The Heroism of Captain America

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Frankly Speaking, your weekly destination for insight and inspiration,
with your host, Frank Morangos. Frankly Speaking is sponsored by
a Heppa four two one Chapter of North Miami in
partnership with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Compromise where you can or you can't. Don't even if
the whole world is telling you to move, it's your
duty to plant yourself like a tree, looking them in
the eye and say no, you move. I know I'm
asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high,
and it's a price I'm willing to pay. If I'm
the only one, then so be it. I'm just a

(00:48):
kid from Brooklyn. Good afternoon, and welcome to another broadcast
of Frankly Speaking. And as I always tell my producer
Brian Mudd, thank god my programs are on later in
the day, because I don't think any one would want
to listen to someone ramble on for thirty minutes on
the influence of the ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith
in our contemporary culture and most especially today on this

(01:10):
extremely warm afternoon in Southeast Florida, when my focus will
center on Aristotle's definition of a hero, a contemporary example
of which belonged to the quotes of the mythic superhero
with which I began this monologue. I'm speaking, of course,
of Captain America. Captain America is the name of a

(01:31):
fictional superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The
character first appeared in an American comic book published by
Marvel Comics on December twentieth, nineteen forty. Initially portrayed as
a civilian with the name Stephen Rogers, the protagonist was
introduced as a skinny art student from Brooklyn who had

(01:51):
been transformed into a super soldier by the U. S. Army.
Trying to enlist but rejected because of his weak physique,
Rogers agreed to be used as a subject in a
secret project. So injected with a special serum and exposed
to a course of radiation with vitar rays, the scrawny
young man acquired astonishing strength, resourcefulness, and courage. Equipped with

(02:15):
an American flag inspired costume and a virtually indestructible shield,
Rogers became Captain America, the superhero that to this day
clashes with global villains. Created as a contribution to the U.
S struggle against the Axis powers during World War II
that were already on the horizon. Captain America first appeared
on the scene nine months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

(02:38):
Throughout the war years, his comic books were a high success,
but then failed to continue in popularity in the peacetime
that followed. But fortunately, the heroic figure resurfaced in the
nineteen sixties and has been saving the world from evil
doers ever since, selling hundreds of millions of comic books
in many countries. The character finally debuted in twenty eleven

(03:02):
movie entitled Captain America The First Avenger. The film is
a tremendous success, receiving positive reviews, engrossing over three hundred
and seventy million dollars worldwide. As a result, several sequels
were released, including Captain America The Winter Soldier in twenty fourteen,
Captain America A Civil War in twenty sixteen, and the

(03:23):
more recent Captain America Brave New World. This year, I
decided to discuss Captain America on this week's broadcast of
Frankly Speaking, because I believe that the mythic hero embodies
many of the virtues emphasized by Aristotle, particularly in the
realm of ethics. While Aristotle's philosophy doesn't directly address superheroes,

(03:44):
he saw the ancient mythic heroes like Achilles, Hercules, and
odyssas as relevant examples for exploring the concepts of honesty, justice, courage,
and sacrifice, virtues that I'm certain you will agree would
be wonderful if they were emulated by our leaders today.
As I've mentioned in many of my previous broadcasts, Aristotle's

(04:06):
philosophy of ethics focuses on developing the virtuous person character
traits such as honesty, courage, and loyalty. As Captain Americas
frequently depicted as exhibiting these qualities, it makes him a
modern day example of such an honorable leader. Aristotle believed
that an upright, worthy life, which we know is calleddemonia,

(04:31):
is achieved through virtuous actions and the pursuit of excellence.
The Captain's dedication to fighting and standing up for what
is right even when difficult aligns perfectly with these ideals.
Just listen to a brief comparison. Aristotle emphasize the importance
of justice and fairness in society. Captain America's unwavering commitment

(04:52):
to these principles is a core part of his character.
Aristotle's concept of phronices, that is, practical wisdom, highlights a
leader's ability and agility to make sound judgments in complex situations.
Captain America's judgment once again evolves through his exploits and
demonstrates his growth and maturity in this area. Aristotle believed

(05:16):
that heroes were moral exemplars, guides, and leaders for other
individuals in their own respective pursuit of excellence. Such a
champion would be fiercely loyal to their ideals, to their friends,
and most especially to their country. Their sense of duty
would drive them to do what they believe is right,
even though it is personally challenging, whether they are alone

(05:38):
or require self sacrifice. Captain America is easily understood as
such an exemplar of this perspective, a person who inspires
others to strive for morality and truth. Throughout his narratives.
Apart from demonstrating physical strength, he constantly illustrating the value
of adhering to moral courage in the phase of opposed opposition. Ever,

