|
Flight versus invisibility? Whichever you pick, you'll be the only person in the world to have that particular superpower. You can't have both. Which do you choose?
This question comes from an excerpt of This American Life Episode #508 "Superpowers". I'm collecting some informal data for a stats class I'm teaching later today. If you'd like to help, choose your superpower and also indicate your gender. Thanks!
Flight is more useful on a day to day basis. I don't really have any need to be invisible.
Besides, if people knew I could fly, they would be amazed. If people knew I could be invisible, they'd be amazed and terrified.
Gender: Female
I'd rather have Mystique-level shapeshifting, but of just the two options offered, I'd go with invisibility MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!.
Female
Flight. I can't really see any uses for being invisible, but flying would be cool and useful.
Male.
Flight. Because with that power... you could totally fly!
(Of course, on days with weather like today's, I'd still take the bus.)
Male.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The shy part of my nature urges me to pick invisibility.
On the other hand, the practical, pragmatic, whimsical, and I-hate-other-drivers parts of my nature want me to pick flight.
In the end, I have to go with flight.
Male.
Definitely flight.
Male.
|
Thanks everyone! The podcast suggested that females would gravitate toward invisibility and the males would gravitate toward flight, but from the sample we collected (57 individuals), there was no significant difference (both showed a preference for flight overall).This is at best, a rather skewed sample population.
I'm agoraphobic, so it would definitely be Invisibility.
Male.
He did say he had 57 individuals, and that means he also gathered data from other sources, not only this thread. So the sample is not nearly as skewed as it might seem.
And the entire "women would prefer invisibility, men would prefer flight" thing is a known cliche, and I always had the vague suspicion that those behind the surveys were trying to make a sexist point.
I'm agoraphobic, so it would definitely be Invisibility.
The funny thing is, so am I. But having the ability to fly would negate the main reason behind that phobia (at least for me) - the fact that when you're that high up, if you fall, it's game over.
I'd want invisibility myself. Male. (assuming it is at will...not all the time)
IMO flight is better when coupled with some kind on invulnerability. knowing my luck I would fly into a plane/flock of birds/redneck shooting his gun into the air...or something like that.
Flight, provides I got all of the side abilities that came with it-increased immunity to cold, eyes that can resist wind gusts, etc-all without losing my naturally handsome features, mind. Would I have wings? I would like to have wings. But that's not a necessity- without wings I could fly my bike places. I'm male btw.
Thanks everyone! The podcast suggested that females would gravitate toward invisibility and the males would gravitate toward flight, but from the sample we collected (57 individuals), there was no significant difference (both showed a preference for flight overall).This is at best, a rather skewed sample population.
I'm agoraphobic, so it would definitely be Invisibility.
Male.
He did say he had 57 individuals, and that means he also gathered data from other sources, not only this thread. So the sample is not nearly as skewed as it might seem.
And the entire "women would prefer invisibility, men would prefer flight" thing is a known cliche, and I always had the vague suspicion that those behind the surveys were trying to make a sexist point.
I've always heard it the other way around.
|
Flight, provides I got all of the side abilities that came with it-increased immunity to cold, eyes that can resist wind gusts, etc-all without losing my naturally handsome features, mind. Would I have wings? I would like to have wings. But that's not a necessity- without wings I could fly my bike places. I'm male btw.
All important questions!
Also, can you land without too much of a fuss, like a bird? Or do you land at speed like a plane? Or do you break your legs?
Flight. Definitely. Female.
Gender: Male
Power: Flight
The activities I could do with invisibility are mostly things I would prefer not doing.
Flight, on the other hand, would be downright awesome (assuming it also includes not freezing to death in cold air/blood boiling due to altitude/eyes not drying out when flying too fast, otherwise it would... still be pretty awesome, though more limited in scope).
Depending on how fast it goes, you could offer a pretty sweet delivery service for very urgent and/or valuable stuff -which could be a nice source of revenue-, as well as do a lot of good things for other people for free. That besides the obvious showmanship options, of course.
Exploration and quick travel would be the coolest part, though. Why drink a coke on the street when you can drink it on top of a 4-kilometre mountaintop with a killer view?
I'm agoraphobic, so it would definitely be Invisibility.The funny thing is, so am I. But having the ability to fly would negate the main reason behind that phobia (at least for me) - the fact that when you're that high up, if you fall, it's game over.
What if gravity switched and you started falling upwards?
Just sayin'
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'm agoraphobic, so it would definitely be Invisibility.The funny thing is, so am I. But having the ability to fly would negate the main reason behind that phobia (at least for me) - the fact that when you're that high up, if you fall, it's game over.What if gravity switched and you started falling upwards?
Just sayin'
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT
|
|
Absolutely, this is a non-representative sample. We used it to demonstrate a statistical technique (chi square), not test a hypothesis in any serious, scientific way.
You may be interested to listen to that segment of the podcast, which does get into some of the limitations and parameters of each option:
Flight. Definitely. Female.
So... like a Giant Realistic Flying Tiger? Not responsible for brain damage if you Google that for yourself.