Watchmen is becoming real or something

[Lyinginbedmon]

I'd actually like to see a villain who doesn't actually do anything villainous, he's literally just there as a diversion, a wild goose chase, so the heroes goes after him instead of other villains, who pay a nominal fee for the task.

"Doctor Von Placebo" perhaps.

[Septavius]

Professor Herring!

He dresses in red.

[empath]

Man, that reminds me of something...

*rummages through books and things, checks web, peeks into L-Space*

Yeah, I think it's the 'Guild of Lags' in Terry Pratchett's Discworld...er, world whose members will plead guilty and serve prison terms for other people who actually commit the crimes. Not QUITE the "DIVERSION MAN - lookoverthere-yoink!" we were discussing, but similar.

[Unclever title]

While I applaud the initiative and making the world a better place is great and all... I can't help but think that eventually, apparently not yet but at some point in the future, they are going to get in over their heads. Now that might just be Hollywood invading into my consciousness and distorting my perception of reality but what other precedent do we have with people who are "not superheroes trying to be superheroes" and inevitably end up in mortal danger or something... I mean unless it's a kids movie where the villains are mostly bumbling idiots.

Now my thinking here is... why not just become a member of the police force? You'd be doing the same kind of job but with professional training, access to backup, and far greater resources not to mention it's a uniform that people already respect and look to for help instead of something that people make fun of you for. Of course that would likely mean you'd have to carry a gun but that's about the only downside from the superhero perspective that I can think of.

I'm a bit surprised that one of these guys cam out of PA, but then again I suppose I really shouldn't be. Also, something about the name Aclyptico loses a lot of its impact when the person is using pepper spray.

[Alja-Markir]

Now my thinking here is... why not just become a member of the police force? You'd be doing the same kind of job but with professional training,

There are significant numbers of police officers who have little to no training. Much less than they really need. This is especially bad when talking about pseudo-police positions, such as metro police or other municipal security personel.

access to backup, and far greater resources

Potentially, yes, but there's a whole rigamarole to deal with in obtaining said backup or resources. It's available, but often with hoops to jump through, or double checks to be made. Part of it is for safety, part of it is because resources are scarce and need to be used only when needed, but it does tie up the matter in red tape and whatnot.

not to mention it's a uniform that people already respect and look to for help instead of something that people make fun of you for.

You might be surprised to know just how many people revile police uniforms, because of the corruption of their local and regional police systems. Hardly anyone I know of where I grew up had anything but negative things to say about the police, especially in the poor and racially segregated areas. They may not have laughed at their uniforms, but they secretly cursed them.

Of course that would likely mean you'd have to carry a gun but that's about the only downside from the superhero perspective that I can think of.

Well, in the literature, numerous superheroes use firearms. That's more of a personal choice.

~Alja~

[Lyinginbedmon]

Batman doesn't generally use "guns", though he has certainly used gun-like devices for delivering chemical payloads.

[empath]

I'll see your Goddamn Batman, and counter it with The Punisher, thereby reinforcing Alja's point; some don't, but some DO.

[Unclever title]

not to mention it's a uniform that people already respect and look to for help instead of something that people make fun of you for.

You might be surprised to know just how many people revile police uniforms, because of the corruption of their local and regional police systems. Hardly anyone I know of where I grew up had anything but negative things to say about the police, especially in the poor and racially segregated areas. They may not have laughed at their uniforms, but they secretly cursed them.

~Alja~

Well of course not EVERYONE respects the police however I'd wager there would be more people who would respect a person on the street in a police uniform than a person on the street in a superhero outfit. And it's not just respect in terms of honor either. There's enough fear based "respect" to deter a number of misdemeanors and generally stupid things when a uniformed police officer is around (for most people that is).

The fact that those who would not laugh at the police officers' uniforms but curse them in secret says a lot, they fear impending punishment enough to not deride them out in the open. Granted some will cross this line even then, but then some people are just like that.

Now in time a costumed civilian might eventually gain the same "respect" through continued citizen's arrests enough to build up a reputation so that a criminal associates the law with that "super" hero but the criminal has already associated the law with the police. In the same fashion a hero would gain the respect over time of the community for their continued good work, but it would have to be work at a level higher than the local police force to really be effective in that regard otherwise the hero will be (by some not necessarily all) seen as crazy or stupid or wasting their time.

The way I see it that unless a hero is particularly extraordinary then at best he will be a "superficial" benefit to local society. (Note this is probably not the best word but I'm not sure what would be at the moment.)

A costumed crusader might give hope to a community rife with crime with the police having a difficulty handling the situation, now this might, just might, be enough to encourage the police force to work harder either out of inspiration from the hero or in order to save face which will benefit the community, however look at the difference here. The hero does the inspiring the police do most of the work serving a much more practical purpose (so not "superficial") and in order for this to succeed the hero must be extraordinary. Perhaps not on the level of comic book heroes but at least a step above the police.

Considering the lack of the likelihood of these heroes being extraordinary I said what I said. However even ordinary police officers make a difference everyday and they are in a structure designed to protect both us and themselves making a average person who is a police officer able to do more than an average person in a mask and cape with pepper spray and a taser.

Also: Never said that ALL superheroes didn't use guns but simply said that that seemed like the only thing to me that explained why these would/wouldn't go for the police force instead of going for a mask. The red tape issue would be another reason but there are also bounty hunters, granted I know nothing of Cincinnati law regarding bounty hunters, nor do I know Pittsburgh law regarding them either.

Anyway I see this post as long enough.

[Alja-Markir]

I was mostly taking issue to your "look to (the police) for help" bit, as there are many people who fear the police and their corrupt practices too much to ever even think of asking them for help with anything but a very severe crisis.

