Is Terry Fox a Good Hero?

[karrie]

Is Terry Fox a good hero? Filibuster Cartoons Archive

When I was in grade 3, I can remember my elementary school teacher giving us a lecture on heroism, and the sorts of people we should and should not revere as heroes. Superheroes, she said firmly, were entirely out of the question. Worshipping a fictional character, who by design has no imperfections or failings whatsoever, is to set grotesquely unreal expectations. The reason we revere real-world humans, by contrast, is precisely because of their imperfections. They were able to overcome their flaws in the pursuit of something greater, and so can we.


I am not sure at what point of the year I was taught this valuable lesson, but I am fairly sure it did not coincide with our school’s annual Terry Fox Run, in which we all donned our Terry Fox t-shirts and read bright picture books about the great martyr’s perfect life. Worthy though his cause may be, there can be little doubt that the contemporary Canadian nationalist-cultural establishment has transformed the late Mr. Fox into the very sort of demigod my teacher originally warned against — noble, flawless, and utterly unassailable in his ambitions and deeds...... full op/ed article at link.


Is Terry Fox a good hero? Filibuster Cartoons Archive

 

[Chiliagon]

ya he was indeed! what he did and what this continues to do is provide hope for Cancer patients and to prevent it some day in the future.

 

[wulfie68]

I never really thought much about the character of Terry Fox. He did the "Marathon of Hope" run when I was in 6th or 7th grade and at that point, it was more a case of people noticing what he was doing and why. We didn't really care who he was, just that he was someone who had suffered and was trying to do something to benefit others (yes on some level it was perhaps self-serving of him but that does seem minor when you take all the others who have benefited from the awareness his run raised and is still raising).That he had his flaws pretty much goes without saying: he was human. But regardless or perhaps in spite of those flaws his actions have provided an example of what a person can truly accomplish if they devote themself to it. In an age where we worship professional athletes and other celebrities, some of whom do give back to society but are in their careers mostly for themselves, his is an example of someone doing something for others, even though it did cost him dearly.

 

[karrie]

What bugged me about the article is that it seems to totally miss the fact that it's comparing Terry Fox to people who had a chance to finish growing up. Half of what it lists as 'flaws' are typical of most young men, and would be things he'd likely have grown out of.

 

[Cliffy]

Unfortunately, I think Terry was conned and exploited by the cancer industry to fill their coffers with false promises and hope. Cancer can be cured and there already exists plenty of them. But cancer is a huge business and finding a "cure" is not in their best interests. The Terry Fox run and the Run for a Cure are there mainly to keep the fear and cash flowing.

 

[#juan]

Unfortunately, I think Terry was conned and exploited by the cancer industry to fill their coffers with false promises and hope. Cancer can be cured and there already exists plenty of them. But cancer is a huge business and finding a "cure" is not in their best interests. The Terry Fox run and the Run for a Cure are there mainly to keep the fear and cash flowing.

That is the most cynical piece of drivel I've ever seen.

FYI
The idea for the Marathon of Hope came from Terry Fox alone. He trained secretly by running about four thousand kilometers. When he determined he was ready he announced that he would run across the country. He hadn't even told his family. His original goal was to
get a dollar from every Canadian. He died before he reached that goal but the Marathon of Hope that he started brought in about 24 million in the first year which met that goal handily.,
Subsequent Terry Fox runs over the last thirty years have earned over 580 million dollars for cancer research. A man who has done a
lot to bring all the Terry Fox runs together was Four Seasons CEO Isadore Sharp.

CBC News - Canada - The legacy of Terry Fox's dream

 

[gerryh]

My wife met Terry and knew his siblings and family. He was only year older than us. The author mentions the 2 movies. I have only ever seen the CBC version and it showed the human side of Terry including him being angry over a few different things. Things that I would also have been quite angry over, like being accused of not running all the way across Quebec. The man did something that was bigger than life, he deserves to be seen in the same way and anyone that goes out to try and find crap on Terry just to try and make him into something less than what the public and his family sees him as, then they are very small minded indeed.

 

[JBeee]

Well put.

