“Ignoramus, you seem to be obsessed by Icons”
“Actually Al, they have been haunting me for quite some time, religious Icons, cultural Icons and pop Icons.”
“It is very interesting really. Every Earth culture has Icons. There seems to be a need in Earth People to revere and emulate people.
So you create Icons; symbolic people that represent certain qualities, behavior patterns and values.
Their stories are told and retold so that they get deeply embedded into your psyches. As a result you generally tend to idolize and follow them.”
“Yes, that is so.”
“And stories of their exploits are exaggerated, reinterpreted, modified over time to suit your needs.
Some of you love to revile, bring down some old Icons only to replace them with new ones.
Like the old Icons, Kings and Gods brought down to be replaced by football heroes, movie stars, corporate heads and sports stars.”
“True.”
“No matter what you do, denounce or worship; you still talk about that Icon. The more you talk about the Icon, the more it is likely to be remembered.
Pop Icons realize this, so they do everything to stay in the news.
Religious groups also realize the power of repetition so symbols, images, stories related to the Icon are repeated again and again.”
“You are right.”
“More unusual the story, the more it is remembered.
Look at some of the most enduring Icons; Krishna, Durga, Buddha, Jesus and Mary. Extraordinary stories aren’t they!”
