NationStates Jolt Archive

I just finished watching the 4400(I know, I'm that much less of a man for doing it) and it ended with some guy offering people shots to give them 4400 abilities. FOr those who don't know, 4400 abilities are just super powers. Anything ranging from telekinisis too healing, or become like a god as is the case of one character who could not be killed and had the power to pretty much stop people body functions, instantly killing them. ANd I'm just curious, if you were given the chance to have that kind of power, would you take it.

Basicaly your option is this, you take the shot, 50% chance you get a power, 50% chance youe die of an anurism, or something to that nature. You have no choice what power you get, it's totaly random, and you have no hindsight as too whether or not it will kill you. So, yes, or no.

Can I opt for a shot that will give me a gauranteed salary, and an assortment of nubile young female assisstants? I'd take that over the ability to transform into jello, or have the proportionate strenth of an ocelot anyday.

Hell no! Besides, I hate needles...

Sure why not, oh and thanks for ruining the season final I hadn't seen it yet:mad: ;)

Nah. 50% doesn't sound like good enough chances, and the powers might not be that great.

I wouldn't take it, because powers of that caliber would isolate, as there would be no one who you could view as an equal, and most people would reject you because of the mutation, and if you became immortal, it would be even worse watching what few friends you had dying.

Bot only yes but hell yes.

I wouldn't take it, because powers of that caliber would isolate, as there would be no one who you could view as an equal, and most people would reject you because of the mutation, and if you became immortal, it would be even worse watching what few friends you had dying.

You'ld have all the other people that took it and didn't die.

Me, my life is probably worth less then the poll at the top of this thread, so, what the hell, at least I can brag to my friends that I have some power. And besides, there is that incredibly gentle chance I could end up with godlike powers...

I wouldn't take it, because powers of that caliber would isolate, as there would be no one who you could view as an equal, and most people would reject you because of the mutation, and if you became immortal, it would be even worse watching what few friends you had dying.

Now thats a very good point, at least for most people. You never know how things like this could end up, hell one guy had a whole army of cultist following him. I don't know if you'd like that, but these power may not be all that bad.

You'ld have all the other people that took it and didn't die.


That's true, I forgot about that. I won't try to argue a bad point, unlike certain others who argue online. BTW, how do i add those lil other statements underneath my main post which post every time?

Now thats a very good point, at least for most people. You never know how things like this could end up, hell one guy had a whole army of cultist following him. I don't know if you'd like that, but these power may not be all that bad.


However, it is like I said, the cult views you as a god, so you can not truly know them and become friends because they could never treat you as an equal, and it would be very depressing having no one to talk with as an equal.

However, it is like I said, the cult views you as a god, so you can not truly know them and become friends because they could never treat you as an equal, and it would be very depressing having no one to talk with as an equal.

You've got me ther I admit. But again, there is the chance you get the ability to heal. All you have to do is go too a hospital, go room to room and heal everyone, you'll be a hero the likes of which never truely existed. But of course there are those who'd still think your a freak, or you'd just end up with the shot killing you.

i would. super powers would make life more interesting...

You've got me ther I admit. But again, there is the chance you get the ability to heal. All you have to do is go too a hospital, go room to room and heal everyone, you'll be a hero the likes of which never truely existed. But of course there are those who'd still think your a freak, or you'd just end up with the shot killing you.


Wouldn't healing them only encourage your aura of godliness and further alienate you from those who don't have gifts?

I would. I'm not doing much with my life now so it wouldn't be that much of a big deal if I died but my life would so much cooler with powers. Even if they were lame. It'd be worth the risk.

Wouldn't healing them only encourage your aura of godliness and further alienate you from those who don't have gifts?

Yes you would seem very diffrent from them no matter what, but sooner or later people will have to accept you for saving their lives.

Yes you would seem very diffrent from them no matter what, but sooner or later people will have to accept you for saving their lives.

No, it would cause tolerance, ppl would merely tolerate you for the gift. However, if you refused to help, people would prbly crave the healing even more and ppl may force you to heal at gunpoint, so no matter what path you take it would lead to further alienation.

Hell no! Besides, I hate needles...

It also comes in suppository form . :)

I wouldn't take it. Not because of the risk involved, but because it would be a cheat.

Wouldn't healing them only encourage your aura of godliness and further alienate you from those who don't have gifts?


You're assuming I like humanity and feel like I'm a part of them in the first place. :D If I had the power to heal anyone, regardless of their condition, I'd be out healing. Screw what people think.

I wouldn't take it. Not because of the risk involved, but because it would be a cheat.

I don't understand what you mean by cheat?

No, it would cause tolerance, ppl would merely tolerate you for the gift. However, if you refused to help, people would prbly crave the healing even more and ppl may force you to heal at gunpoint, so no matter what path you take it would lead to further alienation.

