tits&tans for the Titans casually strolls on to the field, fieldglasses in one hand and Henry Fielding's in the other ... now where is Tom Jones?
747 words between the stars (OWC)
*****
A demigod amongst men
Where did all the good men go and where are all the gods?
So asked Bonnie Tyler in 1984. How sharply she hit the nail upon the head. And so it is today; a world, not full of inspirational role models and motivational idols, but rather full of over-paid, under-worked and over-entitled boofheads. How easy it would be to launch into a tirade about the good old days and about how, when I was a boy, there were politicians, athletes and stars who I could look up to and who I could place on a pedestal and be confident that they would not topple off. But I will refrain from digressing.
Instead I will begin to rant a little about a language point that has been rubbing me the wrong way for many years.
Working in the field of education here in China, and particularly within the realm of English language learning and teaching, my already sensitive-to-linguistic-inaccuracies ear has become highly toned. In an almost ironic twist of fate, the more highly-tuned it becomes, the more I have to ignore it to be able to cope with the daily assault of Chinglish (for the uninitiated, Chingish is a stereotypical form of English spoken by native Chinese speakers). I would give examples, but only have a few hundred words to spare.
But when reading international or home press, my standards jump back to normal. One word in particular has become so prevalent that it is time it is dealt with.
As Tina very well knows, we dont need another "hero.
Originally part of an ancient Greek cult, indeed the name of a mythical priestess of Aphrodite (a side language point here: if the original hero was a woman, why did we need to design the term heroine?), the term became synonymous with those who would fearfully face danger while displaying great courage and the will for self-sacrifice for some greater good.
In modern fiction, the term became used to describe an ordinary person living through and/or reacting to extraordinary circumstances.
Today, the word has been watered down even further, seemingly to mean, a popular or famous person in any field.
I doubt that Gilgamesh, Hercules, Rama, Beowulf or Sir Galahad would consider prancing around on a stage miming, nor claiming dubious expenses as a representative of the people, nor, even, charging headlong at a fellow human being to try to obtain an inflated pig skin as being heroic.
So often do headlines spew out phrases such as Team A working-class hero, Rugby League hero raises money for charity, and So and so the hero for wherever. Im sick of wanting to gouge my eyes out and have to sit on my hands to refrain from picking up the phone and shouting obscenities down the line at the imbecilic editor who thinks that because a well-known League player came from a working-class background and had to deal with a childhood tragedy, he is a hero, or that because a player uses his vast fortune to raise pittance for some hungry or blind children, he is hero, or that scoring the winning-try in a closely-fought game makes a player a hero. Come on!
In this uncertain world, in these black days of economic downturn, global terror, democratic apathy and cultural and moral blandness, dont we need true heroes? In previous years, sport used to provide a wealth of players for kids to imitate. Sure, there were those who embarrassed their teams with their off-the-pitch antics, but most were worthy of kids adoration, indeed some were even vaguely heroic. Today, what do we have? With the NRL desperately wanting to close its decade of shame, where cocaine, rape, sex scandals and the likes of Bird, Carney, Williams, Stewart, Gallen, Seymour, Laurie, Smith and Taumata so mired its image and left no doubt that there
really are no more heroes in this game, where does my son turn for his League inspiration?
So, in a plea to all those working in the field of journalism, sports reporting, editing or general punditry can you please just think before you use the word hero? Consider whether the player in question really has shown great courage and whether he really has displayed the will to sacrifice himself or a piece of himself for the greater good or did he simply play a great game or show some sensitivity or emotion on camera?
Im still holding out for a true hero
-v-
