With Great Power…
Posted on | October 29, 2004 at 10:45 am | 3 Comments
I realize I probably think about these types of things more often than is healthy or normal, but I can’t help myself. They fascinate me. Here’s the conundrum. Let’s say you have a super-power – let’s take invisibility in this example. And let’s also say that 1) In order for everyone to not be after you all the time, you don’t want anyone to know you have this power (or that it’s even possible to have such a power), and 2) You don’t want to use this power in any way that society would traditionally deem unethical (stealing, invading the privacy of others, etc.).
I don’t see any way you can use this power to support yourself financially given the restrictions I’ve outlined. Oh, I suppose you could become a private detective or a government spy or something, but I think that could easily come close to violating rule #2.
I just can’t think of an ethical way to make money off such a situation. So you’ve pretty much still got to have a day job, or just give it up and go the super-villain route. What a pisser.
Latre.
Comments
3 Responses to “With Great Power…”
October 29th, 2004 @ 1:09 pm
have you by any chance read "jumper" by steven gould? you might like it. i’ll send you my copy if you want.
seems to me the thing invisibility would be best for would be invasion of privacy, so that’s a particularly tough one. but if you were willing to trust at least one person, i bet you could get a good gig as a magicians assistant — now, would that be unethical?
… and if you write a comic book about an invisible hero with a day job, i think that day job should be reading to the blind!
October 30th, 2004 @ 12:45 pm
I suppose if rule #1 includes your employer, then you have got a problem there. If not, then invisibility can be thought of as just the world’s best camouflage. So look at people who wear camo for a living, mostly the military. They’re usually thought to be legit. Or you could take up big game hunting. Or heck, the secret service would probably hire you, they try to look as inconspicuous as possible, and what’s less conspicuous than invisibility?
None of these jobs are going to pay big money though, so it you’re looking to really cash in on your talent, you probably will have to rob banks. So it goes.
No wait, I’ve got it. Stealing money from drug lords. How could anyone be against that?
November 1st, 2004 @ 9:21 pm
If one steals money from drug lords, shouldn’t one give it to the authorities so it could be used to educate people about the dangers of drugs? Okay, perhaps that’s taking the ethics thing a bit too far…
I have not read Jumper – it sounds interesting from the Amazon description. Although I’m more interested in exploring the moral implications of such things, and it sounds like that’s glossed over there. One of the (many) things that annoyed me about Fermata was that Nicholson Baker didn’t get into examining the morals of his time-stopping protagonist much, except to suggest that he did have (some) lines he wouldn’t cross.