When we think of the word "hero," what comes to mind? The Avengers, the Justice League, Rocky, Simba or Harry Potter, maybe? Perhaps your hero isn’t fictional, but is in fact your parent, sibling, best friend or maybe significant other. To some it could be a soldier, doctor, firefighter or even a random stranger. However, what makes a hero an actual hero?
"Merriam-Webster" states that a hero is a person who is admired for great or brave acts, or fine qualities. So why is it that we have such distaste when some people are considered to be heroes? Why is it so wrong that Caitlyn Jenner received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage? More importantly, why do we hate a hero when we see one we don't agree with?
There was a commotion heard around the world when the ESPYs handed out the courage award to Olympic medalist Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce), a transgender woman. She had the audacity to do what she really wanted to do and become just that. Many people bashed her for winning the courage award, claiming she isn’t worthy of being a called hero, that she doesn't exemplify courage. Let us stop and think for a second what we are really complaining about. Receiving a piece of metal has no real significance over the lives these heroes are really saving. To this day, people are trying to figure out who they really are. Jenner has paved a way for people who are suicidal, depressed and ultimately alone out there. There is hope for them to know that the community is starting to stand up for their beliefs, maybe even if half the world isn’t on board, they know someone understands them.
So in receiving this award based on her “courage," she changed the lives of many who have been hated, degraded and socially unaccepted. Couldn’t that be classified as a heroic trait? Compared to the 5 percent average of the general population, 41 percent of people who identify as transgender have attempted or thought about suicide, according to The National Transgender Discrimination Survey Report. What if Jenner’s determination saved one life or 100? If someone has the power to mentally or physically help somebody by undertaking an act of bravery, is that not a hero? So people still question and belittle Jenner but why?
In 1976, Jenner (as Bruce) won an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon for the United States. Now people are trying to take away that medal by stating Bruce is gone, which is completely ignorant. There has been name-calling, threats, and people acting completely irrational at someone who is coming to terms with themselves.
WAKE UP, PEOPLE. Everyone has a distinct hero for their own reasons. Lauren Hill is a huge hero for battling against cancer while playing the sport she loved and raising money to find a cure. Did she need a trophy to be known as a hero? Did Martin Luther King, Jr. need a trophy to remind him that he helped pave the way against segregation? Do firefighters ask for recognition for saving families in danger? Do our soldiers need medals or awards to let them know that the things they do are some of the most courageous acts of bravery? Does any hero get upset if they do not win an award? Quite simply, the satisfaction a hero acquires is knowing they are changing someone’s world for the better. A hero does not act for rewards; a hero acts to improve life for others. There is no greater trophy.
What makes Superman a hero is not that he has superpowers, but that he has the insight and the maturity to use those powers to the benefit of others. What is a hero without love for the human race? You could save one life or a million, and regardless of the world’s eyes, to the ones you saved, you would be their hero. My mom and dad are my greatest heroes because I know the sacrifices they have made for me. To you, they may just seem like ordinary people. That is perfectly fine. Maybe your hero is an athlete or a model. Maybe they're a soldier or a nurse. Is it fair for me to tell you they aren’t a hero? It gets me nowhere in attempting to degrade who you consider a hero.
What does all this negativity really bring? You’re condemning someone else’s hero, fighting a role model who may be different from our everyday norm. Jenner may be the reason someone stood up and realized suicide isn’t the right choice. Does spreading hatred benefit your life? Does it make you feel in control by distributing such toxicity around others? What is really gained by putting down others? You gain the title of a villain and the whole world can see you for what you truly are. A villain is a symbol of hatred and wickedness. A hero is someone who symbolizes a better world for others. They put themselves in harm’s way so others can prosper.
Does the award at the ESPYs signify that no one else is as courageous as Jenner? Hell no. There are heroes who are keeping our country safe, heroes who wake up at 6 a.m. to provide for their family, heroes who sacrifice their time and effort to keep the world spinning. They come in all shapes and sizes, all different colors, genders and ages. The definition of a hero is someone who wants to help others in need. Jenner is putting herself out there, to be ridiculed and harassed, to show other transgender people that there is light at the end of the tunnel. So continue that hate for Jenner. You are hating someone trying to help others. A hero will always have to deal with villains, so choose your side and just know that the hero will always prevail.
“My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.”
― George R.R. Martin
