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Heroes
Reading the local paper the other day, I came across and article about the current baseball players and steroids problem. The article itself wasn't what bugged me, as I've no interest in any sport-related drugs except those given to horses. No, what bugged me here was the term used to describe these players. "Heroes"
Why did it bug me? probably because I have a problem with the usage of the word in modern times. The hero should not be just anyone-athletes, all members of the police/fire departments, etc. A hero should be someone who goes out of their way to do things that normal humans wouldn't.
Maybe this is a result of a long-standing long of fairy tales and folk lore. These stories had people who, in their larger-then-life stories were real heroes. Granted, of a decidedly mythic proportion, but a good basis for the idea nonetheless. Andrew Lang's Colored Fairy Books* (there are thirteen of them, counting the Arabian Night's Entertainments) are still some of my favorite anthologies of all time. There's a wide variety of stories from all manner of places, wonderfully retold. Granted, the heroes contained in these books are not of human proportions-dragon slaying, breaking spells, going on impossible quests-but they still provide a basis of what a hero should be. Someone who goes out of their way to do things that the majority of people either will not or cannot do.
terming these baseball players "heroes" just goes to show how much this term has become devalued. What heroics have these players accomplished? A record number of home-runs? That's something that will be broken in time. And hardly a mythic achievement to boot.
Granted, dragons aren't exactly easy to find, and slaying them isn't in your best interests. But that's no reason to devalue the term. It simply means that the label needs to be changed with the times.
*Red, Blue, Yellow, Brown, Grey, Lilac, Crimson, Violet, Green, Olive, PInk, and Orange are the colors.
Why did it bug me? probably because I have a problem with the usage of the word in modern times. The hero should not be just anyone-athletes, all members of the police/fire departments, etc. A hero should be someone who goes out of their way to do things that normal humans wouldn't.
Maybe this is a result of a long-standing long of fairy tales and folk lore. These stories had people who, in their larger-then-life stories were real heroes. Granted, of a decidedly mythic proportion, but a good basis for the idea nonetheless. Andrew Lang's Colored Fairy Books* (there are thirteen of them, counting the Arabian Night's Entertainments) are still some of my favorite anthologies of all time. There's a wide variety of stories from all manner of places, wonderfully retold. Granted, the heroes contained in these books are not of human proportions-dragon slaying, breaking spells, going on impossible quests-but they still provide a basis of what a hero should be. Someone who goes out of their way to do things that the majority of people either will not or cannot do.
terming these baseball players "heroes" just goes to show how much this term has become devalued. What heroics have these players accomplished? A record number of home-runs? That's something that will be broken in time. And hardly a mythic achievement to boot.
Granted, dragons aren't exactly easy to find, and slaying them isn't in your best interests. But that's no reason to devalue the term. It simply means that the label needs to be changed with the times.
*Red, Blue, Yellow, Brown, Grey, Lilac, Crimson, Violet, Green, Olive, PInk, and Orange are the colors.
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Well said.
And yet another reason I like horse-racing. If I'm going to look up to an athlete, I'll take a jockey any day. They've worked veryhard to get where they are (the top ones) and they have to actually work to make money. (You don't win, you'll get paid, but nothing more then a small token sum.)
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And now their world is shattered with steroid use. How sad.