Hating Mutants Makes No Sense: The X-Men Should Have a Separate Universe

[Bren]

No one wants to be made obsolete or inferior. Normal humans would fear that on a separate level to being scared of someone because they are more powerful than us. Thor? He doesn't make me feel less of a human because he isn't one. Ghost Rider? Nah he's got a demon in him. Spiderman? Just a kid bitten by a radioactive spider. Still hate him though, did you read about he did the other day!?!?!?!

On a completely different level, I'd also say (some) people might react to mutants the same way (some) react to hearing a person has Aids. Exactly the same person as before, but there's something terrifyingly 'wrong' with them now.

 

[Arach Knight]

No one wants to be made obsolete or inferior. Normal humans would fear that on a separate level to being scared of someone because they are more powerful than us. Thor? He doesn't make me feel less of a human because he isn't one. Ghost Rider? Nah he's got a demon in him. Spiderman? Just a kid bitten by a radioactive spider. Still hate him though, did you read about he did the other day!?!?!?!

On a completely different level, I'd also say (some) people might react to mutants the same way (some) react to hearing a person has Aids. Exactly the same person as before, but there's something terrifyingly 'wrong' with them now.

As I have said in numerous other replies, the fear of something different or unexplained is not the part that makes no sense, as much as it is the hypocrisy of discriminating against one type of metahuman, but not all metahumans, when one has no consistent means of telling metahumans apart. No one knows that Rogue is a mutant until she explicitly says that she is one, just as no one knows that Spider-Man's powers are of a mutate origin and not a mutant origin, unless he says so.

 

[The Question]

As I have said in numerous other replies, the fear of something different or unexplained is not the part that makes no sense, as much as it is the hypocrisy of discriminating against one type of metahuman, but not all metahumans, when one has no consistent means of telling metahumans apart. No one knows that Rogue is a mutant until she explicitly says that she is one, just as no one knows that Spider-Man's powers are of a mutate origin and not a mutant origin, unless he says so.

1: Most citizens of the Marvel Universe assume Spider-Man is a mutant and treat him accordingly. It comes up a lot.

2: What you just described is a perfect example of how most forms of discrimination work. Discrimination is inherently hypocritical and illogical.

Furthermore, you must remember that Spider-Man started out as a famous, well liked television star. So it isn't as if Spider-Man is a mysterious character that the public has reason to fear because they know nothing about him. He has always been a public figure and his celebrity fell out once he took up being a vigilante. And even if the media were the culprit, no ordinary person in the 616 has the ability to discern which metahumans are mutants and which are not.

Spider-Man was a celebrity for using his powers as what amounted to a side show attraction. He'd do flips and perform feats of strength and everyone would ooh and ah and applaud him for it. But the second he started actually attempting to influence the world, people took issue.

I figure that most bigots in the MU would be fine with mutants so long as they stayed in their place as carnival freaks and entertainers, and get up in arms when they try to be people with opinions and autonomy who participate in society.