This thread is suggested by a recent op-ed piece in my local paper in which the writer, addressing an unrelated issue, mentioned in passing that he considers President Obama to be a hero because of his calm demeanor and power to inspire.
The reason I address the question specifically to Obama supporters is that it’s pretty clear that people who voted for McCain or think Glenn Beck is the voice of the people are not going to consider Obama a hero. I am opening the thread here rather than in Great Debates because I don’t especially wish to have a debate on the stimulus package, foreign policy, or other such issues: it’s the attitudes of Dopers I wish to explore.
In answering the first question, please note what sort of Obama supporter you are. That is, did you exclaim “woo-hoo!” on Election Night without bothering to vote for him? Did you vote for him but not donate money to the campaign? Did you support him from the beginning of the primary process, or did you start out in one of his rivals’ camps? And so forth.
In answering the second question, it might be nice if you’d define what you mean by hero, and if you wanted to mention someone by contrast you do consider to be a hero, that’d be gravy.
And now, to answer my own question:
I do not consider President Obama a hero. Not yet, anyway.
I was a fairly ardent Obama supporter, but not during the entire campaign; I came on board about midway through the primaries. I donated money & time and spent most weekends during the summer working on behalf of the campaign, and after the conventions were over I spent even more time and effort. Though I still support most of his policies, some things he’s done give me pause, and yes, Rick Warren, I’m looking at you.
I don’t consider President Obama a hero simply because he hasn’t proven himself yet. To me, a hero is a person who does one of two things: (a) risks or sacrifices his own safety, well-being, or happiness for the benefit of others; or (b) succeeds in an extraordinary effort to protect others from harm. While I think that a major part of President Obama’s value tothe nation is his calm, steady, rational approach to problems, he hasn’t yet done nearly enough to qualify under either definition. Martin Luther King, by contrast, was definitely a hero.
But that’s just me. Anybody else?
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“Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey … The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”
