Heroes & Mythologies

Each culture identifies heroes who best represent their group’s values. In the U.S., we tend to follow a common mythology that “Might makes right.” Our obsession with sports and athletes in many ways reflects those values. The more a group talks about its heroes, the more all members understand and internalize the path to group respect and affirmation.

In class groups, who are the people who get talked about the most – who serve as role models? In the higher status cultures, financial and business books and magazines often feature savvy investors, people who turned their wealth into more wealth. Fashion periodicals display the work of designers, giving readers insights into brands that scream exclusivity. Authors and artists, the intellectual elite are admired.

Who graces the covers of magazines for working class groups? Who gets talked about? Often you see stories about stars who flew too close to the sun. Celebrities brought down. The values? We are all just people at the end of the day. No one is really better than anyone else.