Years ago heroes had names like Jackie Robinson and Thomas Edison. Now it’s anyone who dies tragically, or is catapulted into a media sensation. How absurd!
According to Webster’s Collegiate dictionary, a hero is someone who displays fortitude, boldness, and exceptional courage, especially in times of war or danger. So why is the term being applied to anyone who makes headlines or perishes under tragic conditions?
I first noticed this trend, when the space shuttle Columbia exploded in 2003, killing everyone on board. Immediately, the media began referring to the seven astronauts as heroes. Granted, their deaths were tragic, but what constituted their hero status? Did they die trying to save lives? Were they part of a military regime whose job was to protect civilians? Sadly, the answer is no. As astronauts, they were simply conducting experiments, which may be vital to America’s future.
With that said, why is it in the 21st century, that people who die are considered heroes and heroines? I put that question to my associate, Roger E. Manderlin IV, and was surprised by the response.
Affectionately known as the Sultan of Philosophical Mishmash, Roger said that Americans are in such dire need of heroes, they are willing to make one out of every Phil and Jennifer, regardless of their circumstances. Listening to his explanation, I noted that the more he talked, the more he made sense.
And with so many headlines saturating the news, even the most improbable people are getting the hero treatment. Case in point: Laci Peterson. Peterson, a 28-year- old woman from Modesto, California, was 7 ½ months pregnant when she disappeared in December 2003.
Four months later, her body, along with that of her son, were found a mile from where her husband Scott, said he last saw her alive. Upon learning her body had been found, many referred to the bubbly brunette as a heroine. Again I ask what made Peterson a heroine?
Sure, her death was a travesty. And if you’re a mom, you could say that she was a heroine, because in all likelihood she pleaded for the life of her unborn child. In this scenario the heroine label generates real credibility, but only to those who knew and loved Laci Peterson. However, for the rest of us, she was simply a woman, whose brutal death spawned sadness and overwhelming sympathy.
Now that we’ve established a criteria, let’s see an example of a real hero. My leading candidates are the U.S. troops in Iraq. With the realization that they are fighting in a war that the majority of Americans oppose, they continue to protect and defend. Fearless, courageous and teeming with determination, they fight on, never forgetting that over 3,200 of their comrades have died, since the words “AMERICA AT WAR" screamed from headlines around the world on March 20, 2003. So, using that rationale, the U.S. military emerge as real heroes.
Not surprisingly, with hero pandering growing in record numbers, I see a string of misleading sightings on the horizon. Umm does that mean that Ann Coulter, the conservative columnist, who referred to former Senator John Edwards using a gay derogative slang, is the newest hero of the right wing pavilion? Okay, let’s see. Has she saved any lives? No? Has she made life better for millions of Americans? Yes and no. For those who share Coulter’s political views, she is all that and a jar of caviar. But to the average American, the rubber cement blonde, is as heroic as a malfunctioning air-conditioner on a blistering, summer afternoon.
Continuing the false hero trend, does that mean that Britney Spears, is the reigning heroine for folks who find bald heads, pantiless rear ends and odd behavior stimulating?
So, when will it end? When vice president Dick Cheney. is declared the official hero for all-powerful men who stand in the back ground, quietly wielding power as their boss is criticized, raked over the coals and all but ignored by the American public? Enough of this nonsense. Let’s see things as they are, not as we imagine them to be. Sounds fair? Great.
Now let’s conclude this article with an ending befitting such noble phrases. Oh snap, can you believe that I was on the verge of calling this article a hero? Sorry. Seriously folks, like anyone, I admire heroes and marvel at their achievements. But a word of caution, before labeling someone a hero and/or heroine, make sure the title is based on real courage and not circumstances hastened by media sensationalism.
» left by David Tanguay (1 year 232 days ago.)
I enjoyed this article Peggy, yes it’s true there are to many of us whom are put into the hero status. The real heroes we seldom hear of, for I personally believe the silent majority who struggle unselfishly given little recognition or reward for their deeds and not expecting or demanding any are the real heroes. For let’s face we couldn’t survive without them, they’re commonly know as “The people”
Since I have been a writer on this website, you have read my articles, and always given me a 5 star rating, and for that I say time after time, THANK YOU.
» left by Avis Ward(9,854) Avis Ward (1 year 226 days ago.)
Hooray for Peggy, a heroine! I would consider you a heroine for saving [reserving] the titles of "hero and heroine" for whom the titles are due! I thoroughly enjoyed your article and am in agreement with you. I fondly refer to my parents as having been the hero and heroine in my life. There are hundreds of others who were not their biological children who have deemed them as such, as well. Of course I am biased but the evidence supports my bias. Thank you for setting the record straight and exposing the real meaning of heroes and heroines by your excellent examples. A superbly written article! Thank you! Respond to this comment
When I read the first paragraph of your comments, referring to me as a "herione". I both smiled and laughed. Smile, because I am humbled by the statement, and laughed, because as a African-American writer who is not afraid to say what's on her mind, I have been called, "racist" "opionated" and some names I can't even print.
But it is people like you, who encorage me to keep writing via your comments, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
What I enjoyed most about this article was your sense of humor coming through. In times like these, we really do need to laugh at ourselves for making heros out of such a wide range of people. It really does water down the designation for those who really deserve it. I look forward to seeing more of this side of your talent. Thanks for the smiles! Respond to this comment
AS usual, you know what to say, how to say it and when to say it. I agree, that the media tends to make heroes and heriones out of anyone. Hence, I added the humor just to make everone sees the foolishness of this practice.
