Defining A Hero In America

What is a Hero?

What is a hero? In America’s society today a hero can be any number of people. The word hero seems to be frequently implied to celebrities and sports icons because of all the fame they possess. For most people this may be the result of the fact that celebrities amaze and awe the everyday people of this country. It is very rare that you hear an ordinary person be called a hero. To me a hero is more than just a famous face. A hero is a person who is willing to sacrifice their own wants and needs to better the community, town, or country they are a part of.

There are many types of people that can be considered heroes in this day and age. People like soldiers, firefighters, police officers, doctors, blood and organ donors,

and normal everyday people. Some may even say that celebrities and sports icons are heroes as well. Many of the people in this list work long hours with very little to no pay just to make sure that everyone in their town, city, or country are safe from harm and free to live their lives. Some of these very people will sacrifice their own lives to protect the lives of others. Sullivan and Venter (2010) found out from the studies they conducted “that their responses equally reflected one of three definitions found among previous considerations of heroes.” (p. 482). What the studies discovered is that people today still feel that the qualities that made a hero a hero in the past are the same qualities that make a hero today.
The outlook on what a hero is has changed in this country over the course of the last few decades.

The changing times have provided a change in what a hero is to most of the American public in this day and age. This is a change that some feel has gone along with the change in the way society views celebrities and sports icons. People put so much emphasis on fame and money and focus less on good will and generosity anymore. Some of these people feel that the change is necessary to keep up with the youth of today and the ideals that they have. Graebner (2013) states: “at issue was the state of the American hero.” (p. 517). This was the topic of discussion across the country for many decades. It is still a concern in today’s society as well. This discussion took root in the 1970’s and continued throughout the 1980’s as well. As stated in The man in the water (2013) “The decline of the heroic was often with the 1960’s modes of argumentation.” (Graebner, 2013, p. 524). This is saying that a lot of the problems started in the way the youth of the 1960’s viewed heroes. Farrah Faucet was a rising star in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Every young girl wanted to be like her and started to consider her a hero. This was the start of idolizing

celebrities.
Although it does not seem right that all celebrities and sports icons are considered to be heroes just because of their fame, it does not mean that some celebrities do not deserve the title of hero. Many celebrities and sports icons take the time to make the world a better place. The fame that they possess can be beneficial in reaching a larger group of people with the funds to help support charities and organizations. Many celebrities support a variety of charities and, like Alyssa Milano, help organizations like UNICEF. They help to support such things by donating their time and money as well as being the voice and spokesperson for a lot of these charities. They do the best they can to get the message out there. There are a lot of the WWE stars that take part in the Make-A-Wish Foundation. These are all selfless and noble acts. In the article written by Spencer, Royne, and Van Steenburg (2013) you find this statement: “the celebrity may be known for helping others, being a person of integrity, or possessing special talents.” (p. 21). People like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who adopted children from countries that they may not have been able to survive in, would be considered celebrity heroes.
The way you view who are heroes changes as you get older. Most young children consider their mom and dad to be heroes. In a young child’s mind I can see why this is. They take care of them and provide for them while protecting them. My four year old niece will tell you that her mommy is her hero. When talking to my nine year old nephew he no longer sees his dad as his hero but could not tell me who he thought was a hero. When I talked to my 11 year old nephew he told me police officers were heroes. These are just some personal examples of changing views on heroes that I came across. It makes me very curious as to when you lose sight of everyday people being heroes and start putting celebrities in those roles instead. White and O’Brien (1999) state: “When most students asked named a person with whom they have had personal experience” (p. 81) At some point in our lives we all find someone new to be our hero. The differences in when that may be as well as who we see as heroes may have something to do with our upbringing and the emphasis put on fame and wealth in the household.
Many aspects of who is and what makes a hero has changed over several centuries. It is in the last few decades that we see an emphasis on celebrities and sports icons being made heroes. Sanchez (2000) writes “A place for heroes has always existed” (p. 58 para 1). These are places like the bible, movies, books, sports arenas, and battlefields. Back in the 18th century “heroes were defined by honor, duty, and patriotic virtue.” (Sanchez, 2000). This made people like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin be considered as heroes. As the century changed we found a new set of values to judge on what made a hero. In his article Sanchez states “They were defined by their humanitarianism, economic attainment, military exploits, or scientific achievements.” (Sanchez, 2000). As the years have gone by our ideals for the qualities that make up a hero have changed. However, nowhere in all my research did it ever have fame and wealth listed as attributes required to make a hero.
The United States is not the only country that needs heroes. Many of the war torn countries over-seas need to be able to believe in something other than the violence they see every day. There is so much death in those countries it is hard to have faith in anything. Zimbardo (2011) questions “can thoughts ignite revolutions?” (p. 402). This is a very good question. One that deserves an answer, and the knowledge that the man or woman with those thoughts would be considered a hero. Nelson Mandela was a great man and many people consider him to be a hero for all he endured. Admiration for the man spreads worldwide and not just in the country of his birth. If the world had more people like him or Mother Teresa it would be a much better place. These are just two ordinary people that had a great impact on the world around them. They did their best to make this world a better place. These war torn countries could use heroes like that now. “In the end, goodness triumphs over perpetrators of evil.” (Zimbardo, 2011).
This paper has covered the different qualities and people that may help people define heroes.

People like firefighters, EMTs, police officers, and soldiers are a few of those. People who are selfless, good role-models, and are willing to sacrifice their own comforts to protect and help others. Many people have a different view on what it means to be a hero, or for that matter what qualities make a hero a hero. People have different views on a lot of topics and this one is no different. Many children look up to sports icons and celebrities in this country. This is more from them idolizing these people rather than considering them heroes. This is by no means saying that sports icons and celebrities cannot be heroes. There are other people in this world that better fit my idea of what a hero is. Heroes should be good role-models to those that look up to them. A hero should be someone who is willing to sacrifice their own needs and wants to help those who need it most, or that put their lives on the line to keep other people safe. Despite the differences in opinion, on who a hero is and what qualities they should have, there is one statement everyone can agree on. Heroes are those people in this world that are trying to make a difference and better the community, town, or country that they are

from.