Good and Decent Folks Should Choose Heroes Wisely

It's funny how we define heroes in our society. Not the “ha-ha” funny type, but more the strange kind of funny. Case in point: good and decent folks idolize television stars who spew insults and naughty curse words at each other on so-called “reality” shows that are obviously scripted. And even though they qualify as actors in a sense, in a strange way they are playing the part of themselves instead of some fictional character. Add to that the fact that ratings skyrocket for those shows where people become more and more nasty to each other and what we end up with is the line between reality and fiction being about as clear as the back window of a chicken farmer's pickup truck.

And for whatever reason, good and decent folks cheer when these “actors” make public appearances, treating them as if they had just discovered the cure for colon cancer. Visit enough chat rooms online and you will stumble upon other good and decent folks referring to them as heroes.

I really don't get it. I'm not saying they're bad people. That is another topic for another time. But what I am asking is how in the name of all that is good on the great planet Earth can society call these people heroes. Being a celebrity doesn't automatically make you a hero. Yet for many, heroes they are.

In the meantime the Dance Moms curse at each other and exploit their children; the Housewives of Whatever the Heck City They're In This Week backstab and sue each other; the Breaking Amish kids embarrass their respectable family heritage while they drink, smoke, and talk dirtier than a barroom full of sailors.

And good and decent folks cheer every time they show up in public, virtually worshiping them as heroes.

Don't twist my words here. I'm not against reality shows. Survivor is my all-time favorite, even though there's plenty of folks on the island who haven't played nice over the years. And I like how they pray at the end of Duck Dynasty. What I am concerned about is who we as a society admire and idolize.

Recently I had the privilege of attending a reception where a Medal of Honor winner was recognized. Joe Marm risked his life by sprinting through a hail of bullets during a battle in the Vietnam War to destroy a bunker, thereby saving countless numbers of his fellow soldiers' lives in the process.

My seventeen-year-old son made the comment on the way to the reception that he couldn't think of a higher honor than receiving the Medal of Honor. Well said. Risking your life to save others has to rank right up there with anything else.

After the reception, my sons and I hurried over to get our picture made with a true hero. Mr. Marm was quite the gentleman and engaged my sons in a conversation about the importance of education, which I thanked him for mentioning.

I suspect if Joe Marm were to have his own reality show, it wouldn't get very high ratings. Not unless he broke bad and created a feud with his neighbors or took to drinking at nightclubs while chasing around various scantily dressed females half his age. Or unless he dressed his little daughter in a tiara and encouraged her to break wind every two or three minutes while he and his wife gave each other wedgies without permission. (Okay, I actually like how Honey Boo Boo and her family members snub their noses at the establishment, but I don't consider them to be heroes or positive role models to my children).

If most people caught a glance of Mr. Marm in the airport, few would recognize the man whose personal courage saved countless lives. Most wouldn't even look up from their copies of Celebrity Magazine or whatever else tabloid they were reading to give him a second thought.

But my boys and I would. We would shake his hand (again) and thank this hero for his service. And I believe most good and decent folks would do the same.