(06:00):
in spite of his superpowers and status, Captain America remains
humble and grounded, never letting his ego overshadow his commitment
to serving others causes greater than himself. While Captain America
embodies many of Aristotle's virtues, his moral decision making is
not always straightforward. His character's journey demands that he learned
how to best navigate complex situations where simple rules or

(06:24):
formulas are not enough. So Captain America evolves his judgment,
and it is critical to his character development and to
our own ability to make difficult choices in a complicated world.
In essence, Captain America's character resonates with Aristotle's philosophy by
showcasing the importance of virtue, justice, and courage, and the

(06:46):
pursuit of truth through ethical actions and sound judgment. Throughout history,
heroic narratives have always been used as mirrors against which
a society could evaluate its own value, struggles, and aspirations.
The champion's journey helped define the boundaries of a society's

(07:06):
respective heroic nature, as as Captain America provides a valuable
opportunity for us today, a chance to compare ourselves against
what Aristotle outlines as the virtues of a hero exemplar
a societal champion in his treatise entitled Poetics, Aristotle defines
the hero someone who has experienced and overcome inner complicated

(07:29):
phases in their life journey. Amartia would be the first petipetia,
the second, anagnotsis, the third, and finally Catharsis. A hero
is first an individual with an inherent noble character. However,
a tragic flaw that also exists in all individuals, which

(07:49):
he calls amartia, creates the opportunity for a reversal of fortune,
a downfall, a pettipetia. Fortunately, it is this failure that
helps them hero eventually experience a moment of realization or
anagnotses that results in catharsis, an emotional cleansing and metamorphosis.

(08:10):
According to Aristotle, by reviewing these phases in a hero's
life journey, a society or audience may therefore be challenged
and inspired, realizing their own respective knowledge, strength, and grandeur, who,
like the mythic heroes, suffer from amartia, are simultaneously vulnerable
and in need of grace and greater self awareness. Heroes

(08:34):
are not infallible icons, but deeply flawed individuals who grapple
with the burden of their authority and power. It is
this realization that resonates with our own interconnected world. I
would suggest that this is exactly the truth the life journey,
components that produce the lure of contemporary audiences to films
like Captain America, whose persona embodies the more modern complexities

(08:57):
of life and leadership. In our age, Aristotle claims that
heroes begin as noble individuals with characteristics that often separate
them from others. While inherently noble, as he calls it,
Captain America was physically weak. A martia, however, a bed
rock element of Aristotle's model describes humanity's fatal flaw that

(09:20):
ultimately results in a hero's ruin or fall from grace.
And so Steve Rodgers, whatever the nobility of his own
motives or the superhuman strength bestowed upon him by science,
displays amartia in a variety of other areas, most obviously
observed in his extreme loyalty and relentless devotion to his
childhood friend Bucky Barnes. His loyalty to Barnes mars the

(09:43):
collective judgment of his friends, fractures the team and exposes
an inherent tension between personal conviction and communal responsibility. Peripetia
is the third phase of aristotle description of a hero's maturation.
Captain am America's unshakable moral compass, while admirable, calcifies him
to yet another tragic psychic flaw. His stubborn idealism renders

(10:09):
him a man out of time, clinging to the principles
of a world that are now obsolete. As a result,
his revelation that a global enemy called Hydra had actually
infiltrated the American government forces him to adjust his life's trajectory,
and by doing sue he helps enter the third phase
called anagnotses, the development of self awareness that finally helps

(10:32):
him to ethically operate outside of his predetermined systems of authority. Finally, fourth,
according to Aristotle, the hero must also experience catharsis a
phase of psychic cleansing and change. Captain America goes back
in time to relive his life away from his heroic triumphs.

(10:53):
This depicts such a metamorphosis a legacy of humility and
personal fulfillment. In the final analysis, Steve Rodgers is a
superhero whose inateabilities are amplified by both physical strength and
moral convictions. Alongside his noble stature, Captain America faced his
individual weaknesses Amartia that ignited a narrative tension that brought

(11:17):
about his need of redemption. The Captain's self discovery andagnotses
across those sequences is comparable to what happened to ancient
Greek heroes, who are similarly blinded to certain truths about themselves,
but fortunately experience the riches of catharsis of intellectual, emotional,
and spiritual transformation. In his book The Virtues of Captain America,

