Icons

Remember this: Objects in side mirrors may be closer than they appear.

The word icon floated on the radar in the world of hunting, as a bleep here and a bleep there. This word is attached to males in conversation, when referring to other male hunters they hold in high esteem and people of history past. There are some females working on situating themselves as icons, even with a negative stigma.

I said the word icon suspiciously. It conjured up paintings I admired at a local museum. Beautiful, gold treated iconoclastic images centered around religious themes. The Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, the Virgin Mary, the cross, the bible, angels, devils, and the Word. The grim reaper is an icon of death but don't fear him.

Madonna, Warhol, Mickey Mouse, buffalo, and Cobra Commander are all icons of some sort.

I researched people considered hunting icons, yet all I saw were current faces questing to find glory. Truth be told, I have no icon of hunting that I look up to. I find some of them highly entertaining but not because of the hunting.

I realized after exploring this word, it can be representative of some image, idea, or person with no religious context. This image could represent two different objects in reality, yet share a metaphoric meaning or symbolism. Icon could also be interchanged with the word idol. An easy example is apple pie. Apple pie is a dessert with apples and pastry. Others consider it a metaphor for the American dream, where it's a comfort and everyone can enjoy a slice of the pie. All that from pie.

I began to square on the difference between historical and current would-be icons. Daniel Boone and Theodore Roosevelt are considered icons of hunting and conservation. These individuals are placed on a pedestal of reverence because of achievements and lifestyles. Work ethic could be relevant to their placement as icons. As people, we tend to look up to people we would like to emulate and pattern our lives after. If it worked for them, why not ourselves?

Boone performed a lot of acts of utility to push progress forward, not to find fame. The mindset is completely different than it was then and is now. Now it is a different kind of agenda being pushed. The Wilderness is in outer space. People want to be icons for fame and fortune. There might be some level of putting back into the system as a balance to greed and vanity.

I reflect on Steven Rinella's fascination for Daniel Boone as an icon. He clearly holds Boone up as a measuring stick. I am not judging but pointing out the obvious. There are other hunters that hold Ernest Hemingway up as an icon. In other countries, the person changes but the sport doesn't. Icons are everywhere and in no short supply.  At least Rinella does do informative media that brings information to the public where issues of public lands, conservation, cooking and different points of view. Excluding Rinella,  it's hard to find a hunting celebrity that isn't sporting pretentiousness.

I considered Roosevelt. He is everywhere on social media. His ghost will never die. Roosevelt realized progress was destructive and decided it needed to be pushed back or lose it all. His mindset came from problems, solutions, desires, and necessity.

These two particular men did not set out to fixate themselves into the minds of a nation as icons. They were simple men working toward goals and their stories were picked up and carried far and wide as legend. In Roosevelt's case, he was already high-profile due to his political shenanigans. Boone was just all over the place on greet and meets in the wilderness. Spin doctors of research could manipulate content and rewrite the way a person is represented to push the capitalist machine. It is seen in media today as mediocre drama and reality television.

Boone and Roosevelt didn't have publicists, lawyers, agents, and a group of people online researching the trending topics to keep them relevant. They didn't have online battles with strangers to fuel causes or the hashtag. They did honest to God work. In today's world, there is no end to the amount of information that can help you build a campaign to promote yourself or something else. There was no Go-Pro to track and record their every movement then upload to the internet.

All you have to do is decide you want to be famous then find someone to plot your course, make pivotal decisions to your image, produce quality product and you are on your way. I do interject here that you would need to recruit someone to hide the bodies as well. The biggest coup is getting the majority vote by popularity, not competency in actually doing the job. When I say job, I do not mean the manipulation of information in a documentary of hunting when the truth is far from the fiction of it all.

I was reading this:

“the soul's reduction to the sheer minerality of an image entailed the elimination of man's highest quality: rationality. The image is “dead”: the icon is idol. The formula depends upon the confusion between the material and formal aspects of the icon: such is , of course, the question of all visual mediation of the concept realm without the added complication of the relations between the sacred and the secular.” ( Weiss 18)

I reflected on hunters that were referred to as icons by their peers. To be honest, I didn't see them as icons or famous. If you have a cult following, you could become an icon to them but not to everyone in the world. This application of the word icon is limited to a pool of people that recognize you as such, not that you fully deserve it worldwide. It does become a little disturbing when it borders on idol worship.  

Does a person looking up to an icon ever surpass the icon and place themselves in the icon's role? Is this the goal ? Are you really competing with an image defined by deeds or misconception of the icon's true reality? How does one compete with dead people?

People can determine for themselves if they are worthy in a pursuit. You don't need to have an icon to do great deeds. Recently, I viewed Leonardo Dicaprio giving a speech to the UN as the Messenger of Peace. He wasn't gunning to become an icon in the arena of Climate Change activism. He merely wanted to point out a truth and incite the people of the world to be morally responsible for our home, each other, and living things that can't make these kinds of decisions to act.  He has moved himself from actor to world advocate in several shorts moves of the global chessboard. It wasn't because he was plotting and planning greatness but the motivator behind the actions.

Moving people to care for their ecosystems is right up there with life and death.  This is critical thought and coming to some truth you can't look away from.  Not I want to be famous, because he already is. There is nothing wrong with finding some meaning in life. To bad we can't have this quality of person running for the presidency. Right now, we are coming up craps in the candidate department.  Scientists, where are you?

I will also say here, as hunters, even though DiCaprio or  Somerhalder doesn't probably approve of the hunting lifestyle, we should put this aside and support this Climate Change endeavor. It does affect those components that hunting is made up of. Humans, animals, ecosystem, and life in general are affected, so why would we not get behind this concept? I always try to find a point where I can arguing that it is a bigger thing for me to put aside differences and find that one thing in common to jusitify doing something. Even if that one thing is because it is the right thing and only thing to do.

Once again, here is another famous face, Ian Somerhalder. He was designated a UNEP Global Ambassador and has been working with the United Nations Environmental Program.  He has spoken before Congress and in Barbados on the plight of animal species, environmentalism, and the need to make better choices when dealing with out use or abuse of the planet's resources.

Yes, these are celebrities but the younger generation can be influenced by the right idea regardless of the person. Parents should get more involved with these ideas to better our world, alleviate suffering, and treat our fellow main in more respectful ways.

I do believe an outlet for people to stand up for such things should be generated to open public dialogue to these issues, instead of forcing people to take to the streets to show they are serious about issues.

Getting back on topic. 

Competition does drive some people on to out do another, even if that other person is dead. There is a constant running of the rails, as in horse racing, where once pointed down the track, at the sound of the bell, you find the finish line and the winner's circle. Is this at the expense of a fractured leg? Who knows. One must try anyway without completely trying to kill yourself or someone else.

I am not saying one should never have role models. Icons are role models under the label icon. Should one be the very best they can be without using someone else's accomplishments as a meter stick ? Yes. I do believe that your shenanigans and word of mouth can increase your chances of becoming a famous or infamous icon. If you are going to elevate a person or thing to icon status, it should at least have a truthful, unselfish concept driving it. Otherwise, it is as shallow as the meaning or motive placed upon or driving it. It should never be because someone pointed you out as the icon of something to make you famous.

Written by: W Harley Bloodworth

Literature cited:

Weiss, Allan S. Perverse Desire and the Ambiguous Icon. State University of New York, Albany. 1994. Print. pp. 18

For links:
http://www.unep.org/wed/ The United Nations Enviroment Program.

http://www.leonardodicaprio.com/ Leonardo DiCaprio

http://www.isfoundation.com/welcome Ian Somerhalder Foundation