It is a rude awakening for most of us when a hero of ours suddenly is discovered to possess a dark side, even to be a scoundrel or crook.
When we were young, we looked up to superheroes. Superman was near-perfect except when he came into contact with kryptonite. But he was Superman and somehow always recovered to reign triumphant over evil.
We remember Green Lantern, Aqua Man, Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, Mister Majestic, even Batman before he developed multiple personalities. If they had any weakness, they found a way to overcome it. These heroes did not let us down.
We have our real-life heroes, too, those individuals of remarkable skill or courage who are admired for their special qualities. However, being human, they sometimes disappoint us or betray our trust. In spite of their incredible achievements in arts, sports, entertainment or government, some of them suppress a dark side that eventually tarnishes, perhaps ruins, their reputation and deflates our trust.
We think of modern-day fallen heroes like Lance Armstrong, Pete Rose, Marion Jones, Oscar Pistorius and Roger Clemens. And then, there’s Bill Cosby, the iconic humorist, actor and author who finds himself in a firestorm of sexual misconduct and rape allegations brought by more than 20 women. What are we to think?