Fictional/Historical Role Models

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2004-05-31 07:19am

Fuck parents, teachers, and creepy friends of the family. What fictional or historical character have you looked up to during the course of your life?

And I don't mean 'who do you wish you were,' so don't say that your role model is Stupid McTrenchcoat from Buffy or any of that shit. I mean who do you seriously respect and attempt to emulate in your life? Jesus Cristo? Michael Corleone? Caine from "Kung Fu"?

As for myself, I'll have to say Antoine Doinel, from Francois Truffaut's films. He combines all the passion and emotion that I wish I had with all the psychological neuroses and habits that I already have, and for that, he gets my respect.

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2004-05-31 08:19am

Oddyseus, from the Oddessy (sp) and the Iliad. I remember reading the oddessy (and tony Robinson's comic take on it) and thinking that he was the most devious, sneaky and snide geezer ever.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-05-31 08:21am

What 2000AD said. Odyseuss was a leader, a fighter, clever, and devious.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2004-05-31 08:23am

I always liked Hektor ... even when he pissed his pants and ran from Achilleus, three times around the walls of Troy.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-05-31 08:28am

Crown wrote:I always liked Hektor ... even when he pissed his pants and ran from Achilleus, three times around the walls of Troy.

Yeah, that put a damper on Hector's image for me

(it would've totally ruined Eric Bana in Troy too ...)

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2004-05-31 08:38am

Vympel wrote:
Crown wrote:I always liked Hektor ... even when he pissed his pants and ran from Achilleus, three times around the walls of Troy.
Yeah, that put a damper on Hector's image for me

(it would've totally ruined Eric Bana in Troy too ...)

Yeah, but that's what I love about Homer's writting, the characters are actually human. They are not perfect or ideal, and they do have vices. None wear an obvious 'white' hat or 'black' hat, they are just human.

Although, having said that ... three fucking times! Why did he run around three fucking times! Errr.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-05-31 09:07am

The Seven Samurai.

Kambei Shimada: Leader, courageous, and humble. Decides to help the villagers because they offer him three meals of rice a day, while they subsist on gruel (or millet). He's a survivor, and unconventional: the first scene we meet him, he cuts off his topknot and has his head shaved, which culturally means he is either disgraced or becoming a priest - neither, he only did it to trick a thief who had taken a baby hostage. He saved the baby, and left without thanks; later when he saved the village from the bandits, he again leaves without thanks or fanfare.

Kyuzo: The inscrutable swordsman. No-one knew his story, and he refused the offer of Kambei's originally; no-one knows why he changed his mind and later accepted. He dies at the end, by a rifle. He threw his sword in defiance, but died without a shout.

Kikuchiyo: Not a real Samurai at all, and in fact he was orphaned due to the many wars fought by Samurai at the time. His humble origins were the source of light-hearted mockery by his Samurai companions, yet he was the one who killed the last bandit after being shot by them. He may not have been born into the role, yet he died as one.

The other four are excellent examples as well, Katsushiro joins because he is young and foolish but willing to learn, Heiachi joins because he thinks it'll be a laugh, Gorobei joins because he's intrigued by Kambei, and Shichiroji joins without hesitation because Kambei was his former Captain or something (even though he had spent the last few weeks or months on the run due to the previous failed campaign). The first three are what I would consider better role models though.

Post by **The Wookiee** » 2004-05-31 09:27am

Han Solo

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2004-05-31 09:34am

Aliena from The Pillars of the Earth

Marie Stopes
Alfred Russel Wallace

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-05-31 09:44am

Another inspiring role model: Luke Skywalker. He goes from farmboy to Rebel Pilot to Jedi knight, and his journey wasn't a walk in the park either. He saves the galaxy, but in doing so loses his mentor (Ben and Yoda), his friend (Biggs, and to some extent Han), the girl (Leia chooses Han over him), his father, his hand, his innocence, and he almost loses his life.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2004-05-31 10:05am

John McClane.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-05-31 10:30am

Conan the Barbarian (literary version)

Wine, wenches and war

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-05-31 12:21pm

Raistlin Majere. He is the ultimate nerds Revenge, goes from being the picked on weakling, to being the most powerful mortal on Krynn.

Nothing not to admire.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-05-31 12:29pm

Superman.

Seriously he lives to certainly decent ideals, and hell he's got the whole "I can wear glasses and be the sex symbol bit."

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2004-05-31 12:46pm

A man you should admire:

Nikolaj Tesla (1856-1943), inventor of AC power

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2004-05-31 01:09pm

Timur Lenkh
By dint of hard work and ruthlessness he rose from nothing to become the most powerful man in the world. He was also very intelligent; he spoke several languages, played chess expertly, and was a patron of the arts.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-05-31 01:17pm

Ghost Rider wrote:Superman.

Seriously he lives to certainly decent ideals,

I think that about him and Captain America although their ideals aren't exactly the same.

