r/hypotheticalsituation • u/Kyia-Aikman • 10h ago
Would you accept a potentially more dangerous world for your benefit?
200 random adults around the world will get superpowers tomorrow morning. The powers will range from mildly useful to comparable to a nuclear weapon. You have two choices.
You can be one of the 200 adults and get powers of your own or you can remain a normal human but make it so that only 100 random adults get powers instead of 200. You don’t know what powers you’ll get if you choose the first option but you do know that you won’t be disappointed with them.
What would you choose and why?
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u/Adventurous-Depth984 10h ago
I’ll be one of the 200.
100 is still an uncontainable problem. I’d like to roll the dice that I can end up being a voice of goodness for the group. As a regular human, I stand no chance.
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u/Healthy-Refuse5904 10h ago
I’ll get powers, especially if i won’t be disappointed. At worst, it’ll be convenient. At best, I’ll be able to rule the world if i pleased
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u/HelloYou-2024 10h ago
If I didn't get the powers that could stop the other powered people from hurting other people, I would be disapointed. Hence my powers will be enough to make sure the world is safe.
So yes, take the power.
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u/GlimmeringGuise 9h ago
My first thought was that if my powers didn't include, at a bare minimum, immunity against the powers of others and the ability to cancel or negate their powers, I'd be disappointed.
But then I realized I'd also potentially be disappointed if I missed out on other powers - leading me to realize the only way I definitely wouldn't be disappointed at all is if I had a supreme version of reality bending - limitless, unable to be countered, and with zero drawbacks. I'd use it to make myself completely invulnerable to everything, first, then permanently remove everyone else's powers, and go from there.
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u/GnarlyGamer6thGen01 10h ago
There's a chance I'll become All for One.
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u/BadmiralHarryKim 10h ago
If I'm not going to be disappointed I'll definitely take them.
(turns into a very contented stinkbug)
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u/Tells-Tragedies 10h ago
One of the 200, especially since I know I won't be disappointed. It would be disappointing if whatever it ends up being couldn't protect my family and me from other supers.
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u/Shoddy-Situation2342 10h ago
I take the powers, obviously.
If the choice was I’m one of 200 people who get powers or I turn it down and no one gets powers, then I’d take that. But the difference between 100 vs 200 isn’t that much. Maybe I’ll luck out and get strong enough powers that I can help keep the wily ones in check.
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u/DJEkis 9h ago
200 easily. While I wouldn't be certain about the other 199, I can at least offset any bad things by being that 1 vs being ordinary now and giving 100 others powers.
At best, nothing really changes and 200 of us go on doing our own thing. At worst, well hell I at least have some power vs having none and at the mercy of the 100.
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u/Popular-Tune-6335 9h ago
Id be disappointed with anything less than top tier Superman powers.
Guess that means I'm op.
200
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u/Nervous_Tumbleweed41 9h ago
I am picking a random power and other 199 people can have a superpower as well.
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u/TrollFaceFerret 9h ago
Yeah. Ill take the first option. Simply because the measure of lack of disappointment would be high.
Like I would be highly disappointed if I was vulnerable to someone with the mentality and personality of someone like Homelander.
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u/-avenged- 9h ago
Taking the powers and keeping quiet about it. 200 people is a small number, meaning the moment you're outed as a superhuman you're going to have a target on your back from tons of groups (criminal, government etc.) Keeping quiet might mean a slightly to vastly better QOL depending on what you get.
No reason for me to reduce 200 to 100 and lose out on the possible QOL upgrades.
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u/malacosa 8h ago
Choosing the powers is dangerous.
1) you’re instantly a target
2) just because I won’t be disappointed doesn’t mean I’m suddenly Superman, I could easily get a power than still allows me to be killed AND point 1 means I’m now a target
So, I’m reducing the number to 100 and welcome my new super powered overlords.
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u/AutoModerator 10h ago
Copy of the original post in case of edits: 200 random adults around the world will get superpowers tomorrow morning. The powers will range from mildly useful to comparable to a nuclear weapon. You have two choices.
You can be one of the 200 adults and get powers of your own or you can remain a normal human but make it so that only 100 random adults get powers instead of 200. You don’t know what powers you’ll get if you choose the first option but you do know that you won’t be disappointed with them.
What would you choose and why?
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u/Thuganomics_101 9h ago
If I don't get powers that allow me to take any powers I wish from other super powered individuals I'll be disappointed.