Again you have me there. I suppose it depends on the people then. Surely not everybody would see you in a negative light for saving lives. There are cases where people brfriend firefighters after being saved from burning buildings, or even marriages. So I guess it comes down to how the individuals see you, and how you look at things yourself. But yes your are right, you would be alienated by many who don't have powers.

It also comes in suppository form . :)

Sign me up!!

Yes. I would have to. Think what it would be like to fly...

but here is a question: What if you COULD choose which power you got? Then would you take it? Which power would you choose?

See the "Wild Cards" series, overseen by George RR Martin. In those books the super-powers come from an alien retrovirus, not a shot, but the premise is the same: You could get a cool poewr, nothing, you could die horribly or you could get a weird power (like Snotman, whose name speaks for itself).

Also, I heard this one on the radio a while back:

You can have either the power to turn invisible or to fly. No one else in the world gets either power. Invisibility extends to whatever you're carrying. Flight involves flying only as fast as your body can stand (no speed-of-light stuff) and you can only carry what you can carry. Which would you choose, and why? Interestingly, in a survey done on this, very, very few people said they would fight crime with their powers, but shoplifting came up frequently in the invisibility scenario.

See the "Wild Cards" series, overseen by George RR Martin. In those books the super-powers come from an alien retrovirus, not a shot, but the premise is the same: You could get a cool poewr, nothing, you could die horribly or you could get a weird power (like Snotman, whose name speaks for itself).

Also, I heard this one on the radio a while back:

You can have either the power to turn invisible or to fly. No one else in the world gets either power. Invisibility extends to whatever you're carrying. Flight involves flying only as fast as your body can stand (no speed-of-light stuff) and you can only carry what you can carry. Which would you choose, and why? Interestingly, in a survey done on this, very, very few people said they would fight crime with their powers, but shoplifting came up frequently in the invisibility scenario.


Or even the Xanth series by Piers Anthony where every person has a magical 'talent' that they discover as they grow up. SOme are relatively weak(one person is mentioned in passing that could alter the color of his urine), some are relatively powerful. The most powerful talents are referred to as Magician or Sorceress caliber talents. The first book starts with a young man named Bink who doesn't know his talent and will be exiled if he can't demonstrate it by his 25th birthday.

You're assuming I like humanity and feel like I'm a part of them in the first place. :D If I had the power to heal anyone, regardless of their condition, I'd be out healing. Screw what people think.


If you truly felt alienated from humanity in the first place you wouldn't feel any need to save lives of them, because though you may feel an alienation from humanity, you still would have a need for friendship.

This reminds me of a book I read, where somebody invented a drug that could make people live forever. It would also make them almost totally immune to disease, and would make them heal very very quickly. If you'd taken this drug, you could recover from almost anything other than a direct head shot or something like that.

The catch? Well, 50% of the people who take the drug die within a few days, and the people who survive are infertile. Also, once you take the drug, anybody you have sex with will "contract" it from you; they will also have a 50-50 chance of dying or being an infertile immortal.

Or even the Xanth series by Piers Anthony where every person has a magical 'talent' that they discover as they grow up. SOme are relatively weak(one person is mentioned in passing that could alter the color of his urine), some are relatively powerful. The most powerful talents are referred to as Magician or Sorceress caliber talents. The first book starts with a young man named Bink who doesn't know his talent and will be exiled if he can't demonstrate it by his 25th birthday.
:):):)

A Spell For Chameleon (the first of the Xanth books) was the very first grown-up book I ever read. They're very fun and silly.

What the hell. Yes.

I just finished watching the 4400(I know, I'm that much less of a man for doing it) and it ended with some guy offering people shots to give them 4400 abilities. FOr those who don't know, 4400 abilities are just super powers. Anything ranging from telekinisis too healing, or become like a god as is the case of one character who could not be killed and had the power to pretty much stop people body functions, instantly killing them. ANd I'm just curious, if you were given the chance to have that kind of power, would you take it.

Basicaly your option is this, you take the shot, 50% chance you get a power, 50% chance youe die of an anurism, or something to that nature. You have no choice what power you get, it's totaly random, and you have no hindsight as too whether or not it will kill you. So, yes, or no.



Probably not. If I thought that I would be at a disadvantage I might. But being able to do all that 4400 comes at a great price.

:):):)

A Spell For Chameleon (the first of the Xanth books) was the very first grown-up book I ever read. They're very fun and silly.

I read the first fifteen books or so. :)

Yes. I would have to. Think what it would be like to fly...

but here is a question: What if you COULD choose which power you got? Then would you take it? Which power would you choose?

