Back in the twentieth century there was a British punk rock song that repeated over and over again the claim that there were “no more heroes anymore”.
Calmer critics and social commentators have agreed that the age of the hero is over. In the past, people had heroes.
They were the most prominent figures in the public consciousness – people who had achieved great things, people who had done great deeds – proud, noble leaders and bold pioneers.
The myth of the hero, though, could not survive when public life came to be dominated by the mass media. The mass media killed off the heroes and replaced them with celebrities.
To become a celebrity what matters is not so much the greatness of what you have done but the exposure you are given in the media. The mass media is not solely responsible for the death of the hero.
A democratic culture also undermines the idea that certain individuals carry a divine spark and are therefore in a category superior to that of the rest of us.
No one deserves to be worshipped and there is a revulsion at the idea of bending the knee and kissing the hand of another individual.
Thank you.