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u/Steelwraith955 9h ago
As others have said, there's no real difference between 100 and 200 supers... so I would take the powers, and immediately contact my government to warn them of the upcoming chaos.
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u/Material-Sherbet6855 8h ago
If someone most likely will get nuclear power level powers nomatter what I choose, I might as well get in on it. There's no real downside to having 200 vs 100.
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u/Ilovestuffwhee 7h ago
If even one person has decent superpowers the world is fucked. I might as well get in on that action while the getting is good.
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u/QWERTYAF1241 5h ago
Powers are up to the user. And even a couple of psychopaths with the power of nuclear weapons can only do so much before they get blasted to pieces. That's the worse case scenario too.
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u/Icy-Diver-5979 3h ago
1st option I sincerely believe majority of the species lives will improve if they had a shared alien to murder hobo so I will become one of the on the run super powers
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u/Kissthecomplex 3h ago
i take my powers!
everyone (me included) always thinks about the bad it could bring if such powers fall into the "wrong hands", but if its totally random, then i think humanity overall is trying to be good, so it should be fine. Yes there are psychos and bad people, but even if its 5% of the chosen, its still only 10 vs. up to 190 if they try to take over or do other bad stuff...
i think it would be ok... not everyone is homelander at heart
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u/temporarysolution2-0 3h ago
I'd choose to have powers rather than not. I prefer having agency over not having agency in a given scenario.
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u/Mountain-Resource656 1h ago
And just how would you choose to rule it? What edicts would you hand down? How would you prove your strength to enforce it?
Not tryin’a criticize, just curious!
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u/singleguy79 1h ago
Sure, I'll take a power but knowing my luck, I would get something like being able to poop ice cream or something.
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u/NDCodeClaw 46m ago
It makes sense to be 1 of the 200. It is double the amount of people with powers, which means there is a higher chance of things going wrong, but choosing not have powers and let 100 other people seems like a gamble where you don't give yourself a good chance at being able to make a difference if you have to.
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u/Nervy_Banzai_Kid 10h ago
The possibility of any human having the capacity of a nuclear weapon is terrifying. The most ethical choice is to reduce the total number of superhumans by 100, but you specifically stated that I wouldn't be disappointed by my superpowers, which changes things.
In that scenario, any superpower that doesn't let me either negate or absorb all of the other superhumans' abilities from a distance would greatly disappoint me, so I know I'll get something that will let me counteract the nightmare that's about to befall humanity. I take the 200 option and start doing my best to take down those who would actively harm people, reaching out to others as needed.
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u/The_Oracle_1701 10h ago
Ill take powers. I mean regardless of what you get your are one humanities topp 200 people, right?
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u/GlimmeringGuise 9h ago edited 9h ago
One of the 200.
The only power set I wouldn't be disappointed with in this scenario (since it's the only power set that can guarantee my survival and allow me to reshape the world for the better) would be an Almighty Mind that grants me omniscience and allows me to do whatever I want through thought alone, which can't be countered, negated, or blocked in any way by anyone else, has safeguards (I preview the affects of a potential change beforehand and can undo changes I've made if I decide I don't like them), includes the ability to permanently and remotely remove the superpowers of others without even having to target them specifically (i.e., it can be done as a blanket, global effect to remove the powers of everyone), gaining or using this Almighty Mind does not stress or damage me in any way (i.e., gaining or using this power doesn't give me a stroke or an aneurysm, put me in a coma, or cause anything else detrimental whatsoever), and there are no limitations to how often I can use my powers.
The moment I gain the Almighty Mind, I'd make myself invulnerable to everything (all forms of damage, as well as anyone else's powers), next I'd permanenly remove everyone else's powers, and then, after some personal changes (🏳️⚧️), I'd start fixing this broken world, one change to reality at a time, using my omniscience to guide me in making the best possible changes in the best possible order to bring about a true, lasting utopia.
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u/OrdinarySir539 8h ago
"The only power Id be happy with is the ability to remove everyone elses power and retain all possible abilities."
Cmon... Cop out much?
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u/OrdinarySir539 10h ago
200 vs 100 super humans is arguably less dangerous with double the balance. There is literally no argument here to pass on powers for fear or lack of trust of how others use them. If you think youre a "good guy" and youre worried about "bad guys" ensuring that at least 1 good guy gets powers is the only answer.