Superhuman Rights

[BS Digital Q]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13054181/?GT1=8199


In light of X-Men: TLS, I think this will be a rather interesting subject to discuss, no?

[biochemitra]

If we allow people to alter their faces, eliminate their ability to have children, peirce every bodily extremety and some non extremities, write and doodle all over themselves AND we allow them to purchase weapons, I feel we should allow people to genetically alter themselves within certain limits. Omega blasts are just asking for trouble but increased strength, wall crawling, telekinesis or working wings do sound reasonable.

Just make sure our police force all have superpowers.

[Raptor]

A great thought-provoking article, especially with the mention of the runner. Although we often think of plastic surgery as a "cosmetic" thing, it is also used in reconstruction, again a quality of life issue brought on by social "norms" for appearance.
As far as "super" enhancements go, no doubt "certain limits" should be applied. We have speed limits, don't we?

[Dr. Strangelove]

Nein! No limits..that limits the potential. Of course, this may lead to some problems, but I'm rather sure it is impossible to make human skin bullet-resistent..

[Archaic_Avenger]

well, certain things are still impossible. for one thing, wings and tails are still impossible. they dont have the technology to graft whole limbs (the types we already have) let alone to graft limbs that we dont have.

as for ones we can do, Biochemitra has a good point, if we allow people to get tattoos and peircings and such, i dont see why not. talking in terms of human upgrades, this is really just a cross between tattoos and weapons, and as such all that really is necessary is the licenses that are necessary for both of these conidtions. that is, if you agree that the licrenses necessary for weapons we have now are good enough, but that's a different story.

Rodan2000

[Gorjirus]

Becuase tatoo's and piercing's don't give you power's and abilities greater than everybody else, and allow you to do things like become an unstoppable one-person army.

[godofPH]

I'd love to see superhuman enhancements become a reality, but if we think realistically here, it probably won't go beyond super-strength, super-smarts, and super-senses. A real-life Captain America is possible, maybe even a real-life Hulk if we're lucky; but I doubt we'll be able to create a real life Superman or Cyclops anytime soon.

[godzy]

Originally Posted by godofPH

but I doubt we'll be able to create a real life Superman or Cyclops anytime soon.

There goes my dream of becoming like Iceman.......

[Gorjirus]

^Though I think the closest we might get to "super heroes" is something like Iron Man. Just a person in a suit or augmented by a suit/clothes. I think I read in one of the Science magazines in an army article that they are working on something sort of like that for soldiers in the future.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Personally, I'd love to 'Play God'. Humanity is past-due for a major change, as we haven't changed drastically in the past...well, its a long time. Who cares if it isn't natural?

[godofPH]

Originally Posted by Gorjirus

^Though I think the closest we might get to "super heroes" is something like Iron Man. Just a person in a suit or augmented by a suit/clothes. I think I read in one of the Science magazines in an army article that they are working on something sort of like that for soldiers in the future.

So, only YOUR favorite hero is possible?

[biochemitra]

Becuase tatoo's and piercing's don't give you power's and abilities greater than everybody else, and allow you to do things like become an unstoppable one-person army.

Somebody's being overly negative and not looking at the big picture.

Some sort of superhuman power that makes you "unstoppable" should and probably will be beyond the allowable boundary.

Like weapons, if the appropriate liscense is required to have such abilities granted and that we have a superhuman police force, perhaps not ALL cops but a specialized team of superhumans to keep things in check with those who posess these powers, I feel that the concept of issuing superpowers tot hose who can afford them could work out.

It certainly has advantages to offer to society as well, inhuman strength or durability or gill implants eliminating the need for various machines in some cases.

A strongman is only physically above those who do not posess similar powers. Mutant control teams, those equipped with their own abilities, sound like a workable addition to society.

Besides, what if someone simply wants wings? What great threat could they pose? Really, none, especially when you take into consideration how popular flight will inevitably become. A flier is only untouchable to ground based creatures.

[Gorjirus]

Somebody's being overly negative and not looking at the big picture

I'M the one not seeing the big picture?

Once they become available to any part of the public, then criminals will get their hands on it.

Remember the talk about escalation at the end of "Batman Begins"? Yeah, that is what the big picture is.

inhuman strength or durability

THAT doesn't sound like what would make you a force to be feared?

Sort of sounds like, I don't know, steroids. Some of which are, you know, illegal.

It all sounds like a steep, slippery slope into a pit of chaos.

DOOM! DOOM FOR ALL!

[biochemitra]

I'M the one not seeing the big picture?

Once they become available to any part of the public, then criminals will get their hands on it.

Remember the talk about escalation at the end of "Batman Begins"? Yeah, that is what the big picture is.

First off, lemme make sure we all understand this. Few things are inherently bad, it's all up to how they're used. If we handle the aquiration of superhuman abilities in the right manner and prepare for their impact on society, we can make this work.

First off, attaining a liscense for such powers would surely be more than watching a 6 hour video and I feel a law that no one who was ever jailed could be allowed such abilities, except perhaps beyond certain minor ones.
And once again, those criminals that did get their hands on powers would be balanced by superpowered mutant control teams. The damage that they do cause is consequently easier to repair when the construction team are adequately equipped with massive strength and the like. What's more, injuries that are sustained in supercriminal attacks would also be easier to recover from, most likely due to the medical advances that would no doubt become available by the time superpowers can be issued to civilians.

The best way to make it work would be to assemble a meta-control agency around the country before any powers become publicly available. Such a meta-control ancency would have more applications than metahuman control. There are situations where they could be applied such as acts of terrorism or extreme accidents and the like. Just think of how much easier accidents would be to deal with if rescue teams could lift heavy rubble by themselves.

