Where are our Heroes?

       While watching the Will Smith film Hancock last week, I came to realize a significant pattern that has been developing since the seventies, begining with gritty and raw NY-style films like Dirty Harry, Dog Day Afternoon, and of course Scarface; the belittleing of the traditional hero for the anti-hero.  While this makes for more interesting subject matter for media, I have to wonder weather or not is has any effect on the way it's viewers digest media and in the big picture, the world around them.  With more cynical approaches, insulting interactions, and a general disregard for the wellbeing of others, the law, and morality, is it possible that people are absorbing more of this attitude and living it out in their own lives?  While media can never be proven to directly cause people to go out and do something that appalling, I believe that the promotion and glorification of the anti-hero can only lead people to take a more selfish approach in their own lives.
       Throughout the corridors of history and back as far as we can document, storytelling has been a quintessential element in the game played for human survival. As our original form of escape, after a long day of running down wild animals, people sat around a fire and shared their favorite tales. They could awe, inspire, or excite but usually came with elements of all three, tied together by a fantastic weave that continues to expand and change as our ideas about society change. While we all know that the truths are only halfs, we still accept them as having some connection to the real world, applying them in this way or as an example of that. But our classical application comes when we take the principles of our main character and try to make them useful by bettering our daily lives and the lives of those around us. From stopping to help someone while they change a tire to standing up in court to testify against a wrongdoing, we all see a little bit of that hero in ourselves when we do something for that sake of good. While it can lead to unrealistic visions of what our society (and even reality) is like, I think that we need to bring back the more traditional hero character to continue this mythology of inspiration and glorifying righteous actions. While a true story can never fully reflect reality, it seems that if it can inspire more people to get involved outside of their own realm of benefits, then we will see a more cooperative, and overall less corrosive, society.

      We know from cave paintings that documenting one's accomplishments has a greater benefit than simply keeping track of hunts, trade, and goods: Cave paintings that have been discovered across the globe have shown consistency in a cogent train of thought and a basic story outline. These stories vary depending on where you are (and when you are there) but all storytelling begins the same way One person, or group, against waves of bloodthirsty animals, fighting for the survival of humanity. But as we develop into more sophisticate and conscious people we find that our stories, and even subject, continually shift. And after millions of evolutionary changes, both with our bodies and ways of thinking, our current idea of what a “hero” is has been forced to develop as well. Some may claim that there are plenty of examples of what a traditional hero is in our storytelling, but in modern mass media, we have almost made a complete shift to the anti-hero.

         The anti-hero shares a stronger connection with the audience for one basic reason: in the past, most heroes were, in some shape or form, invincible. Many had some weakness, but it was always beyond their control when they came into contact with it, and weather they were escaping the clutches of a mad scientist and his laser-equipped sharks, or simply riding off into the sunset with a “thank ya ma'm”, our parents idea of the heroic figure was drastically different from what we now envision. Even many of the iconic media characters that transcend the realms of any one generation have seen the evolution into this anti-heroic role: Batman and James Bond have both been re-scripted in the last few years to show them to the audience as more fallible, human characters with their own hardships, and personal troubles. But the anti-hero has to have one self-imposed restriction that leads to lots of personal conflict, and when modern media hits, is it ever hard. Take for example the new FX show, “Terriers” that premiered this quarter; and ex-cop and an ex-junkie team up to do private detective work as they get their lives on track, and in the first episode they plant a gun on a not-so-innocent man for a crime he did not commit. As they are leaving, they actually discuss the purity of their actions and in a few moments, decide to shrug off a long day and go get a drink. This is another a modern crime drama that makes the clear statement “hey, if you want to get anything done, your gonna have to break any rule that gets in your way”.

         Heroes have always played an integral role in shaping who we are and how we as a society view ourselves. They make decisions in idealized or melodramatic situations that force even the most considerate characters to rethink their position. In doing so, they help everyone who views it because when we see hard choices being overcome by good and righteous decision making, we get a taste of how rewarding it can be to make the best of your situation; lemons into lemonade if you will. The more we expose ourselves to people who always break policy, live life impiously, and care nothing for the value of others the more we should expect to think this way. And when we never see the joys and benefits of hard work heroized on television and in film, where will we get this drive to work harder and make more of (and for) yourself? And more importantly, when everyone is just looking out for number-1, what is going to happen when all you need is an extra hand's strength for a few seconds; will there be one there to provide you a much needed hand? We need to reignite the fire of our traditional hero stories, so that the next generation doesn't lose sight of what it means to do something out of the kindness of your soul: It is important in this modern world to show as many people as possible that there are still souls out there that hope to live in a more communal world one day, and dont mind a little personal sacrifice in the meantime. I think we all really want the same basic things out of life and while changing our cultural views of heroism wont solve all the issues, if we all did a little extra to help out, then I think we would be living in a more secure social structure that would be bound by much tighter connections, even to strangers.