Heroes and Fools

Today is the anniversary of Custer's Last Stand. Back in 1876, close on the heals of the Civil War, Custer and his regiment were gunned down in the Montanan territory by a combined force of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne indians. I don't think I ever considered Custer a 'hero', but there was always a sense of awe regarding his bravery and courage. I don't really want to get into a discussion about the idea of the 'noble savage', the modern thought that indians, being 'one with all of nature' were somehow more pure than 'the savage white man'. I know that terrible crimes were committed against the primitive natives, but what I really want to look at it is that magnifies a man to the level of 'hero'.

For our wedding a woman from Mongolia gave Michal and me leather wallets. Michal's has a beautiful floral pattern and mine has a stamped image (now fading) of 'Chingis [Genghis] Khan'. Growing up I had only heard the name 'Genghis' in association with barbarian, tyrant, and monster. The history, as I knew it, was that this leader expanded his empire by brutal conquest. The truth is, he did.

Does that make him a monster? Maybe. But can a man simultaneously be a monster and a hero? I think the answer is yes. George Washington, hero or traitor? Abe Lincoln, hero to the freed slaves, or unjust tyrannical oppressor and constitution breaker? In our modern American way of thinking we are quick to dismiss any 'white oppressor' as simply being a tyrant, a monster, but we forget that all heroes to us must be someones Kahn.

Khan [wikipedia]
Custer [Wired.com]