Rebeca Clay Everyday Heroes Analysis

The idealistic heroic figure is the foundation of moral values and genuine deeds. A hero is a person in one’s life whom is commended in greater admiration than the average civilian. Throughout history, there has always been heroes, whether famous or not, who stand out among the crowd in a positive way. Good and bad people in the world all have at least one individual who inspires daily actions and decisions that mold the person they desire to be. Mankind needs heroes to ignite the flame of inspiration and aspiration to rise above the mundane endless craving for immoral power and seek the essential social progression.

Every person in the world depends upon some form of an inspirational constituent to provide guidance in their day to day life.
Habits are developed from those we associate or compare our lives to, and, “our heroes are symbols for us of all the qualities we would like to possess and all the ambitions we would like to satisfy” (LaBarge 2). Mankind often commends those who retain physical and emotional character traits that match those of an aspirational level. Furthermore, people subconsciously choose heroes who demonstrate desirable qualities that are currently non-existent in their daily lives. This can be explained by the constant desire to obtain what one does not have, which is not always a bad thing when the qualities are commendable. In Homer’s, Odyssey, Odysseus describes the tales of his travels to the Phaeacians, then he was, “finished and all were silent as if spellbound in the shadowy hall” (Homer 148). When Odysseus had completed his story, all were amazed by his dangerous and inspiring adventures in efforts to return to his family, causing the Phaeacians to feel inspired and morally compelled to help Odysseus return home. People need heroes to increase the optimism that everyone can be as courageous and strong as the next person. Societal function depends upon the stories and lifestyle choices of extraordinary role models to inspire others to be better.

During adolescence, children are taught the values of heroes and the importance of a strong, independent role-model.
Leppien-Christensen, in Rebeca Clay’s “Everyday heroes” article explains the importance of teaching his son a lesson: “’I really wanted my son to see that it’s a social obligation to intervene when we can’” (Clay 5). This fortunate young boy’s father began teaching his son, heroic qualities from a young age in order to instill in him the power to change the world. If he had simply ignored the biker, his son would have been falsely under the impression he should not bother himself to check on someone hurt on the side of the road. No matter the age of a child, the lesson of what is right and wrong should always be taught. The philosophy teacher, Scott LaBarge, believes that, “it is our job to tell the stories. Tell your students what a difference people of courage and nobility and genius have made to the world” (LaBarge 9). Without valuable lessons of genuine behavior, the world would be consumed with many horrible, inconsiderate people lacking a higher moral code. The value of learning to be a selfless and caring person should be as important and easy as learning basic life skills. However, mankind often fails to teach their children to stand up, resulting in citizens who remain hushed in difficult
situations.

Heroes fill the void that bystanders simply choose to dismiss, but also provide guidance to enable citizens to reiterate commendable actions. More often than not, people obtain the bystander role in a community, choosing to watch and not help, which is effectively defined by Rebecca Clay in her “Everyday Heroes” article: “bystander effect- the tendency to watch and wait for someone else to act during a dangerous situation” (Clay 1). Bystanders are the opposite of heroes in a sense that heroes feel compelled to defy the implied social norm of remaining passive. Heroes come from all walks of life, no matter the circumstance, and they fight for a cause important enough to risk an immense cost, even if this cost includes physical or death. Even in literature, this concept is incorporated to represent society's role in controversial issues and crisis. In Sophocles’, ‘Antigone’, Antigone confronted Creon on the timidity within his people and that, “they share.. [her] views, but they keep their mouths shut just for.. [him].” Antigone denied the silence of the people and disobeyed the king, Creon, attempting a proper burial for her brother. Heroes do not always acknowledge the rules in order to accomplish a long term goal that would not usually be possible. Without heroes, the world would become a conformed place controlled by those without the best intentions at heart.

