Heroes in the 21st Century

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The question of whether or not heroes still remain prevalent in modern day society is one that has been circulating throughout the world for quite some time. Due to the media’s fixation on aesthetics and “superheroes”, young children are growing up with the idea in their minds that heroes are all flawlessly airbrushed and synthetically perfect and stellar in everything they do and touch, as depicted in high-glossed magazines, super hero movies and commercial advertisements. The media has encouraged us to obsess over the concept that certain people, who we identify as “The Perfect Image” sit on perfect pedestals in which they can do no wrong, as described in Text 1, Lance Armstrong Syndrome: Do Heroes Exist?. But, when our idols do mess up, we are completely devastated, unable to fathom the idea of our heroes being capable of falling. Because of this, we have tarnished the reputation of what we as a society perceive to be a hero. But, this isn’t true. A hero is someone persistent in getting what they want, for the betterment of others. A hero is someone who may or may not get attention for standing up for what they believe in, despite the obstacles that lay in their way. With this change in perception, we can start teaching the youth of the world that a hero is someone willing to make a difference; someone that will promote change for the better of others, no matter what obstacles lay ahead of them. I believe we walk amongst heroes each and every day.
Some of the most heroic people in the world are part of the armed forces, serving around the world. These members of the Armed Forces are both valiant and heroic for putting themselves in dangerous conditions for the sake of protecting the rights of people they have never met. Amy ...

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...ury. As mentioned in Text 1, Lance Armstrong Syndrome: Do Heroes Exist?, “If we look deeply at ourselves we can find a little hope that heroes can exist, probably in every one of us, but not as a blanket rule or even as a perfectly high glossed figure devoid of any and all human errors to contend with,” meaning that each of us can be our own heroes, because despite the fact that we are not all perfect and free of mistakes, we can all stand up for what we believe in, rather than being bystanders, and make a change for more than just ourselves.

Works Cited

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chava-tombosky/lance-armstrong-syndrome-do-heroes-exist_b_2518269.html http://raproject.org/blog/entry/what-really-is-a-hero-anyway http://www.camplejeuneglobe.com/news/editorials/article_8df92c0c-aa76-11e1-b771-0019bb2963f4.html
http://mschievous.hubpages.com/hub/Modern-Day-Heroes

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