Monday, February 2, 2009

Just your daily dose of wierd...

While browsing the web this weekend, I stumbled upon a site called News of the Wierd. I was bored so I decided to check it out. They have a current column which he updates once a week with wierd and wacky news from around the globe.

His leading story for the week of January 25, 2009 was this:

They're either earnestly civic-minded or people with issues, but in several dozen cities across the country, men (and a few women) dress in homemade superhero costumes and patrol marginal neighborhoods, aiming to deter crime. Phoenix's Green Scorpion and New York City's Terrifica and Orlando's Master Legend and Indianapolis' Mr. Silent are just a few of the 200 gunless, knifeless vigilantes listed on the World Superhero Registry, most presumably with day jobs but who fancy cleaning up the mean streets at night. According to two recent reports (in Rolling Stone and The Times of London), unanticipated gripes by the "Reals," as they call themselves, are boredom from lack of crime and (especially in the summer) itchy spandex outfits. [Rolling Stone, 12-25-08; The Times, 12-28-08]

OK. WTF? Am I right? Was anyone else aware that people actually dress as superheroes on days other than Halloween, or that there was even such a thing as the World Superhero Registry? I wasn't until now, so I decided to check it out. It turns out that they have a minimum criteria you must meet in order to qualify as a superhero. Among those criteria? A costume. Proof of heroic deeds, and if you are unable to provide proof, your profile is listed as "inactive" until proof is otherwise obtained. There's more, but those two are the most important. So it turns out that people actually do dress up in costume and patrol their respective cities looking for evil doers in hopes of foiling their evil master plans. Or at least they hope to interfere with a mugging or something. The registry has "superhero" profiles, some with pictures. One thing I noticed in their rules, revealing your true identity, or secret identity if I put it in superhero "talk," will get you kicked out. So better watch yourselves Superheroes!

Just a few examples of the heroes you'll find:
(These pictures are as you would find them on their public profile at the World Superhero Registry)


Tothian


Queen of Hearts

Or MY personal favorite

Polar Man

I know that to some people this is cool. That's totally ok. I just thought it was wierd and wanted to tell someone.

1 comment:

  1. well...i had written a comment but it didn't work....so oh well...

    ReplyDelete