Poll: The Mutant registration act/Superhuman Registration Act

[GrimTuesday]

After seeing the absolute devastation shown in The Avengers, I started really thinking about superheroes and the Registration Acts that have been used in the past as either points of long term conflict (The Mutant Registration act in the X-Men comics and their spin-offs), or the catalyst for a violent, world altering conflict as with the Superhuman Registration Act and subsequent Civil War arc. I find myself with a dilemma of sorts, do I support the superheroes who fight the good fight, keeping the streets safe from the super villains who would like nothing more than to do their evil deeds unrestricted, but in the process can cause massive amounts of destruction, and generally act above the law.

So what do you think, would you support these efforts or would the good that Superheroes do be enough to let them do their own thing without restrictions.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

That all depends, just what kind of superhuman registration act are we talking about? The mutant registration act carried out by racists that would likely lead to all kinds of fucked up, the kind of fucked up act pushed by Iron Man, the very fucked up efforts of the Iron Patriot, there's just so many options that can be fucked up for so many different reasons. Even then, it all depends on the universe. In a largely logical one, this is honestly the only way to keep the heroes from messing up big time and to protect them and the people from each other. In the Marvel universe, this can only lead to bad things. Too many options.

Spoiler: a message from your local mutant haters

 

[DustyDrB]

If there was a guy out there who could create a supernova with just his body, I'd probably want someone keeping tabs on him.

 

[the abyss gazes also]

Has anyone read "The Boys"?

Someone needs to be keeping tabs on these guys. I love me some superhero comics but if they were in the "real" world, I would totally want them monitored. Most of them a various flavors of psychotic. If you are going to be superheroing, you would need to register and go through mandatory training so as to reduce the collateral damage.

 

[CODE-D]

Well I hate Xmen so I feel biased....

 

[Keoul]

Totally would not support it.
But if implemented the right way it would be fine. Just add it on the birth certificate or on the passport detailing their "power". No need to round people up like cattle, get a blood sample. Then put a tracker on them so you can know where they are 24/7.
You can't just say "they COULD be dangerous so we should totally act as if they are" that reasoning could very well start a war, all due to people misunderstanding and fearing something that hasn't happened.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

"they COULD be dangerous so we should totally act as if they are" that reasoning could very well start a war, all due to people misunderstanding and fearing something that hasn't happened.

The issue arises because the second someone has a power it instantly stops us from being able to police ourselves. Theres no way regular policemen can deal with super strength or magic or ultra healing ect. It means we need to be protected by other mutants. Now at this point we have mutants protecting us from mutants and we suddenly have zero power over our own destiny other than to cower and shit ourselves until they save our tiny asses. Because if mutations are genetic then eventually some asshole will get some awesome power and hell rip shit apart.

Its not so much we assume they are ALL bad. We KNOW that eventually ONE will be bad and have power over us like we do over ants so we take precautions. Not rounding them up of course. Thats terrible. But at least we can know who and what can do what so we know what to expect worse case scenario.

 

[tzimize]

Huh, the registration act reminds me of DRM.

The only ones that would "suffer" from it would be the honest guys.

If a person was going to use his powers for evil, he sure as hell wouldnt go around registering himself with the government. This is a stupid law under any circumstances and I would not support it.

Sure the destruction wreaked in super-battles are big, but imagine if the Avengers DIDNT stop Lokis army from invading...the destruction would be on a global, instead of a local scale.

 

[Aeshi]

If People who own cars or firearms have to register themselves the guy with the power to boil you alive with a thought probably should too.

 

[Esotera]

Definitely not. You cultivate an environment where mutants are accepted & taught how to control their powers. Any bad use is investigated, and if it wasn't deliberate then they're given a free pass. There isn't anything different between mutants and humans in terms of what rights they should be given.

Also, we had this topic quite recently

 

[imperialwar]

If People who own cars or firearms have to register themselves the guy with the power to boil you alive with a thought probably should too.

This, 100 times this. As a third degree black belt I'm legally required to check in at my local police station if I move house, as officially I'm a deadly weapon. I usually also check in once every few months to assure them I haven't gotten into any trouble lately.
My fingerprints and DNA on are on file as well, even though I've only commited one assault 8 years ago. Defending myself mind, but the judge felt I went a little over board.
So if I have to, they have too.

 

[bjj hero]

If People who own cars or firearms have to register themselves the guy with the power to boil you alive with a thought probably should too.

Spot on. Using superpowers is a privilege, not a right.

 

[Yopaz]

Well, I would not like to have an open registry like the sex offender thing in USA, I kinda don't want that to be open either. However:

If People who own cars or firearms have to register themselves the guy with the power to boil you alive with a thought probably should too.

This post shows exactly why we need to have some sort of registry on them. They should be supported by any other law that applies to us regular human beings, but they should also have to be held accountable for those laws too.

