Sick of this!

[hopefuldreamer]

I suppose that'd be 'mmmkay' if i didn't have absolutely no faith in the police whatsoever.

But I can't speak for American police.

I can only see the flaws in the British system, in which even when violent riots erupt in all our major cities, our policemen's hands are tied because if they use 'excessive force' they'll be fired.

And I'm not saying ALL the 'superheroes' out there don't fit into the category you speak of, and just want to do it because it's cool or makes them feel more important.

But that doesn't mean you have to condemn them all.

Why do you have to have special official police training to see a mugging and intervene?

It's no different than any person trying to enforce a citizens arrest I suppose... The only reason it's seen as 'silly' is because of what their wearing.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

So if you want to enforce citizen arrests, then enforce citizen arrests. The only reason you would wear a costume is to build your rep and be in the news. The fact is there's really no need for superheroes (at least in first world countries). How often do you walk down the street and see a real crime in progress? Maybe a handful of times in your entire life, if that. So these "real life" superheroes get bored and start meddling in people's business, exasperating problems or even creating them, instead of actually resolving anything.

Yes, cops are restrained. Do you think that means there'd be no legal restraints for you?There would probably be more, because you're there in an illegal capacity. You can't go around bashing heads, because you think someone's in the wrong. You will go to jail and probably deservedly so.

 

[WildcatNC]

I suppose that'd be 'mmmkay' if i didn't have absolutely no faith in the police whatsoever.

But I can't speak for American police.

I can only see the flaws in the British system, in which even when violent riots erupt in all our major cities, our policemen's hands are tied because if they use 'excessive force' they'll be fired.

And I'm not saying ALL the 'superheroes' out there don't fit into the category you speak of, and just want to do it because it's cool or makes them feel more important.

But that doesn't mean you have to condemn them all.

Why do you have to have special official police training to see a mugging and intervene?

It's no different than any person trying to enforce a citizens arrest I suppose... The only reason it's seen as 'silly' is because of what their wearing.

I have no faith in the government or police (as an extension of it). The US has both problems. Cops either have to little authority (California) or to much power (Alabama). If you don't live in a dangerous city they are glorified tax collectors, raising money for the county coffers when someone is late for work.

Cops are NOT some special breed of great person. They are just as likely to be abusive *****ebags as the regular population, even moreso really, as authority tends to do that to people. It brings out the inner *****ebag. I'm not saying there are no good cops, but its a crap shoot. Far to much of one for me to have faith they will take care of me of my family.

Cops might come and put tape and chalk lines up, try to find the person responsible if its convenient, your rich enough, or they take a personal interest. They won't be there when your getting killed or whatever though. People need to be able to take care of and watch out for themselves and their own family/friends.

 

[BestGirl]

You want to do some charity? Join the Peace Corp for two years and help provide clean drinking water for people in poor countries.

Some people don't want to travel halfway across the world, and would rather help out those at home.

Lastly, I would not feel safe on the street knowing there was some guy with martial arts training, no badge, a masked face and looking to pepper-spray someone. Since crimes don't occur with such frequency as they do in comics, these knuckleheads often look for altercations and end up blowing them into much bigger fiascos than they would have been if they had just left them alone. It would not only make me feel less safe, I would be resentful of the arrogance involved. You're not a police officer, you have no training, so what gives you the right to get in other people's business when you have no real clue what's going on or how to properly handle the situation? Leave the solving of crimes to the grown-ups, mmmkay?

Any proof of this?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Some people don't want to travel halfway across the world, and would rather help out those at home.

Wow. What selfless heroes.

Well, if they're too cowardly to travel overseas, they can join the police, the fire department or volunteer at a community center at home.

Any proof of this?

Are you kidding me?! Comics where a supervillain tries to destroy the city every time the hero flies or swings out his window?! I can't believe you're even trying to argue this. Just give up. You have no points.

 

[Cuyan]

Wow. What selfless heroes.

Well, if they're too cowardly to travel overseas...

Is it cowardice to not have the means to hop on an overseas flight on a whim?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Is it cowardice to not have the means to hop on an overseas flight on a whim?

The Peace Corp and most charitable organizations don't expect you to pay your own way. They will buy your tickets for you.

My only point was, the poster was making a big deal about heroes. Heroes are supposed to be selfless and only think of others. That's why this "real super-hero" thing is so phony. Because it's a bunch of navel-gazing narcissists who are just trying to get noticed by the news and don't really do much of anything except prance down streets in their neighborhoods trying to show off and preen for cameras. They're not really helping anyone. Not in a serious meaningful way, like someone doing hard charity work in a third-world country or a firefighter who goes up the stairs of a burning tower. In short, "real super-heroes" are just real phonies. Until one actually does something of note, like take down a Mexican drug-cartel, prevent a major terrorist attack or at the very least stop an armed bank-robbery, I will not afford them one ounce of respect. Just mockery.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Are you kidding me?! Comics where a supervillain tries to destroy the city every time the hero flies or swings out his window?! I can't believe you're even trying to argue this. Just give up. You have no points.

It's not a stupid question if you are taking in the fact of the crime's/criminal's threat being relative to the heroes powers.
ie, these regular folk who play dress up have no powers, there are in fact crimes occuring on an even more regular basis relative to their skillset, than there are in superhero comics with superpowered heroes and villans.
You walk through the town centre on a weekend night for hours on end, you are going to encounter plenty of crimes to intervene in.

 

[BestGirl]

Wow. What selfless heroes.

Well, if they're too cowardly to travel overseas, they can join the police, the fire department or volunteer at a community center at home.

It's not selfish to worry about the country you live more than some foreign one. After all, your own country is the one you're going to be living in for the rest of your life.

Who knows, perhaps some of these people do volunteer at community centers. Maybe they've tried to get jobs as police officers and couldn't? I don't understand the animosity directed at them. Yeah, they clearly want attention, they'll probably end up getting themselves hurt, but their hobby is helping people. That's a noble thing.

Are you kidding me?! Comics where a supervillain tries to destroy the city every time the hero flies or swings out his window?! I can't believe you're even trying to argue this. Just give up. You have no points.

The real world is not a comic book. These "superheroes" are more likely to inspire serial litterers than the Joker.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

It's not selfish to worry about the country you live more than some foreign one. After all, your own country is the one you're going to be living in for the rest of your life.

It is? People never move to another country?

Who knows, perhaps some of these people do volunteer at community centers. Maybe they've tried to get jobs as police officers and couldn't?

If they couldn't hack it in police training, then I definitely don't want them taking out their internal frustrations of inadequacy on random people on the street.

I don't understand the animosity directed at them. Yeah, they clearly want attention, they'll probably end up getting themselves hurt, but their hobby is helping people. That's a noble thing.

You partly answered your own question. But allow me to retort anyway.

There's nothing noble about craving attention and prancing down your street in a garish halloween costume and attacking people you merely presume are committing crimes even if you lack sufficient evidence. I would say "humiliating" would be a more appropriate description. Or "pathetic." Then there's "embarrassing", "undignified", "self-serving", "reckless", "sad".... oh the list of descriptions goes on and on. But never do I think of "noble." Noble is working hard at a job, raising a family and helping people in an undramatic way and without trying to draw attention to yourself.

The real world is not a comic book. These "superheroes" are more likely to inspire serial litterers than the Joker.

Right. Which was basically the crux of my whole argument. "The real world is not a comic book." We don't need lame self-appointed "superheroes" to take on serial litterers. So what are you even arguing with me about?

 

[the amazing fro]

^ Your stance on vigilantes more than lives up to your namesake

 

[hopefuldreamer]

There's nothing noble about craving attention and prancing down your street in a garish halloween costume and attacking people you merely presume are committing crimes even if you lack sufficient evidence. I would say "humiliating" would be a more appropriate description. Or "pathetic." Then there's "embarrassing", "undignified", "self-serving", "reckless", "sad".... oh the list of descriptions goes on and on. But never do I think of "noble." Noble is working hard at a job, raising a family and helping people in an undramatic way and without trying to draw attention to yourself.

This sounds EXACTLY like the kind of thing Lex Luthor would say about Superman.

I think it's truly sad that your incapable of regarding anyone who calls themselves a Superhero with anything but bitter cynicism.

These people haven't taken out Mexican drug rings, because they aren't complete idiots. They know their limits. They will call in the cops if things get hairy, and they are not too proud to run away.

But that doesn't mean they do nothing. What they do, that is enough for me to be happy they are out there doing it.

They obviously have the free time, and better to use it actually trying to better the world than just lay about watching films.

And I think it inspires people. Maybe not inspiring everyone to put on a costume and walk around at night trying to stop crimes... But just reminding people of the good intentions in the world, inspiring people to get up and fight for what they believe in.

Of course, that isn't everyone.

Some people only see greed, vanity, attention seeking and selfishness.

 

[WildcatNC]

This sounds EXACTLY like the kind of thing Lex Luthor would say about Superman.

I think it's truly sad that your incapable of regarding anyone who calls themselves a Superhero with anything but bitter cynicism.

These people haven't taken out Mexican drug rings, because they aren't complete idiots. They know their limits. They will call in the cops if things get hairy, and they are not too proud to run away.

But that doesn't mean they do nothing. What they do, that is enough for me to be happy they are out there doing it.

They obviously have the free time, and better to use it actually trying to better the world than just lay about watching films.

And I think it inspires people. Maybe not inspiring everyone to put on a costume and walk around at night trying to stop crimes... But just reminding people of the good intentions in the world, inspiring people to get up and fight for what they believe in.

Of course, that isn't everyone.

Some people only see greed, vanity, attention seeking and selfishness.

I think part of the problem is that some see ONLY this outside of a narrow view of how they think people should act.

Its that sort of "Get off my lawn" or "get a haircut hippie" mentality. "Kids and their darn iphones and loud music."

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

This sounds EXACTLY like the kind of thing Lex Luthor would say about Superman.

Oh boy. You sure got me. I'm just like Lex Luthor. How old are you?

 

[Anubis]

You know, I was thinking Lex Luthor when I read your post too....but I didn't give enough of a s**t to say so.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Oh boy. You sure got me. I'm just like Lex Luthor. How old are you?

24.

Now would you like to respond to the rest of the post or just carry on insinuating i'm being childish?

You know, I was thinking Lex Luthor when I read your post too....but I didn't give enough of a s**t to say so.

Good, it's not just me. I honestly wasn't saying it to put JJ down... I really really thought it sounded like a Lex Luthor ramble.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Now would you like to respond to the rest of the post or just carry on insinuating i'm being childish?

Not really. I don't know what exactly else there is to say. I've already explained ad nauseum why I think these people are idiots. Anything I add will just be the same thing, except repeated in different words. But since you asked nicely this time, I'll try and humor you.

I think it's truly sad that your incapable of regarding anyone who calls themselves a Superhero with anything but bitter cynicism.

I'll ignore this, because this isn't actually a point.

These people haven't taken out Mexican drug rings, because they aren't complete idiots. They know their limits. They will call in the cops if things get hairy, and they are not too proud to run away.

Yes. They're content to blow up bar-fights into much bigger altercations than they would have been otherwise. Or they lecture people on jaywalking, littering or some other petty crap. The only thing worse than an authority figure telling you what to do, is a lame idiot pretending to be an authority figure and telling you what to do. It smacks of arrogance. They don't solve big problems, because in the end they're just idiots in costumes trying to gain attention and get a FOXNews interview. They exploit their disturbances in order to achieve maximum press exposure. Take Phoenix Jones who has lied about preventing crimes (as proven when there was nothing found in any police reports after he made a claim) and even faked stopping a carjacking earlier this year in order to get noticed by the news.

But ask these knuckleheads to do anything substantive (like taking down the mob or tracking a serial killer) that would actually involve risk or selflessness and they will balk. The moment one of these mopes takes down an actual threat to society, I will do an 180 and sing their praises. That moment hasn't come.

They obviously have the free time, and better to use it actually trying to better the world than just lay about watching films.

This isn't an either/or situation. You don't have to be walking down your street in a superhero costume OR watching a film. There's plenty of productive things you can do instead of being a couch potato.

And I think it inspires people. Maybe not inspiring everyone to put on a costume and walk around at night trying to stop crimes... But just reminding people of the good intentions in the world, inspiring people to get up and fight for what they believe in.

Of course, that isn't everyone.

Some people only see greed, vanity, attention seeking and selfishness.

I definitely see vanity and attention seeking. I call 'em like I see 'em. I think this is a self-serving hobby. I think the real heroes are the police who track down and put in the hard legwork to stop real bad guys every day, with no recognition. Or the firefighters who walk into infernos when everyone else is running out. I doubt we'll ever see a superhero die on the job, because they're not really taking huge risks. Just enough to get their 15 minutes.

Anyway, I'm done talking about this crap.

 

[Guts]

Dead cops.

 

[terry78]

Jesus how the **** did you find this thread?

 

[Piper Maru]

What a find!

 

[ObakeTora]

Did the OP turn out to be the uni-bomber?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Just for the record, I stand by every word I said in the year of our lord 2011 AD.

 

[Guts]

Did the OP turn out to be the uni-bomber?

Did the uni-bomber go to a junta?

 

[Sawyer]

Tacit, why the f*** are you bumping threads that everyone lost interest in before you even got here?

 

[Guts]

I can bump whoever I like.