Racist tells superhero he'd rather die than be saved by black guy; super shrugs & lets him. Okay?

[Skald_the_Rhymer]

@MrDibble

Legal issues aside, and only approaching this as a moral issue, I support Bob. Skinhead was a free agent, he could choose his own demise freely. Bob had no cause to go against that.

I agree he should probably have checked up on him afterwards rather than just going back to WOW.

Although realistically, someone who can travel at 5000 mps or faster shouldn’t even have time to chat while rescuing people…

Realism? In a thread about a guy with laser vision?

@BigT

I do note the irony that I’m responding to a legal question with a moral answer, BTW. But the legal question has already been answered: of course he has no obligation.

The thread title presents only the moral question, which frankly is where I should have left it. And I don’t think Bob did the right thing, incidentally. It was okay to fly off with the nearly-full bus, but he should have checked back. If he’s got Superman’s powers he clearly could have done so easily, and probably had to consciously block out the guy’s later cries for help.

ETA: BigT, do you blame Bob for the people who died during the 30 hours he was playing the video game with his super-senses, the telephone, and CNN turned off?

[Satchmo]

@Disposable Hero

If I were Bob I’d rescue him just to annoy him…and leave him down safely in some suitable place with lots of witnesses.

Although loudly saying, “Anytime you need my help again just call, my brother!” before slapping his back and flying off may be overdoing it.

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

I have to disagree with the Rhymer. This particular racist is possessed of a strongly held, if misguided, belief. It sounds like he’s willing to die for it, even if he hopes to be saved by white folks eventually. He has to know there’s a chance he may not. Disregarding that belief is disrespectful of what little personal honor this person has left. It’s not like Bob has put himself up to be the beacon of Truth, Justice and the American Way, he’s just a guy that happens to have these abilities and wants to help out when he can. There’s some people you just can’t help.

[Satchmo]

Wow, looks like I killed another thread. I wonder if I should change my name to ThreadKiller?

Maybe I’m just too slow and always get to the thread when all the good discussion is over.

[mascaroni]

@Mister_Rik

It’s my understanding that British skinheads weren’t (aren’t?) the same thing as today’s American skinheads. i.e. IIRC correctly the British skinhead thing grew out of the “Mod” fashion (or was a reaction to it) and into the punk rock movement, a music style that embraced and incorporated reggae. American skinheads like the one in the OP, OTOH, are part of an actual white-supremacist, racist subculture.

You also have S.H.A.R.P, (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice) who, from what I can gather, share the same views of the original British Skins..

I can’t deny that the word ‘Skinhead’ has negative connotations on both sides of The Pond, but there is another side to the story…

[ThelmaLou]

Something similar to this happened on The Jeffersons years ago.

From IMDB:

Season 7, episode 149, February 15, 1981

“Sorry, Wrong Meeting”

When a crime wave strikes Manhattan, Tom decides to organize a meeting with the tenants, and invites George along. However, neither of them is prepared for what they’re about to witness at the meeting: a Klu Klux Klan rally. After George and the KKK leader trade barbs, the KKK leader suffers a heart attack. George - having learned CPR - is able to revive him. The man’s impressionable son revises his opinion of black people and decides to reassess his values, but no-one is prepared for his father’s “show” of gratitude when he learns George saved his life.

I remember the part where the KKK guy’s son tells him that he is going to live and that Jefferson saved his life. Lying on the ambulance gurney, the guy says, “You should have let me die.”

Quite a moment.