(11:42):
modern day lessons on character from a World War II superhero,
Mark White argues there can be no better model of
ethical behavior today than Captain America. He insists that the
cap he calls him old fashioned moral code is exactly
what we need to restore civility and respect in the
twenty first century in both our personal lives and our

(12:04):
political debates. He is what ancient philosophers, yes more ancient
than Cap, called a moral exemplar. For White, who teaches
philosophy at City University of New York and who is
published widely on ethics as well as written about other
comic book heroes, the Captain is loyal to timeless principles
of freedom, equality and justice. He insists that these principles

(12:28):
are distinctly American, but again universal, and I quote him
American ideals applied to everyone. White suggests not just all Americans,
but all people around the world. The renowned writer and
Christian apologist C. S. Lewis once said, integrity is doing
the right thing even when no one is watching. Captain

(12:51):
America offers us powerful lessons that resonate with White and
with Lewis's ideals, and embody our nations foundational values. Yes,
Captain America's journey is marked by adversity, from his transformation
from a frail young man to a super soldier to
his battle against formidable foes. His resilience is a defining trait.

(13:13):
His determination to keep fighting, no matter how tough the
battle is, is a reminder to us that the virtue
of perseverance lead to strength and maturity. His shield the
primary source of protection as symbol of defense and strength,
representing his reliance on something greater than himself. In so
many ways, Captain America's story, with its seam, with its

(13:34):
themes of righteousness, resilience, and reliance on a higher power,
mirrors what each and every one of us aspires for
our own society and if we are honest, for our
own life journey as well. When we return, we will
be speaking with Evangeline Skirtis, he noted Greek American philanthropists
and prominent Miami personality. I look forward to learning how

(13:54):
Hellenic heritage has influence her personal and professional life.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Journul.

Speaker 4 (14:05):
We thank you APPA four twenty one North Miami chapter
for their sponsorship of Frankly Speaking. You know they promote
the ancient Hellenic ideas of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family,
and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. They offer
scholarships annually to support students seeking higher education. I HEPPA
supports other organizations including the Saint Basol Academy in New York,

(14:28):
IOCC hurricane relief efforts, and the local Annunciation GOOC. If
you're interested in donating to help support these efforts, email
i HEPPA four twenty one North Miami at gmail dot com.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Well, welcome back to Frankly Speaking. I'm so excited to
have on the phone with me today. Evangeline Scritis, Welcome
to Frankly Speaking, Yvon.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
Thank you, Frank.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
It was great to have your husband on the program
last week. It was fun, and now I have the
opportunity to speak with both of you, so I can
ascertain whether or not he was telling me the truth
on a number of things, but the match game. So
you are you were a native Miami in.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
Yes, I am. My brothers and I were both born here.
My parents moved here in nineteen forty four.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
So where did they move from.

Speaker 3 (15:26):
Massachusetts?

Speaker 2 (15:27):
Oh, that's right, Demos standis who became father Mechris? Actually,
at one point my uncle tried to set my mother
up with him. At one point.

Speaker 3 (15:38):
Oh yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (15:39):
Don't know if you know that.

Speaker 3 (15:40):
No, I don't know that.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
They went to seminary together, my uncle and father Demo.
One day they came home and they tried to do
what we call in Greek prosigno. You know, they tried
to do matchmaking, but it didn't take place. Try to
do that, so Tula ended up becoming your mother as
opposed to my mother. So what I did not know

(16:02):
is the first name of your mother. I always knew
her as Tula. Can you tell the listeners.

Speaker 3 (16:07):
Their name Stula? So the toula stuck?

Speaker 2 (16:12):
Do you know what that means?

Speaker 3 (16:14):
Yes, I mean renowned and well known. I feel the
name suited her well.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yes, and that's the case. Yeah, she was an interesting person. Yes,
I understand. Someone mentioned to me that she actually uh
had a radio program.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
Yes, she did Grecian melodies. She had it for about
fifteen years. It was on Sunday mornings at nine o'clock
for an hour.

Speaker 2 (16:38):
Did you ever go on it? Did you ever have?

Speaker 3 (16:40):
No? John? Did?

Speaker 2 (16:42):
Were you afraid to go on? Was that?

Speaker 3 (16:46):
It was never of interest to me? Really, It's something
that my mom really enjoyed. She did it, she was
happy doing it.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
Well, you're also a noted Greek American and you've done
so many philanthropic things throughout the globe, really for Greece
as well as for the United States. Tell us a
little bit about you did something. You and John did
something some time ago, didn't you.

