Real world watchmen?

[Iamrell2]

I came across this site after seeing it on the  news,  .http://www.worldsuperheroregistry.com/world_superhero_registry_maine.htm. I thought it was interesting and wonder if life imitates art or art imitates life?

(Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but wasn't sure what it would fall under).

[Gremlin]

We've discussed this before. I actually really appreciate what these guys do, and haven't heard any stories of violent death...I was on their message board a little earlier today, actually. They got raided by 4chan a bit ago...it was rather pathetic seeing all the trolling. >_<

[cmdrkoenig67]

http://www.worldsuperheroregistry.com/world_superhero_registry_maine.htm

Maine?  There's real life superheroes in Maine?...Or did they just mispell main?

Dana

[Jakew]

I don't mind these guys if they're just dressing up in costume, helping get kittens from trees, and calling the cops if there are disturbances, etc. Like that Mr Silence guy.

But they really shouldn't carry weapons or get involved in physical altercations ... that's a pretty scary thought.

[captmorgan72]

I wonder if they have any martial art training. It would be embarrassing to get your arse handed to you while in costume I would think.

[BWPS]

They got raided by 4chan a bit ago...it was rather pathetic seeing all the trolling. >_<

i haerd u leik it.

[lugaru]

As long as they are not chasing illegal immigrants like those #T#@ minutemen I'm ok.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

As long as they are not chasing illegal immigrants like those #T#@ minutemen I'm ok.

As a Minutemen supporter, I don't appreciate that statement.  I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to go arguing about politics hear on FR.

[BentonGrey]

 

Mr. Silent claims to know some form of martial arts, but I don't know about the others.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Back on topic, some of the others do have some martial arts training and some carry legal stunning type devices.

In this case, though, the only one I recognized was Mr. Silent.  None in my neck of the woods, though.  I doubt folks around here would even tolerate such a person.

[BWPS]

Red Arrow is the coolest superhero I've ever seen.

[Torch]

Red Arrow is the coolest superhero I've ever seen.

True.  But what is his chest arrow pointing at?   

[Figure Fan]

Makes you wonder if there are any like Rorschach or Ozymandias..

[electro]

modified for a Family Friendly Forum

[BWPS]

 
You... you beat up a homeless guy...
He might have gotten some jail time or a fine or something...

WHAT IN THE HELL?

[electro]

LoL I didn't say he was homeless - I said he was a thief & I don't do citizens arrest

[BWPS]

LoL I didn't say he was homeless - I said he was a thief & I don't do citizens arrest

Oh if he's got a home it's ok! Did he tell you that stuff was stolen?

Don't DO citizens arrest? You can call the police and they can do an arrest, and guess what? They won't assault him for a minor crime. Do you know how stores punish people who shoplift? They get banned! It's a good thing you didn't wear a mask so hopefully he can describe you to the sketch artist.

I hope you're joking, if so that's funny, good stuff. If not, just... wow.

[Jakew]

Electro = I hope you're joking.

re: Mr Silent ... that guy is tiny. I doubt he could defend himself from more than one person. He just strikes me as a harmless eccentric.

I'm surprised the people on that site admit to carry tasers and stun guns. That's scary!   

[electro]

Modified for a Family Friendly Forum

[BentonGrey]

The lines here are...fuzzy at best.  This is why we have codified laws and cops paid and trained to enforce them.  It seems to me that intervening in an attempted robbery and knocking the prospective thief around in the process is one thing, but to seek someone out after the fact...well, that is something else.  Yes, people who do bad things deserve to be punished...but to quote a wise old wizard: "Many who live deserve death, and some that die deserve life.  Can you give it to them?  Then do not be too eager to deal out death [and] judgment.  For even the very wise cannot see all ends."  Admittedly he's talking about a more serious matter, but I think the point still stands.

[BWPS]

Name me a superhero who beats up people who sell clothes that he thinks are stolen. Rorschach (the most extreme case I can think of, not meant to be a hero you really root for) went after child murderers and BAD criminals.
I myself may have issues with separating fantasy from reality, but I have enough sense not to take the law into my own hands and IF I did, I would be able to fit punishments to crimes a little better.
You're a way worse criminal than that guy even if he did steal that stuff. You think you're a hero for beating up some guy because he PROBABLY stole some clothes? Jesus, maybe he got them from The Salvation Army and wanted to sell them instead of wear them. You keep saying aggressive. But did he even hit you at any point?  And does ANY of that, even assuming all your assumptions make beating up some hobo or crackhead or whatever he was okay?
You think you're allowed to do something like that because you don't think prison is a good enough punishment? What if someone jaywalks? Does that just get them a black eye or does every crime get the same?
As for that old guy, he was paranoid and did something stupid, though arguably legally:

Under Texas law, people may use deadly force to protect their own property or to stop arson, burglary, robbery, theft or criminal mischief at night.

Definitely is a law that needs to be analyzed on a case to case basis.

Under Georgia law, people and their brothers may use force if a guy at Burger King tries to sell them clothes that might be stolen.

hasn't passed, I'm sure of it.
You have a serious problem, and it's scary that there are people like you out there.

[UnfluffyBunny]

wow... the world may end... I agree with BWPS o_O
suspecting someone of a crime, and then geting help to go beat him up is certainly not the right thing to do, and certainly nothing to brag about ¬_¬
I guess irony woulda been someone seeing 2 guys beat up a panhandler and calling the cops.

[DrMike2000]

Electro, what you did was messed up.

