Category: Ryan Erickson-Kulas

Often when one person sees a villain another person sees a hero. However, there are some individuals whose actions are so heinous that most if not all of society views them as evil. One example of this is Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh was the mastermind behind the Oklahoma City bombing, which was one of the worst terrorist attacks in the United States of America.

McVeigh was a withdrawn child. He was frequently bullied in school and had only one girlfriend his entire life. He struggled academically although he did show promise in computer programming. McVeigh joined the army at the age of twenty. He served during the first Gulf War and was honorably discharged in 1992. McVeigh had a strong interest in guns, which had lead him into the army. He would write letters to local newspapers and congressman opposing firearm regulations. He would also rail against taxes and the government in general. These ideas would later surface and be the main catalyst for his attacks.

As time progressed McVeigh's ideas about firearms became more and more radical. He quit the National Rifle Association, the nation's premier gun lobby, because he felt their stance was too weak. He also traveled out to Arizona to look for property that would be safe from nuclear attacks. McVeigh started to learn how to make rudimentary explosive devices with the chemicals found in common household products. As his paranoia toward the government increased so did his rhetoric. It was only a matter of time before he would take action against what he thought was a tyrannical government.

On April 19, 1995 McVeigh shifted from words to actions. He attacked a federal office building in Oklahoma City because he saw federal officials as soldier trampling the Constitution. He loaded a truck full of 5,000 pounds of explosives and drove it to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. McVeigh set the fuse and fled. The bomb exploded about five minutes later. The explosion killed 168 people and injured 450, including 19 children who were at a day care in the building.

Perhaps beyond the devastation that McVeigh caused was his cold and often callous attitude toward the victims and their families. He stated "To these people in Oklahoma who have lost a loved one, I’m sorry but it happens every day€¦.I’m not going to go into that courtroom, curl into a fetal ball and cry just because the victims want me to do that." McVeigh was sentenced to execution for his crimes but he still showed no interest in repenting. He seemed to welcome death saying that even with his execution the score would be "168 to 1″, meaning this his kill count would be higher. McVeigh is truly evil and a prime example of a villain. He was cold, calculating, and ruthless. Not only did he cause the death of over one hundred innocent people, but he continued to justify is actions up until his death. You would be hard pressed to find many who do not see him as villain.

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Many heroes have a villain as their antithesis. This villain is the obstacle that the hero must overcome. My own favorite hero is George Bailey from It's A Wonderful Life. I think he is the best example of a hero for a variety of reasons that I will not delve into here. George, in true hero fashion, has one of the cruelest and most evil villains of all time in Mr. Potter.

We are first introduced to Mr. Potter when George is a young boy. If you have never seen the movie, It's A Wonderful Life is told from the point of view of angels observing George's life. Even the angels describe Mr. Potter as the "richest and meanest man in the county." In the eyes of angels, Mr. Potter is unredeemable. The first time we see Mr. Potter he is arguing with Peter Bailey, George's father, about the fate of debtors. Peter Bailey refuses to foreclose on these people. He argues that the economy is tough and these people would pay if they could. Peter Bailey's compassion and understanding for other's misfortune is sharply contrasted with Mr. Potter's uncaring attitude. Mr. Potter is only concerned with money and his own bottom line. This is a common theme that we will see throughout the movie. Mr. Potter is only concerned with money and not other people.

Mr. Potter is constantly frustrated by the benevolence of the Baileys. He does not understand how the Baileys continually care about others and not money. The Baileys are the last people keeping Mr. Potter from control of all of Bedford Falls, which is the fictional town that It's A Wonderful Life takes place in. Mr. Potter makes many attempts to gain control over the Bailey Building and Loan Association, the business owned and run by the Bailey family. He first tries to dissolve it after the death of the founder, Peter Bailey. That attempt is thwarted by an impassioned speech by George. Mr. Potter realizes that George is the one man standing in his way of taking over the Building and Loan so he tries to tempt George with a job offer that has a large salary and promises him a way out of Bedford Falls, which he has always dreamed of. George is seriously contemplating it but once he shakes Mr. Potter's hand realizes that he cannot go through with it. This temptation is almost represented as George being tempted by the devil. I believe the filmmakers intentionally set it up this way to show not only the goodness of George but also the pure evil of Mr. Potter.