Speaker 3 (17:10):
John and I did a lot of organ transplant volunteering.
So many families would come here from Greece, basically more
so for liver transplantation than kidney, and they were lost.
A lot of them only slowed Greek. The first phone
call I got from doctor Zakis, who is renowned as
a liver transplant surgeon and multi Vistoral called and asked

(17:33):
me to help a monk from le Mia, and he said,
you need to find him a place to live, you
need to help him with his medication. You have to
walk him through his appointments. And I hung up and
I said to John, what does you think I'm going
to do. But it turned out to be the most
beautiful experience, and from there I realized just what it
needed is this is the last stop. If they don't

(17:53):
get a transplant and it doesn't work, this is it.
And sadly there's a few families that we did have
to send their loved ones home deceased. But it's been
very rewarding and a lot of children were involved in
these transplants too.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
So it was a blessing that your parents insisted that
you learned Greek as a child.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
Well, yes, the people would ask me how you learn
to speak Greek and I said, oh, I was punished
in which school for eight years in the afternoons the week.
But it turned out to read and write and speak.
It has turned out to be a real plus for
where my path took me. I like helping people, that's
my mission through the church. I'm not one to sit
in church all day Sunday. But I do love helping people,

(18:36):
and I'm a good networker and I've helped a lot
of people, and I'm remembered by a lot of people,
and it's been a very humbling experience.

Speaker 2 (18:45):
Well, your mother and father would be very blessing. They'd
be very proud of you in the work that you've done,
even before they passed away. Were you a tomboy when
you were a young girl.

Speaker 3 (18:55):
No, No, I'm the oldest of three. I have two
younger brothers unfortunately has passed away.

Speaker 2 (19:01):
But no, no, What did you do for your hobbies?
What did you enjoy doing?

Speaker 3 (19:05):
Well? From high school, I volunteered helping migrant children. So
I think that was really my mission, just volunteering and
helping me underprivileged.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
The question that I have to ask, and I ask
all my guests, is did you and how did your
Hellenic Greek background influence you to do those things?

Speaker 4 (19:26):
Well?

Speaker 3 (19:28):
I think it comes from how you grow up, Frank,
you know, and my parents we were raised in a
very traditional home as they were, and as you said,
my father was a priest, but I think when he
came home at night and closed the door, he was
just our dad. He was just a dad and a husband,
and I think that helped members a lot, as far
as being in a community all times, with everyone trying

(19:52):
to figure out what the priest's family is doing. But
you know, Hellenism has great roots. We are strong, we're
family oriented, we take care of each other, we care
about each other. We have our arguments like everyone else.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
Yes, we should do.

Speaker 3 (20:08):
Basically we're there. The bottom line is we're family and
we have roots. And you know, I'm the second generation
born here and I'm seventy nine now, so it's a
long time ago. And you know, I have nine grandchildren
now and I try to tell them that, you know,
you're lucky you have rooms and you know what they are.
So many people do not know where their heritage is from.

(20:32):
And you know, the Greek community was strong, Hellenism was strong, Yvon.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
You're speaking in past tense. Do you do you feel,
as others do, that Hellenism is waning in this country,
that we don't emphasize it enough.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
Well, I think it's assimilation. I mean, my grandchildren are
the fourth generation born in America, and so you know,
you kind of lose that, so you try and instill
it and also because we're not as clean as your
group anymore. The churches were started for people to be
able to be with people that had the same common denominator,

(21:09):
which was the religion and the language and the music,
and you lose a little bit of that with our generation.
I mean my parents who were born here over one
hundred years ago. That's a long time to be removed
from your basic roots. I think our culture has maintained
itself very well compared to others.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
Did your grandparents live with.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
You, No, but they wintered here every year when my
dad was ordained and came to Miami. Then my mother's
parents spent every winter here, and then my father's mother
came here her last several years of life. So we
were connected to My children had three great grandparents when
they were born.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
Well what.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
Us, It was a blessing and a privilege. And we're
very traditional. Our children are all named after parents and grandparents,
and even our great grandchildren most of them are named
after a family relative.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
Yeah, I know, you try to keep them alive in
my big factory wedding, you see that, and everybody's Nicoletta. Yeah, yeah,
So we tend to do We tend to do those
kinds of things. What was it like growing up? I
understand that initially you lived in the parish home next
to the church.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
When Saint Sophia was established, and I think it was
nineteen twenty seven, it was downtown, and then nineteen forty eight,
my father was fortunate, with the help of so many
strong parishioners to build the cathedral that's there today, and
a woman and an elderly woman bought the house next
door to the church for the priest to live in

