A vexing question

I am shocked and appalled by the fact that my coworkers were not aware that today was Star Wars Day. It is a perfectly rational holiday. Besides, you would think that people had never seen a grown man carrying a replica lightsaber with eight motion activated sound effects before. Doesn’t everyone travel the country visiting sci fi conventions? People should just be happy that I leave my Bib Fortuna costume for more formal occasions.

Staying in the sci fi realm John Hodgman proposes the following question as a strong descriptor of the type of person one is. You can choose between one of the following two superpowers. You can have the ability to become invisible (though any clothes you wear will take your shape, much like the classic Invisible Man (not the Ralph Ellison version), so you technically will need to be naked to truly be invisible) or the ability to fly (say with the speed and ability of a large eagle so no ability to break the sound barrier and/or significantly reduce airline bills). Which one do you choose?

My immediate answer is invisibility. That probably gives an indication of my introverted self. I would just like to have the ability to disappear and be completely unnoticed. That is true but I also feel as though it doesn’t take into account the pure level of mischief that one can achieve by being invisible. Essentially all the places that you would want to go and check out but are afraid to due to the fear of being discovered would suddenly become readily available. You can become the ultimate trickster and/or thief. Not a very effective thief as a painting that just happens to be floating in midair is probably a sign that something is going on but a thief nonetheless.

Flight, on the other hand, always seemed like the wimpiest superpower imaginable. Because outside of being able to fly you can’t really do anything. True, you can get to out of the way places but Giant-Man can do the same thing by growing and he gets super strength in the process. In a comic book sense, flight just gives you the ability to run away easier while invisibility would let you go on Harry Potter adventures (if invisibility was granted via a magical cloak).

Flight would be the extroverted choice. What you are saying is, “Look at me, I can fly!” It is a very public act. It’s not entirely practical (outside of finally being able to travel in a straight line) but it looks very cool. And I have to admit, being able to do barrel rolls and loops would be pretty awesome.

So what say you readers? Flight or invisibility? Choose your destiny.