# Hero Doesn't Consider Himself a Hero **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989 "2018-04-23T16:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/1 "2018-04-23T16:22:46Z")
[‘It was life or death’: Hero bystander jumped gunman, snatched AR-15 at Nashville Waffle House](http://nationalpost.com/news/world/man-fought-gunman-he-was-going-to-have-to-work-to-kill-me) > [@](#): > > The man who snatched an AR-15 rifle from a gunman at a busy Tennessee restaurant says his was a “selfish” act of self-preservation and he doesn’t consider himself a hero. Never mind that he is being credited with saving several other lives. > [@](#): > > “I didn’t really fight that man to save everyone else. That may not be a popular thing,” said Shaw, a Nashville native who went to college in Tennessee and now works as a wireless technician. “I took the gun so I could get myself out” of the situation. > > He said he was glad others were saved. I’m sure what this guy says is technically true, but nonetheless, many people in his situation wouldn’t have the ability to do anything other than cower in fear or try to hide, despite whatever their head told them. The fact that this guy had both the presence of mind and the mental fortitude to take action the way he did apparently saved the lives of other people. That’s good enough for me. And the fact that he’s not looking to play up his “hero” status only adds to it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/2 "2018-04-23T16:27:00Z")
Absolutely, James Shaw Jr. is a hero no matter what he thinks. A lot of heroes say they only did what anyone else would have done. Except that no one else was doing it. Now why was his heroism even necessary? Why are four people still dead? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/3 "2018-04-23T17:01:44Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Absolutely, James Shaw Jr. is a hero no matter what he thinks. A lot of heroes say they only did what anyone else would have done. Except that no one else was doing it. > > Now why was his heroism even necessary? Why are four people still dead? Because it’s possible to kill four people before anyone can react. Even the most amateur shooter can get off several rounds per second on semi-auto. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/4 "2018-04-23T17:04:33Z")
I meant “why” in a slightly deeper sense than that. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/5 "2018-04-23T17:15:21Z")
I pretty much agree with him. To me, someone acting heroicly is someone puts their life in danger when they have the choice of walking away safely. If your life is on the line too, it is rational self-interest. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/6 "2018-04-23T17:23:56Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I pretty much agree with him. To me, someone acting heroicly is someone puts their life in danger when they have the choice of walking away safely. If your life is on the line too, it is rational self-interest. The gunman was possibly reloading or having a stoppage. Mr Shaw could have taken the opportunity to run the other way and save himself. Instead he went towards the gun that he could have made operational at any time. He ran towards the danger and put himself between a murderer and others. There is no other criteria for heroism. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/7 "2018-04-23T17:42:12Z")
Heh, I wonder how many ordinary folks who have performed heroic acts, men or women who selflessly risked their lives to save others, have subsequently told the media in post-heroics interviews “yeah, I guess I’m an honest-to-God hero now”. 😃 My guess is most wouldn’t say it, even if they thought it, because it sounds like boasting - even though it is objectively true. Though I’d also guess, by reading their accounts, that most ordinary folks who performed heroic acts simply reacted in the heat of the moment - in the ‘fight, flight, freeze’ range of reactions, they instinctively chose ‘fight’ where most of us would choose ‘flight’ or ‘freeze’. So they genuinely don’t _feel_ any more brave, selfless or heroic than before. None of which undermines the respect they are due, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/8 "2018-04-23T17:47:27Z")
Definitely a hero no matter what he says. The shooter could have had another gun or a knife. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/9 "2018-04-23T17:53:52Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Definitely a hero no matter what he says. The shooter could have had another gun or a knife. Where would he have those hidden? :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/10 "2018-04-23T17:56:30Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Heh, I wonder how many ordinary folks who have performed heroic acts, men or women who selflessly risked their lives to save others, have subsequently told the media in post-heroics interviews “yeah, I guess I’m an honest-to-God hero now”. 😃 > > My guess is most wouldn’t say it, even if they thought it, because it sounds like boasting - even though it is objectively true. Most people wouldn’t say “I’m a hero” but they wouldn’t say “hey, I was just doing it to save myself”, even it was also true. Playing up the “I saved all these people!” aspect plays along with other people saying you’re a hero without you having to directly claim the glory yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/11 "2018-04-23T18:02:22Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Most people wouldn’t say “I’m a hero” but they wouldn’t say “hey, I was just doing it to save myself”, even it was also true. Funny part is, we can’t really be sure if that even was true. It could merely be an expression of modesty - ‘I’m no hero, I just acted to save myself’. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hero-doesnt-consider-himself-a-hero/812989/12 "2018-04-23T18:46:53Z")
No reason heroism needs to be purely altruistic. You can heroically save yourself, and save others as a side effect, but the end result is still the same.