Unfortunately, I think Terry was conned and exploited by the cancer industry to fill their coffers with false promises and hope. Cancer can be cured and there already exists plenty of them. But cancer is a huge business and finding a "cure" is not in their best interests. The Terry Fox run and the Run for a Cure are there mainly to keep the fear and cash flowing.

 

[Goober]

My wife met Terry and knew his siblings and family. He was only year older than us. The author mentions the 2 movies. I have only ever seen the CBC version and it showed the human side of Terry including him being angry over a few different things. Things that I would also have been quite angry over, like being accused of not running all the way across Quebec. The man did something that was bigger than life, he deserves to be seen in the same way and anyone that goes out to try and find crap on Terry just to try and make him into something less than what the public and his family sees him as, then they are very small minded indeed.

If I recall - He had one companion who drove an old beat up van - they would stop in some small town and no one knew about him - that was at the beginning. And the story grew -

Yes he had flaws - and how bad were these flaws- really -
I watched an interview of a person that traveled with him. And I have never heard any word that he did not run. After the start in NFLD the story and the man grew. People would have seen if he was not running. So it is useless drivel by drive by cowards
He is a 100% HERO in my eyes.
Just try an imagine the personal drive & commitment he had inside of him. The pain he endured.He had more personal drive & commitment in one day of running than many people will have in a lifetime.

 

[JLM]

Is Terry Fox a good hero? Filibuster Cartoons Archive

When I was in grade 3, I can remember my elementary school teacher giving us a lecture on heroism, and the sorts of people we should and should not revere as heroes. Superheroes, she said firmly, were entirely out of the question. Worshipping a fictional character, who by design has no imperfections or failings whatsoever, is to set grotesquely unreal expectations. The reason we revere real-world humans, by contrast, is precisely because of their imperfections. They were able to overcome their flaws in the pursuit of something greater, and so can we.


I am not sure at what point of the year I was taught this valuable lesson, but I am fairly sure it did not coincide with our school’s annual Terry Fox Run, in which we all donned our Terry Fox t-shirts and read bright picture books about the great martyr’s perfect life. Worthy though his cause may be, there can be little doubt that the contemporary Canadian nationalist-cultural establishment has transformed the late Mr. Fox into the very sort of demigod my teacher originally warned against — noble, flawless, and utterly unassailable in his ambitions and deeds...... full op/ed article at link.


Is Terry Fox a good hero? Filibuster Cartoons Archive

I think Terry Fox was about as good of a human as it is "humanly" possible to be. He wasn't a saint or a pope- just a thoroughly good person. Anyone who denigrates him has no credibility with me. We all have faults.

 

[damngrumpy]

There are two ways to view someone as a hero. One is the individual view of a hero,
and the second is the societies vision of what constitutes a hero, and by individual
merritt, both are correct in my view. As individuals, one might regard someone as a
bonafide hero if he saved your life, or someone in your family.
There are war hero's or people who do extraordinary things, like the firefighters who in
fact saved the city of Kelowna, back in 2003. These guys, held the fire lines while the
fire was burning on the doorsteps and even though they lost many homes, their actions
saved entire areas of the city.
There are also people like Terry Fox, who created something bigger than himself,
while not trying to create an annual event, all he was doing was drawing attention to a
problem. Terry fox displayed the attributes of a genuine person, without putting on airs
Steve Fonyo is viewed as someone who took up Foxes' run, but perception views him
as an opportunist who's actions did not display those of a role model.
I would regard Fox as a national hero, who contributed something immeasurable to
our society. I don't regard too many people as actual hero's but Terry Fox is indeed
in that catagory. Yes Fox is a national hero.

 

[Bar Sinister]

Considering that Terry Fox Runs are held in places as far away as Pakistan I can think of few average citizens who have had such an impact. Certainly he is much more of a hero that the overpaid sports "heroes" or the entertainers who are idolized by millions.

 

[JLM]

Considering that Terry Fox Runs are held in places as far away as Pakistan I can think of few average citizens who have had such an impact. Certainly he is much more of a hero that the overpaid sports "heroes" or the entertainers who are idolized by millions.

