Heroes and Villians (some even of the 'super' nature)

• Heroes and Villians (some even of the 'super' nature)
• The New Media (Twitter, podcasts, etc...) and the future of how we get the news
• Michael Vick
• The constructs of family (continued)
• The Dead Weather - Horehound
• The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away
• The Fiery Furnaces in general...
• Universal Health Care
• The Death of Paper

Let's say, for the purposes of argument, that you decided to be an evil super villain? Okay, so you have no super powers, that's okay...you don't need them. Most super powers only come in handy when fighting your nemesis, who also has super powers. None of my nemeses, nor do I suspect yours, have any either. So we're all on a level playing field. So stepping forward, what is your overall goal of being an evil villain? The most common goal is to take over the world...but why? Seems like a terrible hassle with very little payoff, not to mention - all of a sudden, all of everyone's problems are your fault. Who wants that? Yes, you could run the world you see fit, but can you imagine the cost of operation? People won't willingly follow rules, even if those rules are essentially freedom, in a live and let live context, thus enforcement would be a ridiculous cost on your world takeover. Then you have security as an issue...if one person has centralized power, that is a pretty target on your back. So lately, the super villains of our modern fictions have focused on holding the world for ransom in order to get extravagant amounts of money. Seems to me, that puts an even larger target on your back, not to mention the possibility that they'll call your bluff. Plain and simple, you destroy the world, you die too...so there's really nothing to be gained. Even for someone who has nothing to live for, it's a big build up for no payoff. Staying on track with the money theme however, why not just run an evil corporation? Corporations are already perceived, at least for the most part, as evil - so why not roll with it? Just do evil things, because odds are - people will still buy buy buy! I suppose the greatest instance of true villain in the past century was Hitler, but again...went for world domination and there's no way that was a cost effective en devour, even if he had somehow succeeded. Because then it's not just a matter of taking everything over, but continuing enforcement of policies...news flash - resistance is painfully persistent.

On a similar note, without a true super hero available, who would stop an evil corporation or villain, if one were to rise to prominence? I would like a super secret headquarters with nameless henchmen and I bet no one would ever bother me just on principle. What would be gained from stopping me? I suppose it depends on the evil things I'm up to, but I'm not killing people or blowing stuff up or threatening the world (or moon), so what harm could I really be doing? Something to think about...being a villain, but it seems like a lot of hard work without much payout afterwards.