Magic

Had an interesting (if brief) conversation with some friends about magic/magic beings existing and how it'd affect society. Granted I've had more reference to the idea due to the various RPGs I've read that posit normal mortals into a more visible supernatural world. The problem I'd have with magic being introduced is if it became as common as say Harry Potter level then mere mortal beings that lacked any advantage would very quickly become second class citizens. The simple fact is even if most magic users would be nice eventually you'd get some who'd take advantage of those less gifted and the checks and balances in society we take for granted: that we're all essentially the same stock unit with the only variety being the detailing and maybe a few tune-ups under the hood. A model-T is never going to beat an M1 Abrams and trust me the Abrams won't even have to turn on its engine.

Magic is an elitist thing. Those who have it prosper, those who don't, well, don't. Technology, especially new/advanced technology, acts in somewhat similiar ways with the difference that technology is not nearly as limited in its use. Noone needs special powers to fire a gun, just a trigger finger. A magic user would need the innate ability to be able to cast a spell or what-not. Hence they are limited but those who have it do well over their peers.

So that's the short of it. More later perhaps.