# Which 'element' would you control? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2002, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477 "2002-05-17T01:05:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/1 "2002-05-17T01:05:39Z")
I have a question for all you Dopers out there. If you had a choice which of the four ‘elements’ (earth, fire, wind, and water) would you want to control? My vote is in for water. So versitile. And it gives you the ability to boil other’s blood if you get mad at them. So which one would you want? ---
**Author:** ![friggae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/45deac/32.png) [@friggae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friggae)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/2 "2002-05-17T06:27:51Z")
What, no “heart”? _By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!..The power is yours!_ ---
**Author:** ![tigergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@tigergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/3 "2002-05-17T06:54:47Z")
I’d have to have choose fire. Someone annoys me, ffzzztttt-zap…pphhhwwwwssshhh…burnie…singe “Goodbye”. _Gooooo Planet!_ ---
**Author:** ![DemonSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@DemonSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonSpawn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/4 "2002-05-17T10:48:58Z")
Another vote for water… can be cold, hot or simply powerful. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/5 "2002-05-17T10:49:56Z")
I’d be happy to control Milla Jovovich for a while. ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/6 "2002-05-17T12:40:46Z")
::chuckles at the captain planet references:: I’d almost forgotten that show. I’d go for earth personally. Fire would be fun, but far too tempting to misuse. Too many people annoy me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/7 "2002-05-17T13:10:10Z")
Air. To be able to have the wind transport me, or whatever I choose, anywhere on earth. I could have the air form a bubble about me so I could travel underwater or unscathed through fire. With enough wind-force, I could divert projectiles or hold back enemies. Used subtly enough, it could make what I do as a mild-mannered citizen seem like magic! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/8 "2002-05-17T14:14:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friggae \* > \*\*What, no “heart”? > > _By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!..The power is yours!_ \*\* Ha! That’s the first thing I thought of when I read this thread title. I think I’d choose wind. Lots of power to change things there. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/9 "2002-05-17T15:36:56Z")
Shoot, I was hoping we could take our pick from the periodic table. I was gonna choose praseodymium. Or dysprosium. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/10 "2002-05-17T15:53:19Z")
Maybe Oxygen would be a good one, or Air if you must, seems to me if you can control the air folk breathe you would have plenty of control ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/11 "2002-05-17T15:54:07Z")
Earth. It is heavy. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/12 "2002-05-17T17:49:01Z")
Definitely earth. All the rare elements I could sell, and if you try to torque me around, I could collapse your house into a blackhole… ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/13 "2002-05-17T18:22:29Z")
I also thought I was going to get to pick from the periodic table. I would have picked molybdenum, because whoever controls the molybdenum controls the people. First you get the molybdenum, then you get the power, then you get the woman. But if we are stuck with the Grecian elements, I guess I’m left with water. The other three seem to be taken already by some 70’s soul group. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/14 "2002-05-17T18:24:37Z")
If we’re picking from the periodic table, probably hydrogen. If we’re picking from the Planeteers, I’d go for water, especially if there was an option for ice thrown in. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/15 "2002-05-17T19:08:49Z")
I second **Bryan Ekers**. Why can’t we control the fifth element? By which, I of course mean Boron. Simply because it sounds like a contraction of “boring moron.” ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/16 "2002-05-17T19:24:29Z")
Water. It’s not as dangerous to people and buildings as fire is, but you can do some temporary damage with it. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/17 "2002-05-17T19:33:59Z")
I seem to recall other theories in which there was a fifth element, either the quintessence (the life force) or the void (the opposite of the quintessence). Given my choice, I think I’d have to go with control over one of those. But it’d be a real tough choice–the quintessence would probably allow me to be near immortal, but the void would allow me to be a serious badass. There’s something to be said for either of those options. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/18 "2002-05-17T19:52:16Z")
Give me electricity and lightning any day. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-element-would-you-control/109477/19 "2002-05-17T22:41:17Z")
Well, seeing as in the aforementioned “Captain Planet” the heroes, being heroes, couldn’t actually _hurt_ anybody, and assuming the same rules would apply to me, I’d have to choose “Fire.” At least I’d get to blow things up. And if I could choose an elemental force of my own? Gravity. There’d just be so much fun to be had. Ranchoth