No heroes, no norms

It struck me while watching TV today that the world is lacking heroes.

I don't mean people with super-human strength, the ability to fly, or anything "marvel comic"-like.

I mean people who set a good example and act as role models, whether they intend to or not.

Back in the eighties, TV was full of people like this. They used to say things like "don't throw rubbish on the ground", "don't be cruel to animals", "don't speed on the freeway" and so forth.

Think about it. Some of the best heroes of our youth were people on TV or in the media spotlight who were just decent people.

So what is there instead today? Who are the people who claim the spotlight? I think some of the answer lies in what kids and adults alike watch on TV or see in Movies these days.

Anyone in Desperate Housewives set a good example to anyone?
Anyone in a recent major movie set a good example to anyone?

ok, so broaden it away from movies and TV - same question.

Anyone in national politics set a good example to anyone?
sports?
popular music?
Scientific research?

it really is hard for me to identify a single character who is famed because of the example they set.

Nowadays we herald people who are brash, rude, uncaring, unfeeling, selfish and shallow.

Why is this?

Taking a stroll through the world of social psychology, much of the problem seems to be in the area of norms.

What on earth am I talking about?

Well, human beings take their cue from norms, because of their tendency to conform with others. We don't want to be ridiculed or punished so when other people voice an opinion about someone we might just go along. We might also confirm because we can relate to something they have strong convictions about, even when we haven't really thought their conviction through.

Another thing that can lead us to conform is the credibility of others, usually down to their expericence, knowledge or insight.

The question is this. When we look at people and decide that they are role models, have we really thought through whether they have earned the right to be considered so?

Look at all the stars that have fallen from grace, politicians that got caught, former CEOs of huge organisations caught and tried in court and so on. Many of these people were considered role models, and now they are not.

Real role models are seen as the norm. The norm has a huge influence on the daily behaviour of people like you and me, in a kind of "n degrees of separation" way. Real role models used to be our heroes.

Now we have no real heroes, so do we have any real role models?