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Anti-superpowered sentiment (sometimes referred to as Superphobia) is fear, hatred, hostility, prejudice, or discrimination directed against supers.
Characteristics of anti-superpowered sentiment can include:
- Xenophobia and racism directed against supers with different appearances
- Stereotypes about supers
- Suspicions about the supers’ community and its intentions
- Religious fear of supers as “abominations”, and assorted superstitions
- Left-wing suspicion of supers as authoritarian
- Right-wing suspicion of supers based on conspiracy theories casting them as secretive elites and harbingers of totalitarian world government
- Resentment against supers for not solving all of humanity’s problems
- Fear that supers cannot be policed or controlled by human authorities
The supers’ community has engaged in extensive outreach, voluntary acceptance of super registration, and collaboration with human governments and NGOs to combat anti-superpowered sentiment and maintain humanity’s trust.
Opinion polls show that a majority of humans trust supers, with anti-superpowered sentiment being a minority. It occasionally flares up during particular controversies, such as the USWA’s interventions in political debates, debates on using supers as law enforcement or peacekeeping forces, and the stigma around experimentation to give humans superpowers.