That would change everything, totaly eliminates the risk of having a stupid power. I would probably go with either the ability to turn invisible, or indestrucability. Most likely invisible.

I just finished watching the 4400(I know, I'm that much less of a man for doing it) and it ended with some guy offering people shots to give them 4400 abilities. FOr those who don't know, 4400 abilities are just super powers. Anything ranging from telekinisis too healing, or become like a god as is the case of one character who could not be killed and had the power to pretty much stop people body functions, instantly killing them. ANd I'm just curious, if you were given the chance to have that kind of power, would you take it.

Basicaly your option is this, you take the shot, 50% chance you get a power, 50% chance youe die of an anurism, or something to that nature. You have no choice what power you get, it's totaly random, and you have no hindsight as too whether or not it will kill you. So, yes, or no.

Hell no! I don't like odds of 50/50, nor do I desire any more power than I already have.

50/50 to die? I don't like the odds, so I'd pass.


:):):)

A Spell For Chameleon (the first of the Xanth books) was the very first grown-up book I ever read. They're very fun and silly.

Grown up book? I presume you just mean novel vs. picture book then. Xanth is a kid's series.

Even though I would not take the powers, if I did end up with one, I'd want the ability to have everything bend to my favor. For example, if I flipped a coin it would always land with what I called it. Or if I had a very bad injury and the doctors said there was almost no chance of me surviving, I would still miraculously survive because of the small chance.

Grown up book? I presume you just mean novel vs. picture book then. Xanth is a kid's series.

The early books were less of a kid's series than the later ones were. It seems to have become more juvenille with each book. I still like it though, and I liked to imagine what the real world would be like if everyone had a unique ability like that.

Even though I would not take the powers, if I did end up with one, I'd want the ability to have everything bend to my favor. For example, if I flipped a coin it would always land with what I called it. Or if I had a very bad injury and the doctors said there was almost no chance of me surviving, I would still miraculously survive because of the small chance.

Wow, thats a really good idea. Damn, thats like ten times better then all these other powers. Wish I'd thought of that.

Wow, thats a really good idea. Damn, thats like ten times better then all these other powers. Wish I'd thought of that.

Yeah... then you could get the shot for another power and have it work due to your original power... and so on and so forth until you are a broke God.

I'd take the shot, no question. Hell i'd take four, just incase i got that healing thing. Seriously, who wants that, unless it works on yourself?

I just finished watching the 4400(I know, I'm that much less of a man for doing it) and it ended with some guy offering people shots to give them 4400 abilities. FOr those who don't know, 4400 abilities are just super powers. Anything ranging from telekinisis too healing, or become like a god as is the case of one character who could not be killed and had the power to pretty much stop people body functions, instantly killing them. ANd I'm just curious, if you were given the chance to have that kind of power, would you take it.

Basicaly your option is this, you take the shot, 50% chance you get a power, 50% chance youe die of an anurism, or something to that nature. You have no choice what power you get, it's totaly random, and you have no hindsight as too whether or not it will kill you. So, yes, or no....

honestly... right now... why not? 50% chance...

with my luck tho, I'd end up a living ghost, able to walk anywhere I choose but unable to interact with anyone...

I'd take the shot, no question. Hell i'd take four, just incase i got that healing thing. Seriously, who wants that, unless it works on yourself?

!!! I'll take the healing thing. able to heal anyone? Kewl...

No.

My luck would be that I opt for the shot and get the power to clean toilet bowels really well.

My life isn't pathetic enough yet to chance a 50% chance of death. Jordan Collier can take his shot and stick it.

No pun intended. :p

I don't understand what you mean by cheat?

As in the Star Trek (original) episode called Mudd's Women. They had a substance that, presumably, made them irresistably beautiful, without it, they were ordinary. Men loved them until the substance wore off - it was a cheat, it made them seem to be something that they weren't. The results of the shot wouldn't really be me, i.e. - a cheat.

Basicaly your option is this, you take the shot, 50% chance you get a power, 50% chance youe die of an anurism, or something to that nature. You have no choice what power you get, it's totaly random, and you have no hindsight as too whether or not it will kill you. So, yes, or no.

Those are pretty bad odds...I'd say "Hell yes" were it a bell-curve from death (1%) to godliness(1%) with a range of powers from mediocre to great in between. The consequences of the powers would not bother me, but 50-50 odds with a full half being a total negative while the other is only somewhat positive...I'd really have to think about that.

My guess is that I would, though. Bettering oneself is often a risk, though less dramatic in real life. People often take this for granted. I would risk death for superhuman healing abilities, but will I risk 10 years of my life to become a doctor?

No. I finally have something to live for and I'm not willing to take such a great risk of death for an ability that I hold no sway over.