# Astronauts "heros" any more so than your basic tech at a Pharmicuticals company? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-heros-any-more-so-than-your-basic-tech-at-a-pharmicuticals-company/153874 "2003-02-09T12:32:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jonpluc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@jonpluc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonpluc)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-heros-any-more-so-than-your-basic-tech-at-a-pharmicuticals-company/153874/1 "2003-02-09T12:32:08Z")
Dont get me wrong here i think the shuttle was a terrible tragedy but the hero worship thing is a bit much for me. Peoples argument on the hero astronaut issue seems to boil down to they risked thier lives for the advancement of human knowledge. While unarguable true, would there be the similar reaction if a tech working at Procter and Gamble had a kiln blow up in his face or something? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-heros-any-more-so-than-your-basic-tech-at-a-pharmicuticals-company/153874/2 "2003-02-09T12:47:05Z")
Really, that is a misdefinition of the term “hero.” > [@](#): > > he·ro ( P ) Pronunciation Key (hîr) > n. pl. he·roes > In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods. > A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war. > A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine. It _does_ apply in that sense - someone noted for a special achievement - but is much more related to a brave, epic, and dangerous quest. Part of being the hero is the excitement involved in their situation, and the desire of people retelling their stories and being inspired to achieve similar feats… No one reads a day in the life of a biologist ad P&G and leans back and daydreams about when they can do that. If they do, they are probably a biologist at a smaller company. 😉 Is it fair? Eh, kinda. The “hero” tag goes along with danger and bravery more than selfless dedication to the betterment of humanity… though the term is changing meaning, as you imply. In the _strict_ sense… Hero = astronaut Hero = soldier, airman, etc Hero = policeman Hero = fireman Hero = volunteer medic abroad Hero != doctor doing cancer research Hero != detective (unless you’re reading pulp novels 😉 Hero != teacher (er, maybe in some parts of the country) Hero != NASA technician Personally, I think all of them kick ass and deserve equal recognition. Maybe “exemplar” is a better term for the non-daredevil heroes. It sounds smarter, anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-heros-any-more-so-than-your-basic-tech-at-a-pharmicuticals-company/153874/3 "2003-02-09T12:51:12Z")
There’s really no factual answer here, so I’ll close this thread. The topic is being discussed on page 2 of this Pit thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=161147&pagenumber=2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=161147&pagenumber=2) bibliophage moderator GQ