Leo D.M.J. Aurini - November 08, 2013


Heroism, and its Absence in Modern Culture


Episode Stats

Length

6 minutes

Words per Minute

111.95712

Word Count

745

Sentence Count

1


Summary

Heroism is missing from modern culture these days. Where has heroism gone? Has it been replaced with the comedic spectacle manifesting as heroism on the pro-social media and talk shows which encourage debased behavior for the sole sake of getting on TV and getting on national TV?


Transcript

00:00:00.000 heroism really seems to be missing from our culture these days doesn't it you know you take
00:00:13.680 you take the adventure movies for instance take the the recent tin tin movie which was surprisingly
00:00:19.480 good or the original indiana jones trilogy and in these films you've got a character that's
00:00:25.740 primarily an intellectual who's doing what's right who's going up against all odds and thinking his
00:00:31.240 out of problems and and yet it all seems pretty easy for him doesn't it it's a fun ride don't get
00:00:40.580 me wrong but you never really feel like he's against mortal threat there's a certain cartooniness
00:00:48.440 to the whole thing then then you got the action movies you got those those great flicks with guns
00:00:57.880 and explosions and helicopters but once again the action movie hero seems to lack a certain element
00:01:08.060 of heroism that this hero never really worries about anything it's always it's always a cocked smile
00:01:18.100 it's always uh dodging the bullet by some impractical physics he's never really at threat
00:01:24.600 you're there for the spectacle rather than to see the character overcome anything there's there's a
00:01:32.220 certain bruteness to the action movie hero isn't there and then and then the the genre that truly
00:01:42.320 begs for heroism you've got horror and in horror do we see heroes do we see bravery in horror movies at
00:01:51.200 all of course not
00:01:53.340 all we see in horror movies are vile little human beings turning against one another and deserving
00:02:04.760 the torture porn that eventually exists now heroism is almost entirely absent from modern cinema aside
00:02:14.160 aside of course from war movies which have a a very distinct and very isolated demographic which they
00:02:22.260 appeal to so i think we can safely ignore those uh it brings up the question where has heroism gone
00:02:31.680 why has heroism been replaced with this comedic spectacle manifesting as heroism
00:02:39.380 on the answer
00:02:43.380 heroism has been democratized
00:02:48.620 your modern hero is not the man who overcomes
00:02:55.300 it's not the the person that goes against all odds and does what's right even when the situation is hopeless
00:03:03.060 the modern hero
00:03:04.920 overcomes adversity
00:03:07.860 they overcome racism they overcome economic oppression
00:03:14.200 they overcome drug addiction
00:03:17.680 welcome to your democratic hero
00:03:21.120 hero the most vile of the vile the degenerate who managed to overcome their own foolish mistakes
00:03:30.460 modern heroism is oprah heroism it's the democratic heroism that we can all aspire to be
00:03:40.420 you too you too can be a heroin addict or a meth addict and overcome that and write a book about it and get on national tv
00:03:51.560 our modern heroes are just as degenerate as the the incompetence on daytime television
00:04:06.120 the the talk shows which encourage debased behavior for the sole sake of getting on television
00:04:14.780 be a screw-up
00:04:17.260 be a loser
00:04:18.180 be oppressed
00:04:19.720 be whatever
00:04:21.060 sort of failure you want
00:04:23.400 then you get to be on daytime television
00:04:25.480 then you get to be a hero
00:04:27.180 and what does that what does happen to the actual heroes what's happened to the actual people that sacrifice or overcome
00:04:38.320 or go against all odds what is happening to those people
00:04:43.380 well we mentioned action movies earlier didn't we
00:04:48.180 i seem to remember a certain austrian kid
00:04:52.820 fifteen years old he told his friends and family that he was going to be a famous hollywood actor one day
00:05:00.020 and they laughed at him
00:05:01.480 and so he moved to america
00:05:04.040 and he started bodybuilding became a world famous bodybuilder
00:05:07.760 then he became a world famous actor
00:05:11.180 universally recognized
00:05:12.880 and then
00:05:14.060 he became the governor
00:05:15.600 of that state
00:05:16.960 and what do we say
00:05:19.580 about
00:05:20.160 this this kid
00:05:21.560 from austria that went out and lived his dreams
00:05:24.380 well
00:05:26.220 it doesn't count because he took steroids for bodybuilding
00:05:29.540 oh what
00:05:30.660 what he slept with his
00:05:32.020 his maid
00:05:32.740 obviously he's a horrible person
00:05:34.960 he's probably privileged or something
00:05:36.720 he's not a real hero
00:05:38.460 he didn't really overcome
00:05:40.800 we celebrate
00:05:45.240 the basest
00:05:47.000 and demand constant apologies from all
00:05:51.000 while those that actually do something admirable
00:05:55.020 and actually
00:05:56.620 overcome
00:05:57.740 we say they're not a real hero
00:06:00.840 to be a real hero
00:06:02.620 you need to meet a standard that christ himself
00:06:05.900 could not achieve
00:06:07.660 but
00:06:08.760 these degenerates
00:06:10.860 that overcame being fat
00:06:12.600 that overcame suicidal ideation
00:06:15.340 that overcame race
00:06:17.200 these
00:06:19.120 these
00:06:19.840 these are the heroes
00:06:21.820 in our modern
00:06:23.180 topsy-turvy
00:06:24.460 upside-down
00:06:25.720 perverse
00:06:26.540 decadent
00:06:27.560 and corrupt
00:06:28.680 society
00:06:29.720 quite frankly folks
00:06:34.660 I don't mind it when I get called a villain
00:06:37.080 Irini out
00:06:39.220 Irini out