Blog 9: Essay 2 (Hero)

Don't Believe the Hype


Hero was more than just a story about Bernie Laplante and John Bubber's heroic acts. The way the media was portrayed made me do a lot of thinking. I already knew that trusting the media was wrong but the movie illustrated how naive people can be. It shows different perspectives of how people take in what the media says.


The everyday people who watch the news, listen to the radio and read the newspaper were naive and it was easy to see that they believe everything they hear or read. When the reporter was interviewing people to get their reactions on whoever the hero was, everything seemed to be exaggerated. He was even considered to be the "Angel of Flight 104." The little kid who thought his father was still in the plane even said that the hero gladly went to rescue his dad. This is a great example of how people will eat anything they hear up. Laplante definitely didn't say "Sure, I'll save your father", like the kid made it seem. In actuality, Laplante went in the plane very bitterly. However, because of the interviews and what the kid said, it made the "unknown" hero likable.


The media had people sucking up to Bubber. They would do anything for him. Gail even tried to kiss him when they were in the elevator alone. When the reenactment of the plane crash was being filmed, someone even said to Bubber, "every moment of life I owe to you" , and then kissed him on the cheek. I think that's going way overboard. He was being treated like a god. He didn't deserve any of that attention. The media treated the situation like it was the second coming of Jesus. It's very honorable that someone saved people's lives but there are boundaries and I feel as if the sucking up to Bubber crossed those boundaries.


Bubber isn't a complete scum bag for lying. He inspired a child to wake up from a coma. He also saved Laplante from almost falling off the ledge of a building. The media made sure everyone knew that. Although, these things actually happened, that was the only heroic or inspiring act Bubber had done. This didn't add to saving people from the burning plane because that never did happen. But, because no one knew that, the media portrayed Bubber as almost supernatural.


When Bubber was about to commit suicide, people and news reporters were gathered all around. They had no idea why he wanted to kill himself. According the media, Bubber's life was perfect. He had all the money and fame, so this confused people. They hadn't known he was lying and feeling guilty. Again, this shows people had no knowledge of what the real situation was because of how the media manipulated it.


Someone who did know exactly what was going on was Laplante. Multiple times in the movie, he referred to the media as "bullshit". When he was talking to Gail, the reporter, he said "you can't believe one word you see on tv, not one word." I'm sure he knew that before the plane crash ever happened, but now that he was in this predicament and was the only one who knew the truth, that statement was coming from a place of experience.


Laplante said it best; the media is bullshit. Hero can definitely teach others a lesson about not believing everything they hear or see in the media. Nothing is really as it seems.