American Heroes, World Heroes (under construction)

“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” - Bob Dylan


“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” - Joesph Campbell 


These two quotes combined present the essence of heroism: taking upon responsibility for a greater cause. The only variable in this equation is the cause; the extraordinary cause that one seeks has to be respected by a population in order for the defined hero to become their heroic figure. 


Because people are social beings and consolidate their emotions and identities through/into a group's, peoples throughout history have collectively taken upon a cause, or idolized a certain cause. The heroes of these peoples are those that have taken upon the responsibility of that cause, for whenever it existed.


There are universal causes heroes fight for: the protection of "innocent life", sacrificing for or defending the "virtuous" or "helpless", pursuit of "justice" for "criminals", and the similar 'conquest over "evil forces"'.  


These quoted phrases have different meanings to different peoples around the world, but these causes form the foundation for causes which mankind's heroes have striven to achieve.


What are the American causes?


We can extrapolate these causes from the three foundations, with the application of American culture and values.


Americans can generally agree that children and civilians are innocent - while nearly universal, this view is particularly entrenched in the United States, in the face of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, where slaughter of  citizens is not tolerated. 


Justice can mean so many things in world, let alone in America. Some Americans think of justice in a re-distributive sense; most think of it as equality under the law; all think of it as punishing people for their crimes. How Americans define 'crimes' starts to involve American culture and history more than anything. Our puritan-based values vilify stealing, lying, arrogance, rape, murder (when not in the name of God), superstition. Our nation, founded on ideas of liberty and the inalienable rights of man, arising from the American Revolution, vilify oppression and inequality. The helpless in American's eyes tend to be the poor, the widowed, the homeless/landless, the children, and in their own category, women. The evil forces in American belief tend to be the aforementioned criminals. However, the historical development of United States has produced certain "evils" that still ring in the minds of Americans today: the untamed frontier, hostile Native American tribes, Hispanics, Nazis, Japanese, Communists - essentially, the savageness of humankind and nature.


Thus, our heroes thus become figures that fight these savages, defend the rule of law and our puritan traditions, protect women and children, while remaining honest and humble. Firefighters, policemen, soldiers, the romanticized Cowboy, and the charitable, become our American heroes.


What about other peoples?


China during the 1960s, during the Cultural Revolution, desperately needed heroes. Heroes are inseparable from and actually form a sense of national identity. They give the population a sense of purpose, a cause based on the universal causes. The state searched desperately for heroes. Naturally, the personality cult of Mao and his fellow Part leaders become natural heroes - they embodied the ideals and causes of the nation - but were ultimately unrelatable to the everyday struggles and routines of common people. 

China found this hero in Leifeng - an army private raised by a Communist Party orphanage. Chairman Mao started a national campaign after his death to recognize Leifeng as the greatest national hero. Using staged photographs and a fake diary, the media/state claimed that he worked selflessly, lived modestly, defended the Chinese people, and served his national government. Chinese today still recognize Leifeng as the pinnacle embodiment of altruism and patriotism. His death, caused by being hit by an object from an army truck collision, occurred during service, and is thus seen as a national hero for sacrificing his life in service for the nation - making sacrifice for the good.