When I was 5, no one walked home from school in a normal way. The streets and
playgrounds were full of children taking elongated bounds in a weird slow
motion and talking to each other in strange crackling voices. The reason was
their admiration for someone who most had only heard speak a couple of
sentences – Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon. Armstrong was a hero,
as was Sir Edmund Hillary, who died this month. Their heroism came from
humility and from the recognition that there are some causes more important
than personal survival.
Hillary knew he might die on Everest. Armstrong put his chances of a
successful return at about 50 per cent. In disregarding themselves they
became more than themselves and more than us. Anyone thinking of what
Armstrong had done could not be too proud of their own achievements. To
paraphrase Dr Johnson, every man thinks meanly of himself for not having
been an astronaut.
We don’t see huge heroes such as Armstrong and Hillary today, not because
people lack the necessary fibre but because the times don’t create them.
There are still plenty of opportunities left where heroes might be made. The
problem is that no one cares about them any more.
Here’s a quiz. Name the two kayakers who paddled from Australia to New Zealand
this month. They were brave and their journey was arduous, but already they
are forgotten. Who was the first to reach the North Pole in the Arctic
winter on foot? Mike Horn – who also went around the equator without using
motorised transport. Who was the first man to stand on both poles and the
summit of Everest? That was Hillary, the feat invisible in the long shadow
of his previous achievement. Even the fact that Neil Armstrong flew with
Hillary to the North Pole to complete the set didn’t capture the public
imagination.
All the high-concept challenges have gone. Anyone wanting to break new ground
today faces the problem of finding something big enough to capture the
imagination of the public and of the sponsors who will make the trip
possible. Some of the things they come up with are silly – setting the
record for eating a formal dinner at the highest altitude – and some seem
almost reckless – climbing Everest and other murderous mountains in winter.
Yet who of us even knew that anyone had done it?
The problem the modern adventurer faces is that the reason for a lot of what
they do has gone. Raising money for charity provides a worthwhile but
slightly peripheral justification for some expeditions, scientific research
on the human body’s capabilities another, but it’s not visceral. It doesn’t
grab you like the burning question the Victorians, Hillary and Armstrong set
out to answer: “What’s there?”
Also, the world is smaller. One explorer, Tom Avery, fought his way to the
North Pole with a dog team just in time for a helicopter load of tourists to
hop out and take his picture. It must have been a bit depressing for him.
We don’t even produce war heroes today. Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq may
act very bravely indeed – even, such as Private Johnson Beharry of the
Princess of Wales’ Royal regiment, win the Victoria Cross, but they’re not
household names in the same way that Douglas Bader and Montgomery were to
the immediate postwar generation. They are heroic, but not heroes.
The historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, in his book 101 World Heroes: Great
Men and Women for an Unheroic Age, says that in failing to identify the
right heroes we are missing the opportunity to shape our society.
“The virtues of heroism are courage, tolerance and selflessness,” he says. “We
need to teach our children about that.” He says that it is harder than ever
for heroism to make an impact on the public mind as it once did. In a
culture of limited attention spans and the veneration of glitzy,
self-seeking celebrities, people become incapable of recognising a hero when
they see one.
“Today people are awarded hero status for doing absolutely nothing. A
good example was the Virginia Tech killing [in April last year]. There was
an enormous amount of coverage of the murderer and of the students who had
filmed it. They were portrayed as heroes. The old professor, the Holocaust
survivor who blocked the gunman’s path and was killed saving the lives of
his students, was by comparison ignored.” Professor Liviu Librescu was old,
dead and uninterviewable. His story could not compete with the images of the
weeping young witnesses. Even the story of John Coward (pictured left) the
senior first officer, who successfully landed the stricken boeing 777 at
Heathrow last week will disappear as soon as Britney Spears faces her next
crisis. And one couldn’t help but feel that the lionisation of John Smeaton,
who tackled terrorists at Glasgow airport last year, had less to do with
respect for what he had done than delight in the reinforcement of the tough
Glaswegian stereotype.