The true villainy of Mr. Potter is revealed when Billy Bailey, George's uncle and business partner, accidentally misplaces $8,000, which Mr. Potter finds. He does not return the money even though he knows whom it rightfully belongs to. Even when a desperate George comes to Mr. Potter for help, the old man refuses and calls the police on George, knowing full well that George did nothing wrong. Although it turns out okay for George at the end it is clear that Mr. Potter is a warped, frustrated old man and a true villain.[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/mYq6TKM1waw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]

Perhaps one of the most inspirational of all hero stories is the tale of the underdog. We identify so much with the underdog because we can see ourselves in them. Most people are not born with extraordinary abilities. For that reason, when an average person, such as ourselves achieves extraordinary things with limited gifts we are inspired. An individual who definitely falls under this category is Daniel Ruettiger, who is more commonly known as Rudy. Rudy grew up in a working class family in Illinois. Even, though Rudy was a poor student. He dreamed of attending the University of Notre Dame. Not only did he dream of that but he also dreamed of playing football for the fighting Irish. Even though he was a leader and standout on his high school football team, his stature, five-foot six and one-hundred sixty-eight pounds, Rudy was not a prototypical college football player. Despite the myriad of people who told him these dreams would never come to fruition, Rudy held onto them tightly.After a stint in the United States Navy and work at a power plant, Rudy finally applied to admission to Notre Dame. His application was denied, although he was accepted to Holy Cross College, which was in the same location as Notre Dame. Instead of being discouraged by Notre Dame's rejection, Rudy seized on the opportunity given to him by Holy Cross College and started working toward his education. During his time at Holy Cross, Rudy was diagnosed with dyslexia. This learned disorder, which impairs a person's ability to read, is thought to be the reason that Rudy struggled so much academically in high school. After spending two years at Holy Cross College, with three rejections from Notre Dame in the meantime, Rudy was finally accepted to Notre Dame at the age of 26.

For some overcoming dyslexia and attending one of the most prestigious schools in the country would have been enough, but Rudy hungered for more. Seeing his first dream accomplished he set to work on his second, playing football for the Irish. He made the practice team for the Irish, which is a team that pretends to be that weeks opponents. They are basically are live tackling dummies for the varsity team. In his final game as a college student, Rudy was allowed to dress, although he had no expectations of actually getting playing time. However, he played in the final two plays of the game, one of which resulted in him sacking the opposing quarterback. His teammates rewarded his heroism by making him the first player to be ever carried off of Notre Dame's field. Since his days at Notre Dame a movie has been made about his story. Awards are named in his honor and he has a foundation for child advocacy. He constantly emphasizes what he calls "The Four C's". They are courage, character, commitment and contribution. Rudy definitely exemplified these concepts. He has given hope to underdogs and average Joes all around the world.

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While a hero is usually an individual person, there are often instances when a group of people rises up together to demonstrate a collective act of heroism. This idea certainly came to fruition after the Japanese attached American troops at Pearl Harbor. The generation of young people during that time period, raging from younger than 18 to older than 30, have since been labeled by many as "The Greatest Generation."

There are numerous reasons as to why this generation has been labeled the greatest. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is their heroic actions during World War II. After Pearl Harbor many voluntarily signed up to fight against those that attacked the United States of America. Even those who were drafted fought with bravery and distinction. The repelled the Nazi and Japanese armies on two theatres, Europe and the Pacific. Many of these men decided to fight because they knew it was the right thing to do. Upon returning home, they simply went back to their homes and went about their lives. They continued to work hard and did not seek praise from others because of their deeds.

While the soldiers of that era are the first that come to mind, there are still others who endured great sacrifice during that time period. Those who were left behind on American soil have just as much claim to the moniker of "The Greatest Generation" as those who fought in World War II. Remaining on the home front meant dealing with rationing of many household products to support the war effort. It also meant constantly worrying about the safety and wellbeing of your loved ones overseas. Women gained even more independence and responsibility during World War II. Instead of merely being relegated to the jobs of teacher, mother, or nurse, they needed to provide financial support to the family. Their husbands, fathers, and brothers were all fighting overseas so women began to have new openings in the workplace. Jobs that were typically reserved just for men now needed to fill vacancies and turned toward women to fill said vacancies. These female workplace pioneers paved the way for future advances in women's rights and workplace equality by showing that women can do many, if not all, of the same jobs that men can do. Those on the home front may have fought a less dangerous battle but they faced a battle nonetheless.

When soldiers came home they had the opportunity to continue their heroism. Instead of another battle to fight, soldiers waged war in the classroom. The GI Bill gave numerous veterans the opportunity to earn a college degree, an opportunity that may not have been available to them otherwise. Through this a huge middle class emerged in the United States, and individual soldiers bettered not only their own lives, but the lives of their families and most importantly their children. "The Greatest Generation" should be regarded as heroes because of the sacrifices they made, both on the battlefield and at home, and the ways they succeeded as a result of their circumstances, women in the work place and a college educated middle class. If it were not for this generation the United States would be very different from what it is today.

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