A few days ago, I had an IC discussion at Pocket D about mutants being "misstrusted" by the common person. The guy I was talking to (don't remember the name) thought that it was strange that people misstrust mutants, but are all for other sorts of superpowered beings, like those who's had a lab accident or just decide to train themselves to human perfection, etc. While I actually agree that this is strange, I see one problem with the whole discussion: I don't think mutants in the CoH-universe are seen as any different than other types of superpowered beings. Consider the description that the official homepage give of the mutant origin:
"These powers set the mutant apart from the rest of mankind; they are capable of far more than any normal human being. Mutants are sometimes feared for their strange talents, but are more often admired by the public at large."
Now, I do think that the whole "why are mutants feared but not other spandex-folks" is a good question... In the Marvel universe. But that's a whole other discussion, for a whole other forum. In CoH, I think the thing to be discussed would be people's opinion on superpowered people in general. And from what I understand, that opinion seems to be pretty positive, at least compared to some other superhero universes. To me it seems far more likely for the Paragon Times to write an article called "Heroes Halt Havoc" than one called, say, "Positron: Hero or Menace?"
I'm not entirely sure wheter this positive opinion is the right one to have. After all, lots of the crime and general hardship in Paragon is done by superpowered individuals. But maybe people are just glad that whenever some masked punk tries to steal your purse, chances are high that a caped crusader will stop by and punch them in the face.
What do you think? What is the public opinion about superheroes in Paragon, and in the CoH-world at large?