Power is a dangerous craving that should only be indulged by the most courageous and tenacious individuals capable of providing justice, such as heroes. As proven by Philip Zimbardo in Paul McLeod’s “Stanford Prison Experiment” article, he has discovered, “people will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play, especially if the roles are as strongly stereotyped as those of the prison guards” (McLeod 4). Given the choice between right and wrong, people will consume themselves with power and scour to receive more and more, most often choosing wrong. During the hero project, by Philip Zimbardo, some men were assigned the power position of a police officer at a prison, and abused their power to torment the unfortunate prisoners, merely exhibiting a glimpse of how the world would react without heroes. On the contrary, with the right training and exemplary behavior from a role-model or hero, “everyone is a potential hero by engaging in daily habits of promoting the social good- as heroes in training” (Clay 3). When the world is in crisis and tragedy begins to occur left and right, that is when heroes rise to the occasion. They spark courage in people to serve others outside themselves and contribute to the further development of a properly functioning society. Heroes shine light in the dark shadows of evil.

Society’s dependence on daily life heroes is often dramatically dismissed, also resulting in daily functions lacking excellence.
Mankind has grown accustomed to the beneficial factors from having tireless advocates representing any cause. The administrators of the Barron Prize for Young Heroes conducted research to discover which heroes teenagers would identify with, “and only half could name a personal hero. Superman or Spiderman were named twice as often as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, or Lincoln” (LaBarge 2). The heroes who are most often recognized for valiant work are those belonging to cartoons or fictional stories wearing capes and rescuing the entire world from an extraterrestrial invasion, not the everyday heroes in society today who risk their lives to ensure a brighter future for generations to come. Without the heroes intertwined within our daily lives, tasks would come with greater difficulty and safety would not be as blanketing as it is today. People often take safety for granted, assuming it is a right, not as a privilege. Malala Yousafzai is one of the world’s daily life heroes, providing advocacy and constantly putting others needs in front of her own, such as noticing a lack in political strength for her country: “’I would like to be a politician. Our country is full of crisis. Our politicians are lazy. I would like to remove the prevalent laziness and serve the nation.’” (Vanity Fair 14). Yousafzai is aware of her country’s needs and plans on fixing the
issue without expecting recognition, which she will most likely not receive to its fullest extent. In daily life, people will often not even realize heroes already a part of their life brightening and making each day better.

The world needs heroes in order boost the economic function and popularity of businesses and products. The population today feeds off of the daily gossip and news story so often that even the government and highly respected organizations will advertise individuals as heroes: “our leader’s opportunistic use of heroic imagery for short term political gain, and by the Pentagon’s stories of glorious soldiers like Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman that- by no fault of the soldiers involved – turned out to be convenient fabrications” (Labarge 3). Society needs heroes, not just for moral and motivational reasons, but also for economic reasons. Whether it be for a news company or retail company selling goods or services, heroes used to advertise product can be proven to increase sales and popularity because of society's ultimate trust with respected role-models. Mankind’s dependency on heroes to advertise what is “cool” has become such a major factor in the economic world. People tend to ultimately trust heroes, and “the tendency to rely on others to interpret a situation can stop people from responding to crisis” (Clay 2) or even creating decisions based on personal needs, not wants. Although mankind needs heroes for emotional and psychological purposes, they provide financial benefits. Heroes bring brand credibility and larger audiences to increase sales and profits.

Mankind as a whole relies on many daily functions and roles in a community, but none as important as a valuable role-model to guide and exemplify one’s ideal lifestyle. Heroes inspire people to be the best version of themselves and become a greater more outwardly focused person striving for the greater good. Life-long values are taught to children with the use of a hero or role model to demonstrate the possibility of achieving greater things. Heroes also dare to defy the apathy of the average citizen and refuse to be a mere bystander when help is needed and the rest of society simply turns the other way. Leaders possessing heroic qualities manage great deals of power without the abuse of that gift, leading society into a greater tomorrow. However, heroes are not only well-known and highly advertised individuals, they can be personal role-models who help others and the community while putting the needs of others ahead of their own gain. Despite the importance of daily life heroes, society’s economic function relies on the advertisement and commercialism of highly respected and recognizable personalities possessing large fan bases. So indeed, mankind cannot function without those who lead us to a better functioning society that is focused on the ongoing progression of human development.