Hero’s - is the term being overused?

[Invisible Fire]

Lately I hear the word hero all of the time. Truck drivers, health care professionals and people staying at home all hero’s. This agitates me. I grew up in a family with military men. For risk of angering people here they were not hero’s because of their choice to join the military. They were drunk abusive men. I seen them beat and verbally abuse children, these “hero’s”. I know fire fighters who are “hero’s” but I know who they really are. This goes for all of these people who are blanketed with this word they don’t deserve. I also know some people with no title who are more of a hero than any of these people. I find this word triggering. Abusive and bad people often hide behind this word and they have ruined it for me. I have no point I’m just venting. and curious if anyone else finds this word over used and misused like I do?

 

[Ronin]

I don't mind it as a thank you to people. Overused sure, maybe, but trying for thank you is kinda nice.

Got personal hangups with the word that are nothing about how people common use it.

That and I have to consta remind myself they don't mean the dead. They mean alive helpful people, not those that died serving their countries & communities.

If anything 'hero' makes me sad & distant. Not angry.

I'm also trying to remember 'hero' is what sums up the good & worth being qualities. Not just to kids either. So hell yeah to supporting & appreciating those qualities proper. Good morale & chutzpah build up. Totally needed, especially when people are frightened.

 

[Neverthesame]

I hear you, true heroes are all dead.

 

[scout86]

I have to consta remind myself they don't mean the dead. They mean alive helpful people, not those that died serving their countries & communities.

Sometimes maybe it also includes the dead. But maybe sometimes heroes come through the situation alive too.I wonder.... Does a "hero" have to be perfect? I mean, by definition, to be heroic, does a person have to be good an decent in all aspects of their life? Can a person with a short temper, who drinks too much, jump in front of a train and save someone's life and be considered a "hero" even if they're also a jerk? IDK

 

[somerandomguy]

Your job doesn't make you a hero. Your actions make you a hero. Heroes are all around us, but they're not necessarily the ones who are constantly called heroes.

 

[Ronin]

Oy we have a discussion on heroes even...

I love you guys. :hilarious: :tup:

 

[Invisible Fire]

So hell yeah to supporting & appreciating those qualities proper. Good morale & chutzpah build up. Totally needed, especially when people are frightened.

Yes, I agree with that and see your point. I guess there is several ways to look at why it is used.

Does a "hero" have to be perfect? I mean, by definition, to be heroic, does a person have to be good an decent in all aspects of their life? Can a person with a short temper, who drinks too much, jump in front of a train and save someone's life and be considered a "hero" even if they're also a jerk? IDK

That is a good point. Just because you are a jerk doesn't mean you can't act in a heroic way, making yourself a hero. For me having people who have hurt me being seen as heros makes me angry. Really having nothing to do with the word. And, I do realize that not everyone labeled hero is abusive. I guess I just don't want the people I think are jerks thinking good of themselves. I want them to know someone knows. But, that is a whole different subject.

Your job doesn't make you a hero. Your actions make you a hero. Heroes are all around us, but they're not necessarily the ones who are constantly called heroes.

Yes.

 

[Ronin]

I think we could add several layers to this minimum...

Such as that saving lives may not mean heroic, or whatever that stereotype is / personally I'd see a lot of it as a question of sacrifice & loyalty in the face of danger, vs other things as doing one's job.

True. My definition of 'just a job. Shrug smile. Move.' *is* a bit skewed, but I think there are more useful ways to comment on actions - and more down to earth - than resort to archetypal rhetoric.

That's more about value judgments & who tells the (hi)story, than the actual actors and their actions.

 

[LuckiLee]

In my book heroes have to have integrity also. So no they can't be jerks.

 

[Ronin]

@scout86 Dunno about your example guy... maybe he's not a jerk? Just because he's easily annoyed and buzzing every day doesn't yet tell us he's mean or abusive equally often. :sneaky:

I like your book @LuckiLee :tup:

 

[Chris-duck]

I'm not sure *heroes* exist, I think if we look at *all* of the actions of *anyone*, everyone is just human. But people can be a hero *to* someone, like a kid falls in front of a train, someone saves them, that person could be a hero to them, which is valid. Then that same person goes and screams at a waitress cos they're all stressed out from all that life saving, to the waitress they're a douche, equally valid.

I think heroism is based much more on actions than personality traits, making people heroes to whoever witnesses those actions, N just human the rest of the time. Outside of TV, and even then most superheroes have flaws, I'm not sure total heroes exist. Just dude is a hero to other dude due to an action.

If we go further into my opinions on it, heroic acts often require recklessness, so if that recklessness works and saves a life, awesome, hero. If if f*cks up, it's bumbling interfering twat with a death wish :P

 

[scout86]

I think @Chris-duck is on to something. Heroism is, maybe, somewhat in the eye of the beholder. The person seeing a hero apparently see something special. The person getting the label could easily think "What else was I supposed to do? Obviously?"

@Invisible Fire , I can definitely see where it would hurt to have someone you know to be abusive thought of as a "hero"!

@Ronin , these kinds of discussions ate one of the main things I like about this site. :) Most of the people I used to talk about this kind thing with, in IRL, are dead. I miss the philosophical discussions!