Joseph, I'm sure youve seen the video of political stragetist Karl Rove doing his "rap dance." Do you think Rove will now be considered the hero of "White-Conservative men who couldn't bust a move if their right-wing arses depended on it?"
Your comments inspire me to take my writing where few have gone before, and that is no lie. By the way, when it comes to the written word, your commentaries speak volumes. So, keep doing your thing, because you do it with style and class.
» left by Bill from Streetsboro, OH (1 year 181 days ago.)
A wonderful article. I was incensed today to read comments from US Rep Carolyn Maloney in regard to a woman who lost her life due to medical complications resulting from 9/11. Although her death occurred 6 years after the event, Maloney thought it was fitting to call this victim a hero. Here are the actual comments:
Sadly, we have known that Felicia is not alone and that others have died from ailments caused by 9/11," said U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York.
"I hope that the medical examiner is no longer in denial about the trade center dust," she added. "Dr. Hirsch must review the cases of other 9/11 heroes who, like Felicia, died in the prime of their lives."
Your comment is exactly why I wrote this commentary. Granted, all of us were affected by the tragic events of 9/11, but to identify everyone who perished as "heroes," is not only baffling, it's unrealistic.
» left by Anonymous (1 year 66 days ago.)
nice thought...but would be much more meaningful if you had balanced it out and not been so biased toward a certain political slant. Heroes are heroes, no matter what color, religion, sex, or political persuasion Respond to this comment
You are right, there should have been more balance. Isn't it great to live in a coutry where we are free to express ourselves without fear or reprehension?
» left by Anonymous (271 days 18 hours ago.)
I wouldn't exactly agree with the NASA case. While there have been few accidents, all of them risk their lives and they do it in a completely peaceful, no-nonsense way. The only reason they survive is training for years and absolute precision. Of course that does apply to all astronauts, cosmonauts and taikonauts no matter whether they survive or die.
Also this hero nonsense didn't start 2003. It goes back to 9/11 at least.
Soldiers, on the other hand, are usually nothing but drilled monkeys. You may think they have courage. Do they really? They are simply drilled to believe they are stronger than the enemy and have the better morals. In order to recruit more soldiers they even claim such nonsense as that it was more likely to die in a car accident at home than as a soldier in Iraq. That may be true - if they never joined the army! So are they really brave? I don't think so, they are brain-washed, stupid, ignorant. Many do at least realize this once they reach the battefield. Many kill themselves, much more than you might assume. And their morals? Do they know or even care what they are fighting for? There hasn't been a war on American soil for centuries and there's have been any brought from an outside enemy. It was just Americans fighting themselves. Thus they are not protecting freedom, their families or any pseudo-democracy at all. What they fight for is blood. Black blood. Oil and money. Any other reasons are merely camouflage so that the public tolerates the killing. The only brave soldier is the one who puts his weapon down and resigns. If I have any positive feelings towards soldiers, it may be pity. No matter what whitewash has been applied, their job is to kill, kill, murder, murder, kill, kill.
As the niece of an uncle who was killed in Vietnam, at the ripe old age of 20, I concur with your statement, that "There are no heroes in war." However, I believe, there are heroic efforts exhibited by soldiers of immense proportions. You agree?
» left by Anonymous from Manitba (255 days 21 hours ago.)
Wow you have no idea how much this helped me. I am writing an essay on Heroes for my english class and I was having such a hard time and when I found this article and it helped me finish the last page. You are so right about how we are making everyone a hero these days and that the real heroes are not getting enought credit in a way because they are in the same criteria as all the other "heroes" Respond to this comment
Wow, I actually blushed when I read your comments. Does that mean I will be on a future episode of Oprah, entitled Undercover Hero Spoilers? Just kidding. But seriously, if my words assisted you in any way, I am totally humble. Thank you, Thank you!
Simply said, a hero is someone who knowingly places himself in harms way to unselfishly potect another person, without regard to the consequence. All others are just unfortunate victims.
This, ladies and gentlemen is the difference between a hero and an unfortunate victim. A stranger who rushes into a building to save a disabled man in a wheel chair is a hero. The people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, were unfortunate victims. Now, do you see the difference?
This subject has given me a great deal to reflect on in the past.
I've known soldiers who have gone to war, firemen who have put out fires, policemen who routinely arrest people, and fathers and mothers who dutifully raise their loving children. I know all kinds of outstanding community citizens.
Yet, I think I've only known exactly one genuine hero in my life. This was a man, about my own age, who tried to, and succeeded in rescuing a young boy who was slipping down a muddy bank into a river. After pulling the boy higher up onto the bank, the man lost his footing and was washed away. I will never forget Bob Scanlon, a man I had spoken with only once or twice, and as it turns out he was himself a very involved individual, and his father was a favorite English teacher of mine. Yet, until making such a heroic, selfless sacrifice—not his duty, not his job or career or occupation for which he would be renumerated, should he succeed—he was mostly an everyday, average good guy.
Before I began my analyzation, let me take this opporunity to thank you for reading the article, and following it up with your feedback. Now on to the issue at hand.
After reviewing your comments regarding Mr. Scanlon, the following phrase springs to mind, "Truly this individual was the epitome of a true hero." In characterizing today's "heroes," they have two goals; immediate fame and media overload. How sad!
Gregory there is little doubt that Mr. Scanlon, were he alive, could teach these so called "heroes", the true meaning of the word and all its implications.
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