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Macau Periodical Index (澳門期刊論文索引)
- Author
- Liu, Wenying
- Title
- A social interpretation of people's choice of heroes: a case study
- Journal Name
- 澳門科技大學學報
- Pub. Info
- Dec. 2012, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 92-103
- Link
- http://lib.must.edu.mo/sites/default/files/assets/images/Duu/must_journal_201202.pdf
- Keyword
- Diversity in the choice of heroes；The driving forces；The "I" culture；The dynamic 'hero'concept
- Abstract
- Abstract : People's choice of heroes and heroines in a society reflects their mentality, their social value orientations, and the overall social reality of the time when the heroes and heroines are chosen. From the perspective of choice of heroes and heroines, this paper examines the heroes and heroines selected by a group of college students in order to seek a macro look at the society and the time, in which the students live, as well as a micro look at the characters, qialities, and characteristics that the students regard as being heroic. It has been found that the choices of heroes and heroines have presented a great diversity:heroes today are chosen from a variety of fields, of which the most chosen three are sports athletes, entertainment artists, and writers; of all the heroes in local Macau students have embodied distinctive features of Macau culture; heroes are much more preferred than heroines; among the chosen heroes, there is a great number of heroes who have passed away but are still remenbered and worshipped by the young, with Lei Feng being the favourite of the category;the edges between "selebrity" and "hero" tend to be increasingly blurry.This paper then attempts to discuss an emerging cultural wave -- the"I"culture, the social implications and driving forces behind the diversity in choices of heroes, and the dynamic definition of the word "hero". Paragraph Headings: 1. Introduction 2. The choices of heroes and heroines 2.1. Categories of heroes(heroines) 2.2. The heroes(heroines) 2.3. Culture 2.3.1. The "I" culture 2.4. Macau culture in the mirror of the hero choice 2.5. Other variables 2.5.1. Gender 2.5.2. Posthumous heroes 2.5.3. Celebrity heroes 3. Discussion: diverrrsity and dynamics 3.1. The social driving forces of the diversity in hero(heroine) selection 3.1.1. Political changes 3.1.2. Psychological appeal 3.1.3. Information technology 3.2. The dynamics of the meaning of "hero" 3.2.1. The core elements of the word "hero" 3.2.2. "Hero" as a dynamic concept 4. Conclusion Figures: 1. The popularity and size of each category 2. The largest contributor in each category 3. The difference in choice of heroes between Locals and mainlanders