Heroes

We may currently feel as if we sorely lack heroes, and have to delve into the abundant comic-book literature to find hope in those dark times of debt and recession. And yet, I feel some people currently in the public eye genuinely stand as examples of heroism at many levels, including in that most important heroic aspect: how they project into our emotions, the core element of communication and marketing.

Starting with Philippe Pouton, French candidate for the NPA (parti anti-capitaliste)
He is a father figure of a manual worker, working as a Ford blue-collar floor worker, using his hands to bend steel and build cars, and being a presidential candidate in his spare time. Far from a typical politician, he fights for what he believes. 
Like many heroes, he is flawed: his presidential program is utterly unrealistic (nationalization of plants that move abroad or fire workers, paid for by a fund taxing big corporations heavily, company tax rate raised to 50%, stop paying debt interest), and would lead the country to default and bankruptcy within months. However, that take-no-prisoners attitude makes him very popular among downtrodden voters, like a modern batman. 
Never mind that a collective with no leaders or well-defined ideology, the indignados that morphed into Occupy London and Wall street has perfectly understood politics better. It realized that revolution will only scare moderate voters, and that incremental reform is far more likely to attract public sympathy and push elected politicians to enact reforms leading to more fairness. Including a wider population than simply low-level workers, such as students and middle-class is also a recipe for the kind of broad-based reforms that may make capitalism more human. Remarkable communication and political marketing despite some raw edges, but not as heroic.

Another, very different hero, is the new Italian prime minister, Mario Monti. 
It takes a hero to accept to lead a government in today's Italy, brought low by its career politicians, and where tax offices and administrators receive parcel bombs when enacting reforms. It also takes one to tell (albeit indirectly) the mighty Angela Merkel: "Adherence to fiscal discipline is a necessary condition for growth. It is not however a sufficient condition", i.e. austerity is well and good, but you Germans need to promote European growth-oriented reforms. A pro-market economist and former EU commissioner, he appears far less physical than Philippe Poutou, being more of a Professor Xavier. However, a calm, worldly, reasonable, and far-thinking character, he is probably exactly what Italy and indeed Europe need right now to vanquish the most dangerous crisis it ever faced. His tendency to tell the truth about the crisis in non-political jargon is remarkable, and exactly what is needed. He summarizes the entire situation by the following sentences: "austerity is not enough, even for budgetary discipline, if economic activity does not pick up a decent rate of growth. A lowering in interest rates does not depend only on Italy's efforts but also, and essentially, on Europe's ability to confront the crisis in a more decisive way". Of course, that remains a bit vague, but even heroes may have doubts or need to keep their plans hidden from their enemies.

I don't know if M. Monti is the hero we deserve, but I truly feel he's the one we need right now.