Partly because of this thread and partly because my dad stepped in to an argument when he could see the aggressor (who has a long history) had yet again picked on someone who was too upset to rise to their own defence. I was explaining it to my kid, who had heard enough to be interested.
“Your Granddad wanted to protect someone when they were being bullied, so he got yelled at instead. He’s a bit of a hero.”
She came back with; “Like when you give blood and save people’s lives.”
Which is a nice sentiment but not one I’m comfortable with as I risk nothing to donate blood and get chocolate biscuits in return.
I’m not looking for the uncommon heroes (flight 93)- as mentioned in the other thread, but everyday people who quietly go about doing the right thing.
Well, your own definition of hero seems to waffle right along with mine.
You don’t feel a hero because when you donate blood, you’re not at special risk because of that action. But, isn’t it
?
I guess there’s “heroes”, who do the right thing cos they can and therefore they reckon they ought’a and it implies no big risk, and “Heroes”, who do the right thing cos they can and therefore they reckon they ought’a and it implies risk but it’s still their duty to do it.
We just need a new word or something.
(If I start talking about how “duty” has pretty much turned into a bad word and you only hear it as a good word in connection with the military, will someone pass me a cane I can wave at those youths to geroff my lawn?)
Altruistically risking damage or harm for the sake of others wellbeing. Oh, and succeeding at doing such. Despite what they say on the news, if you run into a burning building to save someone’s kid and you just end up catching on fire and running back outside, forget it.
I think there’s also an element of not expecting or accepting a reward, as well as putting yourself at personal risk for someone you’re not personally connected with. I wouldn’t consider myself a hero for grabbing my own kid and pulling her out of a burning house - that’s just me being a mom. And I wouldn’t consider a paid and respected fireman a hero for pulling anyone out of a burning house - that’s his job and he’s both expected to do it and compensated for it. I would consider a total stranger with no emotional attachment to my daughter and who wasn’t being paid nor expecting thanks or publicity a hero for pulling her out of a burning building, though.
Volunteer firefighters are a borderline case for me: theoretically, they are heroes, but in actuality, most of the ones I’ve met are adrenaline junkie fireheads, and they are amply rewarded by their own endocrine system when they run into a burning building. I know that’s a broad brush and I probably just pissed off a whole lot of people, but my impression is based on a not-small but self-selecting sample of volunteer firefighters who get together on weekends to build and burn three storey bonfires and spin fire chains and staves around their heads while blowing stuff up for fun.
In the linked thread, I said heroes are people who make the effort to make the world a better place. So donating blood does qualify you as a hero - it can even save a life, which puts you right up there with Batman and Spiderman.
One definition: “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.”
I personally get very annoyed by the misuse of this word for people, such as sports figures, who have nothing heroic. There is nothing heroic at all about just being a celebrity, or just doing what your appointed job requires. It is something above and beyond the call of duty, for your job description.
If you read some of the citations outlining what Medal of Honor recipients have done, you will get close to what I consider a “hero.” Even though firefighters’ job entails doing pretty heroic stuff on a steady basis, I can still consider them heros just for being willing to do such a hazardous job.
Many people who have performed really heroic deeds have never been, nor ever will be recognized, but today with the general loosening of the language, it is misused more and more, IMHO.
right along with mine.