Where have all the heroes gone? : the changing nature of American valor

Resource Information

The work Where have all the heroes gone? : the changing nature of American valor represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Waubonsee Community College. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Where have all the heroes gone? : the changing nature of American valor

Title remainder

the changing nature of American valor

Statement of responsibility

Bruce Peabody and Krista Jenkins

Creator

• Peabody, Bruce Garen, 1969-

Contributor

• Jenkins, Krista

Author

• Jenkins, Krista
• Peabody, Bruce Garen, 1969-

Subject

• National characteristics, American
• Courage -- Public opinion -- United States
• Public opinion -- United States
• Courage -- Social aspects -- United States
• Heroes -- United States

Language

eng

Summary

From the men and women associated with the American Revolution and Civil War to the seminal figures in the struggles for civil and women's rights, Americans have been fascinated with and drawn to icons of great achievement, or at least reputation. But who spins today's narratives about American heroism, and to what ends? In a nation so wracked with division, is there any contemporary consensus about the enduring importance of our heroes or what traits they embody? Can heroes survive in our environment of 24/7 media coverage and cynicism about the motives of those who enter the public domain? In Where Have All the Heroes Gone?, Bruce G. Peabody and Krista Jenkins draw on the concept of the American hero to address these questions and to show an important gap between the views of political and media elites and the attitudes of the mass public. The authors contend that important changes over the past half century, including the increasing scope and power of new media and people's deepening political distrust, have drawn both politicians and producers of media content to the hero meme. However, popular reaction to this turn to heroism has been largely skeptical. As a result, the conversations and judgments of ordinary Americans, government officials, and media elites are often deeply divergent and even directly opposed. Exploring and being able to show these dynamics is important not just for understanding what U.S. heroism means today, but also in helping to wrestle with stubborn and distinctively American problems. Investigating the story of American heroes over the past five decades provides a narrative that can teach us about such issues as political socialization, institutional trust, and political communication

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

303.3/40973

Index

index present

LC call number

BJ1533.C8

LC item number

P43 2017

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography