The Possibility of an actual superhero

[Gotchi Guy46]

Hi, before I start I just want to say that this is a serious topic, I am not joking nor spamming, so only serious answers.

I'm assuming most of you have seen the movie Kickass, if not i'll briefly skim the plot for you. In the movie a teenager fantasises about becoming a superhero, and by superhero I don't mean with powers, I mean a human like Batman, to clear that up, anyway eventually he buys a costume and twin batons and starts off with little things such as finding lost pets, etc. At first he gets brutally beaten to a pulp, because he has no martial arts training whatsoever, and is taken to hospital. Later when he recovers he is searching for a lost cat and accidentally stops a fleeing man from his attackers. While they attack the victim, Kickass is enraged at how they are treating him. He goes to attack the man but gets shoved aside by one of the attackers as he says 'It's none of your business' Kickass then says 'Yes it is' and goes to fight them. Now, this scene is realistic because he doesn't actually win, per se but he also gets some hits in with his batons, anyway I'm getting off topic.

What I'm saying is if you were in a low-crime neighbourhood, and you practised several different forms of martial arts you could become both mentally and physically superior to criminals, what's to stop you from donning your own costume, complete with kevlar body armour, and a weapon (not guns, a good superhero would strictly prohibit killing) such as a baton and go and fight some crime?

Now I know what you're thinking. Yes, all a criminal would have to do would be to shoot you, but thats what the armour is there for right? I'm not going to lie, I actually considered this once. Kickass had several flaws though, his costume was bright and looked fun and happy. You want something like Batman's costume, something eerie and you would have to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. You're telling me that if you went out in the dark of the night with extensive martial arts knowledge and an intimidating costume not one person would be afraid? Most criminals are not experienced with fighting, I'm almost certain you could beat up a couple before the Police arrived.

Which brings me to my next topic. It's illegal, vigilante justice is illegal, but let's be honest, a vigilante could stop much more criminals working under the radar. It's just an interesting idea to me, I guess when I saw the scene where the music starts playing and Kickass says "Yes it is" and pulls out his batons and starts fighting the criminals, it's weird because it just inspires me, even though this is borderline insanity.

Basically I'm asking a couple of questions:

Do you think it would be possible? If so, for how long? Would you become an icon like Kickass or would Police lock you up?

Have you fantasised or even considered this?

Is even asking this question insane?

I would prefer a lengthy answer but it doesn't matter, thanks for reading if you read all of that.

 

[SailorRosette]

I personally hope there are people brave enough to bea hero. We have so many "villains" in the world, we need more heros. We have everyday heros that need reconition for what they do everyday.

The news is full of so much negitive anymore... I would really like it if they didn't focus so much on the bad but what good is in the world. My news station has began doing it on Fridays.... But no where near enough.

I wouldn't care if they have a super power or not. Heros are heros for what they do and achieve. Thats enough for me.

And please don't report this for him using a Kickass ref... In this topic, it seems like a logical use of the movie. Yes, its sorta foul, but its the movie title. As long as its still used in context of its original meaning. Its fine. Yes, I have watched the movie... I know the referances.

 

[Gotchi Guy46]

Thanks for your input, SailorRosette.

I really should have censored the movie title, my apologies, I'll just say "Kick".

Anyone else opinions?

 

[Amat Gotchi]

Hmm, good question.

I don't know about a SUPERhero, but I can definitely see there being a hero like the one you described. Unfortunately, they would not be invincible, and might not last very long, as they are always walking into danger.

We never know though, the military or some other group could have these people undercover.

But would a superhero really have to fight physically? It seems that if they were so super, they could fight off evil merely by speaking. That would be our true, achievable superhero. ^_^

 

[TamaMum]

I think people should be really careful about these kind of vigilante / "hero" thoughts.

As SR has mentioned - there are a lot of people in this world who do heroic things in every day life and are not recognised - they are not the vigilantes of this world - they are just ordinary people who find themselves in a situation and do what they think is the right thing at the right moment.

That's different from doing enough ab crunches to get a six pack, learning martial arts skills and thinking you can "do good" roaming the city streets at night.

Take a browse around YouTube - it's full of folks who've begun to think like that, waving a baton or samurai sword or talking tough for the camera. I'm not convinced they are "superhero / icon" material - but they probably started out inspired by something they saw on line or in a movie under the same premise as you have described above.

That said, the other thing to consider is: How can you possibly know that you could do stop more criminals working under the radar? I am just wondering; how do you know that's true?

It feels like you're using a movie as a reference for what would happen in real life - and that story line is not how real life plays out every day on this planet.

Rational Adults, People with plenty of worldly experience still make mistakes and shoot folks in "self defence" because they think they are being threatened.

In reality it's some poor kid walking home down a street at night in the "safe" part of town with no criminal intent who gets judged as a hoodlum (or some poor girlfriend getting up to go into the bathroom during the night who gets judged as a burglar).

How could you be sure that your judgement of a situation is the right one? (Even the police get it wrong - and they're trained)

And how could you possibly be sure that your judgement wouldn't become corrupted in time? (Death Note / Light Yagami reference there... )

I am not posting this to be rude or mean or to joke about it.

I think if a person feels that doing good and keeping people safe is inspiring and the right thing to do I applaud them and I think they should look more closely at what the law enforcement agencies or armed forces do.

Sure there is sometimes corruption and shortcomings and frustration about the ways our laws work but there are a lot of good people - heroes if you like - who spend their working lives making sure people are safe from harm.

Would it be possible to do something like that movie? Yes - for about 1 try before you were hurt or hospitalised.

Would you become an icon or be locked up? No and No. One try or a few lucky escapes doesn't make you an icon. Illegal vigilante work can get you locked up - but probably not if you're a minor.

Is the question insane? Not at all. Many movies are inspiring and many are inspired by real life. They give us all things to think about and consider.

Are you inspired by the idea that maybe you could become "an icon" and be recognised for your actions as a person who can "dispense justice" on criminals? Is that the right reason to consider the possibility?

Honestly - it's not "borderline insanity" - it's normal to think about stuff that inspires you - but think things through with a good, honest, hard nosed dose of reality.

Just keeping it real

 

[robodog]

In reality anyone trying to become a Batman style Superhero would get themselves killed. Fighting in reality is different from what you see in the movies. In the movies a lone hero can overcome gangs of people if their Kung Fu is strong enough. In reality I don't care how good a martial artist you are. Even fighting two people at once is difficult. One man against an entire street gang would quickly find themselves on the buisness end of a beatdown. And this is in a hypothetical situation where guns are taken out of the equasion.

With guns the situation becomes even more hopeless. Even with body armor a bullet hurts and can knock you on your butt if the weapon is powerful enough. Also Body armor only protects your torso. All it would take was for a skilled assailant to aim for the head and that'd be it. And Body armor isn't really cheap nor is it readily available to private citizens.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

What I'm saying is if you were in a low-crime neighbourhood, and you practised several different forms of martial arts you could become both mentally and physically superior to criminals, what's to stop you from donning your own costume, complete with kevlar body armour, and a weapon (not guns, a good superhero would strictly prohibit killing) such as a baton and go and fight some crime?

I'd just like to say that as someone with a II degree black belt and nine years of practice in Taekwondo, I'd actually hope that somebody who did train themselves to be proficient in martial arts would actually learn not to go out looking for trouble. It's funny, when people find out that martial arts is such a big part of my life, the first thing they ask me is something like, "So, do you think you could take me?" or "How would you beat me up?" and it's actually quite frustrating, because that's not what it's about. Any experienced martial artist will tell you that the best form of defence is always to, if you can, run. And if they don't tell you that, then to me that's a sign of arrogance and frankly they don't deserve a black belt. The truth is, even with everything that I've learned, I certainly wouldn't want to be attacked and not only that but when it comes to being out in the street, people don't fight fairly. You could have all the training in the world, but if you're up against somebody with a knife or a gun, then your chances are a lot smaller. If I was backed into a corner, would I go for a flying, spinning kick to the head of a guy who's a foot taller than me? Heck no, I'd kick him in the nuts as many times as I could until I could get away- anybody can do that. I never took up martial arts to learn how to defend myself if I was attacked, although I do feel a lot safer. For me it's for discipline, for the mindset and for the way of life.

