Listen To What Heroes Copywriter Randy Charach Says When He Answers the Heroes Question "Who are the HEROES in your life now?"
Randy Charach: My wife, my children, my parents. I look at a lot of public figures who I think are very, very -- doing a great job for humanity and for others. I’d rather not mention who they are. A lot of them are commonly acknowledged; some aren’t.
None of them are evil, that’s for sure. Well, I will give you a hint of where I am going. You know, I happen to think Elton John is a hero, and that’s why I kind of want to avoid not naming people because people would go, what? I look at the way he -- well, certain things stand in my mind. I will use him as an example and then you can just imagine what other sort of quirky examples are in my mind.
There was like a musical award program, it was within the last couple of years, and Eminem, the rapper who was on it and he had been widely criticized for anti-gay lyrics in his songs. Of course, Elton John is homosexual and is quite open about it.
They were performing together, which was really, really nice to see. Whatever the reasons for it, whether it’s for someone to prove a point or not, it doesn’t matter, I don’t even think about that stuff. The fact that they would work together on this I attribute the heroism in that respect mostly to Elton John and not so much to Eminem. Not that I am saying anything negative about Eminem.
Then when they came out for their applause, which was plentiful, Eminem stuck both hands out, gave the finger to the audience. Elton John went to hug Eminem. Eminem kind of like shrugged him away. But Elton John didn’t react negatively to any of that. He instead was probably coming from a place of compassion to this Eminem guy.
Let me give you one more similar example in case this one, people don’t -- some people are wondering what I am talking about. There is a fellow who is a Canadian well-known business man named Jimmy [Patterson]. I have happened to actually met him many times. I know him. Every time I’ve met him, he’s been a really nice man. I’ve only heard things about him that, other than nice, which are just things him about being eccentric. Nothing really bad, right?
But where he really gained my respect, not so much with my personal interactions with him, but during 1986 in Vancouver, he led -- he was like CO of Expo 86 -- that may not be 100 percent; maybe he wasn’t CO, but he was huge, definitely right up there in organizing it or a figurehead for it. Somebody actually, some sort of a protester or whatever, threw an egg at his head.
You know, this guy is worth, I don’t know, billions or hundreds of millions or whatever. He is one of the richest men in Canada. He didn’t even flinch. All he did was just, nothing. I don’t even think he took his hand and wiped it off. He just kept going. It wasn’t important. What was important was the task at hand and what he was there to do, whatever it was, cutting a ribbon or something.
Again, same idea; same concept. They are doing what’s important to them, they’re doing what they think is right. They are not taking things personally. They are not letting other people’s problems -- they’re not making those other people’s problems their own.