With proper control, which I assure you would not be especially difficult, metahuman powers could no doubt be intigrated into society.

THAT doesn't sound like what would make you a force to be feared?

Sort of sounds like, I don't know, steroids. Some of which are, you know, illegal.

It all sounds like a steep, slippery slope into a pit of chaos.

DOOM! DOOM FOR ALL!

Pessimist...

Seriously, think about it all. Control would not be difficult AND there are limits as to what we could do with strength.

In other words, no, it doesn't sound like it would make you a force of extreme threat.

[Gorjirus]

Control would not be difficult AND there are limits as to what we could do with strength.

And once again, those criminals that did get their hands on powers would be balanced by superpowered mutant control teams. The damage that they do cause is consequently easier to repair when the construction team are adequately equipped with massive strength and the like. What's more, injuries that are sustained in supercriminal attacks would also be easier to recover from, most likely due to the medical advances that would no doubt become available by the time superpowers can be issued to civilians.

You just explained the escelation. Except it wouldn't stop there. The criminals would become more powerful. And more people might become criminals.

And what about the people who DON'T want these super powers? Do they become an endangered species?

It almost sounds like all those comics where you have everyone with superpowers and society a waste.


DOOM

[biochemitra]

You just explained the escelation. Except it wouldn't stop there. The criminals would become more powerful. And more people might become criminals.

And what about the people who DON'T want these super powers? Do they become an endangered species?

It almost sounds like all those comics where you have everyone with superpowers and society a waste.


DOOM

You fail to realize that the powers available WOULDN'T be nearly the magnitude that comics depict.

No Hulk or even Superman level strength will ever be available so the problems would be unlikely to get as out of hand as DOOM would suggest.

[Gorjirus]

I never said that everyone WOULD be Hulk's or Supermen, but I used comics as an analogy.

But strength enhancments? Durability enhancements?

Sounds like you are trying to make a super army, not sell something for public use.

Because once it used, someone will get a hold of it, and make it worse for everyone, pervising it for their own use.


DOOM

Now somethings would be okay. Say, improving vision, or hearing. That would be okay. But you get to making people smarter, or faster, or stronger, then you reach the danger zone.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Gorjirus

But you get to making people smarter, or faster, or stronger, then you reach the danger zone.

You might could say that the "danger zone" was reached when the first human had the first "bright idea". We've CONTINUED to experiment and evolve all along. Science gave us the atom bomb from which you could say some of us are running our computers right now; its power HARNESSED as with fire. We are not talking comic book stuff but look what a tiff contraception has raised among SOME people, as well as even life-saving medical procedures.
Don't forget that ethics is also part of the mix we're discussing but you could consider that too a mixed bag because humans came up with the concept as well.
It would not be ethical for that runner to compete in the Olympics IMO but he could very well be the fastest runner in the world.

[biochemitra]

Super Olympics, anyone?

The way I see it, this is going to happen eventually, powers WILL become a possibility and people WILL want to have them, the best thing right now is to simply discuss how to prepare for that.

[Gorjirus]

That is all very true and good points. But I was refering to a different danger zone.

Best example in existing media I can think of: Khan and his genetic engineered "supermen" from Star Trek.

That would be alot of trouble if you get a mob of Khan's running around.

[biochemitra]

Though if you counter it with superior defenses, it becomes less severe.

One possibility may lie in equipping high ranking defense officers(and ONLY high ranking defense officers) with superior powers.

Of course I stand by what I say that ONLY through a long, elaborate process to determine if a civilian is able to handle the powers responsibly would be allowed to buy them.
Meta-registration? Nothing X-men or anything, but if you buy them we have you in our records.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[Void Skull]

I plan to use stuff like this in my comic. It will include war on mutants because they are freaks, and the Government thinks that nobody should be so different that they have to be put down. But they change their minds on the subject and plan Mutant Extermination along side everyone else. When one of their ultimate enemies calls them freaks while in human form (he doesn't even know their mutants), they let out their powers and say...
"We're not freaks, we're just better than you."

[Darth Reaper]

Perhaps you should complicate things even furthor by showing that people's fears aren't entirely unfounded. Have some people abuse their abilities and use them for their own personal gain, regardless of who gets hurt as a result. You could even have some who take joy from using their superhuman powers to hurt people who don't have the power to defend themselves. Things could get much more interesting if it looks like those who are against mutants might actually have a point.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by monster pear

I plan to use stuff like this in my comic.

Let's not get off topic here by discussing the comic project itself.

"We're not freaks, we're just better than you."

I find this a particularly appropriate statement that can be applied in several situations, especially when it comes to REACTION to about ANYTHING that is "different", The "norm" is more "comfortable" in all too many cases. See the discussions on Stereotyping or to be un-PC, prejudice. The disabled have to contend with it already so what's to say augmentation wouldn't result in the same thing, thus possibly misled "rules" that might be established?
"Nobody should be so different..." I can't see any governing bodies using that as a basis for controlling access to whatever might become available as much as concern for misuse of "powers" or equipment. Still, being a democracy, Vox populi = The people have spoken. I noted that at one time in at least two states, you couldn't get a tatoo legally since that was mentioned. In that case, some of it was health and safety concerns. South Dakota, I believe, is noted for a very strict access to abortion. We all know how much "controversy" THAT can bring up.
There are several posts focusing on ABUSE of whatever powers and enhancements might become available. Bio nails considering just the AVAILABILITY best with "how to prepare for that," how should we approach it. A gun can be used for obtaining food as well as aggression.
How about we weigh the pros and cons of various augmented abilities but keep the comic book "super heroes" out of it? That should make for a good "What if..." topic.