Perceptions of Heroes

People of the United States and likely elsewhere across the world put shame upon the People’s Republic of China when it was discovered the young girl who appeared to be singing for the opening ceremony had only been lip syncing. The girl who was actually singing had been deemed not beautiful enough to represent the country. One became a heroine, the other became a “role model” for proper Chinese conduct. A similar shame should be relinquished to the United States. Students in China may sometimes blindly praise Mao Zedong (River Town by Peter Hessler), but in the U.S. students are taught to blindly believe in the goodness of past presidents. George Washington went from “chopping down a cherry tree” to perfect leader. There are other examples of false perceptions in the U.S. as well. Martin Luther King Jr. is appraised qualities of sainthood by the education system. Indeed his feats were great, but he also struggled at times too. In fact, the NAACP felt so strongly about perceptions that it determined who the heroine of the Civil Rights movement would be. Before Rosa Parks took a stand (or more literally, a seat) against racism, another woman took a similar action. The NAACP considered a legal challenge, but one problem arose: the woman was unmarried and pregnant (Soul of a Citizen by Paul Rogat Loeb).

Bruce Lee the poet

Most know about Bruce Lee the martial artist and actor; Many know about Bruce Lee the philosopher; Few know about Bruce Lee the poet. Indeed, Bruce Lee spent much of his free time writing poetry and translating Chinese poems. In fact, his poetry is of a high quality, worthy of acknowledgement although his other accomplishments are far overshadowing. Most of his poems seem to have been for his wife (or possibly wife-to-be at the time). He often speaks of being distanced from the one he loves. Although distant love is a recurring theme, each poem still has a certain uniqueness.

The Black Quarterback

The best quarterbacks always seem to fit a certain mold. They aren’t the most athletic, or the strongest out there, but they know how to play. The quarterback position is dominated by ‘white’ players, while more traditionally athletic positions are dominated by ‘black’ players. These other positions require less know how, and more pure talent. All of the best players at almost every position except QB, OL, K, and P, are down the line ‘black.’ But ‘black’ players often struggle at the quarterback position in the NFL. Most of the ‘black’ quarterbacks try to force athleticism to be more important at this position than know-how. The list is failed, or failing, athletic ‘black’ quarterbacks is mounting. The number one case is Michael Vick, who in my opinion, couldn’t throw a lick compared to the other starting quarterbacks in the league.  Being able to run so well is good, but in the NFL at the QB position the ability to perform in the pocket will always be more important unless there are drastic rule changes. The best ‘black’ quarterback I have seen, by far, is Donovan McNabb.  When he first came into the league he was the stereotypical running ‘black’ quarterback, but he learned and developed into a very good QB. When speaking about the best all-time black QB, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and Doug Williams must be put into the equation. Of these, and of all ‘black’ quarterbacks, only Doug Williams has a Super Bowl ring as a starter. He wasn’t the most talented quarterback, but he played the position well. There are today a number of ‘black’ quarterbacks who have an opportunity to break the mold: JaMarcus Russell, David Garrard, Vince Young and Tavaris Jackson among others. But they have to learn not to rely on athleticism, and to use their skill as a passer, manager of the game, and leader.