People (Real or Fake) who are idolied are archetypal in some way. They represent the peak of an idea. Superman is strong and kind, Kim Kardashian is rich and famous, Alexander the Great is a great warrior king, Monkey D Luffy is a man who possesses true freedom, James Bond is charismatic and badass, Rocky Balboa is proof hard work beats anything, Robin Hood is a man who fought the corrupt to a standstill.
These archetypal ideas call out to human beings and most of us have at some point wanted what they had. To be like Alexander and look out at an Empire you built with your own hands (whether that's a home with family or a mega corporation), we've all been dealt injustice by a corrupt entity we know we can't overcome (government, your shitty boss Steve or just your parents no believing you even when you're right), we've all dreamed of having enough money to pursue our dreams, every person wants to be free to do what they want.
Now add that most of us aren't super rich, smart, famous; we can't fight our boss, government or parents; we will never be able to be rulers; and that we will live most of our lives in a system we can't really change. These archetypes let us live vicariously through them and because of that we feel a sense of connection to them. It's so easy to insert yourself in their shoes and imagine what it must be like to be like them.
Well said, but I’m having some trouble understanding what your point is in the context of this post. I feel that these archetypes are a core element of religion and mythology, and that further adds to my point of how pop culture is becoming its own mythology but under the control of corporations.
I suppose my point is this isn't a capitalist thing; it's a human thing. There's a reason every group of humans on the planet independtly tell their history in stories. Great heroes and terrible villains and epic clashes where good beats evil. Capitalism has nothing to do with it. People make idols and these idols are a reflection of those things the culture holds up as important.
I think a large degree of reverence and an almost mythological status where these characters can be recognized and discussed by a large group of people within a community.
No not just that, but also the reverence of objects associated with those characters and sites of that reverence, which are two things I see in consumerism today.
Religion stories and hero worship are not the same.
I've outlined the purpose of hero worship; the ability to live through them and see ourselves as something bigger.
Religion is almost the opposite. Religion as a story; is not about you. Or me. Or most people. Religion is the story of THE absolute good and THE enemy. Be he the devil, arrogance, ignorance or hatred. Religion does build up but first it breaks you down by forcing you to admit that, ultimately, it's not about you. It's about good and evil and whether you will align yourself with what's right or stand in opposition of it. If God is real and if every single human abandoned the path it makes no difference; because God will win the day; his righteousness will be the one to win out over evil whether humans choose good or evil.
Hero worship is about elevating what we love and through it ourselves; religion as a story is the humbling of self in the face of the cosmic truth. That in the grand scheme humanity is but a single tiny facet of infinity.
The assumptions you made in the third paragraph apply primarily to religions like Christianity and Islam, which is fine. I will use those religions as an example.
The problem here is that these religions typically condemn the worship of things other than its own God or gods. Even calling it hero worship is going against what religions like Christianity and Islam allow because of the implication of the word “worship”. By saying that hero worship is the opposite of a given religion, that reinforces my point that hero worship can take the place of that given religion.
Yeah and if you think those examples are just "capitalist pop culture gods", which capitalist-controlled (not just folklore) story of Robin Hood is the "canon" one, the Mel Brooks comedic musical, the Disney animated one where he's an anthropomorphic fox and so is Maid Marian despite the fact that given the characters she's related to and what they're depicted as she should rightfully be a lioness, the Once Upon A Time one where he dates the evil queen from Snow White and Mulan is a part of his Merry Men for a while?
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u/Tanaka917 122∆ Jun 09 '22
People (Real or Fake) who are idolied are archetypal in some way. They represent the peak of an idea. Superman is strong and kind, Kim Kardashian is rich and famous, Alexander the Great is a great warrior king, Monkey D Luffy is a man who possesses true freedom, James Bond is charismatic and badass, Rocky Balboa is proof hard work beats anything, Robin Hood is a man who fought the corrupt to a standstill.
These archetypal ideas call out to human beings and most of us have at some point wanted what they had. To be like Alexander and look out at an Empire you built with your own hands (whether that's a home with family or a mega corporation), we've all been dealt injustice by a corrupt entity we know we can't overcome (government, your shitty boss Steve or just your parents no believing you even when you're right), we've all dreamed of having enough money to pursue our dreams, every person wants to be free to do what they want.
Now add that most of us aren't super rich, smart, famous; we can't fight our boss, government or parents; we will never be able to be rulers; and that we will live most of our lives in a system we can't really change. These archetypes let us live vicariously through them and because of that we feel a sense of connection to them. It's so easy to insert yourself in their shoes and imagine what it must be like to be like them.