I also find TamaMum's references to Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp very interesting. [note: this is all just talking from the point of view that he is telling the truth and that it was an accident, for the sake of what I'm about to say. I don't know any more than the next person what went on and I wouldn't like to say either way what my opinion on it is] It's true, when we're in a scary situation we can make highly irrational judgements, and I certainly think that somebody throwing themselves into a job like a 'superhero' would be very prone to that. Mr. Pistorius also, because he was (and still is given that he still did so much for disability in sport and society) a kind of superhero in his own way, he's had a very, very long way to fall down now that he's made a huge mistake. He was a personal hero of mine because I'm from South Africa originally and I know how much it meant to people out there, who have so little and live in a very dangerous place, to have someone to be proud of. And so, apart from the most tragic thing of all which is the death of Miss Steenkamp, one of the saddest things about what happened is how he's let down all of those people in South Africa who believed in him. That could happen to anybody and it's especially hard when it happens to a hero.

As for the idea in general, we have so many every day superheroes out there, that whether we need people who really brand themselves as being 'real superheroes' wouldn't really be necessary. We have a police force who do the best they can to keep society in check (say what you will about them, I believe they are restricted by lack of funding and government help, as well as tight laws about what they can and can't do, rather than lacking a will to do their job) and actually I think that some person just appearing on the scene thinking they can do their job for them would be quite insulting. All the emergency teams, doctors, nurses, carers, charity workers, people on suicide and abuse hotlines are some others. There are also so many people who we never see because they don't wear uniforms or drive to scenes in flashing vehicles, like all the people who are constantly fighting off threats of terrorism, locked up in their offices for days. And then there's the little things that people do for each other every day that make a difference. It may not seem like much to anybody else, but when my boyfriend turns up by surprise at my door with a bunch of flowers and I've been having a rough day, that means more than I can possibly say and it picks me right up.

Of course, this is all reacting pretty negatively to the whole idea, when really it would all be with good intentions for the majority of people who decided to take it up. It's unfortunate that there are so many holes in the concept, because it is nice that people feel a need to fight for what's right and take care of people in the community. I just don't think that this is the way to do it.

 

[Gotchi Guy46]

I appreciate everyones posts.

TamaMum, I was looking for an answer like yours. That was a great post to read, but when you said that others may think like this I was surprised, I assumed that it wasn't a common though. I guess it seems like a good idea, but really what I meant with the icon thing is, well I quote Batman Begins, I know it's unrealistic but there's a brilliant quote from that says 'If you devote yourself to an ideal you can become something else entirely' 'Cause let's face it, becoming a successful real life vigilante is one of the bravest things you can do.

I appreciate all your answers but I'd enjoy reading again about your opinion, TM.

 

[Amat Gotchi]

I appreciate everyones posts.

TamaMum, I was looking for an answer like yours. That was a great post to read, but when you said that others may think like this I was surprised, I assumed that it wasn't a common though. I guess it seems like a good idea, but really what I meant with the icon thing is, well I quote Batman Begins, I know it's unrealistic but there's a brilliant quote from that says 'If you devote yourself to an ideal you can become something else entirely' 'Cause let's face it, becoming a successful real life vigilante is one of the bravest things you can do.

I appreciate all your answers but I'd enjoy reading again about your opinion, TM.

I suppose I disagree in this case. Vigilantes are not successful, they are outlaws. Although they may be made out to be good people, the fact that they take the law into their own hands and often use brutal forms of punishment says otherwise. That's not to say that people can't be superheroes at certain times, but I think today's "superheroes" are people like firefighters, policemen, soldiers, and even diplomats. Yes, they are vincible, but they are trying to keep the peace, and are specially trained to do so.

I think the most heroic person would be able to stop evil with just their presence, since heroes are those who help make the world around them more peaceful, rather than destroying their enemies.

The ideal superhero would show incredible amounts of mercy.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I saw something on the news today that reminded me of this topic:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-21654930

Just a light addition to the conversation, and perhaps something to back up the case that sometimes being a vigilante can actually work out in some circumstances

 

[~SailorMoon~]

I definately think it's possible