What if people gained superpowers?

[Dr Roberts]

If this is in the wrong place then please move it.
What would happen if 1/4 of the world developed superpowers?
What would different governments do?
Would there be discrimination?
How would religions act?
If you had these powers what would you honestly do?

[The Romulan Republic]

What powers?

Discrimination? Yes, probably. By the superhumans over regular humans.

[Dr Roberts]

Flight, speed strength and durability.

[Serafina]

People would ask what happened to the laws of physics?

[The Romulan Republic]

Ah, the basic Superman powers. Though I'd still like to know how high, how fast, how strong, and how durable. Can I outfly a jet? Can I shrug off a nuke? If the latter is the case, the worlds' militaries just became obsolete.

In any case, I'd become an advocate for peaceful coexistence and superhuman rights, and if superhuman myself, I would probably hide it to avoid persecution/government attention/etc. I might possibly agree to use my powers to help in disaster relief, if a time came when it was safe to reveal them, but I'm not going to take up crime fighting.

[Dr Roberts]

Flight about 600 mph and durable enough to stop a grenade blast.

[Alphawolf55]

If you had kids would they gain the same powers?

[Enigma]

So flight speed of 600 mph max and durable enough to stop a grenade blast. The latter doesn't help much. How does a blast from a frag grenade compared to small arms fire?

How strong would the super be? Be able to lift 500lbs? 1000lbs? 10,000lbs?

What is the max ground speed? Same as flight?

[Dr Roberts]

Lift 4 tonnes. Reach mach 1 running.

[Elheru Aran]

Now I'm envisioning a super-powered mercenary company willing to do dirty missions for a price...

Can these supers be overwhelmed by, say, sufficient numbers of bullets? Shrapnel from an artillery round landing nearby?

Define 'durable'-- will their skin stop bullets, or is it more a case of being able to shrug off wounds?

[CaptainChewbacca]

If roughly 1/4th of the world gets those powers, then that 1/4th is going to either enslave the other 3/4ths in short order or be hunted down and destroyed out of fear.

I have at least 8 'bad kids' combined in my classes I teach, and your're telling me that at least two of them can throw a car whenever they want? That's gonna destroy society.

[Forgothrax]

Massive disturbances of the peace flare up as the new supers begin to test their powers. The London riots will look like a fight between 6-year-olds with supersoakers in comparison. Assuming that modern military equipment can kill a super (eventually), most of the First world and much of the Second can probably put down any "rebels" with a combination of technology and supers of their own. The Third World, on the other hand, promptly devolves into yet more brush warfare that culminates in dictators with superpowers, then business as usual.

If supers are able to survive most of the gear modern tech can throw at them... well, then I, for one, welcome our new superdickish overlords.

[Dr Roberts]

Be able to stop small arms fire. Easily

[Forgothrax]

Be able to stop small arms fire. Easily

In that case, unless the numbers of law-abiding supers outnumber non-law-abiding supers, we're boned. Lovely.

[The Yosemite Bear]

check out my Darth Vader impression
Ack! *Thud*

[Molyneux]

Be able to stop small arms fire. Easily

In that case, unless the numbers of law-abiding supers outnumber non-law-abiding supers, we're boned. Lovely.

There will be a brief period of adjustment...
Really though, I don't know about in general, but at the very least, I'd assume that most superpowered individuals would try to protect their (non-powered) families from the depredations of less scrupulous supers.

Are these powers now passed down hereditarily? If a super has sex with a non-super, do the kids always get powers, or never, or somewhere in-between?

[Forgothrax]

There's going to be a short period (anywhere from 12-24 hours) in which people get used to their powers. Then it'll sink in to people that a quarter of the population are, literally, unbound by any force of law. How many street gangs are going to decide it's time to get even with the cops and send a few supers downtown to rip the police stations and the jails apart? Heck, for that matter, if people can fly at 600 mph, how long will it take for a few of the enemies America's made to come over--

...

Holy crap. Super-Shroom!

[KhorneFlakes]

There's going to be a short period (anywhere from 12-24 hours) in which people get used to their powers. Then it'll sink in to people that a quarter of the population are, literally, unbound by any force of law. How many street gangs are going to decide it's time to get even with the cops and send a few supers downtown to rip the police stations and the jails apart? Heck, for that matter, if people can fly at 600 mph, how long will it take for a few of the enemies America's made to come over--

...

Holy crap. Super-Shroom!

Don't worry. Shroom will make the world a better place. He will restore order...by replacing it with insanity. Very glorious insanity.

[The Romulan Republic]

There's going to be a short period (anywhere from 12-24 hours) in which people get used to their powers. Then it'll sink in to people that a quarter of the population are, literally, unbound by any force of law. How many street gangs are going to decide it's time to get even with the cops and send a few supers downtown to rip the police stations and the jails apart? Heck, for that matter, if people can fly at 600 mph, how long will it take for a few of the enemies America's made to come over--

...

Holy crap. Super-Shroom!

Problem is, one quarter of the gang members and terrorists may have superpowers, but so will one quarter of the cops and soldiers. The balance of power is maintained.

[Enigma]

There's going to be a short period (anywhere from 12-24 hours) in which people get used to their powers. Then it'll sink in to people that a quarter of the population are, literally, unbound by any force of law. How many street gangs are going to decide it's time to get even with the cops and send a few supers downtown to rip the police stations and the jails apart? Heck, for that matter, if people can fly at 600 mph, how long will it take for a few of the enemies America's made to come over--

...

Holy crap. Super-Shroom!

Problem is, one quarter of the gang members and terrorists may have superpowers, but so will one quarter of the cops and soldiers. The balance of power is maintained.

Not necessarily. Just because one quarter of the world's population gets super powers doesn't mean that it is an equal distribution throughout all groups. In other words, it doesn't mean 1/4 terrorists\cops\military\doctors\etc... are super powered.

[Eternal_Freedom]

There's going to be a short period (anywhere from 12-24 hours) in which people get used to their powers. Then it'll sink in to people that a quarter of the population are, literally, unbound by any force of law. How many street gangs are going to decide it's time to get even with the cops and send a few supers downtown to rip the police stations and the jails apart? Heck, for that matter, if people can fly at 600 mph, how long will it take for a few of the enemies America's made to come over--

...

Holy crap. Super-Shroom!

Problem is, one quarter of the gang members and terrorists may have superpowers, but so will one quarter of the cops and soldiers. The balance of power is maintained.

Not necessarily. Just because one quarter of the world's population gets super powers doesn't mean that it is an equal distribution throughout all groups. In other words, it doesn't mean 1/4 terrorists\cops\military\doctors\etc... are super powered.

This is a good point. When it says 1/4, is that "1/4 of the populationin absolute numbers" or "every third person in a given area gains superpowers."

If it's the first one, great, 1.5 billion superpowered humans. I get the feeling they will mostly be Chinese or Indian.

[Enigma]

Well the OP wasn't more specific. Just said one quarter of the world's population.

[dragon]

Well cops start carrying weapons others than small arms. Plus there's small arms and then there are SMALL ARMS. Basicly 38 S&W versus 50cal Desert Eagle.
Also how do they handle tasers, pepper spray, metal rebar to the back of the head, sledge hammer to the side of the knee.