Study Finds Most Would Become Supervillians If Given Powers

It probably comes as no surprise, but researchers have found that most of us would gladly put on a mask and fight do-gooders if given super powers. From the article: "But power also acts like strong cologne that affects both the wearer and those within smelling distance, Galinsky noted. The person gains an enhanced sense of their importance, and other people may regard them with greater respect as well as extend leniency toward their actions. That combination makes for an easy slide into corruption."

Comments

No study needed

[Quiet_Desperation]

I *know* I would lay waste to most of you tools given the powers.

Seriously, you lot think you *don't* deserve a mighty supervillian smackdown? How precious.

Re:Maybe, but that's not what those studies say

[TheCarp]

Isn't this just more examples that show the point?

Yes a "sniper shot from 2 miles" is "safer for the good guys" but... are they really still the good guys at that point?

Being able to kill someone from 2 miles away is a power. At least, its about as close to a super power as any individual human being (or team of two) is going to come. So... its easy to rationalize "Well hes a bad guy, we might lose many men if we assault the bad guy, but one shot, and bang we did good".

But... a sniper shot from 2 miles away is a de facto denial of due process. There is no appeal. There is no mitigating circumstance, no evidence to the contrary, no day in court.

We see it over and over. Give someone power, and they will find an excuse to use it. We didn't need to use the military to go after Al Queda in Afghanistan, we could have used the FBI to squeeze them and their conspriators. Would it have taken longer? Yes. Would more people have died in the long run? Maybe, maybe not, hard to say.

However, it wouldn't have compromised our ideals of a fair trial and due process. Yet, since we have a military and a built in "excuse".... the decision to be "heros" was made, and we immediately started acting like villians.

-Steve

Re:Maybe, but that's not what those studies say

[TheCarp]

Well honestly, I don't really care how much "Success" we have over there with prosecuting the taliban or whoever. Nothing we do is going to bring anybody back, rebuild any buildings, or change the situations that cause some small number of people to occasionally decide to blow something up or otherwise kill some people.

They are just not a really big concern, nor should they be. Big deal, some people kill other people occasionally, no reason for us to turn around and do the same thing. This sort of frivolous use is exactly why we should avoid a standing army.

-Steve