Claim It is no longer possible for a society to regard any living man or woman as a hero Reason The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree o

As Saint Rita, a saint celebrated by the Catholic church often said, “a saint is one who does ordinary things in extraordinary ways.” In more ways than one, this applies to the hero as well, one who stands out despite undertaking tasks that would have been seen as ordinary when done by others; someone who shows great courage. When there are brought to the limelight, the major goal is to valorize them. Unfortunately, a slapdash of envy and mere curiosity drive people to rummage for the skeletons in their closets. A ubiquitous fact is that everyone has secrets which can be found if good hunters follow the trail. This validates the claim that no living human can be regarded as a hero by society. I hereby firmly agree with the stand which the author has taken as it can be supported with various valid points.

First off, people learn and unlearn as they grow and are very likely to have had opinions which the society – their perceptions also seem to evolve with the times – would most likely frown upon today. Sometimes, people are afforded the chance to rescind statements that the public might have found offensive, or at least they are schooled on what is considered right. However, society is not very forgiving with heroes and celebrities. They are quick to adopt the ‘cancel culture’ which basically disregards all the good anyone has done once his words do not align with the trend of society. A novel American musician whose career had barely started was ‘canceled’ on Twitter after tweets that dated back to over six years where brought to the spotlight and dissected. She was tagged a racist, and although she swore that she had been joking and she did not mean to be sound antagonistic or invidious in her tweet, she was kicked to the curb. This musician might not have been treated so rashly if she had not been upcoming. People might have been more willing to let bygones be bygones for anyone else, but not her. Like other heroes before her, she was expected to be the standard. It did not matter to society that she was very young and she had only gained visibility in the media a few weeks prior to the mishap. Her reign as a hero was obliterated as soon as it started.

Another important fact to note is that people have quixotic and impossible expectations when it comes to their supposed heroes. They are not allowed to have their opinions known if they do not align with the societal standards of the time. They are forced to either mask their true feelings or not discuss them altogether. Controversial topics such as homophobia, transphobia and ‘fatophobia’ have been the death of men and women who were hitherto heroes of their time. J. K. Rowling, a writer that was previously exalted among her peers made a tweet that was blown out of context and perceived as a jab at the LGBTQ group and she became the villain. Chimamanda Adichie, also a renowned writer, was attacked for a similar comment which would have been interpreted different if it had come from a less public figure. On those days and possibly many days after that, the writers were no longer the heroes they were previously recognized as and people swore never to touch their books again. This confirms that heroes cannot retain their regal statuses for long if they are exposed to media scrutiny. They are not allowed any room to make any mistakes and once they do, they are no longer considered worthy to bear that name.

Finally, some may have the contrary opinion that the faults of heroes are their foibles that make them appear human to the people and even more likeable, but how many heroes whose wrongs were exposed to the public have been awarded a handshake for being ‘human’? If it has happened, it would be considered an unprecedented act. Heroes barely last on social media because, when subjected to scrutiny and subsequently survive, t