Assignment 4-1

For Centuries there have been many heroes and celebrities. The Greeks had their Gods whose history still lingers, today we have comic book heroes similar to the Gods of the Greeks like Superman and Wonder Woman. The great thing of comic book heroes even though they are fictional they seem to give us hope. Superman is timeless since he first appeared in the DC comic in 1938. At the time he stood for Freedom, Justice and the American Way and no matter what costume changes he undertakes over the year his message is still the same.

The question is really why do all civilizations and societies create such big icons like Zeus and Superman? I think it's because there is always pain and troubles in the world and like God we look for someone to help us in our time and need. We love the struggle of Good vs. Evil. God and the Devil, Superman and Lex Luther, Batman and the Joker. Heroes do come in many forms and aren't just people with Superpowers. After 9/11 fireman, policeman and the military reached the highest amount of respect in their careers. Now people always viewed them as good to begin with but when they responded to the major attack and risked their lives to save as many as possible they became our Superman of today in the flesh.

The bad thing about being put on a pedestal is that people will view you with such greatness anything less than great your title of hero can be quickly stripped away. Cops are viewed as heroes and good until their is a scandal and no amount of saving they did will matter if a corrupt cop steals money or hurts a person they instantly go from being a Hero to being a Zero. This brings us to celebrities, there have been celebrities for a long time William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe. But like heroes they are viewed as being so much better than the average person but they too are held in such a level anything less than great can strip them of their celebrity status quicker than they ever achieved it. This was true for Brittany Spears when she was 17 she became an instant pop star overnight. Parents viewed her as a hero and a celebrity. She was going to abstain from sex till married, didn't drink or party, had worked hard for success. She was viewed as a great role model for a few years until it all fell apart. Probably due to the pressure of being in the constant spotlight. Brittany ended up losing her virginity to Justin Timberlake and they weren't married, she was seen partying with a crotch shot in the papers, shaved her head, beat a car with an umbrella. We are just as obsessed with fame and the good celebrities as we are with the scandals and drama. It's all like a bad train wreck, no matter how bad it gets you just cannot turn your head away.

So the question is why are we so obsessed with heroes and celebrities? The answer is that we are just a blimp in history and on the world. From space you can't even see a living person some people feel that way every day, invisible. So the thought of being loved by millions appeals to so many. We all want to be viewed as the best or amazing and don't want to settle for normal. I believe as long as people feel normal and invisible there will always be celebrities and heroes that we view above the rest. Of course this will always set so many of them up for failure. Reality TV has shown this more than normal stars, these people get instant fame for doing reality TV show, then are forgotten almost overnight. It's a chance for the normal people to be famous just like the Greeks had ambrosia which would turn them into a god. Our ambrosia is Reality TV.