Monday, May 9, 2011
From Age of Heroes to Age of Villians?
The recent media frenzy over the death of Osama bin Laden has generated a healthy, if contentious, conversation about the view we have of our villains and the emotions we feel at their defeat/demise. I am struck by a parallel to the conversations I have with students about The Apotheosis of Washington; not because Washington and bin Laden share any characteristics, but rather because of the way we as a society view figures of fame (or infamy). Specifically, I wonder if we are capable of having contemporary heroes in a meaningful way without abstraction, and simultaneously, are we capable of having villains without specificity (i.e. scapegoating).
While the necessity of anonymity in the case of the bin Laden mission is clear, the media coverage of the event, such as these reports from CNN and ABC, indicate a decided rhetorical difference in how we view heroes and villains. With the rapid and pervasive flow of information, heroes cannot maintain the illusion of perfection, while the flaws and crimes of villains are constantly illuminated. As a result, villains are portrayed in the form of specific figures, whereas heroes remain abstract and archetypal.
As Marti Weston considered in her intriguing blog post, bin Laden became a symbol of evil and fear akin to Voldemort from the Harry Potter series. Who in our society provides the corollary for Harry? Do young people find a figure to hold up as a hero as readily as they discover a villain? Our media attention is so thorough and invasive that no individual can stand up to the scrutiny without revealing some cracks in the armor.
Brumidi's Apotheosis of Washington provided a fair bit of hero-worship to a country wrestling with Civil War. In our classes, students are invited to consider whether they believe the figure is truly Washington, or merely a type. We consider the image in conjunction with images of Zeus from Greek mythology, as well presentations of Lincoln. Frequently, the consensus we come to during the exercise is that our heroes are always at their best when at a remove. The closer they get, the more human they become, and with that humanity comes imperfection.
Who will be the subject of apotheosis in the years to come? Or will the shift in media coverage permanently alter the dialogue about heroes and villains? It is vital to educate our students - not just in terms of talking about difficult or scary concepts, but about how we choose to categorize and interpret those concepts.
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Ask my son who his heroes are and he'll tell you Batman, Superman and maybe Ben 10...why do we "teach" our children that you have to be Superhuman to be a hero? Certainly, he has a 5-year old's sense of respect and awe for people like doctors, police, soldiers and teachers, etc. But does he view them in the light of potential heroes? Sadly, I don't think so and I take my share of the blame for that.
ReplyDeleteA wise person once told me that they preferred the superheroes from Marvel comics to their DC counterparts precisely because they were all flawed. Why should we expect our real heroes to be perfect when it is their very imperfections that make them relatable and hence more realistic role models for our children? I want my sons to grow up believing that ANYONE can be a hero despite their faults...that in overcoming their own challenges/flaws they are indeed acting heroically to become the best person they can possibly be. That's a story I'd read any (every)day!
My earlier comment disappeared when Blogger went down...Grrr!
ReplyDeleteHere it is...paraphrased.
Ask my son who his heroes are and he'll likely tell you Batman, Superman and possibly Ben 10. Certainly he has a 5 year old's respect and awe for doctors, police/fire, soldiers and teachers, but does he view them in the light of heroes? Sadly, I don't think so. I take my share of the blame.
When did he "learn" that you have to be Superhuman to be a hero? Television doesn't help, but I agree it is the scrutiny that we subject our idols to that tarnishes them so quickly. Someone once told me that they always preferred the superheroes in Marvel comics to their DC counterparts precisely because they were all flawed. Isn't it the imperfections that make real life heroes relatable, accessible and better suited to be actual role models? I want my sons to grow up believing that overcoming obstacles and personal flaws to become the best person you can be is in itself a heroic act. That's a story I'd read any (every) day.
I think Mardi Weston's point re: Bin Laden as Voldemort is good, but those of us who are in our thirties could probably make a more precise analogy, that of Cobra Commander from the old G.I. Joe cartoon. When Bush whipped it out post-9/11 and went after "terror" all I could think of was that he wanted to stop Cobra or something because he cheapened a very complex political situation by more or less making it a cartoon.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the closer you get to our heroes, the more flawed they become. I live a few miles from a university where the words "Sally Hemmings" might get you a few dirty looks, after all. And of course, we need that.
BUT ... we also need symbols. To follow along with the comic analogy, I think the Marvel Universe's heroes are appealing because of their flaws and because Lee/Kirby created characters that people could relate to. Spider-Man, for instance, is a regular kid who gets powers. Bruce Banner deals with a demon within. Matt Murdock is blind but his other senses are heightened.
When you get to DC, you don't get that as much with their big heroes. Out of the big three, Batman tends to be the most flawed and Superman and Wonder Woman tend to be the most "super." There have been plenty of stories that show them as "flawed," but for the most part at the end of the day, Superman does things because they are the right thing to do and Wonder Woman stands up for women in a man's world (I'll leave William Moulton Marston's various fetishes out).
I am not one for black and white views of the world and I do appreciate complex characters; however, like I said, I see the value in the "S" and in a princess who doesn't work for seven little people while singing "Someday My Prince Will Come." Because they might, as characters, go through trials and tribulations and even die and come back but at the end of the day what they represent still means something.
As much as we need flaws and complexity, we still need awe and feats of strength because that is what keeps our sense of wonder sometimes.
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