Also to look into the world of X-men and application of this. In the parts of the series where no-one knows about the mutants, friendly nor dangerous there's a hidden war going on. When it becomes known they want all mutants taken care of. If it had been more open they could have established a much more effective system for combating the dangerous mutants.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

The ones who need to be registered (the ones who would use it for evil) won't sign up (obviously) and the others (those who don't use their powers or use them for good) don't need to be monitored that closely.

Sure they need to be monitored just in case, but no more than any other children or adults. And the superheroes who are actively helping you? Most of them the gov knows exactly where they are, like the Avengers who, y'know, work directly under government control most of the time?

 

[chadachada123]

"they COULD be dangerous so we should totally act as if they are" that reasoning could very well start a war, all due to people misunderstanding and fearing something that hasn't happened.

The issue arises because the second someone has a power it instantly stops us from being able to police ourselves. Theres no way regular policemen can deal with super strength or magic or ultra healing ect. It means we need to be protected by other mutants. Now at this point we have mutants protecting us from mutants and we suddenly have zero power over our own destiny other than to cower and shit ourselves until they save our tiny asses. Because if mutations are genetic then eventually some asshole will get some awesome power and hell rip shit apart.

Its not so much we assume they are ALL bad. We KNOW that eventually ONE will be bad and have power over us like we do over ants so we take precautions. Not rounding them up of course. Thats terrible. But at least we can know who and what can do what so we know what to expect worse case scenario.

That would only hold water if we had any policing of our own protectors.

Considering police in the US can do damn-near whatever they want...

I don't see how making mutants into police to protect against both evil mutants and evil people would make things any worse.

Registration or no, some mutants/humans will be evil and some will be good, and some that we hire to protect us will turn evil.

 

[spartan231490]

No one should have to register just because they have an ability. I wouldn't support a mutant/superhuman registration act any more than I would support a martial artist registration act, or a chemist/explosive expert registration act. The fact is, that some people will always have abilities that give them the choice of wreaking mass destruction, that doesn't mean that they will, and that definitely doesn't mean they should be treated as though they might.

 

[imperialwar]

No one should have to register just because they have an ability. I wouldn't support a mutant/superhuman registration act any more than I would support a martial artist registration act, or a chemist/explosive expert registration act. The fact is, that some people will always have abilities that give them the choice of wreaking mass destruction, that doesn't mean that they will, and that definitely doesn't mean they should be treated as though they might.

Most, in fact i would hope ALL, chemical explosive experts have a government approved degree, which means the government knows about them. That's pretty close to a registry when you think about it. If there was an explosion involving the experts specialty close to his home you can bet the police would be knocking on his door pretty quick.
Also the companies the experts work for have permits to use those explosives AND an employment registry of the people qualified and authorized to use them. The permits coming from the government usually.

 

[Da Orky Man]

If People who own cars or firearms have to register themselves the guy with the power to boil you alive with a thought probably should too.

This, 100 times this. As a third degree black belt I'm legally required to check in at my local police station if I move house, as officially I'm a deadly weapon. I usually also check in once every few months to assure them I haven't gotten into any trouble lately.
My fingerprints and DNA on are on file as well, even though I've only commited one assault 8 years ago. Defending myself mind, but the judge felt I went a little over board.
So if I have to, they have too.

This, yet again. I know the mutants themselves can't help having superpowers, but really? We register firearms, cars and sex offenders, so why not people who can turn you into paste by looking at you hard?

 

[imperialwar]

If People who own cars or firearms have to register themselves the guy with the power to boil you alive with a thought probably should too.

This, 100 times this. As a third degree black belt I'm legally required to check in at my local police station if I move house, as officially I'm a deadly weapon. I usually also check in once every few months to assure them I haven't gotten into any trouble lately.
My fingerprints and DNA on are on file as well, even though I've only commited one assault 8 years ago. Defending myself mind, but the judge felt I went a little over board.
So if I have to, they have too.

This, yet again. I know the mutants themselves can't help having superpowers, but really? We register firearms, cars and sex offenders, so why not people who can turn you into paste by looking at you hard?

I've trained to the point that every I do is an autonomic reflexive response, technically I can't help it either. It's not something I can really switch off. Swing at me and I almost guarantee you'll be on the floor before you know what happened. Almost a vertical teleporting ability

 

[ShindoL Shill]

I wouldn't, simply because of people like Magneto who would fly off the handle and kill normal people because of it.
Plus, do we actually know WHY that official wants mutants to be registered? Yes, they might want to know who's accidentally wrecking buildings.
Or they might want to cull all mutants/superhumans.

Definitely not. You cultivate an environment where mutants are accepted & taught how to control their powers.

Exactly. In the X-Men films, it's Xavier's school. Very simple.