A New Kind of Hero

When I was young, I had lots of heroes. I admired sports stars, cartoon superheroes, and Hollywood celebrities. I viewed them as infallible, possessing characteristics worthy of emulation.

But one by one, I lost faith in these so-called heroes. As I grew older, I found out they were not as perfect as I imagined. They committed crimes, were immoral or were not even real. It became difficult to call them my heroes because I felt some need to justify their hero-status to myself and others. It was hard to say I admired them EVEN THOUGH ______ (you fill in the blank).



Examples of indiscretions by heroes abound. Alex Rodriquez took steroids, Miley Cirus posed for racy pictures in Vanity Fair, and Michael Phelps was caught using a bong to smoke marijuana. All of these actions can cause fans, especially youngsters, to question their devotion to their idols.

In the article by Jenny Lyn Bader in the text, it says,"Heroes have become quaint, as old-fashioned as gas-guzzlers--and unwieldy, requiring too much investment and energy. Role models are more like compact cars, less glam and room but easier to handle." (p. 790)

I agree with this quote. I think that for the most part, our cynical nature has caused us to phase the traditional heroes out of our lives and replace them with people we know personally. We know these people are not perfect, but know they can't be as bad as the other guys we formerly idolized. Admiring these people requires less emotional investment because we know their character. Our class activity yesterday illustrated this point.

Hollywood understands this shift, and is making efforts to put forth character witnesses for up-and-coming stars. The other night I saw a few minutes of American Idol and was surprised to see the families of contestants backstage being interviewed immediately after each performance. I saw mothers saying, "I'm so proud of my son, even if he didn't do well," and "My daughter is just such a great person." Other examples of such testimony abound on TV.

So here are my questions to you: Has your hero ever let you down? Do you still idolize your heroes from your childhood? If not, who are your new heroes?

Golden Arches Icon

One of the most prevalent American icons is McDonald’s. McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast food restaurant chain, operating in nearly every country. The glowing golden arches can be identified anywhere. Whether we like it or not, those arches have come to be a prominent American icon.

McDonald’s has become a symbol of the spread of American culture. However, McDonald's has been a recent issue of public debate on topics concerning obesity and consumer responsibility.

The documentary Super Size Me addresses these issues in a fascinating way. In an interview with Tiscali, Morgan Spurlock said he wanted “. . . to make a film that would hopefully cause people to think about how they eat and live their lives.” So, he performed an experiment to achieve his goal. He ate from McDonald’s three times a day for 30 days, only ate meals offered at McDonald’s, sampled every McDonald’s item within the 30-day period and “Super Sized” his meal every time he was invited to. Spurlock gained 25 pounds from his experiment, which took 14 months to lose.

The documentary was the ninth highest grossing documentary film of all time with a total of $28,548,087. The world’s great interest in Super Size Me goes to show McDonald’s iconic nature.

How do you feel McDonald’s status as an American icon influences others’ views of Americans? Do you feel McDonald’s is a positive or negative American icon?

Fictional Icons

When I was a kid, Spiderman was my favorite cartoon. Spidey was strong, agile, and downright phenomenal; and his superpowers made him that much cooler. It is every kid's dream to be able to fly from place to place!

I particularly liked how Peter Parker went to school and worked just like I did. He was even teased on occasion by his peers, something every child can relate to. Peter was my role model, which is why I made darn sure to be in front of my old television set at 3:30 pm every weekday.

It's amusing to think of my childhood friends who had superhero action figures, bed sheets and lunchboxes. What is it about these superhuman figures that is so attractive? Is it their ability to overcome life's hardships and succeed against all odds, or is it their superhuman traits that empower them and grant them dominion over all of their enemies? Whatever it is, kids are captivated by characters like the Wolverine, Batman and the Power Rangers.

The text defines traditional icons as figures who have been "mythologized into larger-than-life symbols that capture our imagination by embodying our deepest values and desires." In this light, can fictional characters such as Spiderman be considered icons? Also, what could be the effects of a rising generation whose fictional icons actually do not exist in the real world?

Celebrity Obsession

I have not been unaffected by the media. I love reading tabloids, consuming television and watching movies.

I remember in 2001 when Legally Blonde came out and I felt pretty inspired to work hard and obtain what I wanted; maybe even go to Law School too. At 15 I saw Elle’s wardrobe and instantly wanted it. As soon as the movie was released I bought it and watched it more than a dozen times within a month of my purchase. I later made sure I had her beautiful necklace she wore in the opening scenes and remembered to take care of my shoes. Thank you, Elle.

When I was 17 I got together with a group of girls every week to watch One Tree Hill and Gilmore Girls. We gossiped about what happened and made serious decisions as to what should happen with these “real” people in our lives. I also oogled over the nickname Logan gave Rory and how well put-together Lorelei always seemed to be. I learned how "normal" teens lived and saw what I was glad I didn't have in my life.

By 20 I realized my love for weekly’s. I soon began a nice stack of magazines on the back of our toilet and intrigued my roommates to focus lives of those who we thought was larger than life. I began to look at what the fashions were in and find the cheap knock-offs to complete my “celebrity look”. I learned what I would spend money for, and what would just have to wait.

Now I watch reality tv like I’m on the show and don’t understand why the contestants are so stupid and drama filled. I cheer them on and hate the ones the producers portray as idiots. Really? Has my life ended at 23 for a reason? Why do celebrities help me pick my outfits through magazine covers and make me want to buy certain accessories to be more fulfilled? Isn’t there something more to life? Sure, but I still do love to get a dose of someone else’s drama so I can be happier that it’s not actually in my life.

My question: What was the last thing a celebrity convinced you to do?