The guy wasn't getting violent with you, just harassing you, so you get your brother and "bashed him something serious"? This isn't cleaning up society, its brutality. You cant go around beating up anyone who annoys you.

And the fact thatyou think anyone who reads superhero comics should agree with you is extra scary. Thats a ridiculous stance - these are fictional characters in a relatively consequence free environment. Watching Tom and Jerry doesnt give you licence to hit people with anvils and frying pans does it?

The supposedly stolen clothes ended up in a bin thanks to you, not returned to the "hardworkign business" who may have been stolen from, so no actual justice was done here, just retribution.

[electro]

For thousands of years there where no cops in every city, town, village in the world or cell phones to call them at the smallest whim of trouble - This is how punishment was met & still goes on to this day - As for naming a Hero I already did - Go pick up Daredevil Visionaries volume 1 & 2 Frank Miller - DD will nearly cripple someone just for the simplest of info - Heck he beat the snot out of Turk nearly every issue - If you find yourself having trouble with what he's doing then again I say why are you reading Vigilante/Superhero comics but, then again you where probably one of those readers going against Captain America & his gang in Marvel's Cival War saga - At my local comic shop we call these readers posers but, whatever I like you all & sorry to shine light on myself that makes you unconfortable guys - sometimes silence is a virtue

[BWPS]

No way, Iron Man became the biggest jerk of all time and I was hoping he would be responsible for Cap's death and that Wolverine would eviscerate him as promised (and I don't even like wolvie that much). But Caps' issue was that people who had no control over who they were had to register themselves to be looked after by an untrustworthy government.
Also that wasn't real life, the laws are there for a reason and you aren't supposed to just follow the ones you agree with.

[DrMike2000]

The fact that there used to be lynch mob justice instead of cops doesnt make it right today. There also used to be witch hunts, slavery, much greater oppression of women, child labour and a host of other social ills.

I read comics and play superhero games because I like violence. The testosterone-fuelled mammal hunter in me thrills to watching fictional people punch each other through buildings, or beat the snot out of each other or whatever in their little fantasy fishbowl of the comic page or monitor.
But I also detest violence in real life. It's ugly, and leaves mental and physical scars on real people. You do get the difference dont you?

The two are not equatable. Fantasy violence can be a good safety valve in my opinion, to help prevent the real thing, not encourage it.

[electro]

It's hard to talk indepth about this topic here but, violence or war to me is just a tool - A tool that can be used for good or bad - Like a wrench I could kill someone with it or make machines to help humankind - All i'm saying is that it is a tool I have used before to try and do good - Like you said Mike violence in real life is a line that you draw in the sand that you won't cross because you find it detestible & your boldly saying it right to my face - Well everyone has there own lines in the sand that they find detestible Lugaru thinks Minutemen are horrible and probably thinks that about borders in general, while Cat finds them completly ok & encourages them - I myself find murderers, rapist, thieves detestible, Thieves so much so that I wont even download a song from the inter/web or guilt will consume me - I have no disaprovements of cops & I love/em and have used them when needed but, there slow & sometimes inaffective in emergency situations - Like if i'm in the city & see a woman being Violated my first reaction would not be to pick up a phone & call someone & twiddle my thumbs until someone can show up, it would be to immediately come to her rescue but, thats just how I was brought up to act like - That's what ultimatly drove me to liking Superhero comics because of this philosophy - I will take this time again to apologize to the forum members for describing in detail what I did in that situation seeing how it is against the rules to talk about real life violence you have commited - it's just that the question was posed if people really did Vigilante things & I responded & got caught up in the moment & should have realized that it would lead to trouble but, whats done is done right & the chips fell where they did

[UnfluffyBunny]

you hate thieves SO much, when you found a guy you SUSPECTED might be one... you beat him up... and took his stuff???
i'll let you decide who's the pot and who's the kettle here

[edit]

I just wanted to point out, a hero helps people in their time of need, they dont go out looking to beat up guys that they dont even know for certain are guilty, thats a thug mentality and pre-meditated assault, out of the 2 in a court of law i'm pretty sure you're the criminal

[Sevenforce]

Uh...electro...that's messed up. I find it unlikely you'll find any 'heroes' that would agree with you. That's vigilantism, without due cause or legal reason. The Punisher might agree with those kind of tactics but, well, he goes on murder sprees from time to time as well.

Being a hero and taking the law into your own hands are two different things. One is protecting, and the other is actively attacking.

There's a reason why cops exist - justice when taken into the hands of the people is ugly and brutal, and usually creates more harm than good.

[lugaru]

See part of the reason I love Watchmen and The Punisher so much is that they play to my distrust of vigilante justice. I grew up in the North of Mexico, which is no Sudan but still probably a lot worse than a lot of people on the boards can imagine. Drug dealers sell protection, kill cops and if somebody is suspected of a crime (such as defile) they will often end up dangling from a tree instead of in a court room. I'm sure a few people are pumping their fist and saying "Yeah!" but remember that I said SUSPECTED. And I grew up during the peso crisis when shop lifting was common, but I never beat the crap out of those barefoot kids I caught shoplifting glue so they could get high.

That's why I have an easier time believing in Rorshack (ultra nationalist, ultra right wing, ultra violent) than I do in Batman (never wrong, perfect judgement). One thing I loved about the new punisher movie was that Frank Castle shoots firsts and asks questions latter, which means he ends up shooting an undercover FBI agent. Real violence rarely is as precise as Fantasy Violence. In the end I'm like Dr. Mike, I recognize that violence thrills me but I see a huge chasm between the fantasy stuff and the real stuff.