~Alja~

[Lyinginbedmon]

If such a thing as a "police state" can exist then you can have credible reason to fear the police, whether you actually live in a police state or not.

[draco]

why the hell would you do it in the 1st place

[empath]

why the hell would you do it in the 1st place

altruism

[The Jester]

why the hell would you do it in the 1st place

altruism

Is sadly probably the least viewd page on Wikipedia ever.

[Bananafish]

why the hell would you do it in the 1st place

altruism

Its Super Effective

[Alja-Markir]

Why, yes! Just look to Rapture for proof of its effect!

~Alja~

[Red Charlie]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry but really? Open a homeless shelter, run a neighbourhood watch scheme, teach teenagers safe sex, run drug treatment centres, volunteer for the anicallary fire brigade... ANYTHING But this?

[Lyinginbedmon]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry but really? Open a homeless shelter, run a neighbourhood watch scheme, teach teenagers safe sex, run drug treatment centres, volunteer for the anicallary fire brigade... ANYTHING But this?

Hasn't society already proven that doesn't work?

[Nevrmore]

Aww. they are trying to make the world a better place.

We need more of that.


There's all sorts of things that could go wrong, but at least they are trying. And they aren't just walking around looking for crime, they are giving homeless people food.

Trying to make their city a better place...That's pretty gold in my books.

Yes, we certainly need more of delusional freaks living out an insane fantasy that is so far gone, that on the little website they register at they literally have a section where they list their possible arch nemeses.

This isn't people trying to help their community, it's mental illness. If you wanted to help clean up crime, join the police force. Or at least wear a god damn kevlar vest instead of a retarded spandex get-up. Encouraging these dumbasses is just massaging their delusions.

[TheRocket]

I like to massage delusions.

Just like you like to shit on goodwill.

I must have a terrible mental illness!! Enjoy living in your "psychotic nightmare", where the only people who do good things are the police!

I'm going to go fart rainbows on some cherry icecream.

[Red Charlie]

Hasn't society already proven that doesn't work?

Only because not enough people do it. For example, I run a youth group on a Friday and Sunday (which is about much spare time I can give).

I occasionally go to my girlfriend's youth group to help with leadership numbers on a saturday night as well.

With both her and my youth group we are constantly at a push to have enough leaders to kids ratio. Thankfully we both run secondary school age brackets and the law is more leniant towards leadership numbers then because it recognises that teenagers have a certain degree of responibility for themselves.

I can only hope what we do in our respective youth groups will help these guys grow up, even if it is just stupid games, talking to the guys and a certain degree of lecturing/preaching/teaching or whatever you may call it.

[Nevrmore]

I like to massage delusions.

Just like you like to shit on goodwill.

I must have a terrible mental illness!! Enjoy living in your "psychotic nightmare", where the only people who do good things are the police!

I'm going to go fart rainbows on some cherry icecream.

I like to shit on goodwill, just like you like to misinterpret what I say in a pathetic strawman argument.

This is easy, eh?

A normal, healthy human being can see what is fucked up about dressing up in a dumbass costume and going out on the streets, hoping for the off-chance that you'll come across a crime-in-progress that you can intervene in, also hoping that the perpetrator doesn't have a weapon that could penetrate through the super-strong shield of spandex. A weapon like, you know, anything.

If you want to help the world, fine, go for it. I personally don't believe that anything we do is going to do much at this point, but if you want to put forth the effort, go ahead. But there is a certain boundary where the belief that you can produce change by doing yourself up like a homosexual leprechaun goes beyond optimism and into psychological trauma. Shadow Hare himself admitted that he had a bad home life and that he was abused as a child. But that's probably not important at all to how he came under the opinion that he has to dress up and stop all the evil in the world, right?

The sheer number of people on this "World Superhero Registry" website is profoundly disturbing. I think I foresee a new entry in the DSM-V.

Paranoid Delusion of Justice - The irrational belief that the responsibility of initiating change rests solely on the sufferer's shoulders, with the fear of possible reprobtation driving them to hide their identities to protect themselves from unknown and possibly unreal threats.

[TheRocket]

I like to shit on goodwill

I personally don't believe that anything we do is going to do much at this point

Orly?

[Nevrmore]

I'll take the fact that you have been reduced to trying to make two separate, out-of-context statements appear contradictory as your way of admitting defeat. I accept your apology.

[TheRocket]

No, I just know you're a dickhead.

I never said what those guys were doing was smart. And I never said they should take crime into their own hands. In fact, I think what Red Charlie suggested was a great idea. BUT THERE IS NO HOPE FOR MANKIND IN PSYCHOTIC NIGHTMARELAND BLARRGHHH. And all positive acts and statements in public will be considered mental illness from here on in - unless you are the 5-0!!!

Now if you will excuse me, I have plans for saturday. I'll be back later to check this thread. Don;t miss me too much, sweetheart.

[Nevrmore]

No, I just know you're a dickhead.

I never said what those guys were doing was smart. And I never said they should take crime into their own hands. In fact, I think what Red Charlie suggested was a great idea. BUT THERE IS NO HOPE FOR MANKIND IN PSYCHOTIC NIGHTMARELAND BLARRGHHH. And all positive acts and statements in public will be considered mental illness from here on in - unless you are the 5-0!!!

Now if you will excuse me, I have plans for saturday. I'll be back later to check this thread. Don;t miss me too much, sweetheart.

I'll take the fact that you simply restated what you said in the earlier post, despite the fact that I told you very plainly that you are misinterpreting my words, as your way of saying that you are not only wrong, but also an idiot.

I accept your apology and am willing to help you find tutors for any subjects in school you may be failing.