* The hero is a "demigod, man of superhuman qualities; man admired for great deeds & noble qualities".
* The terrorist is one that "practises terrorism ~ a systematic intimidation as a method of governing or securing political (or other) ends.
* The idol is the "Image of deity as object of worship; false god; object of excessive devotion"
Upon further reading, I found out that an idol inspires you and a hero teaches you. Strong words.
Consulting Google for today:
A hero is a movie, a motorcycle company, an Enrique Iglesias song, oh and a Mariah Carey song. Ok, so this is clearly going nowhere. I decide to look up news stories containing the word "hero" instead.
This is the first headline that comes up:
Into the smoke: cowboy hero raced to save lives
(re recent bombings at the Boston marathon)
Wow!! Images of a brazen lonely cowboy riding in on his horse, just in time to save the townsfolk from mass destruction is the image that comes to my mind. I'm thinking major fires and he saves families and livestock. Ok, I'm a fan of romanticism, obviously a real cowboy isn't going to be saving families and livestock at the Boston marathon but you know what I mean.
Now to read the article....
Ok, so said cowboy is an avid Anti-War protestor (a little extreme at times but I like that). In a nutshell, he leaps into the injured crowd to help a man with badly damaged limbs. Both the cowboy and another man tie tourniquets around the injured mans legs. They found a wheelchair (this baffles me to be honest) and wheeled the injured man to an ambulance.
Amazing? Brave? Courageous? Yes, most definitely! What lovely people to help this man (who ended up losing both of his legs). Heroic? Hmmmm... I'm not sure.
Today, a terrorist is someone in the Boston area. Even images come up in the web feed search results. And yes, we know Osama was "killed" on May 2, 2011 but of course he is still the most well known of modern day terrorists. I'm finding links to possible targets for terrorism in Australia (are they trying to advertise?), an article talking about why bombings have been rare in the USA over the past decade (change is good as a holiday?). I'm a little confused. Best I head to the 'news' section once again. I will again, choose the first headline.
After the bomb, mass hysteria is the Boston terrorist's greatest weapon
Now this sounds interesting! To me, a terrorist is one that controls and/or kills many in an unruly rampage on the innocent. Mass hysteria, the perfect weapon for control.
Now this sounds interesting! To me, a terrorist is one that controls and/or kills many in an unruly rampage on the innocent. Mass hysteria, the perfect weapon for control.
Quote from the article: "Joseph Conrad's secret agent
declared that the bomber's aim was not to kill but to create fear of
killing. That is why the terrorist and the policeman "both come from the
same basket". The terrorist's achievement would be to generate such
fear that the police would be reduced to "shooting us down in broad
daylight with the approval of the public". Half his battle would be won
"with the disintegration of the old morality" – by which Conrad meant
liberal tolerance."
What a great article. Not what I was expecting, I have to admit. I was thinking it would be somewhat more generic and describing a Saudi male with a hatred for America. I stand corrected, although I wonder what my search results would have been had I written this last weekend. I'm not sure if the Boston bomber is looking to secure political ends, I will probably never know the reason. Who knows of the reason behind a madman? Really? It might be political just as much as it might be a narcissistic unstable character. Either way, not an ideal way to get your message across to the masses.
What a great article. Not what I was expecting, I have to admit. I was thinking it would be somewhat more generic and describing a Saudi male with a hatred for America. I stand corrected, although I wonder what my search results would have been had I written this last weekend. I'm not sure if the Boston bomber is looking to secure political ends, I will probably never know the reason. Who knows of the reason behind a madman? Really? It might be political just as much as it might be a narcissistic unstable character. Either way, not an ideal way to get your message across to the masses.
I decided to look up Idols and Heroes over the years.
2012
Idol - Loads of opinion pieces i this search about Olympians being Idols and film makers. Valid, I guess.
Hero - It was all about the Military working dog being a hero in 2012. I admit, I do have a soft spot for animal admiration
Idol - Loads of opinion pieces i this search about Olympians being Idols and film makers. Valid, I guess.
Hero - It was all about the Military working dog being a hero in 2012. I admit, I do have a soft spot for animal admiration
2002
Idol - Urgh.. first season of American Idol. If I look at Idolisation, I see stories about idolising sportsmen - a gateway to psychopathology (interesting), talk of idolising musicians & mothers. hmmm
Hero - A movie with the title Hero was released in 02 but I also found that a teacher in Conneticut saved her 20 students by putting them in a closest and praying (it kept them quiet).
let's jump back to 1982
Idol - It all seems to be about Billy Idol in 82
Hero - a passenger aboard Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed on take-off in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people. He was among the six people to initially survive the crash. His actions after the crash, handling the initial rescue efforts as a first responder, became a well-known example of extraordinary heroism, although it cost him his life. He did not know any of the other victims personally. In fact, his identity was not even known until some time after the bodies were recovered.
What about say... 1952
Idol - Elizabeth Taylor & oh, the birth year of David Hasselhoff! An idol of other sorts.
Hero - A movie with the title Hero was released in 02 but I also found that a teacher in Conneticut saved her 20 students by putting them in a closest and praying (it kept them quiet).
let's jump back to 1982
Idol - It all seems to be about Billy Idol in 82
Hero - a passenger aboard Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed on take-off in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people. He was among the six people to initially survive the crash. His actions after the crash, handling the initial rescue efforts as a first responder, became a well-known example of extraordinary heroism, although it cost him his life. He did not know any of the other victims personally. In fact, his identity was not even known until some time after the bodies were recovered.
What about say... 1952
Idol - Elizabeth Taylor & oh, the birth year of David Hasselhoff! An idol of other sorts.
Hero - tales of war heroes.
The Idol seems to have always been the celebrity and in 2013, that could mean you were booted out of <insert reality tv show> in the 3rd round. Not really people that inspire me. Each to their own I suppose. In this day and age of 15 minutes of fame granting Idol status to so many, I decide to label these forgettable idols as the "insignificant idols".
Heroes to me are amazing and rare individuals. I personally adore the war heroes. If I adapt the definition of hero to my own life, there have been many people and animals that have put others first, in the name of saving a life. It's a heroic act but I'm sure if it's heroism.
A hero is one that has earned the pedestal to which they are remembered upon. They are obsure characters that deserve the admiration for something they didn't do for the admiration (if you know what I mean). They fought for something important for all of us. An idol, is someone I admire wholeheartedly for their ability to stand up in the face of adversity. They main gain personal benefits from their acts however they are definitely people we can emulate and embrace.
A hero is one that has earned the pedestal to which they are remembered upon. They are obsure characters that deserve the admiration for something they didn't do for the admiration (if you know what I mean). They fought for something important for all of us. An idol, is someone I admire wholeheartedly for their ability to stand up in the face of adversity. They main gain personal benefits from their acts however they are definitely people we can emulate and embrace.
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