Quote:
Originally Posted by Taosman
Where have our heroes gone?  |
Not directing this necessarily at you Taos, just that your post struck a nerve that has bothered me for many years, more of a society thing. Looking to a group of professional athletes for "heroes" is exactly why this steroid era has blossomed, IMO.
If one needs to look for heroes, first look around one's immediate surroundings for the true day-to-day heroes, the unsung heroes. Good parents are heroes daily, a spouse who picks up more of the day-to-day runnings of the household when their spouse is going through a rough physical patch is a true hero. The firefighter or policeman who simply does his/her job daily is a hero. The neighbor who helps out with transportation of one's kids in a pinch is a true hero. Anyone during any era, who has voluntarily or unvoluntarily served their country is a true hero. I could go on and on about how each of us is surrounded by heroes daily, yet they go unnoticed because we too often look to the entertainment industry for "heroes".
Now when one looks to a group like professional baseball players as being the supplier of "heroes", said group of baseball players may feel somewhat empowered to abuse stuff like steroids. Why wouldn't they as they are being put on a pedestal by the media for others in society to worship, idolize, and hence make heroes out of.
Screw that [censored]!
My definition of what a hero is, of someone to admire and look up to, goes well beyond their worth on the playing field. One
can find "heroes" in the sporting world. Recently I have used Brian Robiskie as an example for my kids, not simply because of his success on the playing field, but also because of his success off the field, in the classroom.
Sorry to carry on about this, but this has been fermenting in me for at least 20 years. Now that I vented a little bit, I can go back to my classroom and focus some folks on the importance of polar coordinates.