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Comment by shimman | Hacker News Reader

Well one, don't look up to people you personally don't know. Parasocial relationships are not healthy. Look into your local community for people to be mentors or help you.

That said I like Bryan Cantrill as an engineer and leader, but I would never put him on a pedestal.

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On the other hand, it's normal to have heroes, and to need to have them.

Heroes like Spiderman and Batman? Or strangers that put on a mask, and whose public image is maintained by PR firms?

This is a child mindset, people don't need heroes. They need leaders that care about them and want to better their communities; these leaders are found within your literal neighbors, friends, and family.

You could say the opposite, and I think with more effectiveness: people don't need leaders to care about them, as that's what children need. They need heroes to inspire them into leading and being good adults for themselves.

> This is a child mindset, people don't need heroes

Any evidence or proof? This can be said about anything, even about your comment.

Not really, that’s what leads to parasocial relationships.

Nobody is flawless and part of becoming an adult is learning to admire specific qualities rather than obsess over individuals.

Not really.

One dichotomy categorisation I personally look for in people is: * likes heirachy versus * dislikes heirachy.

I suspect heroes are mostly relevant if you are a heirachy lover? I also believe that heirachy lovers are more likely to believe in evil puppetmaster conspiracies (anti-heroes if you will).

It is a lot harder to find heroes if you dislike authority because your heroes are more likely to avoid heirachical status ladders?

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