Hero is a word I hear thrown around a lot these days. According to one country song every mother is a hero. According to President Bush everyone in the military is a hero. According to my little brother Shaq is his hero.

With all this verbal inflation I'm wondering if the actual meaning of the word hero isn't losing its value.

Are all mothers really heros? Why does preforming a biological process (giving birth) make you a hero? If we're just talking about "good" mothers, then isn't taking care of their children what they're suppose to do? How is doing what's expected of you heroism?

Is everyone in the military really a hero? Even the accountants at Fort Bragg that just joined to pay for college? Even Abu-Penis-Pointer England?

I think you see where I'm going with this.

How do we define heroism so that it isn't just a catch all term for people we admire.

11/16/2005 12:13:37 PM

i don't know but i'll tell you who was one

audie murphy

oh and alvin york

11/16/2005 12:24:59 PM

we've just made it mean role model, as you've basically said. good mothers, well mannered sports stars who love the game, people fighting for their country, etc. are all people that it wouldnt hurt youths (or others) to look up to.

i think it reeks of propoganda as far as the military/casualties are concerned, but whatever.

11/16/2005 12:52:47 PM

i dont see how it reeks of propaganda to call soldiers that died in the line of duty heroic.

Wether you agree with what they are doing or not, they are serving their country and dying for it. No matter what side of the coin you fall on with bush and iraq, thats heroic.

[Edited on November 16, 2005 at 1:02 PM. Reason : OMF but TEH NAZIS11!!1]

11/16/2005 1:01:37 PM

To wage war on the United States shows balls. Not a day goes by that I do not recognize the heroicly suicidal actions taken by the German people.

Did they seriously think they could masacre jews and get away with it? Of course not, they just didn't care!

11/16/2005 1:21:20 PM

I swear this was a middle school essay topic one time.

11/16/2005 1:22:57 PM

I swear this was a middle school essay topic one time.

11/16/2005 1:46:56 PM

Quote :

"We don't need martyrs right now. We need heroes. A hero would die for his country, but he'd much rather live for it."

-Bartlett (West Wing)

11/16/2005 1:50:16 PM

that sounds like a patton paraphrase

Quote :

"Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."

not as close as i remembered, but similar

[Edited on November 16, 2005 at 2:13 PM. Reason : .]

11/16/2005 2:10:32 PM

A hero kills people, people that wish him harm. A hero is part human and part supernatural. A hero is born out of a childhood trauma or out of a disaster that must be avenged

11/16/2005 2:55:16 PM

Alternate definition:

11/16/2005 2:56:17 PM

^^ i think youre referring to a superhero there

^,^^ you both win the thread

11/16/2005 3:11:42 PM

no, thats a super hero.

11/16/2005 3:12:52 PM

^^^ that's a ghee-ro.

this is a hero:



[Edited on November 16, 2005 at 3:20 PM. Reason : *]

11/16/2005 3:20:36 PM

[Edited on November 16, 2005 at 3:29 PM. Reason : " to you, a hero is some kind of wierd New York sandwich!"]

11/16/2005 3:28:39 PM

Anyone who puts the concerns of others above their own is a hero in my book. Be it paramedic, a firefighter, a soldier or even a charity worker.


Anyone who thinks that sports stars are heroes are idiots.

11/16/2005 3:35:52 PM

^ teacher then?

Because that'd water the word down too much.

The selflessness needs to be extraordinary.

11/16/2005 3:49:25 PM

Hero: Fictional movie relased in 2002, directed by Yimou Zhang and starring Jet Li.

11/16/2005 8:21:52 PM

Quote :

"i dont see how it reeks of propaganda to call soldiers that died in the line of duty heroic."

i meant to call all soldiers heroes is kinda propoganda'y as is calling people that died in something like 9/11 heroes.

11/16/2005 8:29:08 PM

a hero can be anyone who has a significant positive influence on an individual or group of individuals

11/16/2005 10:04:40 PM

I'm pretty sure there has to be a willful choice made in order for someone to be a hero.

11/17/2005 12:22:02 AM

Quote :

"Well, there are all kinds of heroes, you know. A man can get to be a hero for a famous battle he fought; Or by studying very hard and becoming a weightless astronaut. And then there are heroes of other sorts. Like the heroes we know from watching sports. But a hero doesn't have to be a grown up person, you know. A hero can be a very big dog who comes to your rescue, Or a very little boy who's smart enough to know what to do. But let me tell you about my favorite hero... Did you ever stop to think about zero? Zero is fantastic! Why, without the concept of zero, we'd never be able to multiply, divide, add, subtract, or even to count very high."

my hero, zero


http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/7303/0.wav

11/17/2005 10:16:11 AM

Quote :

"To wage war on the United States shows balls. Not a day goes by that I do not recognize the heroicly suicidal actions taken by the German people. Did they seriously think they could masacre jews and get away with it? Of course not, they just didn't care!"

number 1

The US post dated its declaration of war against germany so that it would appear that Germany declared war on the United States

number 2

The german citizens did not know about the extermination of Jews. Hitler and the nazi regime were extremely particular about the messages they sent out, and extermination camps were not apart of those messages

number 3

you know very little of history.

11/17/2005 10:21:11 AM