Murphy

Murphy, Troy A. "Romantic Democracy and the Rhetoric of Heroic Citizenship." Communication Quarterly 51 (2003): 192-208.

In the U.S.American context, "citizens who 'roll up their sleeves' and 'make a difference' in their communities ostensibly exemplify an ideal form of citizenship to which all Americans might aspire. Such citizens are as 'ordinary' as the larger American public for whom they serve as models, but are 'extraordinary' because of their individual effort, quiet humility, and selfless acts of citizenship" (193). We're taken as a culture with this iconic image of the everyday hero. This icon, who does "apolitical acts of volunteerism" (193), becomes normative, excluding political and rhetorical dimension of citizenship. The icon is quiet (esp. in the political arena), is not part of the political process and is not engaged in collective action or organizing or advocacy. "The heroic citizen as constructed sets a standard for ideal citizenship that depoliticizes the very idea of citizenship and works to further marginalize the legitimacy of more rhetorical, public, and potentially contentious aspects of democratic citizenship. Whether it is the broader image of all citizens as heroes who essentially disregard politics and quietly go about their daily lives without complaint, or the specific actions of highlighted representative characters who define the most admirable qualities of participation through romantic images of community service, the 'good citizen' as public image is marked by a quiescent and harmonious disposition which is antithetical to the types of rhetorical contestation and political action that is sometimes necessary in a democratic society" (203).

The narrative of the heroic individual fails to challenge the cynical attitude we have toward government and politicians. Reagan popularized the "heroes in the gallery" at his states of the union..."good citizens" who "care rather than complain" (199). Bush 2 similarly valorized everyday heroes of 9/11. Rosa Parks: valorized for her everyday-ness, but her organizing with NAACP is often overlooked. Paul Rogat Loeb's work problematizes this model for actually obscuring root causes of injustice.

Some thoughts: Murphy calls the heroic icon normative...but, going a step further, isn't the icon serving a social control role, a la Foucauldian disciplining. We're disciplined by the narrative or Rosa Parks and the other mythologies Murphy outlines. Further, there seems to be an affective dimension that makes us happy. We're pleased and reassured by the narrative. In reality, citizenship doesn't always feel good.