I was starting to work on a new project this morning when I found my thoughts dwelling on what a "hero" is.
It's been constantly changed and morphed through the decades to fit society's purpose for it. In the 40s and 50s, heroes were written and illustrated in comic books. Characters like Superman, Batman and Spiderman made their debut into the universe saving damsels and fighting off the criminal of the week, threatening to enslave every freedom that humanity holds dear.
But it didn't start and stop there, as I said as time progressed so did the definition of a hero. With the tragedy of 9/11 almost 8 years ago, we saw how it doesn't take a comic book, stardom or impossible odds to make someone a hero. It just takes courage, integrity and sacrificing your own personal safety to ensure it for others.
It's fitting that in the last two to three years we have seen the re-imaginings of our favorite superhero movies come to the Silver Screen. How these characters are wealthy, rich, powerful individuals being able to stop anything that comes their way. These literary devices and character traits are empowering to us. As much as we don't want to admit it we see these characters and wish we could incorporate their qualities into our own lives.
The only problem I have with this notion is that I think that the modern day hero is mutilated, tarnished and altogether misunderstood.
I think its best said in Die Hard 4 by John McClane:
"You know what you get for being a hero? Nothin'. You get shot at. You get a little pat on the back, blah, blah, blah, attaboy. You get divorced. Your wife can't remember your last name. Your kids don't want to talk to you. You get to eat a lot of meals by yourself. Trust me, kid, nobody wants to be that guy."
When I heard that for the first time, it really made me think "You know what, he's right."
Its not a side of heroism that we see all the time. It's not all ticker-tape parades and keys to the city. Sometimes you lose more than you gain, but that just comes with the territory, I suppose.
It's been constantly changed and morphed through the decades to fit society's purpose for it. In the 40s and 50s, heroes were written and illustrated in comic books. Characters like Superman, Batman and Spiderman made their debut into the universe saving damsels and fighting off the criminal of the week, threatening to enslave every freedom that humanity holds dear.
But it didn't start and stop there, as I said as time progressed so did the definition of a hero. With the tragedy of 9/11 almost 8 years ago, we saw how it doesn't take a comic book, stardom or impossible odds to make someone a hero. It just takes courage, integrity and sacrificing your own personal safety to ensure it for others.
It's fitting that in the last two to three years we have seen the re-imaginings of our favorite superhero movies come to the Silver Screen. How these characters are wealthy, rich, powerful individuals being able to stop anything that comes their way. These literary devices and character traits are empowering to us. As much as we don't want to admit it we see these characters and wish we could incorporate their qualities into our own lives.
The only problem I have with this notion is that I think that the modern day hero is mutilated, tarnished and altogether misunderstood.
I think its best said in Die Hard 4 by John McClane:
"You know what you get for being a hero? Nothin'. You get shot at. You get a little pat on the back, blah, blah, blah, attaboy. You get divorced. Your wife can't remember your last name. Your kids don't want to talk to you. You get to eat a lot of meals by yourself. Trust me, kid, nobody wants to be that guy."
When I heard that for the first time, it really made me think "You know what, he's right."
Its not a side of heroism that we see all the time. It's not all ticker-tape parades and keys to the city. Sometimes you lose more than you gain, but that just comes with the territory, I suppose.
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But I don't think heroes really exist in the grand sense you're talking about. It's a somewhat simplistic, broad-brush-stroke idea which is probably why it's so popular in comics. And even the Superheroes grew more flawed and complex over time. Hence, Spiderman; and Batman getiing darker (have you read 'Arkham Asylum 'by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean? - it's great). The world isn't as easy as good guys and bad.
I believe people can be heroic, at times, sure, but that's about it. Certainly not in John McClane. That kinda stuff seems a little suspect to me, like Clint Eastwood's reluctant hero in 'Gran Torino', some metaphor for America shrugging its shoulders and sighing, 'Well, alright, we don't wanna sought out all this mess the world's in but, well... someone has to....'