are tight (when aren’t they, right?) or when you’re just dying to see that performance by a certain classy British actor but tickets are all sold out and you can’t afford the flight to London anyway.

      Sorry, what were you saying? I got lost for a moment.

      Oh, right. Invisibility. Yes, I agree. That would come in handy. πŸ™‚

  2. What I think is, “I can not believe I missed last week’s WYR question! So much snark spark potential. Gaaaah!”

    Okay. Phew! I’m over that now.

    On to this week’s question. I would rather have the power of invisibility.

    Thank you, Deb E, for one creative use of that power I had not considered

    If used properly, invisibility, would be a twofer opportunity. I would not have to read people’s minds because I could listen to their conversations when they think they’re having a private conversation. All that “bubble talk” that’s later shared with a friend? Got it!

    Knowing what happened when they thought I wasn’t there? How did I know that? “I read your mind.”

    Imagine the places I could visit courtesy of an empty first-class seat on an airline of my choice. The perplexity of the person next to me when their dinner roll disappeared, or their wine glass mysteriously emptied itself.

    I choose not to disclose what other nefarious educational opportunities might be explored while zipping to-and-fro unseen.

    • I can’t believe you missed last week’s question, either! (You can still snark it up over there if you want. I’m curious to know what you’d choose.)

      Very clever of you – garnering the power of both by choosing invisibility. I LOVE the idea of flying somewhere for free – in first class, no less. I’m also a fan of the shenanigans that could ensue by messing with people on the plane. Or the subway. Or in a museum.

      Wow. My mind was just blown with all of possibilities.

      *takes the rest of the day off to imagine the fun that could be had while being invisible*

  3. Ooh, good question. Usually the answers jump out at me, but with this one I’m having trouble deciding. However, I’m rather liking Gloria’s well-reasoned out response, so maybe invisibility… but then again, if there one could mind-read there’d be no need to get off the couch. hmm.
    I think I’m going with mind reading.

    • You’re hilarious. And practical. Mind reading from the couch? A solid choice for those wishing to conserve energy and resources. Also, as an added bonus, you can do it while working on your novel or watching your favorite tv show. Brilliant.

  4. Glitter farts! Glitter farts FTW!!!
    Oh, oops, wrong question. I’m so bummed I missed last weeks post!!
    Okay, on to the business at hand. I choose invisibility, because really, I don’t want to know what people are really thinking. Even if I could turn it on and off, the odds of stumbling into something awkward and painful are just too high. (Yep, I know my butt looks fat in these pants. Thanks for sharing.) And while I know that I might overhear exactly the same thing while I’m lurking around invisible, at least I’d have the protection provided by the filter of politeness most people have ingrained in them by their kindergarten teachers.

    • Glitter farts for Liv it is!

      Yeah, hearing the negative or unkind things someone is thinking about you would not be so appealing. With invisibility you can select where, when, and who you spy on encounter.

  5. Please hand over my cloak. You know…for all those times I had said, “To be a fly on the wall.” I’m afraid to read minds. I really don’t want to know what some people think. AND THEN they go ahead and tell me anyway. *sigh* #reallynotcranky

    • I know what you mean about some people not keeping certain things to themselves. I tend to get a lot of unsolicited advice from strangers. “You know, you should really…” and “Now, what you need to do is…” I must look as lost and confused as I feel much of the time. Gotta work on my poker face, I guess.

      One invisibility cloak for you and one for me coming right up…

  6. Pardon me while I creep up there over my head and pinch Liv’s comment, just cos it so perfectly covers my thoughts on this most provocative question. I feel most confident in saying that I REALLY don’t need to know what’s rolling around inside the heads around me. It’s sobering enough to merely suspect what they’re thinking. Why make it painfully official? So, definitely I’ll go with being invisible. And cross-my-heart, I’ll try my best not to abuse it πŸ˜€

    • I’m sure you would be tactful and courteous when going around all invisible, though I hope you’d have a little fun with it, too. πŸ˜‰

  7. I would not want to hear people’s thoughts. What they say outloud can be frightening enough. Just saying. I choose the power of invisibilty at will, but I’d like to be able to become invisible without the aid of a cape or other object. Remember the problems poor Harry ran into in that regard? Fussy I know. But one less thing to have to keep track of if the power is inherent to me and not some object.

    • I like the idea of an inherent power, too. The cloak is great for certain things, like making part of your body invisible but not others and then freaking people out with it. But if Harry Potter taught us anything it was the unreliability of the cloak.

  8. Invisibility. I do not want to know what people are really thinking because I dig the filter. My filter may have some weak spots, but it’s there and I know what goes on in my brain ~ I don’t want to see the unfiltered version of anyone else’s.
    Invisibility would be super fun ~ you could be the fly on the wall or freak people out, or both πŸ˜‰

    • Not knowing what people are thinking seems to be a big turn off for most everyone who has commented. Hearing the unfiltered stuff in other people’s brains would be overwhelming and disconcerting, to say the least. Invisibility does have a myriad of options for messing with people or getting information/answers you might not otherwise get.

  9. I think we are of a like mind this week. I too prefer Invisibility. Like Brinda said, to be a fly on the wall. And like many have said, I don’t really want to KNOW what some people are thinking. Because then I would know how confused they are, and I hate confusion.

    • I think you’re right. Many people are choosing invisibility for all of the same reasons you cited. I think hearing other people’s confusion would be a bit lower on my list of dislikes when listening in on their brains. It’s the people who are thinking creepy or unkind things about me or others around me that would be incredibly disturbing to hear.

  10. on ,
    Marcia said:

    I think the “fly on the wall” power would be best for me because I am so visual. Either would feel a bit invasive though, so I would have to try to be “respectfully invisible”.

    • Leave it to you, Marcia, to think of a way to be respectfully invisible. Love it. πŸ™‚

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