18-Till-I-Die · Post by **18-Till-I-Die** » 2004-05-31 01:44pm

Even since i saw Fritz the Cat as a child (11), i admired his ability to come out of the worst situations smelling liek roses by sheer virtue of his whit and humor, and in some ways you could say i look up to him.

EmperorSolo51 · Post by **EmperorSolo51** » 2004-05-31 01:47pm

My Role models were:
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
Augustus Caeser
Justinian I of Byzantium

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2004-05-31 02:06pm

Teddy Roosevelt.

Ben Franklin

Prozac the Robert · Post by **Prozac the Robert** » 2004-05-31 02:14pm

A lot of David Gemmell's characters are pretty good heros. Never perfect, but often to be admired. And best of all, it's often not just the warriors that you admire. The schoolteacher in Ravenheart is a good example.

admiral_danielsben · Post by **admiral_danielsben** » 2004-05-31 03:22pm

Robert Treder wrote:Fuck parents, teachers, and creepy friends of the family. What fictional or historical character have you looked up to during the course of your life?

And I don't mean 'who do you wish you were,' so don't say that your role model is Stupid McTrenchcoat from Buffy or any of that shit. I mean who do you seriously respect and attempt to emulate in your life? Jesus Cristo? Michael Corleone? Caine from "Kung Fu"?

As for myself, I'll have to say Antoine Doinel, from Francois Truffaut's films. He combines all the passion and emotion that I wish I had with all the psychological neuroses and habits that I already have, and for that, he gets my respect.

This is gonna take awhile....

1. Beren (of "Beren and Luthien", a sub-tale of Tolkien's Silmarillion).
2. Albert Einstein
3. A gamut of Republicans. A sample: Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Alfred Landon, Nancy Landon Kesselbaum, Colin Powell, Thaddeus Stevens (especially Thaddeus Stevens), Hiram Fong, Hiram Revels, Fredrick Douglass, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, Rudy Guiliani, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Chase Smith, and the list goes on...
4. A couple of Democrats. Joe Lieberman, Zell Miller, Franklin Roosevelt, Al Smith, the current mayor of New Orleans (forgot his name, sort of Rudy's southern Democrat counterpart), and maybe a little JFK.
5. George W. Bush. Yes, i do admire his leadership and commitment, if not his intelligence.
6. Rosalind Franklin, the 'dark lady of DNA'. Also Watson, Crick, Pauling, Wilkens, and those other DNA wizards.
7. Stephen Hawking, the Feynmans (both Richard and his sister), and many other physicists...
8. the US Military (at least those of them doing their jobs and not posing with naked prisoners).
9. the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Star of David international aid organizations.
10. Bill Gates. I absolutely hate him, yet i also admire him.
11. I'd better add Paul Allen, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Linus Torvalds, Will Wright, and all those other programming giants.
12. Hell, throw in JRR Tolkien in there too. It's hard to be a philologist and write a series of books with such strict standards...
13. Not enough fictional characters? Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Data, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Odo, Dax (either), and a lot of others, yes even including Wesley Crusher (how many kids get to save the ship again?).
14. Better throw in Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2D2, and C3PO.
15. Frodo and Sam. How many people, let alone 3' tall people, would be willing to go through what they did?
16. Snails. You try carrying your house on your back and walking with only 1 foot.
17. Gene Roddenberry, although only a little. I don't exactly share his political views.
18. A bunch of random Generals. Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur (even though i think he's nuts), Pershing, Grant, Washington, and a few others i already mentioned.
19. Anyone else I admire but haven't mentioned.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2004-05-31 03:25pm

As an amateur writer of sci-fi and fantasy, I of course also admire H.P. Lovecraft if that isn't obvious enough.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-05-31 05:06pm

admiral_danielsben wrote:Zell Miller

If Zell Miller is a Democrat, then I'm Snoop Dogg.

admiral_danielsben wrote:5. George W. Bush. Yes, i do admire his leadership and commitment, if not his intelligence.

Tolya · Post by **Tolya** » 2004-05-31 05:18pm

Another inspiring role model: Luke Skywalker. He goes from farmboy to Rebel Pilot to Jedi knight, and his journey wasn't a walk in the park either. He saves the galaxy, but in doing so loses his mentor (Ben and Yoda), his friend (Biggs, and to some extent Han), the girl (Leia chooses Han over him), his father, his hand, his innocence, and he almost loses his life.

Yeah, a typical american 'rags to riches' story

Just like Benjamin Franklin

Seriously, I admire Corran Horn

Perhaps my favourite character from SW.

And in the real world...and apart from my parents...I dunno.
Sobieslaw Zasada, if you know who he is

Although he's not a historical figure, he's still alive.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Fictional/Historical Role Models

Fictional/Historical Role Models

Re: Fictional/Historical Role Models

Re: Fictional/Historical Role Models