ABSTRACT
The extrinsic nature of hero stuff is even plainer in legendary and semilegendary heroes, of whom people have no way of knowing whether they were really what people thought they were. Buffalo Bill is often cited as an example of an American popular hero who was to a large extent fabricated by zealous fiction writers and expert showmanship. The theory of symbolic leadership is that such leadership derives from meaning, and meaning is always extrinsic. If a man makes the right impression and does not contradict it publicly, he can become as a symbol almost anything he pleases (or that fortune pleases). The actual possession of qualities would be crucial only if, and at the point where, they were required for a key public performance. But, since a "buildup" can create public images, even a performance is not absolutely necessary.