Kind of an indication of the mentality of the animal, ain't it? :lol:

 

[taxslave]

One of my ex's sisters went to school with Terry. My ex motherinlaw and his mother are friends. Hero? not sure, but definitely a role mode far superior to any actor or politician. OTH the city of Pt. Coquitlam has overdone the worship part to the point of advertising gimmick.

 

[YukonJack]

As soon as the main stream meadia and its blind acolytes treat Steve Fonyo as the REAL hero who completed the cross-country one-legged run TWICE, I refuse to have any artificial hero-worship for Terry Fox.

As soon as the main stream media and its blind acolytes give credit to Steve Fonyo, who completed the coast-to-coast one-legged run TWICE, I will consider Terry Fox a hero. But not a minute sooner!

As soon as the main stream media and its blind acolytes give credit to Steve Fonyo, who COMPLETED the one-legged run from coast to coast TWICE, I will give credit to Terry Fox, but not until then.

As soon as the main stream media and its blind acolytes give credit to Steve Fonyo, who COMPLETED the one legged run TWICE, I will give credit to Terry Fox, but not before, or until.

Hero worship needs to be earned.

Sorry for the post, my edit does not work.

 

[talloola]

Steve Fonyo did not have the strong mental approach to life that Terry Fox had, he tried
to mimic what Terry Fox did, but unfortunately his poor character got in the way, he
was not the first, and didn't match up to the 'first'.
What I remember from the Steve Fonyo thing, he seemed to be after
the money first and portrayed an image that wasn't real.

It's a sad thing in life, that so many worship and call many celebrities 'heroes', and
not sure why this is. I can respect the talent of many, but certainly would never put
them in a hero catagory.

I can admire the 'image' that many sports and celebrity heroes put forward, but, as we
have now realized in the Tiger Wood's situations, the image is only 'that', an image, and
sometimes the real person is someone else, and when they fall, they fall hard, another
word for false image, is liar. We cannot fault ourselves for believing what people portray
themselves as, believing is trusting and without that we would all be synics.

Terry Fox was a regular guy, not a celebrity, and he is/was a 'real' hero, the kind that
we will never forget. There is no such thing as a perfect human being, it wouldn't be
natural or possible or enjoyable.

 

[lone wolf]

Shortly after Steve Fonyo dies expending his health for a noble cause, he'll get some of Terry Fox's thunder.

 

[#juan]

As soon as the main stream meadia and its blind acolytes treat Steve Fonyo as the REAL hero who completed the cross-country one-legged run TWICE, I refuse to have any artificial hero-worship for Terry Fox.

As soon as the main stream media and its blind acolytes give credit to Steve Fonyo, who completed the coast-to-coast one-legged run TWICE, I will consider Terry Fox a hero. But not a minute sooner!

As soon as the main stream media and its blind acolytes give credit to Steve Fonyo, who COMPLETED the one-legged run from coast to coast TWICE, I will give credit to Terry Fox, but not until then.

And I'm sure Jack, the fact that Steve Fonyo is a fellow Hungarian has nothing to do with your reasoning. Terry Fox created the Marathon of hope and he ran until his cancer
came back and drove him out of that event and killed him. Steve Fonyo on the other hand was both stupid and irresponsible. True he ran across the country, and he was given numerous chances to get around his drinking and drug problems. He was even awarded the Order of Canada, but he persisted in drinking and driving and he ended up in jail.
Steve Fonyo was not Terry Fox.

 

[Kreskin]

I think every country props up heroes to an excess. At least he was real and his actual life could be scrutinized for fact, unlike other countries who hang on to myth created several hundred years ago.

As for Fonyo, most could see through him from the start. His motive was to get a job.

 

[JLM]

I think every country props up heroes to an excess. At least he was real and his actual life could be scrutinized for fact, unlike other countries who hang on to myth created several hundred years ago.

As for Fonyo, most could see through him from the start. His motive was to get a job.

Not a bad motive- there's a few that could be so inclined these days. :lol: