Comments on: The Deal We Strike With Our Heroes http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/ A Commentary on Today's Heroes Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:03:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Melissa http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-245617 Melissa Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:31:08 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-245617 Problem may be in who we choose as heroes. Okay, not that we have much choice in who we adulate. Lance Armstrong broke my heart with his drug use--not so much because I cared how many races he won but because I thought of him every time I forced myself chuffing and grunting up the mile-long hill between my house and the grocery store. But his "achievements" didn't really matter in the grand scheme. The people I really admire are the momentary heroes. The pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, who successfully landed his plane full of passengers on the Hudsen river because he was able to control fear and think through the crisis. Or the Afghanistan/Iraq veterans who are using their military training by volunteering for emergency rescue work here in the US. Or the teachers at Sandy Hook who controlled their fear enough to protect the kids in their classroom. You don't need to know who those people are or who they divorced or cheated on, or what drugs they took to be moved to emulate them. Mr. Rogers says, "When something terrible happens, look for the helpers. There are always people helping." Problem may be in who we choose as heroes. Okay, not that we have much choice in who we adulate. Lance Armstrong broke my heart with his drug use–not so much because I cared how many races he won but because I thought of him every time I forced myself chuffing and grunting up the mile-long hill between my house and the grocery store.

But his “achievements” didn’t really matter in the grand scheme.

The people I really admire are the momentary heroes. The pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, who successfully landed his plane full of passengers on the Hudsen river because he was able to control fear and think through the crisis.
Or the Afghanistan/Iraq veterans who are using their military training by volunteering for emergency rescue work here in the US.
Or the teachers at Sandy Hook who controlled their fear enough to protect the kids in their classroom.
You don’t need to know who those people are or who they divorced or cheated on, or what drugs they took to be moved to emulate them.
Mr. Rogers says, “When something terrible happens, look for the helpers. There are always people helping.”

]]> By: Scott Allison http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-229608 Scott Allison Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:40:47 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-229608 ^Thank you, Sally! Love that classic Stan Lee quote, RJDiogenes. I should have included it in my blog post. The admonition to heroes that they should be highly responsible is consistent with our thesis that heroism comes with an unspoken contractual agreement requiring the hero to behave himself/herself. Many heroes seem oblivious to this agreement, sadly making the 'fallen hero' such a common type of hero. ^Thank you, Sally!

Love that classic Stan Lee quote, RJDiogenes. I should have included it in my blog post. The admonition to heroes that they should be highly responsible is consistent with our thesis that heroism comes with an unspoken contractual agreement requiring the hero to behave himself/herself. Many heroes seem oblivious to this agreement, sadly making the ‘fallen hero’ such a common type of hero.

]]> By: Sally http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-229205 Sally Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:03:31 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-229205 Thanks for this blog! I have been thinking about all of this quite a bit and you helped to shape my thoughts. Thanks! I imagine that many famous people (other than movie stars perhaps) don't set out to be famous, but the journey must be quite a ride! I am remembering a man who owned a factory in Lowell MA who refused to lay off his employees during a bad financial time. I can't remember his name - the factory made something like Polar fleece....those decisions to continue to lift up others at the risk of self (illustrated by the great Grace Kelly blog)are to me, real heroes! And, of course, today being MLK Jr day, my thoughts are with his journey...and all the decisions he made. And thinking about Ann Curry's #26 acts...really, we should all be more kind more often :) Great blogs! Thanks for this blog! I have been thinking about all of this quite a bit and you helped to shape my thoughts. Thanks! I imagine that many famous people (other than movie stars perhaps) don’t set out to be famous, but the journey must be quite a ride! I am remembering a man who owned a factory in Lowell MA who refused to lay off his employees during a bad financial time. I can’t remember his name – the factory made something like Polar fleece….those decisions to continue to lift up others at the risk of self (illustrated by the great Grace Kelly blog)are to me, real heroes! And, of course, today being MLK Jr day, my thoughts are with his journey…and all the decisions he made. And thinking about Ann Curry’s #26 acts…really, we should all be more kind more often :) Great blogs!

]]> By: RJDiogenes http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-228750 RJDiogenes Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:35:11 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-228750 I'll take this another step further and quote Stan Lee: With great power comes great responsibility. When you become a hero, you set a higher standard for yourself-- and that's the standard you will be judged by. What was once adequacy is now failure. You can't go back to what you were and have it be good enough. I’ll take this another step further and quote Stan Lee: With great power comes great responsibility. When you become a hero, you set a higher standard for yourself– and that’s the standard you will be judged by. What was once adequacy is now failure. You can’t go back to what you were and have it be good enough.

]]> By: Athena Brady http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-226305 Athena Brady Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:36:45 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-226305 A great post and so true that we often turn agaisnt our hero's. do you think that may be something to do with the "pedistal effect" (I just made that up lol) in that we forget that like us. they are human. "To err is human to forgive is divine" Play it forward is one of my favourite films, I often do random acts of kindness but to realy give unconditionally it needs to be anonymously. A brilliant blog we have a lot in common, I will be back. A great post and so true that we often turn agaisnt our hero’s. do you think that may be something to do with the “pedistal effect” (I just made that up lol) in that we forget that like us. they are human. “To err is human to forgive is divine” Play it forward is one of my favourite films, I often do random acts of kindness but to realy give unconditionally it needs to be anonymously. A brilliant blog we have a lot in common, I will be back.

]]> By: sande http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-223192 sande Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:59:20 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-223192 I guess it depends on who you classify as a hero to begin with - there are huge differences between a cartoon such as Superman, a pop idol or sportstar and HH Dalai Lama, for example... Fictional heroes 'can't' fall from grace and some real life ones are extremely unlikely to. This does not mean that 'all' heroes chosen by humans will stay heroic/good guys. I guess it depends on who you classify as a hero to begin with – there are huge differences between a cartoon such as Superman, a pop idol or sportstar and HH Dalai Lama, for example…

Fictional heroes ‘can’t’ fall from grace and some real life ones are extremely unlikely to. This does not mean that ‘all’ heroes chosen by humans will stay heroic/good guys.

]]> By: Patrick Smith http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2013/01/08/the-deal-we-strike-with-our-heroes/comment-page-1/#comment-222382 Patrick Smith Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:11:29 +0000 http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/?p=2683#comment-222382 Nice article. Heroes, intrinsically, don’t exist. Heroes only exist in the mind of the fan. Hero worship is a function of the fan, not the hero. The bargain isn’t between the hero and the fan – it’s with the fan’s perception of reality and reality itself. Therefore any expectation of heroes is unreasonable. My 2 cents. Nice article. Heroes, intrinsically, don’t exist. Heroes only exist in the mind of the fan. Hero worship is a function of the fan, not the hero. The bargain isn’t between the hero and the fan – it’s with the fan’s perception of reality and reality itself. Therefore any expectation of heroes is unreasonable. My 2 cents.

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