So who are our heroes now and what do they say about us? In a poll for Esquire
magazine last year, Gor-don Ramsay emerged as the most admired man. Ramsay
may be a talented chef but he is most celebrated for swearing a lot. Hillary
and Armstrong were mouse-like by comparison, but their achievements were so
much greater. How would Ramsay have coped on discovering, as Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin did, that the ignition switch on the lunar craft had been
sheered off, stranding the craft on the Moon? One thing is for certain,
shouting at the rockets to “get a f***ing move on” wouldn’t have done much
good. Armstrong and Aldrin calmly fixed the problem by short-circuiting the
switch with a pen. Have we forgotten how to recognise real bravery and
mistaken loutish assertiveness for courage?
Perhaps more interesting than Ramsay’s selection was the way the votes were
split. He was top with 17 per cent. It seems the Esquire readers
couldn’t really summon much enthusiasm for anyone in particular.
The lack of a clear hero may be less to do with the calibre of people today
than the nature of modern society. Professor Stephanie Barczewski, author of Antarctic
Destinies: Scott, Shackleton and the Changing Face of Heroism, says that
in the more unified culture of the UK before the 1960s we knew what a hero
looked like. He was middle or upper-class, self-effacing and understated.
Under the influences of immigration and social mobility, this has changed.
“The old style of heroism was actually mocked and derided during much of the
1960s and 1970s. People became more cynical, and it was difficult to see the
sort of context in which heroism could be expressed.” This, she says, may be
why sports stars have come to such prominence. Multicultural and from every
class, they are more suited to a society that has reshaped itself, abandoned
deference and fallen out of love with war.
The challenges they face are slight compared with those of previous
generations. The Australian cricketer and Second World War pilot Keith
Miller summed it up when asked how he handled the pressure of big matches.
“Having a Messerschmitt up your arse is pressure. Cricket is not.”
Some stars, though, are venerated less for their achievements on the field
than for their money. Roy Keane, manager of Sunderland FC, has complained
that players will sign for clubs with half the crowds and passion of his
Sunderland team just to be near London. The people the young footballers
admire are not heroes of sport but heroes of consumption. David Beckham is
far from being the world’s best footballer but he could stake a claim to
being its most famous consumer.
The American writer Susan Faludi sees this as part of a “feminisation of
celebrity culture” where stars are celebrated for their appearance and
fashion sense rather than the manly virtues of the explorer, warrior or
sportsman. She says that the virtues of craft, loyalty and social utility
are no longer respected, much less rewarded.
Barczewski says that in creating our modern heroes we have lost the idea of
heroic sacrifice. In an age where people weep when a fellow contestant is
expelled from a reality TV show, how are we to understand the stoicism and
motivation behind Captain Oates crawling to his death in the Antarctic in an
effort to improve his colleagues’ chance of survival?
However, all is not gloom. There are plenty of remarkable and admirable people
about. The challenge is for us to make them heroes, to allow them to inspire
us. The worldwide affection in which Nelson Mandela is held is cheering. The
Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi is heroic by any standards. Suu Ki, and
other heroes of the oppressed, however, are fighting a clear evil.
The difficulty for our society, lacking such definite lines, is to produce
heroes who will steer us where we would like to go – to thrill us into
seeing what is valuable and what is not. For the democratic and affluent
West the new heroes may not be pioneers in the jungle, the frozen wastes or
space, but where true heroes have always operated, in the terrain of
morality and decency.
The world idolizes celebrities. Commercialization and crass consumption makes it worse. Just look at Formula 1 and football.
dodjie, Quezon City, Philippines
It is well documented that the plight of the modern soldier has very much changed since in last century, military historians, such as Max Hastings, have well documented the wane of heroism, and the changing cultural attitudes as to what defines a hero.
Once upon a time a soldier had both the opportunity to look his enemy in the eye, and also know that his odds of surviving armed conflict were relatively good. However, the days of aerial bombardment have put pay to this and so the opportunity for real levels of heroism have become few.
