Michael
Jackson, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Carson, Elvis Presley, Steve Jobs.
These are just a few of the Americans expected to appear on postage-stamps this
year, according to an article I found on CNN.
To give you
an idea of how stamps (and the people they feature) have changed over the
years, here are the first two stamps that were released in the United States.
These two were released in 1847.
Clearly,
they depict Ben Franklin and George Washington. According to the US Postal
Service Website, these two stamps were the only ones offered for nine years,
until 1856 when a stamp that featured Thomas Jefferson was added to the
collection. In 1863, a fourth stamp was released, this one featuring Andrew Jackson.
So why does
this matter? I found it peculiar, and even alarming, just how great a shift
there has been in the type of people depicted on stamps. I mean, for the first
16 years of the stamp’s existence, you pretty much had to be a president or a founding
father to have had your picture on a stamp. Only people of substance and those
who had long lasting, meaningful influence on their fellow Americans were chosen.
These people shaped our beliefs about who we are as a nation, as well as our
values.
Now,
however, it seems as though our heroes (and I say heroes because you have to be
a pretty influential person to get your picture on a stamp!) include a much
broader range of people. Musicians, actors, comedians, CEO’s, etc. have been
deemed important enough to earn stamp-worthy status. As evidenced by the stamp below that features
the Simpson’s character Homer, even cartoon characters are given this honor
once reserved for only Presidents and Founding Fathers!
I may be
making this into a bigger issue than it really is, but it is shocking to me
that we have gone from putting Founding Fathers on our stamps to putting
cartoon characters like Homer Simpson on them. Don’t get me wrong – I love the
Simpsons! But there is a time and a place for them. That place should not be a
postage stamp. I find distasteful and disrespectful to put Homer Simpson and
George Washington on the same level by having them both be on the stamps. I
mean, come on, can you really compare the contribution and impact that Homer
Simpson has had to those of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson?
How do you feel? What does this say about our definition of
heroes?
Alex, I agree with you that the once highly esteemed honor of being on a stamp has changed drastically over the past 150 years or so. Though stamps are less of a way to honor heroes these days, I don't really have a problem with Homer Simpson being on a stamp. Though Homer clearly doesn't merit the same kind of recognition as Washington or Franklin, he is an American icon. Stamps sure have changed over the years!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it borders on disrespect to put someone so influential like a founding father on the same level as a cartoon character, but at the same time the values of early America are extremely different from now, and along with that the heroes are too. Maybe the heroes of today reflect what is important to us?
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand your view that it's disrespectful to portray George Washington and Homer Simpson as equally influential people, I hardly think that one should be offended by Homer's inclusion on a postage stamp. I think that society's view of "importance" has changed quite a bit since the 1800s, which I don't consider a bad thing. George Washington is still a household name today, and he is still looked upon as one of the most important figures to our country. A president doesn't need to be on a postage stamp to be looked upon as a respected figure in today's society.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that you choose the word "hero" to describe those who are honored with inclusion on a postage stamp. Although some people that are on the stamps may be considered heroes, I don't think that that was ever necessarily what it was meant to signify. I think that some would even argue against Washington, a lifelong slave owner, being a hero.