Definition of hero...This is driving me crazy...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

The true definition of hero is someone who does something for someone else without regard for their own safety or life. A hero is not someone whose job it is to protect you. A hero is not someone who just happened to be there and was killed on accident. I don't believe police officers or firemen are heroes. They're getting PAID to do what they do. A hero is someone who runs into a burning building who was just walking by when they heard the shouts of a child. Not the guy who does it because that's his chosen profession. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for this, but that word HERO is thrown around, especially by the Smirk administration. I'm so tired of hearing about people being heroes because they just happened to sneeze and not get hurt. It's getting ridiculous. Case in point: Jessica Lynch. I'm sorry about what happened to her, but even she says that the official story of what happened didn't happen. She doesn't want to be a hero, and she's NOT. She's just a girl that was doing a job and something bad happened to her. She didn't save 1500 people from something out of the goodness of her heart...she was kidnapped or something and was found by a bunch of marines in a hospital. I admire her strength, but she's not my hero.
Duckie

[meegbear]

1. I don't agree with you about the firemen/policemen, but ...

I do agree with you in terms of Smirk. Since 9/11, * and Co. have gone out of their way to honor these people, but they do it by saying thing like "Everyone in this room is a hero" and include themselves in the statement. It's unfortunate that the word seems somewhat hollow now, thanks to them.

BTW - Love your sig, I almost used that for mine. Daily calendar?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. George Carlin book Brain Droppings I think

It's in his short takes.
Duckie

[Guaranteed]

2. Nah- firefighters are heroes...

Cops...I dunno.

But, firefighters- I still remember after 9/11 a survivor being interviewed who mentioned how those firefighters were all going up the stairs, while everyone else was going down....

They're heroes.

On edit: Watch the movie "Backdraft."

[Skittles]

7. DAMN STRAIGHT THEY ARE HEROES

cops and firefighters DEFINTELY are heroes.

[ZenLefty]

3. They throw the word Hero around a little loosely

Just like 'patriot', 'terrorism', and all sorts of other emotionally-charged words to keep their sheep in line. republican leadership - it's all theatre to them, carefully managed for the effect they want to achieve, to make people think what they want them to think.

[Redleg]

14. I agree- the definition is so loose I may be a hero too.

Jeebus, those Repugs are good at manipulating people through language.

[southpaw72]

5. i sort of agree

I think the word is getting worn out from over use, especially since 9/11. Now everyone who does something the neocons like is a 'hero.'

The firemen who lost their lives in the towers were heroes. Sure it was their job, but that doesn't mean it didn't take a lot of courage to do what they did. We should respect their memory, not use it to sell everything from t-shirts to an invasion of the whole goldang middle east.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. Ok, I'll give you the 911 firemen...

But I stick by the rest of what I said.
Duckie

[Lars39]

8. Just because "it's their job" doesn't mean that they don't come across

extraordinary events that calls for heroism, and that they rise to the occasion, often with dire consequences to their emotional and physical wellbeing.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

9. i tend to agree

wholeheartedly. Though i believe that the firemen do fall under the traditional definition of hero, who received both treasure (pay) and great praise in Homer's Iliad, for instance. I think that we often think of people who die for our national religion - which seems to be Patriotism - as "heroes", like our enemy labels those who die for THEIR national religion "martyrs". Each side must create the "other", the "enemy", whom they fight to the death - and then must label those who died in the name of their national religion a "hero" or a "martyr", for whom everlasting life - and everlasting virgins, await. It's the way that war attaches itself to the traditions of our culture, and the way humanity has always justified killing and dying. The Maya, for instance, believed that those of the warrior class who died in battle became butterflies, a symbol of beauty and flight. The captured enemies of the Aztec would be sacrificed, skinned, portions of the body eaten, and the flayed skin displayed in the warrior's family residence.

[kmla]

10. A hero to me...

... can be anyone who performs above and beyond the call of duty. Police officers and fireemen/women are called to do a job that not many people have the bravery, or even the desire, to do. Let's face it - not many people would have the testicular fortitude to do what emergency personnel have to do everyday. Just because they get paid for it, don't discount the fact that they can be heroes. (Actually, I think they deserve more money than they get.)

IMO, here is what is NOT a hero:

A hero is not a guy who looks good while slam dunking.
A hero is not somebody who performs the favorite song of the week, and wears the cool clothes in the latest video.
A hero is not someone who can look good on film (with the aid of an entire make-up dept).
A hero is most definitely not some sock-stuffing chimp-in-a-flight-suit who lands on a carrier and wants to look good by association.

A hero is:

Someone who speaks for those with no voice, even when it isn't "cool" to do so.
Someone who places other's safety before their own, and risks their life so that you may fully live yours (police, fire, armed services, etc.).

Heroes usually aren't shown on the evening news. The people they try to pass off as heroes are just fodder for good ratings. You typically find real heroes around your town, doing the things that real people do. Real heroes don't usually want publicity.

But that's just my opinion.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

12. well put

nowhere in the Iliad does it mention anything about "A hero is most definitely not some sock-stuffing chimp-in-a-flight-suit who lands on a carrier and wants to look good by association." that's a great line, sock-stuffing. There's a little George Bush/Axl Rose association.

[VermontDem2004]

13. A regular cops job is not at all dangerous

A regular day on the job is pulling people over for DUI, speeding, you get your few demostic disturbance calls but those situations are the least bit threatening. A few times over the year they do get involved in a life threatening situation but it is over uneven, example 5 or 6 police cars will show up for a demostic disturbance call even those situations are rarely life threatening. A guy on the roof will get about 20+ cop cars at the scene, don't believe the tv shows or the movies, they are not chasing armed robbers down the street everyday, they are not dodging gunfire, etc.

[kmla]

16. I disagree...

...even with those few "DUI" calls, you never know if that person who is the one who just got fired the same day his wife left him and his dog pissed on his favorite shoes. He may decide to to off on you, on your 'average, not all that dangerous' day. ...Don't know about you, but that doesn't happen to me at my job.

Domestic disturbance calls? The police get a call because someone is pissed. And when you get there, they usually end up getting pissed at you. And those 5 or 6 units only arrive after they have called for backup. Never a fun call to answer.

Only a mouth breathing moran believes what happens on TV is the norm. But that does not discount the fact that they can be called into a life threatening situation at ANY time.

Think of it this way - at 6:00 a.m. on 9/11/01, how many of those guys and/or girls thought that they were going to risk their life by going INTO a burning, soon to collapse building? Probably 0%. But when they had to, they did. Without thinking twice. If they had their choice, they probably would have been content to respond to DUI's and a few domestic disturbances. But they went in anyway.

They could have ran, like most people did. I would have ran away from the building, too. But they didn't.

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. There's nothing wrong with

calling cops and firefighters heroes.

Same with calling EMTs, doctors, nurses, librarians, teachers, coaches and other people who do good for the community, heroes.

[Robb]

15. And sandwiches.

Don't forget sandwiches.