We might also look at the likes of pioneers such as Columbus and Sir Edmund Hilary exploring the boundaries of our small planet. What made their particular escapades heroic was their ability to test man’s perceptions of what was achievable against expectations. Unfortunately now science has revealed a world which is very conquerable because of the expanding envelope of technology. Sport Science, nutritional science and physics tell us that it is possible to do incredible feats of human endurance, which seemingly many ‘explorers’ undertake on a regular basis. Running marathons across the African deserts are not an individual feat, but one taken part in by many.
In such a climate where risks can be calculated, the heroic value of endeavour is lost, and as such those that fail are seen merely as foolhardy and not brave. In our world of opportunity it people believe that since so many chose to climb Everest they can too, but would rather sit at home and put the kettle on and watch it on TV. And so heroes and endeavour are quickly marginalised.
Duncan, Wokingham,
'"Make no heroes," my father said'
- The voice of Ghanima from the Oral History, as quoted in 'God-Emperor of Dune' by Frank Herbert.
TJ Cassidy, Arlington, Virginia, u
'"Make no heroes," my father said'
- The voice of Ghanima from the Oral History, as quoted in 'God-Emperor of Dune' by Frank Herbert.
TJ Cassidy, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Laird Hamilton is a hero. he has pushed surfing to new levels and faced what truly are unimaginable dangers surfing 60+ foot waves on to shallow breaks.
hero
Vincent Ryan, kilkenny, ireland
Agreed, the attitude of society has shifted. Pointing to the 60's and 70's is relevant. The anti-war attitude that arose in response to the threat of nuclear war, and the unimaginability of a war that would end civilization shifted attitudes towards warriors. Rather than being looked up to as heroes, they were derided as immoral. It wouldn't do to recognize heroism among soldiers, so it had to be trivialized or ignored. Such attitudes remain very prevalent.
Second, the feminist critique of modern society has sought to replace masculine heroic models with models of heroism that, if not feminine, are not identifiably masculine either. Again, traditional masculine heroes of masculine pursuits are inconvenient for feminists, who would just as soon trivialize or ignore their value.
Third, a new focus on the successes of the challenged seeks to create new heroes among the intellectually and physically challenged. The proliferation of new "heroisms" devalues all.
Kent Charters, Midland, Canada
I think I'm old fashioned - a depressing thought given that I'm 31 - because I think in current language the words 'hero', 'heroism' and 'icon' are completely misused. Nowadays you are labelled 'heroic' if you do your duty, as Jenny from Oxford's father did. I'm not having a go at her - just saying that what we today mean when we use the words 'hero' or 'god' is quite clearly different from what they classically meant. And David Beckham is no 'hero', 'icon' or 'god' - just an dutiful ordinary bloke made good.
The dimwit popular press, moronic celebrity mags, and their debasement of everything just depresses me.
Mat, Brighton, England
There are many undiscorvered heroes, who are fathers, brothers, sons - men who are honourable, they care for their families, they work honestly. They may not climb mountains, go to war, but they fight their own personal battles with fortitude. My Dad is a hero. He was with my mum till she died, she became ill, he was father and mother to his children. He hid his own pain and helped so many others rather than himself. He could have run away with some young tottie, but he stayed and proved himself a husband, a father and a true man. I am sure there are many such men around. They are the everyday heroes. Godbless them all!
jenny, oxford, uk
In response to Bob Evans:
Your chart really brought it home to me. Where’s the opportunity for heroism when all our wars involve bombing the snot out of poor people, thousands of miles away, who are no threat to us whatsoever? We need to start a war with someone who’s:
1. Local
2. Armed
3. No, sticks don’t count. Armed like we are, with aircraft carriers and fighter jets and 500lb bombs.
Only then will we see the necessary rise in the number of people losing limbs whilst trying to save dying children.
