Heroes are necessary because they set standards and reinforce societal values, argues Edelstein, associate professor of sociology at Towson State (An Unacknowledged Harmony: Philo-Semitism and the Survival of European Jewry). He believes that national heroes such as those who inspired citizens in the past?Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Babe Ruth, for example?no longer exist in the U.S. In rambling and uneven academic prose, he first describes heroic types, including those from the worlds of sports, politics, entertainment, the frontier and the military, then offers reasons for their demise. Edelstein maintains that the cynicism dating from the Vietnam era, the disappearance of the notion of individual responsibility, the growing influence of the social sciences and the decline of romanticism, among other cultural changes, have contributed to the lack of heroes. An addendum on why there are so few female heroes lacks clarity and a cohesive analysis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Towson State University sociologist Edelstein argues that changes in U.S. culture and social structure since World War II have made it impossible for individuals to win recognition as truly national heroes. Edelstein examines the arenas that have traditionally produced heroes (the military, sports, politics, entertainment, the West, and so on) and suggests those arenas no longer produce national heroes thanks to changes in values, bureaucratization and complexity, greater heterogeneity and emphasis on differences, and the media's "tell-all" approach to all who achieve any visibility ("the hero existed best when no one looked too closely at who he really was" ). Americans still want heroes, as their reaction to victory in the Persian Gulf demonstrates, but Edelstein urges that only trivial celebrity-heroes, local heroes, and temporary heroes can develop now--and that these limited icons are probably healthier than "the false hero, who diminishes us as the true hero would elevate us." Includes interesting addenda on why U.S. women have won only limited recognition as heroes and on the effect of "youth" domination of popular culture. Mary Carroll
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