heroism,homeland, fascism

The empty rhetoric of heroism is everywhere these days. You know what I mean. Pat Tillman -- the former NFL star -- is "an American hero," apparently because he volunteered for duty along with several hundred thousand other people, then had the misfortune to be accidentally shot by his own side.

A person upon whom the title 'hero' is bestowed has often performed no heroic deed whatsoever, but may receive the title merely in return for displaying loyalty and/or diligence. With time, the awarding of the title came to be used as a token to be disbursed or withheld according to political considerations. In other words, comrades, whenever it seems as if they're handing out "hero" medals for free, look out: There's usually a hidden price.

But there's a deeper reason to be wary of the "everyone's a hero" rhetoric. Simply put, it fits neatly alongside other terms beloved of the powers that be, such as "warrior" and "the Homeland": It's part of the language of fascism.