John, London,
In my opinion, the kind of heroic aims and celebrations this article refers to, was always very strongly attached to national pride. In 2008, our country is just a fallen mongrel satellite state of the E.U.S.S.R, where anybody can come and suckle it before taking the earnings out of the country, all the while not caring a damn to learn about the history (because it has virtually been erased even within our own education system) of this once great nation, or to step outside of their cultural bubbles and learn about its people, or do anything for it beyond working to get a wage (and that includes many of its locally born inhabitants to). In 2008, our country is one riddled with cynicism, pessimism, depression, very shallow consumerism, pop star fixation, me me me, mistrust, lethargy, and worsening crime where you can't even defend yourself without risking jail. When people do heroic things for their country now, people are simply wondering "why bother?". Most of us find it hard to celebrate this nation now. Celebrate the personal achievement yes, but dedicating it to this fallen nation doesn't really whip up enthusiasm in most of us. Many people making heroic trips are usually doing it to boost their earnings somehow or get into the showbiz field, rather than dedicate it as the achievements of a "nation". That's the difference.
Andy, South, Britain
I agree. Those British Soldiers in Afhganistan and the Scot who jumped the terrorist last summer, are real heros. They are people to look up to.
Semper Fi,
Eric
Eric, Sussex,
There are plenty of heroes out there, but as the author noted, the press would rather cover Brittney Spear's next melt-down. Sells more media and caters to the average intellect and attention span of the audience.
Dalton, Toronto,
Could n't agree more with the article.
The site of David Beckham, in the World Cup, sitting on the sidelines bawling his eyes out while his team whimped out of the tournament pretty much somes it up for me. And this from the alleged captain. What a weakling but a supreme example of the modern "hero".
Why do we attach such imporatance to something as half baked as the Oscars - watching a string of people (who have achieved nothing of any substance) walk up to the podium and burst into tears on que? The media has created a cult of celebrity - people famous for being made famous no matter how inconsequential / irrelevant they may be.Two days ago was - dare I say - the anniversary of the defence Rorkes Drift. In reality a lot longer than 129 years ago.
Spike, Joburg, South Africa
The site of David Beckham sitting on the sidelines, at the World Cup, bawling his eyes out as his team (of which he was the "captain") whimpered out of the tournament is an abiding symbol of just how pathetic our worship of celebrities has become. 2 days ago was the anniversary of the defence of Rorkes Drift - in more ways than one a very long time ago.
Spike, Joburg, South Africa
You talk of war heroes not being acknowledged as such, but you can pretty much blame your own industry (i.e. the media) for this as it is more interested in lurid scandals involving footballers and coverage of Big Brother than genuine acts of selflessness. Your example of the Virginia Tech shootings is illuminating - the professor who sacrificed his life was obviously the hero, but the media only acknowledge the students who were on hand to film the footage that would later be used in the news coverage. Also, the fact that it is commonplace in coverage of football to refer to footballers as being heroes or heroic is frankly an indictment of our contemporary culture.
nick, brighton,
The heroes of today are those brave few murdered in the streets standing up to the tangible collapse in morality in the full knowledge that their families will have to watch the slime of society walk free weeks after being convicted. Heroism needs a base from which to grow, and the soil of modernity is polluted with the fetid stench of decay and abandonment.
We are not without heores, we are simply (as a nation) too busy making excuses for the kind of insect we should be stamping under foot.
Mike, Bristol, England,
Michael Hingston in Tortola is writing a biography called Gentleman Warrior due out in March . This is the story of an English Hero swept under the table by officialdom and politics I am too close to the subject to say who I am and the man himself would be mortified if he knew . Only to say there are forgotten and unrecognised heroes out there . I can only say my life has been enhanced by knowing one.
M M, Ipswich, UK
RE the Patrick Bateman comment.
Patrick - Bear did recover from a broken back and does love what he does. He was only TA-SAS which is not quite the same thing. A very little published fact. Not only that but he is a total premadonna and these days cares more about his celebrity than anything. He has fallen into the very trap and mindset that this article is vilifying.
There are many other heroes you could to that are far more qualified - Chris Moon for example.
Show a little backbone man!
