Marshal Matt Dillon, Captain James T. Kirk, James West, Napoleon Solo, Steve McGarrett, and the Cartwrights, were some of my heroes as a boy. Maybe they were some of yours too if you grew up in my era. But as I survey the current times , I have to ask: Where are the heroes for boys to emulate?
As a typical American boy , who still happens to be black, I grew up watching these fictional men of action and no, I did not feel slighted because they didn’t look like me (sorry, liberals). These characters gave kids like me a sense of escapism and,I guess, confidence. Why ? We knew our heroes would win by the end of an episode.
Kids need that sense of security in their formative years that good always triumphs over evil. Having this innocent certainty informs their worldview and contributes to their sense of right and wrong. This is just as true now as 50-60 years ago.
Many boys in this era grew up imitating their favorite tv hero. It was nice as a boy or teenager to always have that question in the back of mind: “What would Marshal Dillon do?” “How would Captain Kirk handle this situation?” Maybe it sounds a little funny, but you get the idea.
The message to young boys and men in those older shows was an important one: one man can make a difference. That was true on fictional television and was once widely believed in America.
Prime time tv shows certainly do not feature heroic masculine lead characters, nor any adventurous escapism. Viewers are watching shows featuring “modern” situations, featuring ensemble casts where men are clearly not the masculine archetypes of yesteryear.
In the last 25 years ,the only masculine alpha-males featured as lead protagonists are antiheroes in shows such as Breaking Bad, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, The Sopranos. That’s right , drug dealers, serial killers, outlaw bikers and mafia wise guys: certainly not role models.
What’s the commonality of these antiheroes? That’s right, they’re all white males. Coincidence? You tell me.
Since the dawn of time, boys and young men thrilled to epic tales of courage, sacrifice and heroism. The adventures of mythological icons such as Odysseus , Gilgamesh, Hercules, King Arthur were passed down orally from generation to generation. As time passed these chronicles were printed, inspiring the creation of contemporary heroes
Here’s a timeless fact that will always exist despite leftists’ efforts to deny: boys will have to face bullies, fathers sometimes have to spank their sons and men must be ready to defend their families. These were accepted norms in society until leftists changed the meaning of bullies to anyone who criticizes their protected classes .
I never wanted to be that guy saying ” Well , back in my day,” but I guess I have to be. Changing times have always sparked that classic lament, however the era in which we are living is not only different, but an existential threat to America. In the past, there were never forces so rabid in their attacks on masculinity, femininity , the traditional family , timeless values and even truth, as the era we find ourselves in.
So where are the heroes for boys to emulate? Maybe it’s time we stopped sneering at the old ideals and started asking what we lost when we replaced honor with cynicism, discipline with entitlement, and heroism with nihilism. Boys still need to dream, to believe, to emulate men who stand tall in the face of evil and do what’s right simply because it’s right. If our culture won’t provide them with such examples, then it’s up to us—to fathers, mentors, teachers, and yes, even storytellers—to revive those stories and reintroduce a new generation to timeless truths. Because in the end, a nation without heroes is a nation without a future.
