Thursday, February 27, 2020
From Hero to Zero
“Show me a hero and I'll show you a bum.”
-- Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
World War II Fighter Ace
Back in December, the Internet was a-twitter over a transphobic remark made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling on a social media site.
Predictably a vocal group of fans who felt betrayed by one of their heroes, immediately called for all self-respecting followers of sci-fi and fantasy to immediately boycott her work. While I understand their desire to punish her for her views that run contrary to the generally liberal and inclusive nature of the genre, this latest controversy got me thinking about how fickle our hero worship is and the rise of Cancel-Culture in the early 21st century.
First, let me get one thing out-of-way:
I am in no way, shape or form, defending or condoning what Rowling said. In fact, I find it very disappointing especially coming from a woman whose most well-known series was centered around the friendship between a group of social misfits.
That said, I think we all need to learn to separate the art from the artist and realize that our heroes aren’t always going to be as perfect and pure as we’d want them to be.
Let’s start with one of my heroes from my youth: “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry.
There is little doubt that “Star Trek” is one of world’s most popular and influential TV shows / multi-media franchises. Its positive view of the future showed what mankind could become if we learned to leave behind all (or most) of our negative instincts and it inspired countless people to do amazing things in pursuit of that vision.
Yet Roddenberry himself was a womanizer – possibly boarding on Harvey Weinstein levels of sexism and abuse – having affairs with both Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett whom he employed in his productions while still married to his first wife.
By many accounts he was also a money-grubber, who, according to Leonard Nimoy in his book, “I Vulcan IDIC pin as a ploy to sell more merchandise to fans. More infamously he also wrote some outstandingly bad lyrics to the “Star Trek” theme just to cut in on composer Alexander Courage’s royalties.
Am Spock” (first edition, pp. 66-67), invented the now famous
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| Gene Roddenberry: More Ferengi than Federation? |
In my head, I’d like to think “Star Trek” was Gene Roddenberry’s way of banishing the evils he saw in himself by creating a world (or worlds) where humans had overcome the things he couldn’t in his real life. But then again, I’m an optimist, and always try to see the good in people whenever I can.
Which in a round-about way brings me back to Rowling....
While I’m very disappointed by her views about LGBTQ+ people it doesn’t diminish my respect for her work on the Harry Potter novels.
Why?
Because none of those negative or hostile views are promoted there. (Yes, I’m sure if you went through the seven novels with a fine-tooth comb you might be able to point to some very obscure references to her anti-trans views. But I think you’d really have to work hard and bend their meaning to find them.)
I also will respect her for giving me a way to engage with and connect to my then three young nieces who loved those novels. Who knows if I would have been able to do that otherwise and my memories of talking to them about the books are things I’ll always treasure.
Will I think twice about buying any of her future works?
Probably.
But I won’t outright dismiss the idea of ever buying any of her novels again. I will judge them on their content, the same way I do anything else (only now, I’ll tend to give that content extra scrutiny).
The other thing I also keep in mind is that people are a product of their times. Their beliefs in what’s right and wrong and views on the sexes were formed when they were younger, and as I’ve been learning the hard way recently, as you get older, you tend to become less flexible in the way you think.
This of course does not excuse anyone’s intolerant behavior. It just no longer surprises me when someone can’t quite accept views that are significantly different from the mores of the time they grew up in.
I guess this is my very long-winded way of saying that our heroes and idols are always going to be flawed. As human beings it’s inevitable. So instead of just dismissing or cancelling out all their accomplishments in a knee-jerk reaction to something they may have said or done, let’s all just slow down a bit, take a deep breath and then calmly take a look at their past work.
Is that ugly view reflected in their past (or current work)?
Are they using the fame and fortune they made off that past work to promote their unacceptable views?
Does this newly discovered unacceptable view invalidate any good or inspirational effect that others found in their past work?
How you answer each of those questions greatly depends on your own experiences and point of view. For some the negative effects of the ugly comments will outweigh the good, while for others it won’t.
And that’s OK.
At least you’ve through it through yourself instead of letting someone else tell you how you should feel. Then after careful consideration, if you determine those flaws make’s a person’s achievements no longer worthy of your admiration, at least you will be able to explain why in a cool and logical manner.
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Well said Jeff. I agree 100%. Even outside of the public eye, I have friends and relatives who do not agree with my views. That doesn’t mean I drop that friend or ignore my relatives. We just don’t discuss these values, or worse, we sometimes argue. That doesn’t mean we drop the person. There are plenty of things about them I do love. Besides, he’s my dad, what can I do? Haha
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Excellent post, Jeff. One of the reasons I like Marvel versus DC is that Marvel's heroes have flaws, compared with DC's :"perfect" people.
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