Paul Allen, NYC,
Dick Huyt is in every way a hero, and I'm not ashamed to admit that aspire to live a life like his. His achievements? Being the best father he can be to his son Ricky. I think it deserves celebrating.
www.teamhoyt.com
El, Preston, UK
There are people who are heroes, it's just that they get ignored, in favour of the story of the second.
In time their efforts will be recognised, two outstanding sportswomen spring to mind; Nicole Cooke who has probably been the 2nd best cyclist the UK has ever produced (the other being the indomitable Beryl Burton); the other would be Ellen McArthur who's record must surely fulfill all your criteria for a true hero.
Alex Ball, London,
Where, indeed, have all our heroes gone? It would seem that to find civilian and non-combat heroes today, we have to look at the list of recipients of the George Cross (including its predecessors).
As the George Cross is the counterpart to the military Victoria Cross awarded for gallantry in combat, it is an award for those who of their own volition, and when they did not have to, stepped forward to put their own life and limb in jeopardy. Those heroes came from all walks of life, and (ranged from pensioners to school children as young as 13 and 14.
What is disturbing is to see that fewer and fewer whose actions have measured up to the George Cross standards.
1900-09 -- 2
1910-19 -- 31
1920-29 -- 25
1930-39 -- 91
1940-49 -- 183
1950-59 -- 18
1960-69 -- 7
1970-79 -- 11
1980-89 -- 0
1990-99 -- 3
2000- 4
(The war presented more opportunities for heroism.)
Is the Health and Safety Nanny breeding heroism out of the British character?
Bob Evans, Anaheim, California
Anna Politovskaya, the investigative reporter in Russia who was murdered for her work in October 2006 is a hero. Hans-Gert Poettering, the European Parliament President said that 'she was a courageous woman who fought for freedom of the press and of expression in her country." Investigative reporters are heroes today. They put their lives at risk and many have died for their efforts.
Theo Wilms, New Plymouth, NZ, New Zealand
when kids have everything they want what is left to strive for, when nothing is left to their imagination but is given to them in virtual reality, what is left for them discover. when death and distruction, chaos and ultra violence is normal play, how can something as simple as "that was good to see /to do /to share with " compete in this over complicated world.
steve, middlesbrough, uk
James Castrission and Justin Jones - top blokes
Sam, Brisbane, Australia
this is a good article.
the media really need to become more resposible. you know this so why not lead the way!!
michael, germany,
Depressing article.
Tina, Dusseldorf, Germany
You, the press are the main problem for the lack of heroes.
Take for instance Andy Green just over 10 years ago, the first man to break the sound barrier on the ground in Richard Nobles Thrust SSC. This should have been the spark for many days of celebration, with interviews of all the team, Engineering analysis, cutaway drawings etc...But no.
Still when Beckham farts we hear about it for days.
Thank you the British media!
Pete, St Albans, England
yes it could be the 'same' reason you forgot Tenzing Norgay who is the real hero of Everest Summit.
jamshid, london,
Heroes today, inventors today, leaders today; I suspect there are a great many but to promote virtue of any sort is an anathema.
To paraphrase, " the people get the heroes they deserve".
dave, chorley, lancs
Sir Edmund Hillary, known to us as Ed, had his State funeral today in Auckland.
How sad that not one member of the Royal family could make the trip to New Zealand for his funeral.
He was twice knighted by the Queen. No one in New Zealand thought the Queen needed to be there but was it too difficult for any one to have made the effort to be here?
A moment missed.
Gavin S, Wellington, New Zealand
Bear Grylls is my hero. SAS, broken back and an absolute love for his job, great entertainment!
Patrick Bateman, York,
You could start the comeback to better moral values by asking why this newspaper (for instance) filled a front page with images of Teresa Gorman and especially her shoes, when she was elected as something or other a few years ago.
Consigned to three pages in, occupying one inch in the sidebar that day, was an item reporting the beating to death in her own home of an eighty four year old woman in Sunderland, for the spare change in her purse.
I have no great expectation this comment will be published.
Frank. H, London.,