Address to RLSH and Lurker alike.

Attention ‘RLSH’
Need I remind you all, we are on reallifesuperheroes.org? We need the organization! A RLSH is about serving the community, not the number of convictions or notches on your belt!
Why are you doing this?
Why are you going around in costume? Is it to attract attention to yourself, or your deeds?
Why are you helping those who can’t help themselves? If you are doing it for the Kudos, take off the costume and volunteer for a charity!
Why are you ‘defending’ the weak?  If you are doing it for the admiration take off the costume and do something beneficial!
Why are you ‘joining in’ a fight? To prove your ‘Martial prowess’ or to separate the sides involved?
These are the questions I want each one of you to answer. I will most likely get the banhammer for stepping on The Watchman’s toes by saying this, but if I don’t say this, there will be no-more need for this site:
If you want to go gung-ho “Beat’em up” and act as judge, jury, executioner and PR show-pony, please leave and join the Rain City Superheroes (RCS). No hard feelings, just please clarify the difference between RCS and RLSH when you get into trouble.
Thank you very much;
Grey Guardian.
PS: To the reporters, the headline makers are hopefully heading off to the RCS forums, so for the front page scoop, you’d be better to head there… If you are just after a gap-filling Human Interest Story, feel free to lurk here, just please have your press-pass on you visible at all times. My PC’s mic is down ATM, so skype is not really viable, but I am willing to do email interviews;
[email][email protected][/email]
 

Why No RL SuperVillains?

Yep, there are no such thing as Real-Life Super Villains! The people we label as a “RLSV” are either trolls, politicians, or other Real Life SuperHeroes who’s goals and methods are at odds with our own.
I hear you ask “How can they be against my noble cause?”, so please stay with me as I explain; but first, a quote!

Quote from Isaiah Berlin, 1958
“It follows that a frontier must be drawn between the area of private life and that of public authority. Where it is to be drawn is a matter of argument, indeed of haggling. Men are largely interdependent, and no man’s activity is so completely private as never to obstruct the lives of others in any way. ‘Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows’; the liberty of some must depend on the restraint of others.”

Berlin has summed up a fundamental issue about heroes and their role in shaping our society with ‘The liberty of some must depend on the restraint of others.’ .
Sociological and Economical Theory as well as the Principles of Thermodynamics describes ‘Civilization’ as a Dynamic whole that seeks equilibrium from a CONSTANT resource pool. Anytime we act in society as either a private citizen or RLSH, there are always far-reaching consequences (often called the “Butterfly Effect”/”Ripple Effect”). Or more simply, to give something to one person, we must take it from another.
“How does it relate back to the RLSV/RLSH idea?” For this example: your goal is feeding the homeless in (insert place here), and manage to get food donated through a Good Samaritan Law in (insert place here).
That should be a win-win situation right? But what about the people under similar financial constraints, who work hard, abstain from the little pleasures in life so they can pay the rent or mortgage in (insert place here), and have little food because of it? What about when other Homeless people in other nearby towns hear of ‘Free Food for the Hobo’s in (insert place here)’? Why wouldn’t they flock to the free food?.
With so many homeless in one area living there for nothing, the real estate prices would plummet, and hobo’s / non-paying people loitering in front of store fronts, shoplifting from stores and reducing customer access would impact their bottom line to the point when they can no longer provide excess/surplus food through the Good Samaritan Laws in (insert place here).
The crime rates go up, and another hero comes out Phoenix-Jones Style to ‘Clean Up the Streets’ and break up the crowds, only to be called a RLSV…
The pot has been stirred enough, so I’ll leave you to stew on the implications… What are your thoughts?
 

About

Greetings RLSH, This first post will address the fundemental Issues of Super-Heroics…

I aim here to discuss;

  • Why do we don a Mask and Costume.
  • The ideals and reality of Super-Heroic individuals.
  • What sets us apart from Vigilantes.
  • The Idea of Fearlessness vs Foolishness with capes, masks, spandex, gadgets, weapons, armor, etc.
  • How society contributes to everything we do, both positively & negatively.
  • Being a Symbol and Being a Human at the same time.
  • And any Ideas that you wish to request.

Any Ideas, comments or flames can be posted as a comment in the comments section.