(22:46):
because the salaries then either came with a home or
you had a housing allowance, And we lived right next
door to the church till I was about ten and
a half years old, and then my parents it was
only a two bedroom and we were three chill and
so my parents chose to take a housing allowance, but
my dad always wanted to live in the neighborhood of
the church so that they could walk there if he

(23:07):
wanted to, which is exactly what we did.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
So what was it like. Did you have people just
barging in and just.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
They always knocked on the door all day long, all
day long.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
Yeah, so you didn't have the privacy the church.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
I need a glass of water. Do you have a sandwich?
I can have them. It was okay, it was an
open door. But you know that open door policy, Frank
was very good, because that's why I have an open
door policy in my home, and our door is open.
We've had people knock on our door who've ended up
living with us for two years. That's just how it
was in my house growing up. And they talk about

(23:42):
homelessness today, but I remember as a child at dinner
so many times someone knocking on the door and asking
for a dollar to eat.

Speaker 2 (23:50):
Yeah, that's that's I think that's a quality of Greek Americans.
In the issue of hospitality. I remember my dad, who
was from Greece. We would go to church on Sundays
and he would invite random people to dinner. We would
come home, we do. We would come home and we
as children, we were not allowed to take off our
suit and tie, and we would sit at a long

(24:11):
table and we would and lunch would go on for
three hours. You know.

Speaker 3 (24:15):
Oh, Florida's a little more informal, but yeah, I mean
John and I almost I would have to say, probably
at least two Sundays a month, take a stranger to
lunch after.

Speaker 2 (24:25):
Church, So I'm going to have to knock on your
door then one of these days take time. Are you
a good cook?

Speaker 3 (24:31):
Yes, yes, and no basic cooking.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
What do you do for a hobby other than your
philanthropic work.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
That's all I do, help people and enjoy my grandchildren.
We have nine of them, six of them are girls,
three boys, and an open door policy. They're in and
out of our homes all day long.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
Before we end, thank you, by the way for everything
that you've shared with us. Here cried an inspiration to
our listeners. I have to ask you about your brother
George raising homing pigeons when he was a child.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
Oh yeah, my brother George unfortunately passed away eleven years ago,
but he always loved animals. One year he got into
homing pigeons, and that's when Miami was very simple, and
he had them in the backyard and he would put
them on the bus with him in front of the
church parking lot and go down to Biscaye Boulevard and

(25:23):
let them loose, and he'd come home and wait for.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
Them and they would return, and they would return.

Speaker 3 (25:29):
He loved that. He did that for a years.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Was that in the house that was adjacent.

Speaker 3 (25:33):
To the house, to the church.

Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yes, I'm sure people spoke about that.

Speaker 3 (25:38):
Probably so people that he grew up was still talk
about it.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
Sometimes you're not a pigeon, You're more of a dove.
So I thank you for taking the time and flying
home here frankly speaking and talking a little bit and
reminiscing with me about your family life. God bless you, Yvonne.

Speaker 3 (25:57):
Thank you so much, and.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
Please give my regards to your wonderful husband.

Speaker 3 (26:01):
I will into your family also, frank thank.

Speaker 2 (26:03):
You, thank you, thank you for joining me today on
Frankly speaking. Since my monologue focused on Aristotle's understanding of
what a hero's life journey entails, I thought it would
be appropriate to examine the etymology of the word hero.
The English word hero originates from the Greek word eroas,
which means demigod, champion, or warrior. The ancient Greek term

(26:24):
evolved and entered into English in the late thirteen hundreds.
The feminine form heroine was coined later in the sixteenth
century to describe a female hero, as I mentioned in
today's monologue. While the word initially described an individual's superhuman
strength or courage, the concept of the hero evolved over
time to include much more. The earliest known use of

(26:46):
the word hero eroas in Greek literature is particularly found
in the Iliad, and it refers to warriors and to men. Later,
it evolved to describe demigods who were venerated within their
own cults. The Greek term was then adopted into Latin,
while maintaining the sense of an illustrious individual. But it
is important to also note that the concept of a

(27:09):
hero has expanded beyond its classical understanding of physical prowess
to encompass moral as well as spiritual strength. So, as
mister guspert Ocalis insists in my big fat Greek wedding,
there you go. Give me any word and I will
show you its Greek root. So thank you for joining
me today on Frankly Speaking, a show that seeks to
provide frank talk and lively interviews about the influence of

(27:32):
ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith on our contemporary culture
to help make America Greek again. If you would like
to share a question and or suggest a future guest
or topic, I'd love to hear from you at Frank
at franktalkradio dot com.