THE NEXT LOS ANGELES / TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION : Values : How do you teach your child values when it’s on the list with ‘find another job,’ ‘get some sleep’ and ‘do the laundry?’ : Heroes of the ‘Net
One of the comments about the often-maligned Generation-X is that its “heroes” are somehow dubious, not measuring up to those of previous generations. Over the Internet, The Well, and other computer bulletin boards, The Times conducted a highly unscientific survey of the X-ers, asking people born after 1960 who they regard as heros--or jerks--and why. Some of the actual respondents noted that heroes are few and far between, but drew names from earlier generations such as JFK, FDR, or Mother Teresa. Several mentioned their own parents or adults who had been close to them.
Many complained in colorful language about our wording and methodology, suggesting we ought to leave the building more and interview real people at campuses and coffee houses.
We’ve left their spelling intact.
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“I believe a true hero is someone who does something completely selfless to banafit (sic) another or several others . . . . I feel Paul Newman, actor and founder of Newman’s Own is worthy of this distinction. A really succesful (sic) endeavor that could make him richer is pumping funds into non-profi orgs.”
--JForde @aol.com
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“I don’t have any one hero or heroine, but rather a number of people who I look to as having something I’d lke to have--a more caring attitude towards people, a little less cynicism. Most of these people are personal friends of mine--I trust better those who I know, rather than some form of media image.”
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“Richard Branson (Virgin Airways/Virgin Records/etc.) he’s the original poor-boy-made-good, and has served as an inspiration to me, let me know that it IS possible to make it if you work hard . . . “
--mentat@sefl.satelnet.org
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Stephen Hawking, “Because he broke the paradigm.”
--cynsa@well.sf.ca.us
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“I don’t have any real heros, although I have a lot of respect for some people such as Mother Theresa, Alice Cooper and Tim Allen.”
--fringe@netcom.com *
“Heros: Ghandi, (Martin Luther) King (Jr.). They had courage of conviction even in the face of severe, powerful opposition. Jerks: George Bush, Bob Dole. They seem more interested in smoke screen, blame, obfuscation, and impeding others success than contributing anything positive toward solving problems.”
--hugh@ccss.com
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“Heroes are extraordinary peopel who display qualities that conform to my own sense of rightness or goodness. They are role models but not objects of worship. They may be fictional or real, sometimes the difference is minimal. Since every human is perfect and yet defective, the choice of attributes is often arbitrary. Some of my personal heroes are: Aryton Senna, Albert Einstein, Emma Goldberg, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. The Dalia Lama. Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry. Neil Bohr. Isaac Newton, Copernicus, Leonardo da Vinci. Alan Turning, Madam Currie.
--(ptbast@owl.wpi.edu
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“I’m afraid my heros are all mythical or fictional. While I was a manager, I modeled my behavior after Capt. Picard (of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). Real people are scrutinized too well by the media to be both well known and more than human.”
--raf10@juts.ccc.amdahl.com
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Bart Simpson, “because he finds freedom in a restricted world.”
--pete@ice9.com
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Heros are “the people who make a (mostly positive) difference, those with values or morals or brains I can look up to. Bill Gates is that, so is Stephen Hawking and Martin Luther King Jr.”
--rlm@helen.surfcty.com
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“Heros are few and far between these days . . . . They used to be sports stars, or people of respect, astronauts, movie stars, hell, even politicians. Now it seems like everything is corrupted. . . . Cynicism is the name of the game today.”
--an042@yfn.ysu.com