Remember this guy? Yeah, that would be Ruben Studdard. I feel like heroes are another casualty of our throwaway culture and yet in an odd way, we are creating more heroes today than ever in history. In the past, in order to garner hero status, a person had to actually do something heroic or at least noteworthy. Julius Caesar conquered empires. Joan of Arc toppled stereotypes. William Wallace was portrayed by Mel Gibson in a movie. People actually used to do things of note in order to get notoriety.
I feel like there was this big lull on heroes following the tragic assassinations of the 1960's. Many of us grew up only with the history of heroes, great people who had come before, but did not live in our lifetimes. Yes, there are very notable exceptions--Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, Mr. T, but it seems like there just weren't enough. And at the same time, the folks who were supposed to be heroes in the previous 3 decades came up short--presidents, televangelists, industry leaders. Lots of scandal, lots of controversy, lots of fodder for SNL, but very few bonafide mentors to look up to.
Enter reality TV with a solution: if you don't have enough heroes or idols or icons, just make new ones, annually with each new season. Now we don't have to wait for someone to do something great, we can just vote for them by 888 number or text message. Poof, there's a hero. And the beauty with these guys is that if they fall off the face of the earth or it turns out they're into cruelty to animals as a hobby, no problem. Just discard your new cardboard hero, there's another one on the way any minute. Now, reality shows are making heroes out of geeks and inventors and people who think they can dance.
So the question is: in an age of declining ethics in leaders, total invasion of media into the private lives of public figures and Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, do we have any chance at seeing real heroes again? Can offices like the presidency of the US survive its current image problem? Will church leaders ever again be considered heroes outside of the church? Is celebrity the same as heroism?
Enough questions. Gotta go catch Simon Cowell's latest brainstorm: So You Think You are Smarter than a 5th Grader's Big Brother, America?
7 comments:
drew,
i think you hit it on the head. we have many celebs. we have few heroes. most of my heroes would never qualify as celebs.
i have sunday school teachers, scout leaders, and fairly non-descript people who are my heroes. celebs are often people with talent, reckless habits, or some other thing that distinguishes them from the rest of us.
heroes are marked by strong character not necessarily great talent. one of my heroes couldn't read much above a 7th grade level. she wasn't and einstein, but she prayed me and several of my friends into the kingdom. i would never throw her away.
good thoughts,, drew, instead of making idols, we've moved to manufacturing heroes out of unremarkable material.
most heroes I remember were not getting their 15 megabytes of fame from U-tube or elected to hero status because we put them there.
they were people of principle who lived their beliefs or used their extrordinary talents or gifts for a clear purpose. and they did not anounce or try out for their hero status, they were discovered or acknowledged, and admired for their selflessness.
one last note, can you get Mother Teresa and Billy Graham out of the same sentence as Mr. T?
thanks for your thoughts, they stimulate.
Hey Bro,
Just a note to say i am enjoying this series.
looking foward to the next one.
I think what we really need are new words. Just as the word “hero” has been overused, so has the word “genius”. Every time I turn around some musical artist is being dubbed a “genius”. So maybe what we really need are new words to top the old ones.
Having said that, I don’t know that we have fewer true heroes these days, we just know a whole heck of a lot more about their lives, which turns them back into regular people. Imagine if Dr. King had had to deal with today’s media. No way that affair would have been put up with. Just ask Bill Clinton.
Hey Drew.
Good thoughts on hero's. Loved how you listed Mr. T with Mother T. "I pity the fool" (I don't mean Raca) Just an impression.
On a personal note, I enjoyed seeing you and talking to you at Old Orchard. I keep meaning to spend time with your dad, but unfortuately I never seem to be able to hook up with him for more than a few minutes. Please give my best to your parents.
Would I have been a hero if I would have caught that ball at Yankee Stadium? I died a little that day!
SAIdiot (Tom)
Hey, Drew! How's it been? I've been looking around, seeing who has a blog, trying to get used to the whole thing. I'm glad I found you! You'll be in my prayers.
I've enjoyed reading these "Rituals in Throwaway Society."
Thanks Drew.
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