|
|
Jayne Spencer |
My son kept "action figures" (read: grotesque plastic dolls) under his pillow as a child--an ensemble of make-believe heroes and heroines with breast plates and weapons, incandescent hair and rotating heads that sometimes popped skyward. They "lived" in a dinosaur skeleton carrying case (sold separately) with a handle in the middle of the spinal column.
Patrick, I'd beg before lights out, how about sleeping with your teddy bear tonight?
No, he'd reply dreamily, I like to have my He-Mans.
So much for replacing the fiercely heroic with a gentle hero.
What he liked about those hideous action figures, I guess, had to do with ACTION--fire and light and a little boy's take on the possibilities of his own existence. They were, for whatever reasons, the right stuff for the times.
We Baby Boomers of the '50s and '60s harbored a mixed bag of heroic images from school and comic books and early TV: Buffalo Bob. Sky King. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison. Sojourner Truth. John Glenn. Ike and Elvis. Annie Oakley. Nancy Drew. Odysseus. Peter Pan and Mr. Greenjeans. Huckleberry Finn. Anne Frank. Superman and Prince Valiant.
In today's Home Pages, you'll read about classical heroes, personal heroes, pop heroes and everyday heroes. Over the long haul, the latter might be the most compelling. Everyday heroes have no easily defined field of battle; dress shirts and uniforms are far less glamourous than armor. And the car pool to work will never replace the splendor of a chariot ride. Still, the everyday hero makes his or her mark in the workplace, juggling the burdens of dailiness and routine and coming up with the best that the day can bring forth for themselves and those around them.
I'd like to draw your attention to a great new Nike ad you'll be seeing in next month's magazines:
"Does a hero know she's a hero if no one tells her?" the ad begins.
"A hero can be anyone who inspires you, anyone you look up to, anyone who cheers you on, makes you better than you were before--just as they made themselves better than they were before.
"Do you know a hero? Tell her. Then tell everyone."
It's not just great copy writing, that subliminal ad for footwear, it's sound--almost heroic--advice.
Editor's note: If you are looking for articles about your favorite IU faculty or staff hero, you can browse or search our "IU Home Pages" archives online at
http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/homepages/index.htm
Return to Table of Contents