# Being invisible or reading minds, which one and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605 "2007-04-11T03:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/1 "2007-04-11T03:53:05Z")
I personally would lean towards becoming invisible because that would allow one to walk through walls. And because I’m a little bit of a voyeur, it would be nice to … oh … say … hangout at a grocery store and wait for some gorgeous babe to come along. I’d climb into her station wagon (though I’d fight the temptation!) and go home with her … as it would be so thrilling to see if she’s having a healthy sex life. 😛 (On the other hand, it wouldn’t be much fun if one were to go around doing that sort of thing, only to discover that some people are abusing others behind closed doors.) To have the power to read minds would be okay, too, as then one would always know where one _truly_ stands with others. And in this world of so many crummy two-face people, what a blessing THAT would be! ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/2 "2007-04-11T04:32:18Z")
I’d be invisible. That way, you could overhear conversations about you when people don’t know you’re there, -and- you might get to see 'em nakie. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/3 "2007-04-11T04:34:17Z")
Can we turn either ability on and off? Being invisible for the rest of your life could get very lonely. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/4 "2007-04-11T04:35:50Z")
Invisible. I can’t think of much worse than being a telepath who can’t make the voices **shut up!** ETA: I’d rather be invisible and not able to shut it off than to be a telepath and unable to shut that off. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/5 "2007-04-11T04:43:31Z")
I bet if you could really read people’s minds, it would drive you insane very quickly. Plus, if you were invisible, you could walk out of banks all day long with scads of money. Or would the money have to be invisible, too… hmmmm. I plot now. ---
**Author:** ![Fastidiots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fastidiots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fastidiots)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/6 "2007-04-11T04:47:52Z")
As far as the oppertunities of each power, assuming invisibility could be swtiched on and off (though I think walking through walls is cheap, that’s a different super power entirely), and assuming one could “mute-the-voices”, I’d say telepathy would be much much more powerful. Imagine the kind of power you could have in the business arena? Or commerce, or even gambling. Plus it’d be much easier to get caught with the invisibility, and then thrown in a secret government bunker and tested upon endlessly. Telepathy is a much more discreet power. It’s interesting to think how it would affect your love life… I’d imagine one would end up making a vow of… muteness? Swearing not to pry anywho. I’ve probably over thought this a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/7 "2007-04-11T05:15:37Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] I personally would lean towards becoming invisible because that would allow one to walk through walls. [/QUOTE] Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who ever said you can walk through walls when you’re invisible? I’ve _never_ been able-- never mind, I’ve said to much… ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/8 "2007-04-11T06:46:02Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Can we turn either ability on and off? Being invisible for the rest of your life could get very lonely. [/QUOTE] Sor :smack: ry. Yes, of course! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/9 "2007-04-11T06:46:35Z")
Reading minds can make one practically invisible, I think anyway. ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/10 "2007-04-11T06:49:49Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Can we turn either ability on and off? Being invisible for the rest of your life could get very lonely. [/QUOTE] Yes. It’s all good. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/11 "2007-04-11T07:18:48Z")
Reading minds would be better. Go to new york and hang out on wall street and get all kinds of inside information and get rich. ) ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/12 "2007-04-11T07:47:20Z")
I’d rather read minds. I’m enough of an attention whore that I would literally go insane _fast_–I mean within the week–if I couldn’t turn invisibility off. If I could turn it on and off, I would be too tempted to turn it off in inappropriate places to shock people (which, in turn, would probably be an attention-grabbing move). And I’m always worried about what people think of me. > [@Alice the Goon](#): > > I bet if you could really read people’s minds, it would drive you insane very quickly. Plus, if you were invisible, you could walk out of banks all day long with scads of money. Or would the money have to be invisible, too… hmmmm. Everyone’s assuming you wouldn’t be seen, which would mean your clothes would be invisible just because you’re wearing them. And everything in your shirt/jacket/pants pockets, and in your hands, would have to be invisible too. Which means the money would be invisible as soon as it came into your possession. And it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it would be invisible soon before that. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/13 "2007-04-11T07:53:00Z")
Invisible. Not for sneaking, peeking, or prying, but just to be alone for a while, when I want to be. I want to go for a walk and not be seen, I want to sit quietly under the trees unseen, I want to read my book without interruptions. I’d need to be able to turn it off and on at will, of course. I would miss my honey. And the cats. And Ralph the mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/14 "2007-04-11T07:55:13Z")
Reading minds. That gorgeous babe who you invisible people are following around and watching have sex, who do you think she’s having sex with? The guy who knows exactly what she wants, that’s who. ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/15 "2007-04-11T08:53:48Z")
[QUOTE=Taber] Reading minds. That gorgeous babe who you invisible people are following around and watching have sex, who do you think she’s having sex with? The guy who knows exactly what she wants, that’s who. [/QUOTE] LOL. Yes, you’re right. I change my mind. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/16 "2007-04-11T09:00:09Z")
From how far away can you read someone’s mind? If I have to be right next to them, then it’s going to take a lot of strategic maneuvering to get good inside stock tips. Can I identify whose thoughts I’m reading? I don’t feel like going up to each woman in the bar and asking “Hi, are you the one who wants Luke Skywalker to punish you with his light saber?” Also, how would I distinguish the secret plans of the CEO from the secret plans of the homeless guy on the corner? Can I get mental information that people aren’t actively thinking about at the time? _That_ would be really useful. Even with these caveats and questions, I still think I’d pick mind reading. Invisibility seems good if you want to be a voyeur; mind reading seems good for more active hijinks. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/17 "2007-04-11T09:18:44Z")
I’d choose reading minds. I’d quickly become an unbeatable card player. And the women - hoo boy! ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/18 "2007-04-11T10:40:21Z")
Reading minds. In the later M_A_S\*H books, Richard Hooker makes it clear that Radar O’Reilly was telepathic, and founded a great post-war career on it - firstly by finding out where there was a key opening in the fast-food market and thereafter by being a hot-shot negotiator as, for instance, he always knew exactly what the lowest price was that a supplier would accept. He had some setbacks in his social life, as he kept finding beautiful women’s minds filled with pictures of him as an endless supply of furs and diamonds, but at least it kept him clear of gold-diggers, and when the lucky day dawned that he met a gorgeous woman whose only thought was “What a cute guy! I hope I get the chance to talk to him!” he was good to go. I figure I could go and do likewise. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/19 "2007-04-11T11:37:08Z")
Ehh… invisible does not include intangible. I’d go with reading minds but it’s got to be “directional” as well as switchable. I already scare some customers by being able to read information they didn’t want to give me, it would be nice to be able to read that other information they want to give but don’t know how to express. And if I can read the mind of whomever is at the other end of the phone, it would be the greatest job-search tool EVAH! Actually, I might change careers and go into HR placement. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605/20 "2007-04-11T12:43:59Z")
Reading minds. I’m already invisible, or at least it feels like it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/being-invisible-or-reading-minds-which-one-and-why/399605.md?page=2)