Greedy Goblin

Friday, June 2, 2017

Holding out for a hero!

Have you ever wondered what could you do, if you'd become a hero, by getting into some unlikely situation that you can solve? Like discovering a big terrorist bomb and diffuse it by simply removing its batteries? Or hitting a massacre shooter in the head from behind with your suitcase? Or stopping a train before it reaches a collapsed bridge? If you did something like that, people would listen to you, you'd have a voice and make difference, right?

Wrong! Not because you'll never become a hero. Some people find themselves in such situations and solve it. Maybe the next one will be you. But people won't listen to you. It's easy to prove: do you know the political position of the guys who stopped the shooter on that French train?! Do you even know their names? Is the 9/11 veteran cops association an important opinion leader whose statements you regularly read? Do you know if the two guys who died fighting the Portland slasher were Hillary or Trump voters?

No, you likely have no clue. Me neither. Heroic acts are celebrated, but the men are forgotten. It's no wonder that cartoon superheroes are masked, this way the author doesn't have to write the awkward situation of Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne being ignored when their superheroism is not needed. The reality of the every days of a superhero would only fit in sarcastic comedies, not uplifting stories.

What people look up to instead the ones who risk their lives for them? Covfefe! This completely meaningless word got over a million posts, topped the twitter trend for a day with over a million mentions, after US president Donald Trump tweeted it as an obvious mistake. Instead of shrugging the nonsense off, people spent countless hours analyzing it. Because it "matters". As a funny - and inspiring - twist, Trump himself made fun of the term when he woke up and realized the mess instead of acting like it has some secret meaning (making Sean Spicer look like a fool once again).

Sorry, if you want to make difference, you just have to do it in tiny bits (hint: have you tried persuading people in a video game guild?). Not because you have no superpowers, but because it wouldn't help if you had.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

911 heros
William Rodriguez a janitor of the WTC, a hero. people listen to what he says. because he tours and make talks and writes books. some of the "911 heros" wrote books (cops, firefighters, etc) to get their story out. it is the question if the person wants to expand on the opportunity of all the attention.

masked heros
And I thought you learned "meta" in EVE.
they are an abstraction of lesser heros and lesser and lesser heros. they form archetypes. the more you abstract the godlier they get and more distance is there to them. in all of history.
Marduk eyes around his head and he spoke magic words and combines everything heroic at that time. fights of Tiamat the abstraction from many bad things condensed into the archetype (usually) portrait as dragons.
otherwise why would Hollywood pour millions and millions in movies that portrait archetypes and such meta? they have an actual god THOR in there somewhere.
for more meta, archetype and critical thinking, look up Jordan Peterson talks and interviews.

Sorry, if you want to make difference, you just have to do it in tiny bits (hint: have you tried persuading people in a video game guild?). Not because you have no superpowers, but because it wouldn't help if you had.
indeed. in the end the only one you can change is oneself.

bg. said...

Socials are drawn to the social competition like mosquitoes are drawn to a light...

they are envious of social status among their peers, know it is the best way to make a lot of money for themselves because once co-opted, no matter what your real skills are, you are in with the big boys, and look to be recognized to reach higher status. They can only do it within the social pyramid.

A true hero has a "social standing" that no social can ever compete with, and suddenly, this turn the true hero into someone that is "out of their league", so it is better to ignore/avoid what you can't beat...

On the other hand, sarcasm and mocking others is a well honed skills of socials (honed from youth/high schools) to use against others that do not fit the mold to make themselves feel superior, which their brain is wired for.

No surprises that these "social" mechanism of our species create the situation you describe...

Nielas said...

The Covfefe thing is easy to explain. Trump made a typo while tweeting. This was a very minor thing as far as Presidential gaffes go (Bush Sr threw up on a foreign head of state) and would have probably fueled late night comedy jokes for a day or two. However, then the Press Secretary went and publicly stated that it was not a typo only to be contradicted by Trump a bit later. While people are used to the White House lying to the press, this was such a trivial thing to lie about that it made Trump and his people look extremely pathetic. It was just a new low for no apparent gain that it fascinated people the way Gevlon is fascinated by "morons and slackers".

Esteban said...

Do you know if the two guys who died fighting the Portland slasher were Hillary or Trump voters?

Best was a middle of the road Republican while Namkai-Meche and Fletcher were men of the Left. I did know their names even before you asked, but I don't think that matters. Whether or not they voted for Trump, they opposed what he stands for with their actions. Strikes me as sufficient.

In fact, if Fletcher, the man who survived, decided to run for office on the back of his heroism, it would be awfully tacky and diminish him in my eyes considerably.

I think you're viewing this a bit too much through your own lenses of credit-seeking. To a more collectivist mindset, personal fame and recognition are not quite so important. The act has plenty of persuasive power without the names attached.

Provi Miner said...

depends doesn't it?

Kirk Gibson dodgers world series, Sgt York WW 1, Audry murphy WWII, Kennedy, yes most hero's are forgotten over time except by a few but some exceed that and become legend as well as Hero's. So maybe you are right maybe Hero's are nameless but legends are not.

Anonymous said...

Trump made a typo
the god emperor doesn't fail, it is a prophecy for those who believe.

Trees said...

Sully Sullenberger? Perfect example of a relatively unknown person turned modern day hero who's opinions are well respected. The difference is that he fits a narrative the mainstream media wants to sell. He checks every box, working man, veteran, (grand?)father, he even has the ability to fly that most people don't. It's easy to sell ad space when you're writing nice things about a guy that's so likeable. Those guys that stopped the train shooters probably haven't had interesting lives before they were heroes, so its hard to sell commercials when your only talking point is an accountant who wrestled a guy with a gun.

Gevlon said...

@Trees: I'm unaware of Sullenberger's positions on politics or social issues, despite I know well his actions. So yet again a hero with no further waves after the big heroic act.